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Be it in a wonderful social circle, a flourishing relationship, or one outstanding business collaboration, there may be times you feel as if you don’t belong. And the probability is that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, but you just need to learn how to overcome that imposter syndrome.
It’s true; sometimes, it’s almost unbelievable that you made it, right? But somehow, for some reason, you’d be more inclined to discredit your abilities to make all of these happen. Why? The imposter syndrome symptoms kick in.
Here’s what you need to know:
Just remember that you’re inherently worthy of the greatness that shows up in your life. You just need to learn how to embrace it.
Imposter syndrome is when you feel you don’t deserve the successes and achievements you’ve earned. You doubt your abilities and capabilities, fearing that you’ll be found out as an imposter.
The American Psychological Association defines imposter syndrome as “a situation in which highly accomplished, successful individuals paradoxically believe they are frauds who ultimately will fail and be unmasked as incompetent.”
The first research papers on the topic concluded that only women could suffer from imposter syndrome, but later research has found that around 70% of people are likely to experience feeling like this at least once in their lives.
Symptoms of this emotional condition can be associated with:
A number of factors can contribute to developing this kind of issue internally:
In an engaging episode of The Mindvalley’s Podcast, Vishen talks with Shadé Zahrai, a leadership coach and international speaker who is well known for her “magical” ability to transform the latest psychological research into practical actions.
You can listen to the full episode here:
Vishen and Shadé touch on the subject of how to overcome imposter syndrome through three simple strategies.
This is her take on it:
The number one strategy she recommends is using the method of core-self evaluation. This technique is split into four different steps and helps you define your concept of self:
Shadé emphasizes how important is the way you narrate the story of your life. She mentions the theory of narrative identity founded by Dr. Dan McAdams.
The core concept of this theory lies in the type of identity you choose to have when you talk about the experiences you’ve been through. According to him, there are two types of life storytelling:
When it comes to learning how to overcome imposter syndrome, there’s another way to rewrite how you see this internal experience. Chances are that when you’re feeling this way, you’re actually experiencing change and growth.
And because you’re probably in an environment where you don’t know everything, the feeling of inadequacy might arise. However, there lies a beautiful opportunity to learn and grow beyond your comfort zone. It’s all about how you edit your personal narrative.
Your ability to redefine impacts the quality of your life and what you achieve.
— Shadé Zahrai, leadership expert and bestselling author of I Don’t Want to Be Happy – Said No One, Ever!
Shadé shares a beautiful anecdote of how the human inner world operates. Imagine there are two wolves inside your psyche in a constant confrontation — one is good and the other one, evil.
If you asked which one is going to win, the answer is simple: whichever one you feed.
So when you want to overcome imposter syndrome, you have to engage in a dialogue with yourself. Notice which part of yourself has control over your life at this moment, right here, right now. Ask it what it’s trying to tell you.
What’s it afraid of? Is it your ego, full of fears and self-doubt? Or is it your very soul in power, the one who knows you’re capable of creating the life you desire to live?
If our challis is full of self, there is no room in it for the water of life.
— Shadé Zahrai, leadership expert and bestselling author of I Don’t Want to Be Happy – Said No One, Ever!
Shadé reminds us all that when we do the inner work first, we’ll do our best work always. And this order of priorities applies especially when we want to overcome imposter syndrome.
If you’re looking to upgrade your skills to support your journey of inner work, Mindvalley is the place to be. Through engaging conversations with top leaders in the field of personal growth, the Mindvalley Podcast offers insight on various topics such as:
So, this is one first step to take on your path to self-discovery. And you should congratulate yourself for being exactly where you are, even when the imposter syndrome kicks in from time to time.
Welcome in.
Begin your path to greatness with free Quest lessons, guided meditations, special community events, and more. Unlock your free Mindvalley access today.Get started
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