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I’m a Fake! 5 Ways to Fight Imposter Syndrome
Tue Feb 07 2023 · 2 min read

Some years ago, a ridiculously accomplished celebrity was asked about talent and
career achievements. The answer came as a shock.

"I really ought to think I'm fantastic because I have this pile of
achievements,” said the celebrity, “but I'm still going, "Oh, can I do it...?'
You never think you're good.”

Seriously – a world-renowned star still questioning whether they belong in the
room? (see who it was at the end of this article).

Yup.  

Welcome to imposter syndrome, the phenomenon that says, “They would never have
faith in me if they had any idea who I was.” Technically the inability to accept
achievements as earned, Imposter Syndrome affects most of us (about 80%,
according to research), comes in many “flavors” (“fraud,” “just lucky,” and
“modest” among them); and transcends the org chart from newcomer to corner
office. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years,” says one CEO, “And I still keep
expecting people to find me out.”

How big a deal is it? Depends on who you ask. While the average imposter
affliction can make you feel merely uncomfortable, the worst cases can have
lasting effects. Take the accomplished New York Times author who decided her
writing wasn’t really worth a paycheck. “I tried to talk somebody out of giving
me money for work.“ Ouch.

But here are some fun facts about Imposter Syndrome – namely that it’s not all
bad, there are strategies to deal with it, and there are actually some silver
linings to feeling like a fake. The important thing is to be self-aware enough
to see the signs.  

What are five ways to prop yourself up when you’re feeling like a fake?

Get strength from numbers: We already know you’ve got company (see “80% of us,”
above). That means on any day, not only aren’t you the lone fake in the world –
you’re not even the lone faker in the room.

Flip the narrative: Think inner doubts are all bad? Think again. That’s because
being sure of yourself all the time robs you of the ability to recognize when
you’re going wrong. So the flipside of Imposter Syndrome is the very helpful
openness to warning signs. No wonder one school of thought calls feelings of
fakery akin to intelligence. You just have to retrain your brain to hear those
doubts as a question about your strategy’s worth – and not your own.

Give it a new name: Questioning your cred isn’t a weakness; it’s introspection –
the kind that allows you to continue to ask what you could do better. That’s how
you improve. And introspection has other advantages – namely, empathy, something
that connects you to other people. “Research shows that experiencing this
phenomenon can make you more adept at relationships,” says a professor on the
subject of Imposter Syndrome, “which is a key ingredient in career success.”

Get at the source: “I’m a fake” can lead you down a rabbit hole of self-doubt –
if you let it. An alternative is to ask yourself what’s driving your descent (a
subject that intimidates you, perhaps) and then take control.

Remove “always” from your thinking: One driver of fakery is the feeling you’ve
always been an imposter. But history says that’s not true – evidenced by the
fact that you’re doing this job/sitting in this meeting room/running this
project. So instead of saying, “I’ve always been a fake,” take a mental lap of
all the times you were authentically successful, review the ideas and actions
that turned out to be really important, and let it drive you to bravely take on
the next thing.

Above all, remember your experience and smarts are legitimate. Unless you’ve
peppered your resume with phony accomplishments, credentials, and awards (and
really, who would do that?), your employer has hired you for you. They trust you
– you should, too. Still, at those times when you do feel you’re the only fake
in the room, sit back and comfort yourself with memories of all the good things
you’ve done, the assurance of your successes, and the knowledge that about three
quarters of your colleagues are “imposters,” too.

And btw -- the anonymous speaker wondering whether he earned his stripes? It
was…Paul McCartney.

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