The Tell Tale Signs
Imposter syndrome is the experience of feeling like a phony—you feel as though you will be caught out or exposed at any moment. You feel like you don't fit in, you shouldn't be sat at the table or hold that job title. It can affect anyone, regardless of social status, education, work background, skill level, or expertise or age.
But how do you spot it in yourself especially when you hold the belief that you just aren't good enough?
Read through some of the tell tale signs and assess how often you feel like this right now, or in what circumstances they have been true for you.
The Problem
High achievers clearly get things done. However, when the imposter is looming, achievement comes at a cost in the form of constant anxiety, workaholic tendencies or perfectionism. You believe the only reason you succeeded this time is because you worked all night, so you train yourself to keep doing it. Your imposter tendencies become hardwired into you.
Success is impossible
No matter what you have done, achieved or accomplished, you still feel unsuccessful. You feel like there is still more to do, learn, experience or master. You don't look back on your past accomplishments with pride and acceptance. Instead, you brush them off as luck or right time, right place. You diminish your achievements and believe that you are not a success.
Feel Incompetent
You often feel like everyone else in the room is better than you in some way. They are more experienced, more influential, mire knowledgeable, more skilled. You compare yourself to the "image" they have projected and the perception that you hold about them. You never stop to appreciate that you have just as much right to be in the room or hold these people in your company.
Expectations
You fear that you won't do well enough. If someone gives you a task or project, or you decide to speak, write or create something, you immediately believe it won't meet expectations. You worry that you will be exposed or fail to achieve what others perceive as good or even excellent. So you worry, panic and procrastinate.
Persistence
If you have received praise or achieved something, you put it down to a fluke. You fear that you won't be able to persist at these levels of success. It was circumstances that made you succeed, not you and your abilities and skill.
Receiving Praise
Do you shrug off compliments or down play praise? There is one thing being modest, another feeling that you are not worthy of praise. We want our leaders to give credit to the team when it succeeds, but if you believe your contribution made no impact, then you might be experiencing imposter syndrome. How often do you genuinely accept praise or a compliment in any format and believe it to be true?
Perfectionism or over achieving
If you are always striving to do that little bit more, searching for perfectionism, then you might be in the depths of imposter syndrome. Feeling the constant pressure to achieve more, do more, know more, when actually the bar is set at good, not perfect, is a tell tale sign.
Anxiety
If you feel anxious at work for fear of not being good enough, without any evidence of others dissatisfaction in you or your work is a clear sign. It is the evidence or fact that determines whether the anxiety is valid or not. If there is no evidence, then this might be your imposter at play.
Risk adversity
Do you often play it safe and stay away from taking risks? Do you identify all of the reasons why you will fail and sabotage your own success before you even begin. Do you fear that you won't achieve so don't even try? When the self doubt keeps you small and safe, it is fear driving your decision making, not logic.
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