Imposter Syndrome
Do you sometimes get the feeling that you’re going to be exposed as a fraud?
Do you think that your accomplishments in your non-profit work are due to luck and not your talent?
Do you have fears that your peers know more than you?
Have you told yourself that you only got your job because of someone you knew or that you were in the right place at the right time?
Have you gone so far as to change jobs every 18-24 months to ensure that you won’t be exposed as a fraud?
Even when you have evidence that you are successful in your job, does your brain show you proof that you aren’t enough?
Lately, have you heard yourself self-identify as having imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is the persistent inability to believe that your success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of your efforts or skills. It is the faulty feeling of not measuring up, or that you don’t deserve a compliment or accomplishment.
Lately, many of my clients have shared that they have imposter syndrome. They are questioning whether they measure up, and their thoughts are telling them that they aren’t enough and that any day people will know they aren’t who they claim to be.
Here is the good news, you are not alone!
A recent study found that 70% of people have suffered from imposter syndrome, a feeling of not being smart enough, good enough, or talented enough for their line of work.
Here are a few tips you can use to STOP feeling like an imposter:
Stop comparing yourself to other people. Oscar Wilde once wrote, “Be yourself; everyone else is taken.”
Keep a journal of compliments that you receive from your peers, donors, family members, and review them when the voice in your head goads you into thinking you are a fraud.
Show up at 100% and over-deliver on your promises.
Understand that no one had or has a perfect life, and the life experiences that make us imperfect can be used to make us strong and unique. Finding shame in imperfection is wasting your time.
Some of my clients enjoy doing an exercise where we discuss their life stories and gently change the narrative. We discuss the circumstances and drill down until the circumstance is neutral and just a fact without drama.
Think about a situation in your life and watch how your mind goes at 100 miles a minute, telling a big story.
Are the facts even correct, or have you added to the story and embellished the facts? Are you ready to change the narrative in your brain to stop feeling like a fraud?
Are you ready to start honoring your accomplishments and gathering them together for evidence that you have worked hard and deserve to be where you are? Are you ready to move from self-identifying that you are not enough and into embracing and honoring all that makes you unique?
If you want to talk about imposter syndrome or anything that stops you from finding your joy and becoming your best self in the workplace or at home-- schedule a free 45-minute life coaching session and learn very quickly how you can change the narrative and feel better.
Book your session or read the testimonials about how others have made positive changes in their lives.
I look forward to meeting you.
Joyfully, Nancy
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