Do you ever feel like a fraud, or that everyone around you in your career knows something you don’t, or like you’ve suddenly reached a level of success you don’t think you deserve? You may have Impostor Syndrome. Impostor Syndrome is the feeling high-achievers get when they start to gain success and praise, but they don’t feel as though it is all deserved. This feeling can be extremely discouraging and even cause you to suffer in your career. Mindset coach Mario Lanzarotti laid out some tips for us to feel as confident as we should in our current positions.
Who suffers from Impostor Syndrome?
Impostor Syndrome can affect anyone – men, women, Gen Xers, Millennials, Gen Zers – in any field. Most people who experience the phenomenon are high-achievers who already have reached a level of success. People who are always looking to grow and achieve more tend to fall into the trap. It is normal to feel a little like a fraud when you first start out, but if you continue to climb and still feel unworthy, you may suffer from Impostor Syndrome.
Building Your Confidence
Let’s face it, most high-achievers are extremely hard on themselves. They focus on results and reaching certain goals rather than how they are feeling. If all of your self-worth is wrapped up in what you do, then what happens when you get sick or make a simple mistake? It is important to remember that we are all human, and our lives are more than just work. “We are human beings, not human doings,” Lanzarotti said.
Lanzarotti believes the key to overcoming Impostor Syndrome is to make it your friend. This feeling of self-doubt is part of you, and you can’t really get away from it, so you might as well embrace it. This is an example of self-love. You can recognize all of these parts of yourself and accept them, and grow from them. Lanzarotti advises that we all take the time to celebrate ourselves so that we can begin to build the confidence we need to change that part of our mind that thinks we aren’t good enough.
