Many people want to be a success. A big success in some form.
But, underneath if they do, lies a mental flaw that has affected countless top achievers and millions of the rest of us.
Imposter Syndrome.
You may not have heard of the term, but chances are you may experience it a number of times in your life.
Can you guess who this is?
Born in the mid 1950’s he made his first acting appearance in a low budget horror film before landing a starring role in a TV movie in 1982. From there his stock rose. Next came one of the lead roles in an ABC series plus other TV guest appearances. His first Hollywood film made $69m at the box office and from there he went from one stellar hit to another. He is ranked the 4th highest all time box office star grossing over $9.96BILLION worldwide. He has won two Oscars, seven Emmy awards, and four Golden Globes plus lifetime achievement awards.
But he said of himself, ‘ No matter what we’ve done, there comes a point where you think, ‘How did I get here? When are they going to discover that I am, in fact, a fraud and take everything away from me?‘.
Any ideas yet???
That man, that star is….Tom Hanks!
Despite all that mega success and super acting recognition, he still feels an imposter in Hollywood.
Imposter Syndrome affect us all from a teacher to a tycoon.
Imposters everywhere.
Imposter Syndrome covers every group, race, income level, background and, well, everything.
Almost anyone can experience this mindset malaise. Some other examples are very surprising.
Would you have thought that the following have experienced Imposter Syndrome?
David Bowie, Serena Williams, Lady Gaga, Natalie Portman, Emma Watson, and Michelle Obama.
It’s a helluva list but it gets more amazing when you add those from recent history too.
Legendary British comedian/magician Tommy Cooper, award winning and multi million selling author Maya Angelou, and even….wait for it….Albert Einstein even declared, ‘I am compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler’, as he didn’t feel worthy of the accolades his work attracted.
In the great and good there is a long line now, and in the past, of famous performers who felt a fake and somehow worth less than what they have achieved. Whether you win an Oscar or Nobel Prize, they can feel exactly the same as you when you get promoted to managing a marketing team or captain of the golf club that you simply don’t deserve it.
There are imposters everywhere in every walk of life not just on the red carpet.
Who is the Imposter?
Forget the TV show The Traitors.
Imposters are among all of us. In fact most of us have been one at some point. Think of the time you felt you didn’t fit in because the people, the place, the role, or all of them together, were better than you. That feeling is Imposter Syndrome.
So what is Imposter Syndrome?
It is a psychological sense of inadequacy where, despite external evidence to support success and achievement, internally the sufferer downplays any accomplishments as luck or someone better wasn’t available and/or that they are not worthy of the result. Feeling a fraud or not the level of those they are around nor the stature of such people is common.
This starts to manifest as individuals begin to develop themselves. Their slight lack of self confidence turns inwards even more as progress is made especially if it is rather pronounced or made in a fairly short time. They ‘just don’t get what people see in me or what I have done’, is a common phrase they will utter to themselves.
From housewives to heroes, CEO’s to career ladder ‘would be’s’, Imposter Syndrome is an active mental feeling affecting almost anyone. When things start to go good, the Imposter strikes to remind that it’s not justified. I just won’t have it no matter what the proof, is the mental view.
We are an Imposter in a better world.
How to feel like we fit in.
Imposter Syndrome tells you lies about yourself.
So you have to put it straight. There is no pill to take. You have to make the Imposter feel like he or she isn’t real. It’s a made up projection. You have to direct your mindset to a greater perspective, a bit like explaining to a child that the monster in their story only exists in a book. Enlist your own PR – Proper Response
There are a number of approaches that will help restore self awareness and self acceptance such as these.
- Look for fact over fiction, or substance rather than conjecture. Recognise that if you have won a major prize or contract it can only be done on merit.
- Admit to others and especially your peers that you feel an Imposter (as Tom Hanks did). You may find that people in that field had the very same feeling once.
- Identify your Imposter fraud feelings. Maybe you are the only woman ever promoted to a senior position so you think it’s a tick box appointment. Or your friends only loved your new dress to be polite as they know you can’t afford them often. See that fake belief and face it down.
- Create a new conversation. It’s all going on in your head. Those thoughts about yourself like a voice telling you how you don’t fit. Grab that voice back and turn it round. Clearly state, and keep stating, that you 100% earned what you have got and you did it by being yourself.
There are some others to also use such as having positive self talk, seeing yourself in your mind’s eye actually congratulating yourself at what you have achieved, and add rewards for each good outcome to reinforce it as a ‘well done me’ belief.
Many Imposters have left the building with these.
Imposter be gone and stay gone.
Imposters never get away with it.
They always get found out in the end. Sooner or later they betray themselves. So if you have started to question whether you actually do deserve the recognition or advancement you are experiencing, then superb, you are outting the Imposter. You are pointing out the faker in your thinking, opinion, and limiting beliefs.
Follow these tips above and show them the door and never let them back in. They were never invited to your party in the first place, they just barged there way in. Say bye bye to bad views and turn that music up.
Time to celebrate you and all that you do!
References –
Wikipedia – Tom Hanks.
Casting Frontier – 9 actors who struggled with Imposter Syndrome.
Entrepeneur.com – 12 Leaders, Entrepreneurs, and Celebrities who have struggled with Imposter Syndrome.
Businessinsider.com – celebrities who talked about having Imposter Syndrome.
Assets.henley.ac.uk – WHITEPAPER was Albert Einstein an Imposter.
ImpostorSyndrome.com – how to overcome Imposter Syndrome.
Photo attribution – free to use under Pixabay Content License by Nika_Akin and PublicDomainPictures.
