Feeling Like A Fraud?

At some point in our lives, especially in our career, we experience some level of self-doubt and anxiety. We may question, am I doing this right? How will I ever complete these projects on time? What if I get this wrong? But have you questioned yourself so much that you feel if you make a mistake your boss will say, “ I knew it, you are not equipped for this job!” Or if you received a promotion, you felt you did not deserve it even though you are well qualified. I have one better example for you, you finally got the job offer with the salary and position you’ve been working towards your entire career, but now you are terrified that once you get into that upper management position, you are going to make so many mistakes within the first week because this can’t be right, I don’t deserve this. 

These feelings could possibly be Imposter Syndrome. According to Psychology Today’s article, “The Reality of Imposter Syndrome”, Imposter Syndrome is defined as, “a psychological term referring to a pattern of behavior where people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent, often internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.” Have I experienced this ABSOLUTELY! When I was promoted to a director in charge of a housing program, there were countless times I felt that I did not deserve the position. This resulted with constant questioning of my decisions, making unnecessary mistakes that I knew I could have avoided and I allowed this syndrome it to undermine my leadership which had some negative effects on my team.

Have I gotten over this? I’m still a work in progress, but doing a lot better than where I was a few years ago. First, my faith in God taught me that I am His child and He wants only the best for me, second I had to believe that I was promoted in my career because I AM qualified! Thirdly, I surrounded myself with supportive family, friends and colleagues who remind me of my accomplishments and push me to keep going!

Just like I continue to work on overcoming these hurdles and move on to the next level, you can too because YOU ARE QUALIFIED and YOU DESERVE THIS! Check out this article about Imposter Syndrome and possible ways to overcome it. 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-women/201809/the-reality-imposter-syndrome

What have you done/are you doing to overcome this syndrome?