Imposter Syndrome — The thought — do I deserve this?
Imposter Syndrome, Yes, let’s address the Elephant in the room of which no one really talks about!
Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? Like your friends or colleagues are going to discover you’re a pretender, and you don’t actually deserve your job and accomplishments?
If you feel so, you’re in good company and you’re not the ONLY one who is feeling this way! Trust me on this!
This feeling is commonly known as IMPOSTER SYNDROME.
What is impostor syndrome?
The idea that you’ve only succeeded due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications — was first identified in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes. In their paper, they theorized that women were uniquely affected by impostor syndrome.
Some common thoughts and feelings associated with imposter syndrome include:
“I must not fail” There can be a huge amount of pressure currently not to fail in order to avoid being “found out.” Paradoxically, success also becomes an issue as it brings the added pressure of responsibility and visibility. This leads to an inability to enjoy success.
“I feel like a fake” Imposters believe they do not deserve success or professional accolades and feel that somehow others have been deceived into thinking otherwise. This goes hand in hand with a fear of being “found out”, discovered, or “unmasked”. They believe they give the impression that they are more competent than they are and have deep feelings that they lack knowledge or expertise. Often they believe they don’t deserve a position or a promotion and are anxious that “somebody made a mistake”.
“It’s all down to luck” The tendency to attribute success to luck or to other external reasons and not their abilities is a clear indicator of imposter syndrome. They may typically say or think: “I just got lucky” or “it was a fluke”. Often this masks the fear that they will not be able to succeed the next time.
“Success is no big deal” The tendency to downplay success and discount it is marked in those with imposter syndrome. They might attribute their success to it being an easy task or having support and often have a hard time accepting compliments. Again, they think their success is down to luck, good timing, or having fooled others.
And Frankly, I was in fact am having these feelings too, when I searched about it I got to know it's called Imposter Syndrome and is very common. I guess being open about these things to your friends at work and THEIR SUPPORT equally matters in the Growth of Individual and building his/her confidence. I was constantly asking my colleagues at work, am I doing good? am I really standing where I am expected to stand? will I be thrown out?
I didn’t know what was it then and I believe freshers like me won’t be known so that’s why I am writing this Blog-post, just to let you guys know, you are not ALONE!
It can also be helpful to share what you’re feeling with trusted friends or mentors. People who have more experience can reassure you that what you’re feeling is normal, and knowing others have been in your position can make it seem less scary.
So what can we do to mitigate the negative effects of Imposter syndrome?
One of the first steps to overcoming impostor feelings is to acknowledge the thoughts and put them in perspective.
- Recognize imposter feelings when they emerge. Awareness is the first step to change, so ensure you track these thoughts: what they are and when they emerge.
- Rewrite your mental programs. Instead of telling yourself, they are going to find you out or that you don’t deserve success, remind yourself that it’s normal not to know everything and that you will find out more as you progress.
- Talk about your feeling. There may be others who feel like imposters too — it’s better to have an open dialogue rather than harbor negative thoughts alone
- Reframe failure as a learning opportunity. Find out the lessons and use them constructively in the future. This is a critical lesson for everyone.
- Be kind to yourself. Remember that you are entitled to make small mistakes occasionally and forgive yourself. Don’t forget to reward yourself for getting the big things right.
- Seek support. Everyone needs help: recognize that you can seek assistance and that you don’t have to do everything alone. This will give you a good reality check and help you talk things through.
Try this it works, even a small Recognition from peers boosts confidence a lot and positivity in the work. My company recently had this program called Enabling Your Potential (EYP) during which we were asked to get feedback from the peers, so I decided to ask for the Feedbacks from my peers, and TRUST me after going through those feedbacks, it was a relief, and feeling of satisfaction that suddenly raised into my body. The feedback consisted of three areas — what I did good, what Impact I am making and where can I improve on! It was really amazing to respond to my peers and it was motivating.
So I urge you guys if you are going through this Syndrome or you know anyone who is going through this Syndrome, I would suggest taking a moment out of your lives and just acknowledge the person give him/her your feedback and if you’re a person going through Syndrome you can come forward and ask for feedback. Well, this one way is working for me there could be multiple other ways too!
At the End of the DAY, it’s YOU who matter, it’s your
self-confidence which matters & Keep Believing in YOURSELF !
If you need any help feel free to Contact me at -
My Instagram — www.instagram.com/ameygoes
My LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/amey-bhilegaonkar/
Detailed Blogs to help you —
1. https://time.com/5312483/how-to-deal-with-impostor-syndrome/
2.https://hbr.org/2008/05/overcoming-imposter-syndrome#
3. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-women/201809/the-reality-imposter-syndrome
