From break rooms to industry forums, youโve probably noticed thereโs a lot of talk about imposter syndrome lately.
Commonly defined as โI want to be seen as somebody amazing, but Iโm not good enough to get there,โ this condition isnโt new. But it seems to be taking our industry by storm right now, so we wanted to dive deeper.
What exactly is imposter syndrome (and what isnโt)? What are some steps you can take if you have it? Letโs dig in!
What is imposter syndrome?
Thereโs this myth out there that imposter syndrome is when youโve been working at something but donโt see significant, consistent growth.
While thatโs definitely frustrating, it isnโt true imposter syndrome.
According to Merriam Webster, imposter syndrome is
โa psychological condition that is characterized by persistent doubt concerning oneโs abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of oneโs ongoing success.โ
In other words, if you already are massively successful and feel like you donโt deserve it, you might have imposter syndrome.
But hereโs the deal: success is never about luck.
Circumstances can help, sure, but thereโs plenty of people who had great circumstances and didnโt do anything with them. Your success is yours.
What imposter syndrome ISNโT
Remember that common definition of imposter syndrome we mentioned earlier? โI want to be seen as somebody amazing, but Iโm not good enough to get there.โ We hate to say it, but this isnโt imposter syndrome.
Itโs actually a lack of education, research, and planning.
We know, it can be hard to hear, but the good news is that these are all things that you can easily overcome. Hereโs a few Thriving Stylist Podcast episodes to help you get started:
Education
Research
Planning
What to do if you have imposter syndrome
If you have imposter syndrome, take a deep breath. Weโve got you covered with a few next steps to help you move through it.
Step 1: Reflect on everything you did to get here.
Think back to you five years ago. Would that version of you be proud of what youโve accomplished today?
Now think forward to ten years from now. Would ten-years-in-the-future you be proud of what you accomplished today?
Hereโs the thing: if youโve done it once, you can do it twice. And if youโve done it twice, you can certainly do it three times. Lean into that feeling of confidence.
Step 2: Find peers at your level of success (or higher) that you can be transparent with.
The key here is finding people you can be truly transparent with. Not kinda transparent. Not a little transparent. Not where you just share your highlight reel, but where you can bring your highs AND lows, and find help when you need it.
Step 3: Find out what makes you feel worthy.
This might be one of the hardest ones to figure out, but once you do, itโs worth its weight in gold. Maybe itโs keeping a folder on your phone of positive testimonials or maybe itโs making that connection with a client. Try different things until you find something that makes you feel worthy.
Step 4: Consider putting yourself out there in exchange for nothing.
If you feel like your success is fragile or you donโt deserve the success youโve found, do something without any financial expectations. Send a card to your clients to say youโre thinking about them. Donโt mention your latest promotion or your newsletter. Just to say hi. Or maybe post an educational video on your social media, a solution to something that you know your clients struggle with.
Imposter syndrome can be difficult, but know your success is deserved and you are worthy. If you want to dig deeper, check out podcast episode 296!