Ugh.
This is something that comes up time and time again in coaching sessions, I’ve battled with it myself and I now know how to deal with it when it pops back up. It is a perfectly human characteristic, and it’s also perfectly feasible to learn to channel it positively.
There are loads of definitions hanging around, even categories and types of imposter syndrome. I’m not sure these are helpful – primarily because I believe that imposter syndrome in all its forms comes back to the same thing – self-doubt. And I also believe that it is entirely personal. So how it manifests, and therefore how you can best deal with it is also entirely personal.
It might be that you feel you don’t have the right skill set to achieve something, or that you are in a job you don’t deserve, or that you are punching way above your weight in one regard and one day you’ll be found out.
First things first – I say again – the definition doesn’t matter. It’s a personal feeling with personal downsides.
Second thing – EVERYONE, every single person, has some variation of this phenomenon. Everyone. No matter how outwardly successful, confident, and top of their game they are, at some point in time, some form of imposter syndrome will be a feature of their inner dialogue.
Third thing – you don’t have to live with it. It’s honestly so feasible to reframe your own version of imposter syndrome into something that becomes one of your strengths. Even your superpower… I kid you not.
It’s all about how you choose to react to the feelings that gives them power, or, takes that power away and diverts it into something you can use to drive yourself forward.
When you get into this, understand where it’s coming from, and create some new ways of thinking about it, it’s a pretty easy thing to manage.
1 to 1 coaching is the perfect safe space environment to explore this and master it. I’ve got a lot of experience with this – personally and professionally – and I’d genuinely love to talk to anyone who needs some support here. #transformation #impostersyndrome #coachingisnotjustaconversation #coaching #superpower
