3 Signs You Have Impostor Syndrome

How to recognize and stop impostor syndrome in its tracks.

Have you ever felt like you’re not as good as people think you are? Like you don’t deserve the success you’ve achieved or your social status? Do you ever wake up and feel like a fraud?

For example, if you’re a high-achieving individual striving for perfection, then you might be more likely to have imposter syndrome. It can affect anyone in any field: performing, acting, writing, and teaching.

The term was first coined by psychologists in 1978. Impostor syndrome affects both men and women of different ages. Some people experience temporary symptoms, such as when starting a new job, while other people experience lifelong symptoms.

According to data collected from 62 studies examining 14,161 participants, 9%-82% of people experienced imposter syndrome.

Dr. Valerie Young is the author of The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive despite It. She says that many of us are secretly worried that we may not be intelligent or capable enough in our field.

And her solution to stop the impostor syndrome is to stop thinking like an impostor. It’s our thinking that is getting in the way and potentially damaging our progress. What sets confident people apart is not their intelligence or talents — it is how they approach these 3 key things: competence, failure/mistakes/criticism, and fear.

Here are 3 signs you have impostor syndrome.

You doubt yourself

I have often caught myself in situations where even though I knew I’d achieved something, such as writing an article that was a hit or achieving a professional mastery of my instrument, I had trouble recognizing my accomplishments.

That’s because if you suffer from impostor syndrome, success can create a cycle of self-doubt. Even when you achieve an important milestone, you may be unable to recognize your accomplishments.

Instead of celebrating your achievements, you may worry that others will discover the “truth” about your abilities.

It’s common to doubt your natural abilities — one way to overcome it is to remind yourself of your accomplishments. You should feel proud of them and not be afraid to acknowledge your small wins.

For example, if one of your articles gets accepted to a big publication and many others flop, give yourself a pat on the back. If you’ve just finished writing your first novel, celebrate your win, even if you haven’t sold a single copy of your book yet.

You tie success to outside factors

Successful people with impostor syndrome tend to attribute their success to outside causes rather than their efforts. That’s because they don’t believe in their competence. Similarly, if something goes wrong, outside of their control, they might blame themselves.

For example, in one 1978 study, many women who were accepted to graduate study believed their examination scores were due to luck or misgrading and didn’t reflect their work.

Another example is when a writer gets their book out and finally publishes it, they may attribute it to luck rather than their talents. Success in their minds stems from outside causes.

To keep yourself in a central focus, remind yourself is that your success is the outcome of your efforts. You put time and effort in your work and you get rewards. You are in control of your success, and you need to accept that some things may come up that are outside of your control. Should that happen, let it be, and don’t beat yourself up.

You set overly high expectations

If you have imposter syndrome, the crippling fear of self-doubt can prevent you from achieving a job promotion. That’s because you undervalue your skills and abilities and don’t think you’re worth a promotion.

But when you’re constantly afraid to fail, you tend to set a higher bar for yourself. In efforts to overperform, you might set unrealistic goals for yourself that can far surpass your capabilities.

Setting goals too high can backfire because when you fail to live up to your expectations, you become disappointed. This may cause you to doubt yourself even more, and the cycle goes on.

You can develop anxiety and depression as a result. Your self-appraisal makes you feel ashamed about yourself.

The way to overcome this negative perception is not to let the inner critic stop you from reaching for success. If you’ve gone far enough on your journey to attain success, you’ve worked hard! You deserve a promotion or a raise. Don’t let opportunities slip through your fingers — take it before it’s gone so later you wouldn’t feel regretful about it.

Final thoughts

No matter what you do in life — teach, write, lead, or mentor — you should understand that imposter syndrome is common. And you most likely have experienced it.

But to be successful, you have to let go of negative thought processes. You can’t thrive in your career if you always listen to your inner critic and doubt your natural abilities.

If you’ve got what it takes to succeed in something, go for it. Let go of self-doubts and never look back and question yourself. Recognize your unique talents and empower yourself with positive thoughts. Act in a way that aligns with your goals. And when you do that, success is just a matter of time and will knock at your door before you know it.