Welcome to the twenty-second blog post in the series “Monthly Mindset Shift”! As the name indicates, this series has one new post per month and will continue for the next several months. Each post in the series details a positive mindset shift we can make surrounding a feeling or experience that generally has a negative connotation. (Spoiler alert: For this post, that experience is imposter syndrome!) These shifts aren’t designed to erase all of our difficult/unwanted emotions around the topic at hand. Rather, they simply serve to improve our general outlook on the matter, which can, in turn, improve our actions and our outcomes. They’re all the more proof that a healthier, more constructive mindset can change the game!
If you’ve been experiencing the symptoms of imposter syndrome, this blog post is for you. Feeling as if you cheated your way to the top or just got lucky is bound to mess with your head. It’s also a surefire way to undermine your own worthiness and capability.
There are some key takeaways that I hope this blog imparts onto you if you’re a consistent reader. One of them is the value of trusting yourself, as well as the process. Imposter syndrome is basically the antithesis of both these forms of trust! It indicates a lack of trust in yourself to rise to the occasion, as well as a lack of trust that you’re exactly where you’re meant to be. But fear not, because there is a way to turn things around…
The mindset shift…
…What better way to combat/reverse imposter syndrome than to lean into your faith? Faith in a higher power, faith in the process, and most relevantly for this topic, faith in yourself.
Sometimes it’s easier said than done. If you truly believe that you’re in over your head—whether it be a job you feel under-qualified for or your dream relationship you don’t feel ready for—it can be a hard sensation to overcome. However, what if this is just the opportunity you didn’t know you needed? To grow, to step into the version of yourself you were born to become? Maybe that’s what the plan was all along. Doesn’t that inspire you to reach new heights, take on new challenges, and defy your own expectations?
Even in the event that things don’t go as you hoped, that doesn’t make you an imposter. Heck, even if you mess up catastrophically, that doesn’t need to be a sign of a deeper problem. It might just mean that you weren’t compatible with that person or thing; that you were meant to thrive elsewhere. If you led with openness, confidence, and trust, it’s safe to say that self-sabotage wasn’t to blame. It just wasn’t meant to be a permanent fixture in your life. Maybe all it was meant to do was push you to become a better “you”. Once it accomplished that goal, it served its intended purpose.
More food for thought…
As easy as it may be to feel this way, you didn’t just “get lucky”. We explore this concept in greater depth in my post How to Feel Lucky in Your Everyday, but to put it simply, so much more goes into our wins than luck. There was clearly something special about you that magnetized and earned your successes. Your versions of success couldn’t miss you if they tried, but you made it that much easier by shining your light on them. They’re only over your head if you decide they are! How powerful does that make you?!
The bottom line…
Imposter syndrome is a pesky little visitor that can warp our sense of self temporarily, but it shouldn’t have the power to define our sense of self permanently. We have way too much going for us to let that happen! Remember, you wouldn’t receive challenges you’re incapable of handling (check out Monthly Mindset Shift: Worrying Less About the Future for more on this perspective). So, when you receive a challenge, trust that you can handle it! You’ve got this!
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