April 6th, 2025
Imposter syndrome is a psychological condition in which one feels they are not worthy of their success, despite their knowledge or achievements. It’s common practice for individuals experiencing it to chalk their accomplishments up to luck or external circumstances. It’s not a diagnosable disorder. Studies have shown there is a correlation between depression and anxiety. If you experience either of these you are more susceptible to falling victim to this behavior.
Imposter Syndrome is more likely to occur in marginalized groups but that’s not to say it can’t happen to anyone. According to some loose estimates, 70% of people are likely to experiencing it at least once in their life. One time could be enough to shatter the potential of an opportunity. If left unnoticed it can have a substantial impact on one’s career and performance. Doctors, programmers, artists; It doesn't matter what field you are pursuing, you are still vulnerable to it.
Since there is no test or immediate way of diagnosing the disorder, we have to learn to identify it by analyzing ourselves. There are specific characteristics that might give light to someone experiencing it. The term was first coined in 1978 by psychologists Suzanna Imes and Pauline Rose Clance. The irony of it is most people who experience it are well-accomplished, highly intelligent individuals. They receive some type of recognition for their efforts and start to compare themselves to everyone else. It’s also very common amongst artists who have received critical acclaim for a piece of work. Since art is completely subjective it's even worse for them. Why me? All of the hours of work and time put in suddenly disappear from the mind.
- Attributing one’s past successes to luck or other external factors
- Being sensitive to constructive criticism
- Feelings of being found out as a fraud
- Fears that you won’t live up to expectations
Start Believing In Yourself
I am a firm believer in you can do it, screw the nay-sayers. If you have a dream and want to accomplish something, whose to stop you. The biggest thing holding you back is yourself. The self doubt and telling yourself you can't is a bigger hurdle than actually doing it. The internet is a powerful tool packed with information and resources, if you want to do something in this day in age, there is definitely a way. Connecting with other people, finding the support and help you need, it's all possible.
Take A Break From Social Media
Social Media can be highly toxic towards one's mental health. What we see on social media is never a true representation of someone's life. People are always posting the highlights of their lives. It's a filtered version of their life—We don't see everything that's happening in between. This is painting a false narrative. A quick example: About ten years ago, I brought my now wife, to a baseball game in America. We went to go see the Chicago Cubs play at their home turf Wrigley Field.
Upon getting there, we found our seats, grabbed some snacks, and got settled. Ten minutes in and my wife turns to me and says “So wait, where's all the action?” This puzzled look painted across her face. I smile back and said “What do you mean? This is baseball!”—But I knew what she meant. The only representation of baseball that she knew was from the movies.
In the movies, all we see are the highlights of the baseball games. When watching Field Of Dreams or For The Love Of The Game we see hit after hit, players scrambling across the field, the chaos! But in reality baseball is a slow, drawn out game—If your spirit animal is a sloth, baseball is your game.
If it's only the highlights we are seeing then we aren't getting the full picture. When we log into any social media platform, we see people posting the successes but not the full journeys. People don't share as much the losses as they do the wins. You see someone standing on top of a 3 mile high mountain while you are on the couch in your sweats, unshowered, and unfiltered. You're thinking "There's no way I can do that, look at me right now".
Imposter Syndrome and Entrepreneurialism
Most founders of any new company experienced imposter syndrome at some point in their journey. Learning how to navigate through it is everything if you want to see success.
Ways To Cope With It
Talk About Your Successes
Recognize the Small Wins
Practice Self Care
Exercise and Eat Better
Most founders of any new company experienced imposter syndrome at some point in their journey. Learning how to navigate through it is everything if you want to see success. The best way to impose changes is to catch yourself in the act and employ the coping strategy of your choice. For instance, if you find yourself in the moment starting to have thoughts doubting yourself, you can actively tell yourself "I do deserve this because I have worked hard to get here." By disrupting the chain of thought, you can begin a new one in which you don't fall victim to these negative thoughts. And yes I understand that this may sound a little straight forward and almost stupid. But you'd be amazed at how quickly the moment comes and goes. Practice giving yourself words of affirmation during these times. Sometimes the most simple and basic strategy is the best.
There will always be someone who is more talented or experienced than you, and that's OKAY. That doesn’t mean you're not capable of experiencing success. Let go of trying to be a perfectionist and start accepting where you are and what you have done. Learn to cultivate a little self-compassion. You can do whatever you put your mind to, all it takes is a little push and a lot of believing in yourself.
