What Is Imposter Syndrome? 8 Effective Ways To Overcome It
It happens to everyone, it’s inevitable. You feel like a fraud.
Who are you to talk about a certain topic? After all, you aren’t an expert. You only have some knowledge about it.
But you are passionate about it, and you do know some things about this topic, So, maybe you aren’t a total imposter?
Does this conversation inside your head sound familiar?
This is completely normal and happens to everyone. Imposter Syndrome often creeps up when you are doing something different and your ego tries to keep you stuck where you are.
What Is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is feeling like you don’t have enough knowledge, or you are not expert enough to talk about or create a career out of a certain subject that you are passionate about.
It doesn’t always have to be a career; you may have an urge or a calling to share some information but feel that something is holding you back.
Imposter syndrome is comparing yourself to other people and thinking that they have so much more knowledge than you do and that they are so much further ahead than you. You may feel like you can never be like them, and you’ll never be as good as them so why even bother?
Your ego might be popping up and telling you that there’s no point in trying because you’ll never be an ‘expert’ and know as much as these other ‘experts’.
The truth is, that no one in the world knows every single thing about a topic – NO ONE. If they tell you that they do then they aren’t being truthful.
We all have things to learn but we also all have strengths in certain areas. If you have a calling to do something that you are passionate about and you have some knowledge, then go after it!
8 Ways to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
1. You Only Need Courage Not Confidence
Someone once told me, you don’t need confidence to embark on a task you are afraid of, you only need courage. These words have stuck with me. She was absolutely right!
Do you have courage? If so, then you can do it. Confidence is the second piece that comes after doing something and gaining experience. Courage is the first piece. As long as you have courage, you can do anything.
Allow the confidence to come in stages as you go along your journey and know that hardly anyone has confidence in the beginning.
You know those experts you see that seem like they have a ton of confidence? Well, in the beginning of their journey, most of them didn’t and they too felt like an imposter. But what they did have was courage.
Confidence comes from doing something over and over again. Think about a kid who is learning to ride a bike, they usually don’t have full confidence the first time on their bike, but they do have the courage to keep trying over and over again.
Eventually, after practicing many times, they develop confidence and don’t even question whether they can ride a bike or not. They know they can. Courage came first and confidence came second.
2. People Don’t Want an Expert Because They Can’t Connect with Them as Easily
It’s more difficult to understand someone’s solutions that are way further ahead of you. If someone is 20 steps ahead of you, then it may be difficult to relate to what they are saying because you don’t have all the in-between pieces. It’s easier to understand someone who is 1-2 steps ahead.
Also, their knowledge is much fresher if they have recently been where you are and now are only a few steps ahead. You are more easily relatable when you are only a few steps ahead.
This is why different people relate to different individuals. They are drawn to people to who they can relate. As time goes on and they learn more, they will eventually be drawn to other people who are at their new level.
There are levels for everything, and some people need a guru while others want someone who is 2 steps ahead.
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3. You Know More Than You Think You Do
Often, we forget how much knowledge we actually have and how long it took to get there. Since it usually happens gradually, you may overlook how much you actually know and forget where you used to be. You may forget what it is like to be a beginner and how you used to feel.
You may feel like you shouldn’t be teaching a certain subject because you hardly know anything. But you probably actually know a lot more than you give yourself credit for! Look back at where you were 2 years ago, 1 year ago, and 6 months ago. I bet you learned a lot and know way more than a complete beginner.
Also, because this subject comes so naturally and easy for you, you probably feel like you don’t know much. But in reality, it is because you do know so much that it feels so normal and natural to you. It doesn’t feel like new information. But it will feel like new information to most of the people you share it with or teach it to who are searching for this knowledge.
4. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
You might be comparing yourself to other people and thinking that they are so much farther ahead of you. Keep in mind that everyone’s journey is different and unique to them.
Just because someone seems much farther ahead, it doesn’t mean that they actually are. You are only seeing one small piece of the puzzle. Also, they may have had a ton of struggles to get to where they are, but you don’t see them because they haven’t shared all that information with you.
It is also possible that maybe one thing happened really fast in one area of their life, but in another area, things are going a lot slower. Or they may have had to deal with grief or loss and mental issues or whatever it is, but that part of the picture isn’t shown to their audience.
5. Let Go of Perfectionism
This is about understanding that it is ok to not be perfect. In actuality, what is perfectionism? It is only a perception. No one can really define what perfect is as everyone’s perfect is different and it is in the eye of the beholder.
No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. A perfectionist may think that a small mistake makes them incompetent. Or they think that even if they reach 90% of their goals, they still feel like a failure.
Keep in mind that even so-called experts don’t know everything (they have lots of knowledge about a subject, but they don’t know everything.)
Imposters feel like they need to know everything, so they don’t speak up at all. This can really hold them back in life because they never share anything.
Understand that failure is part of the process to success. I’d say it is a right of passage. I don’t know anyone who’s been successful without some failure. Once you understand that it is part of it, it is easier to accept it and welcome it in as a learning tool.
6. Let Go of Your Ego
The Ego Thinks It’s Not Good Enough or An Imposter If It Struggles to Find a Solution That Comes Natural to Someone Else.
Your ego might pop up and tell you that you’re an imposter if you don’t know the answer to every question someone asks you. Just acknowledge that it’s your ego and it’s ok to not listen to it. You can thank it for its input but let it know that you don’t need its help right now (our egos are always trying to protect us from danger.)
If you don’t know the answer to a question that someone asks you, it doesn’t make you incompetent. This is actually a great opportunity to learn the answer which will make you even more of an expert on the topic.
7. Understand That You Don’t Have to Do Everything on Your Own
Many people feel like they have to do everything on their own and if they don’t, they are an imposter. If you never ask for help it might be because you feel like an imposter if you need someone to help you.
We all have strengths and weaknesses and it’s ok to not know everything about everything.
In fact, most successful people hire people with more knowledge than them to help them with certain tasks. They know it’s smarter to get someone to do it quickly who knows how to do it than to struggle for hours on end and waste all of their precious time. They know when to ask for help.
Unless you’re a genius, no one can do everything on their own. It’s ok to ask for help and it’s ok to not be an expert in every area.
8. Overcome Imposter Syndrome by Stopping to Try & Prove Your Worthiness
Imposter syndrome can show up when you don’t feel good enough and are trying to prove that you are worthy of success. You may be trying to prove this to many different people including:
- Yourself
- Your parents
- Your spouse
- Your friends
- Your children
- Your co-workers
- Your boss
Your higher self knows you are good enough, whole and complete. Look at children, they aren’t trying to prove they are good enough, they are just enjoying life. They just want to play.
Feeling not good enough is a learned behavior that comes from your ego. You can break through this by acknowledging where it is coming from and then taking the steps to move forward.
Do things that make you feel confident. This is different for everyone, but it can be things such as:
- Working out
- Helping someone else
- Eating healthy
- Meditating
- Doing one thing every day to bring you closer to your goals
- Practice a hobby that you love that brings you joy
- Anything else that makes you feel good about you
Bottom Line: How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
At one time or another, we’ve all felt like an imposter. Even the so-called experts have had moments of feeling like a fraud.
Now you can see where you may be holding yourself back due to imposter syndrome and take the steps to correct it and move forward.
Once you can identify where and why you feel like an imposter then it is much easier to look at the belief and see how it isn’t true and how it isn’t serving you.
It’s a great idea to put your thoughts into perspective and ask, “does this thought help me or hinder me?”
Remember, “you only need courage, not confidence.”
~Meghan
