How to Overcome “Imposter Syndrome”

As Long As Your Accomplishments Came Through Hard Work and Dedication You Are NOT an Imposter.

Regardless of how you might feel sometimes. “Imposter Syndrome” in case you’re not familiar with this term, is defined in the following way: The persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts and skills.”

This is common among speakers, leaders, and anyone trying to persuade others. And it is a gut twisting, high stress, anxious, emotional disturbance much of the time. The gist is that once you are about to be in the spotlight in some way, your brain goes all crazy on how you shouldn’t be there, because who are you?

This is a real and normal thing. And one that I have a lifetime of experience with.

Where Does It Come From?

I believe this is an outcome of the ridiculous and ever increasing negative conditioning we are all subject to from the time we can walk. Thanks to technology, this conditioning has accelerated over the past 20 years, since now you can be criticized globally, and have many ways to be shown how you don’t stack up to the unreal garbage the marketers and social media piles on you.

It used to be just your immediate environment, and a few channels on TV and some print mediums that blasted you with negativity and fake perfectionism. Now it’s everywhere. I talk about negative conditioning in-depth in the 3 Circles Living book, because it’s a monstrous factor in the majority of people living lives that don’t really want to live. It’s also at the heart of the rampant increase in mental illness. But the perils of the world on your brain are not the topic for today.

This is about what you can do about it. And I am absolutely an expert in this. Not only have I had my giant helping of negative conditioning, but I have the cherry on top of very low self-esteem as a kicker. Yet, I am able to blow this issue completely out of the water, and I’m giving you the exact recipe I use to do it so you can too!

4 Things you can do:

Recondition: Take stock of your strengths, positive attributes, and your past successes, which have been many. I share insight into this in the 3 Circles Living book, and I talk about this a bit more in the video below.

Be Vulnerable: Admit you are imperfect and don’t know it all. This takes the pressure off. If you try to be perfect and all-knowing, you actually now are an imposter. When you come from the place of “this is my perspective” based on my experiences and outcomes, while acknowledging there are other valid perspectives aside from yours, you allow people to look for the good in what you express.

Recognize that you are in this position for a reason: You are what Your life says you are, for the most part. And this has nothing to do with the possession of things…that is simply reflective of a value. Your quality of life in general. This is what is speaking for you, because it is obvious to others. As to the specifics here….you are not likely in a position to even feel this way without having accomplished things of substance that warrant you having the opportunity.

Remember it will go away: As soon as you start into the thing that is bringing about the feelings, this aspect of the feeling will go away.
Speakers deal with this in a big way because they walk out on to a stage devoid of anything to fall back on. Regardless of where YOU experience this, remember, that once you are in motion doing the thing, you are focused on the thing, and the flow takes over.

This is how I have overcome this. You may have some other tools that you use, so feel free to share those in the comments for other’s sake. In the video, I go a bit deeper. If this is helpful, share with others.

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