Lately I've been going through a rough patch in my career and it's often left me feeling less-than. With every new application or interview, with every rejection I start to question myself and my abilities a little bit more. And so every task, every new listing becomes a little bit harder and I wonder if I've just lucked my way into the position I'm in, but will get no further. In professional circles, it's known as "Imposter Syndrome" - the experience of feeling like a fake or phony despite any actual success you might have had. It becomes easy to dismiss past accomplishments as luck or good timing and completely ignore the effort and skill it took.
If you find yourself doubting yourself in areas you typically excel, if you feel nervous and like you'll be "found out" or if you're engaging in negative self-talk - these are all potentially manifestations of imposter syndrome. Unchecked, it can devolve into anxiety and depression. What makes it particularly pernicious though, is that it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You feel bad, you talk badly about yourself, you're anxious and not performing your best which causes you to make more numerous or severe mistakes, which causes you to feel bad and talk badly about yourself, make you anxious....
Imposter Syndrome isn't a diagnosable illness, it's more a description of a recognised circumstance. The irony is that, often, people with Imposter Syndrome are accomplished and highly intelligent. From the outside there's absolutely zero reason for them to feel like a fraud, and yet... And the worse you feel, the worse you'll interact with the people and opportunities around you. You won't approach projects with the same insight. As your internal feelings about your self-worth decline, so too will the ways in which you approach relationships, or any other areas in which you're feeling insecure.
There are five basic types of Imposter Syndrome, each with a different rational and a different limiting belief that needs to be challenged.
The "Perfectionist" believes that unless everything you do is absolutely perfect, you could have done better. And so you haven't done enough and you don't think you're as good as others may.
The "Expert" expects themselves to know everything that there is to know about a particular subject and, if they haven't, then they haven't learned enough and are not someone to trust or depend on.
The "Natural Genius" thinks they're not good enough simply because they don't think they're as smart or gifted as others around them. If you didn't get it right the first time, you must be an idiot right?
The "Soloist" thinks that, because they had help or advice to reach a certain level, they didn't "earn" their success. Because they didn't get there on their own, they're a fake.
Finally, "Superman" thinks they have to work harder, achieve more, be at the absolute TOP or they're useless. Faster than a speeding bullet and able to file their taxes in 30 minutes.
If you're not where you want to be, or if you are but feel like you don't deserve it, rely on the wisdom of friends to help you fact-check your beliefs. This sort of thing will bounce around in your skull and ruin everything it touches if you're not careful. You deserve love. You are worthy of others time and approval. You don't need to be perfect for others to love you, they already do - you just have to let them.
