How To Identify + Overcome Impostor Syndrome

Will the real Slim Shady please stand up.

I repeat.. will the real slim shady please stand up.

Think about the last time you were about to do something BIG, or the last time you were about to embark on a new journey, like a new career path or a health transformation. How excited were you to begin? Maybe you were a bit nervous, but an excited nervous of course. Then what happened when this transition started to unfold? Were you still excited, or did you stop for a moment and think to yourself “How did I land this job, I’m totally not qualified” or “Who am I to lose weight? I have no idea what I’m doing and I haven’t been successful in the past.”

The main points about impostor syndrome are:

  1. It comes up when we’re being pushed outside of our comfort zone.

  2. It’s a thought process derived from fear.

  3. It only exists to keep us small.

OK, so now that we know impostor syndrome comes up when we’re feeling vulnerable by pushing ourselves outside of our threshold, there are ways to shut it downnnnn….

Here’s IS HOW to shut impostor syndrome downnnn:

  1. write a list of all the times you have felt confident or empowered. essentially celebrate and remind yourself of all the things you’ve successfully accomplished.

    My list includes things like recently getting into the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, and breaking up with an ex-boyfriend even though I knew how challenging it would be because we owned a business together at the time. The list should be anything that reminds you of your value. The value you have in yourself to be able to take action towards something you believe in or your goals.

  2. Make sure you have a solid support system so you can turn to the right people that are going to challenge your thoughts. not people that are going to either sympathize with you, or kick you while you’re down.

    Sometimes I question my relationship because it’s honestly so surreal to me that I am in the perfect relationship for me. I’m not saying we’re perfect because at the end of the day we are two different people and we have different views but have a solid foundation of communication and we share a lot of the same values. But when I question my relationship with the “who am I to be in a happy, healthy, relationship” my friends check me real quick and prompt me to reflect internally. They’ll usually have me reflecting on what past experiences have lead me to this current thought.

  3. do not, i repeat, DO NOT try to pretend like the “who am I” thought does not EXIST. Instead ACKNOWLEDGE it, validate it, and replace it with a new, empowering thought.

    Let me give you an example of my inner dialogue when I experience impostor syndrome. I think to myself “there’s no way I’m actually going to execute that idea, because I know how uncomfortable it’s going to make me.” I acknowledge that thought, “that’s fear talking, that’s impostor syndrome showing up again.” I validate the thought, “I know this is coming up for me to keep me small, it’s meant as a defense mechanism to keep me from experiencing the fear of failure.” Then I replace it with my current favorite empowering thought, “I am clear, confident, and in control of my future and my massive wealth.” Once I’ve replaced my negative inner dialogue with something more empowering I usually take a moment to acknowledge myself for being able to interrupt my negative thoughts. P.S. - Always celebrate when you’re interrupting negative patterns and replacing them for positive ones.

  4. write down a description of who you want your “future self” to be and refer to that when the impostor syndrome strikes.

    For me, those thoughts of “who am I” hit hard when it comes to my business. As a female entrepreneur by total chance, I find myself constantly questioning my ability to be a successful entrepreneur and gym-owner. In the past I would have started to self-sabotage with the mental validation of why I thought I wasn’t going to be successful. For instance, I would validate my thoughts with, “I never wanted to own a business, so how could I possibly be successful at it?” Impostor syndrome is actually something that creeps up on me frequently when I achieve anything big in my life, my gym just happens to be a constant so an example for me might be:

    The woman that I want to be doesn’t allow fear to stop her. She knows what it takes to successfully own and grow a business. She is successful. She is fearless.

Alina Pedraza