6 Steps to Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Feb 7, 2018

Imposter Syndrome is an insecurity which lives in fear of being discovered as a fraud. For many, it keeps us from stepping beyond the comfort zone. It can be managed with awareness and this limitation therefore overcome.

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube, and more. Like what you hear? Share it and leave us a review. It means a lot!

When it came to stepping up into my own potential, I’ve encountered road blocks that I know are fairly wide spread. Common enough, in fact, to have actual names for them. In this instance, I’m referring specifically to “Imposter Syndrome”. If you aren’t familiar with the term, it describes those who fear being exposed as an imposter or fraud. It’s usually covered in terms of job success, but it’s hardly relegated to that arena.

Story Time

I’ve always loved teaching, and regardless of the class I was taking I generally ended up as the impromptu teacher’s aid or student helper. While I was comfortable re-iterating or re-phrasing something a teacher said in order to help a fellow classmate, I never undertook teaching solo. Why? Primarily, I didn’t feel qualified to and these reasons ranged from not being educated enough to thinking I wasn’t smart enough, and everything in between. In short, I refused to step up because I didn’t believe in myself enough and didn’t have the confidence. Fear of being an imposter stopped me from even trying.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to work at a local sewing store as a teacher. Now I’ve been sewing for a very long time and even taken a number of college level fashion design and tailoring classes. Despite this, I was terrified. I was POSITIVE I wasn’t qualified and that my students would laugh me out of the room within 2 minutes. I almost, almost passed on this opportunity because of these fears. A friend kicked me in the butt and I ended up accepting.

Time for the first class rolls around. I was PREPARED. I even had a PowerPoint presentation with a framework of notes to help guide and prompt me. Then I start seeing my students. These women ranged in age from 11 to 80. The younger students, no problem, but the older ones? Some of these women had been sewing for longer than I’d been alive. That opened the door for imposter syndrome to start screaming insecurities at me. “Who do I think I am to teach these people ANYTHING?!”

Icing on the cake? One crusty older lady sat down, gave me a gimlet once over, and said “I doubt you’ll be able to teach me anything I don’t already know.” Talk about food for the imposter syndrome gristmill of negative self talk.

While I may have wanted to run screaming out of that room, I didn’t. I took a deep breath, reminded myself that I had an outline and also that I had been working with people individually for many years. I could do this! I could teach a real class. And with that in mind, I began.

The icing on the cake? About five minutes in, that same crusty older lady said “Wow, it’s only been a few minutes and I’ve already learned something new.”

The Point

Most everybody has had to deal with this in some form or other at some point. Ultimately, it’s an insecurity rather than a reality. For example, I know corporate executives whose entire life has always revolved around what they are doing who still feel like imposters, just waiting for someone to discover it and fire them. The difference between a person who puts themselves out there and one who doesn’t, is that the imposter insecurity doesn’t stop them — not that they don’t have it in some form or degree.

When it comes to stepping up into your potential, that means stepping out of the comfort zone. Anytime we step out of comfort zones, insecurities have a field day. I know that for me my brand of imposter syndrome was very definitely a factor in why I didn’t step up. That said, I’m now working on managing it. As I mentioned in the introduction post, the best method of combating any kind of insecurity is to DO and then build on what has been done. Once you’ve got evidence behind you that says “yeah, I can indeed do this” then it becomes easier and easier.

Here some of the things I’ve learned which has helped me move out of the shadows and into the light. Hopefully, you can use them as a guide so that you too can start stepping up to your own potential.

1. Recognize your triggers. Not everything will trigger this insecurity, and it’s different for everybody. For me, it really only crops up when I’m in a teaching role. It doesn’t crop up at all when I’m in a leadership role though. In addition to knowing the situation which triggers it, pay attention to the kinds of things this insecurity is whispering. In my case, it always boiled down to “I’m not educated enough.” Knowing the exact emotional weapon this insecurity would use helped me develop tools to overcome it. In my case, I over-prepare and constantly learn new things. Know for yourself exactly the situations which spawn this insecurity and also know the words it uses. Now, when I hear myself saying “I’m not an expert, I can’t…” Stop right there. I see what’s going on.
2. Practice. Practice. Practice. Again, it’s about building up that personal bank of actions taken that you can point to when insecurities are working to tear things apart. “I know I can do this, because I did it here and here and there. Maybe not exactly the same way, but close enough.” Whatever your end goal is, if it’s too big right now, it’s ok to take baby steps. But take them. Standing still is never an option. Practicing means DOING, not thinking or imagining or reciting affirmations. DOING. Getting out there, however far away from your comfort zone that you can manage right this moment, do it.
3. Part of this step for practicing is actually to have faith in yourself. This is where a positive re-enforcement can go a long way. Because imposter syndrome is a type of insecurity, there is no magic bullet to get rid of insecurities. I wish there were! The closest I’ve come is to put myself in situations where I am tested, and when I pass a test in any way at all, that becomes a list point that I use to counter the insecurity. In this way, I start building faith in myself and my ability to do whatever the task at hand is.
4. Be prepared. For every single class I teach, I have an outline of what to cover and I know stone cold what the objective of the class itself is. If I know these, I can speak impromptu without any qualms. I hear the same advice for executive leadership, public speakers, and managers – know the material first and foremost. From there, it’s experience with the process and faith in my own ability to handle things which get me through.
5. Whatever it is you want to do, recognize that you don’t have to know EVERYTHING about it or be PERFECT to do it anyway. The most empowering thing I learned to say in response to a question was “I don’t know, but I’ll do some research and get back to you.” The more someone tries to present as an infallible expert or perfect, the more I know they are likely secretly suffering from imposter syndrome and they haven’t yet mastered it and thus are overcompensating. Just stick with what you do know, and move into the new territory over time. Above all, be honest with yourself as well as those you’re working with. You’d be amazed just how much people are willing to work with you if they know you recognize your limits and want to overcome them.
6. Remember your purpose. I get in front of people and teach because my end goal is not to teach per se, but to inspire others to express their potential. That’s my purpose – to inspire and enable others to succeed. My purpose is bigger than my fear and insecurity, and when I remember the purpose of all this, it makes it that much easier to tell my insecurity to sit down and be quiet because I’ve got work to.

These are the 6 things I’ve learned which help me manage my own imposter syndrome. According to Dr. Valerie Young, an Imposter Syndrome Expert – whose website tagline is the extremely true: Everyone loses when bright people stay small – my brand of this is largely The Expert, so if points 4 and 5 don’t really help you with your brand of imposter syndrome, check out Dr. Young’s work. As with most insecurities, I don’t think I’ll ever be “cured” but I can certainly ensure it’s out of the way enough that I can do what I need to. Now that I’ve had some practice managing it, it gets a little easier each time I need to move past it.

Video

Video is now also available through the YouTube Channel. The background during the speaking portion is a close-up of my 75 gallon freshwater planted tank at feeding time, so it’s relaxing and still fun to watch.

About the Featured Image

This was taken at Surf Beach near Lompoc, CA. I had never seen a beach with this particular sign on it and I couldn’t resist. Insecurities are emotional warnings which try to protect us but they often end up doing more harm than good. While I always advocate paying attention to any warnings, be mindful as to whether or not they apply to the situation at hand and how they can be managed. Above all, never let simple fear stop you from bringing into your life all that you are capable of.