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Press pause on your imposter
The first time I came across the term ‘imposter syndrome’ was in a conversation. After looking it up, I was quite surprised to see that there was a well-known label to a feeling I have had throughout my career. Today, it is a much more common phrase that I hear in conversation when people are describing themselves.
If this is the first time you have come across it, let me explain it. It is the feeling that you are not as good as the people around you. The belief that all that you have done to date is average or below average. For some reason even though people compliment you about the things that you have accomplished. You only hear a version that focuses on what could have been better. It is also the feeling that you don’t deserve your position or compliment or award you received.
Despite a lot of evidence that you are doing well, you find it hard to acknowledge your wins as wins. For me, it was a moment of frustration that pushed me to want to change the way I felt. I can’t say I am on an expert on this topic yet. But I am improving, and I also love helping others in their imposter feelings. I distil imposter syndrome into two parts.
Internal — Where your struggle to validate yourself internally against your own set of standards.
External — Where you struggle to validate yourself externally against a set of…
