Saying Goodbye to the Impostor Syndrome!

The Impostor Syndrome is when you believe you’re not a good enough student or employee. It’s an insidious belief that stops you from being the best that you can be because you’re crippled with fear that you’ll fail.

Here’s 5 lies the Impostor Syndrome tells you and why they're wrong:

1. I’ve gone the highest I can. I can’t achieve anything else.

Lie! If you’re aiming to continue your education or looking for a better job that shows that you haven’t gone as far as you can. The only thing that can limit you is your ambition. If you want it, you can work for it and get it.

This doesn’t mean it’ll be easy but it means that it’s absolutely not impossible! So this is for people who are thinking about applying to a grad program or are looking for a new job in their field. Go for it! You have everything it takes to make your goals a reality!

2. People think I’m smart and capable but I’m actually not. I’ve tricked everybody!

Lie! You can’t fool people into thinking that you’re smarter and more capable than you are. Any application process is rigorous. You probably had to submit letters of recommendation, a personal statement of some kind, test scores, grades, and much more.

All of these things gave the people assessing your application a comprehensive idea of who you are and your ability to do what they accepted you to do! You’re as amazing as they say you are!

3. Soon people will discover that I’m unable to do the job and they’ll make fun of me or kick me out of my degree program or fire me from my job.

Lie! You are able to do the job. That’s why you were accepted into the program or hired for the job. You went through a rigorous selection process and you came out on top!

But you have to be kind to yourself. You need to give yourself time to adjust to your new responsibilities. You can’t expect to get everything immediately...

4. I don’t understand everything immediately and so I don’t have a gift for it.

Lie! Nobody understands everything immediately. This myth really, really harms students. You will not understand everything the first time you’re told about it. You just won’t. You’ll have the things that come easy to you and the things that don’t.

For the things that don’t come naturally, you need to take the time to practice and learn and improve.

5. Intelligence is natural. You either got it or you don’t!

Lie! When you watch somebody who is excellent at something, you’re seeing the culminating results of hard work, determination, and persistence. They didn’t get that good overnight so why do you expect that of yourself?

Give yourself time to improve. View yourself as always getting better and always moving forward. This is how you say goodbye to the Impostor Syndrome!

Your insecurities and misgivings won’t be solved overnight but if you keep these things in mind you’ll have something to hold onto so that you can say “Lie!” to yourself when an Impostor Syndrome thought pops into your head and tries to prevent you from being great!

Danielle Procope
Founder & Lead Editor of Mertina Writing Services