Have you ever felt like you don’t deserve something in your life? You aren’t alone. Almost 70% of people feel like an imposter at some point in their careers. This is the feeling of not believing you are good enough, do not deserve something or that you will eventually be ‘found out’.  With so many of us affected, it is essential to learn the steps to take to increase confidence, self-esteem and prevent feeling like a fraud.

Are you an imposter?

Imposter syndrome, also known as imposter phenomenon is a form of intellectual self-doubt. It is defined as ‘a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success’. One typical example of this is being offered a job or promotion and not feeling that you are qualified for the position. Another example may be of perfectionists who never believe what they have done is good enough.

Feeling like an imposter or not feeling good enough can affect us all. Furthermore, we often adopt a fake persona to hide behind. This persona is the image we want to portray as smart and able. With this cover, many of us believe it will reduce the fear and the risk of being demoted or dismissed. However, the fear of being found out and keeping up a pretence can be exhausting. In fact, having a fear of being who you are or trying to be someone else can lead to anxiety, depression and self-doubt.

Feeling like a fraud can come from a variety of factors. It may be from childhood, by choosing an identity based on parental figures. It can also result from low self-esteem and feeling underappreciated.

Importantly, people who have been affected by the imposter phenomenon tend not to fulfil their potential. With this in mind, it is vital to eradicate feeling like a fraud so that you can achieve the goals you desire.

How to stop feeling like a fraud

1. Accept your characteristics

Write down the things you know to be true about yourself. Do not list what others think of you. Instead, think carefully about who you are. Keep your list accessible, whether it is on your phone, laptop or in your diary. Make sure to affirm these characteristics every time fear takes hold.

2. Acknowledge your achievements

It is important to realise you deserve good things. Take the time to thank yourself for what you have achieved. If you are a goal-setter, then make sure to celebrate each goal success to further cement that fact that you deserve the aspects of life are making you feel like a fraud.

3. Change your thought process

It is important to realise that feeling inadequate is only your perception and is not founded on truth. You can change your thought process from a negative into a positive. For example; ‘I don’t know how to do this task’ to ‘I don’t know how to do this task, but I can learn and my team have confidence in me’. No one is perfect, but you can do a lot to help to reduce the pressure you give yourself.

Build confidence with hypnosis

Confidence hypnotherapy can be a great help to those who suffer from doubt, anxiety and not feeling good enough. Hypnotherapy for self-esteem can help you feel empowered and energised through hypnosis, NLP and mantra creation. If you have goals that you want to achieve, but confidence is getting in the way, then get in touch to find out how a bespoke hypnotherapy package can help. Call ​0207 971 7677 to receive your free 15-minute consultation.

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References:

Harvard Business Review. (2018). Overcoming Imposter Syndrome. [online] Available at: https://hbr.org/2008/05/overcoming-imposter-syndrome [Accessed 26 Feb. 2018].

Neureiter, M. and Traut-Mattausch, E. (2016). Inspecting the Dangers of Feeling like a Fake: An Empirical Investigation of the Impostor Phenomenon in the World of Work. Frontiers in Psychology, 7.

Psychology Today. (2018). Why Do I Feel Like a Fraud?. [online] Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-flux/201703/why-do-i-feel-fraud [Accessed 26 Feb. 2018].

Science & research news | Frontiers. (2018). The cost of feeling like a fraud. [online] Available at: https://blog.frontiersin.org/2016/11/22/the-cost-of-feeling-like-a-fraud/ [Accessed 26 Feb. 2018].