"No one else can convince you you're good enough. Only YOU can do that."
Hello there, smarty-pants. How are you?
In today's post, I will be talking about impostor syndrome.
But first, let's start with this Lil story:
I was 15 years old when I completed a course related to sales and marketing, and I was presented with an opportunity to apply for an internship. So, I created my resume and applied for the internship.
I received a call for an interview on 19th August 2020. Surely, I was nervous. But I gave my best in that interview. After an hour so, I received another call confirming that I was selected. I was happy beyond words can explain, But then I stopped, asked myself, "how? why?". Why am I selected? How can I get selected? Why would any company recruit a rookie like me, that too for a paid internship?
But still, on 20th August 2020, the day when I turned 16, it was my first day as a YouthRep. Unbelievable. And throughout my internship, I was been anxious about "what if they find out that I'm a rookie/not worthy of the task being assigned?"
You must be wondering, why am I bragging about myself. The answer is
"Impostor syndrome", today's blog post topic.
Impostor syndrome describes the state of not being able to swallow the gulps of accomplishments and having a constant fear of being exposed and called "fraud". Despite external evidence of their competence, those who are experiencing impostor syndrome remain convinced that they are cheating others into thinking that they are intelligent, or that they are fraud, and do not deserve it. They credit their success as "luck".
Let's dig a little into the history of impostor syndrome,
it was first forged in 1978 by Pauline R.Clance and Suzanne A. Imes, in an article entitled, "The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention", but further research has shown that it occurs in both men and women.
But why are we talking about it?
Because Imposter syndrome is the most commonly experienced syndrome. Not only that, impostor syndrome is often accompanied by anxiety, stress, rumination, or depression.
"So you telling me that I have a mental disorder?" No Karen. Not at all.
Impostor syndrome is a phenomenon experienced in humans, but it is NOT A MENTAL DISORDER. And it is not recognized in DSM or ICD.
"It's hard to detect good luck- it looks so much like something you've earned." -Frank A. Clark
Let's talk about the 4 most common impostor patterns:
1. The Perfectionist: If an individual decides to achieve a certain goal, and achieves only 99% of it, he/she thinks that they have failed and now people don't trust their ability.
2. The Expert: An individual who values the knowledge he/she may have, but, if failed to even know a minor thing or two, they think that they are incompetent or an amateur.
3. The Inherent Genius: An individual for whom, everything is meant to be simple and easy. A minor problem in understanding something and they think that they aren't talented enough.
4. The Soloist: An individual who believes asking for help will confirm that they are unskilled or failures.
[why do I feel like I belong to all 4 categories? strange.]
So, what can we do about this?
Firstly, accept. Accept whatever you are feeling. It's only natural to feel this way.
Next, trust. Trust the people who have given you a certain something. Trust their judgment. Trust the people who tell you that YOU DESERVE IT, because, you deserve it.
Stop reasoning. Stop finding reasons for why you deserve it. Because the answer is simple, YOU JUST DESERVE IT.
And what I mostly do is, go with the flow. I enjoy the moment. No matter how much the impostor within me screams that I don't deserve anything, I shout even louder, WHY DON'T I DESERVE IT? And it's very thrilling to see the impostor sit blankly and search for answers which aren't available.
Here is the fun fact as a reward for you, for reading this post:
EVERYONE HAS IMPOSTOR SYNDROME. It's a fact, somewhere through the journey of life, we all have felt that we don't deserve this, and have let the guilt of being a so-called fraud take over us.
So rest assured, you aren't alone.
And if you want to fight and kill the impostor within you, here is a weapon for you:
"I still believe that at any time no-talent police will come and arrest me." -Mike Myers
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