The persistent INABILITY to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts and skills.
It is basically a lack of self-belief. And this can happen for many reasons. What are the key reasons?
Dangers of social comparison
This theory states that individuals determine their own social and personal worth based on how they stack up against others they perceive as somehow faring better or worse.
Today we live with constant exposure to social media, always checking in on others’ lives. Looking at highlights of someone else’s life can evoke a feeling of being left behind or give us a false sense of being inadequate.
The Negativity biases
The brain is simply built with greater sensitivity to unpleasant news.
It means that we remember bad experiences more than good ones. And any similar future bad experience keeps reinforcing the memory which becomes a vicious cycle.
In time, if not checked, this can make us feel incompetent.
The need for perfection
While wanting to make things better is a great idea, getting stuck in the trap of chasing an arbitrary ‘perfect’ can lead to a loss of confidence and self-belief.
Perfection only works in tandem with action – it is an iterative journey – only when we take action we will identify gaps.
How to overcome this imposter syndrome?
Comparison is in human nature. Success stacking is where you remind yourself of everything good have done so far in your life. You compare your current self with your past self and keep it always available with you. It is a self-comparison scale. This helps you not to fall into the social comparison trap. Over time, it also helps you build your self-confidence
Mindfulness & Gratitude
Now that you are aware of imposter syndrome, being mindful of it will help you overcome this syndrome easily. When we know why we do certain things, it’s easier to comprehend them and get past them.
Bring to your awareness that you are enough. Add gratitude to this. When you express gratitude, you recover from negative emotions faster. Make it a daily practice.
So be mindful of your capabilities and be grateful for your strengths.
Actions create feelings
Taking actions is arguably the most effective of the techniques to overcome self-doubt. Right actions create feelings that counter the negative emotions that were feeding self-doubt. Taking persistent actions will create more successes and these successes stack up to build your confidence and make you shine.
Innervolve. Be more. Do more.