The Great Imposter
It comes for us all, eventually
I’ve been thinking about Imposter Syndrome a lot this week.
No matter how successful, smart or hardworking we are: none of us ever fully escapes it.
But together we can help each other beat it.
This past weekend, I had two separate convos with close friends—both Career Powerhouses. I’m in awe of them.
They didn’t call it by name but they were each having a bout of Imposter-ism.
One friend was doubting themselves after a decade of achievement in a notoriously toxic industry. They joined a new networking forum and shared their battle-tested POV with thought leaders outside their category. This made them feel supercharged with expertise.
The other friend was feeling the weight of their capital-L Leadership position. I rattled off a list of all their CV-shattering achievements I personally witnessed from our past life working together. I wanted to help them remember their bigger story.
I saw a pattern.
Parallel struggles.
Similar solutions.
It turns out that no matter how high up the ladder we climb, we carry the weight of past insecurity like a bucket of water.
Sometimes we notice that weight less when we’re on a roll. Sometimes we’re tired & it weighs us down more than ever before.
So what do we do with this weight?
We build up that muscle. From now on, here’s how I’m fighting back against Imposter-ism :
1. NAME IT: Acknowledge that you’re dealing with Imposter-ism. Extra points for pinpointing your Imposter-trigger (mine is perfectionism).
2. REFRAME IT: Stop the downward spiral. Ask: “Am I being fair to myself?” Change your context. Ask: “How far have I come?”
3. BALANCE THE SCALES: Celebrate at least one win for every setback/critique/self-recrimination.
4. USE A LIFELINE: Ask for help.
5. BE A LIFELINE: Help each other up.
I’m curious what others do to work through their own Imposter-ism.
Even though it comes as a side effect of individual success, we can still carry the weight together, right?
#impostersyndrome
#impostorsyndrome
#bettertogether