The Positive Side to Feeling Imposter Syndrome
It doesn’t always have to be so bad
Imposter syndrome is often connected with negative feelings such as self-doubt and self-judgement.
And it’s a real mood-killer.
The Oxford Dictionary describes it like this:
[Imposter Syndrome is] “the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills.”
Harsh, right?
But what if it doesn’t have to be such a bad thing?
One of my favourite online writers — Tim Denning — recently spoke about it in a more positive way and it changed the way I think about it.
Here is what he said:
“Imposter Syndrome is how we know we’re outside our comfort zone.”
It’s so simple but it rings true. That’s not to say it’s easy. Being out of our comfort zone can be a scary thing but it’s also where I’ve found the most growth to be. So, the rewards outweigh any fears I have about it.
Having said it that, it’s good to move slowly otherwise a sense of stress, overwhelm, and/or imposter syndrome can happen.
The image I’ve put together below gives you a visual on this.
For me, the goal is to expand my comfort zone to accommodate imposter syndrome and not have it impede my growth.
For these reasons, I try and step out of my comfort zone as much as possible. However, whenever I do, I tread gently because then it can expand over time.
The times I’ve gone too far or too fast I’ve often felt overwhelmed or like a dreaded imposter and this hampered my progress.
So, the trick is to build confidence and gain experience so that things become more familiar and less stressful and/or pressurised. This not only allows us to take on more tasks but also become more emotionally resilient.
Recognising the four P’s of Imposter Syndrome
In her book, Ditching Imposter Syndrome, author Clare Josa writes about the four ‘P’s of imposter syndrome.
They are:
- Perfectionism
- Paralysis
- People-pleasing
- Procrastination.
If you have experienced imposter syndrome before chances are you’ll relate to at least one of these.
For me, it’s 3 and 4.
I have a tendency to make people happy even if it means lowering my standards or bending to accommodate their needs.
I also find it way too easy to procrastinate when I feel vulnerable, exposed, or out of my depth.
Recently, I experienced this when I tried to create a video for my new YouTube channel. It took me two weeks to get it live because everything was fresh and unknown so I procrastinated hard. I was also worried about what people would think of me so I stalled the process even further.
Coming back to the positive of all this, the flip side is that through awareness we can take our perceived weaknesses and turn them into strengths.
For example, when I finally let go of what people thought of me and leaned into curiosity instead, I suddenly got a lot more done and didn’t feel out of place at all.
I could then quickly recognise when I was procrastinating and get back to what needed to be done in order to move on.
A lack of awareness causes ignorance and although ignorance is bliss it’s also misleading. My purpose in the world needs direction. So, I’ll take a few harsh truths and character flaws in order to stay focused and on track.
What I take away from this is that imposter syndrome isn’t to be feared, it’s a sign of growth. It means we’re stepping outside our comfort zone and trying something new. Maybe we’ve adventured a little too far or too fast and we need to retreat a little. Or maybe we’re ready to expand into more space and this self-doubt is calling for a brave and courageous step to overcome it.
Wherever you are in the process, one thing is for sure and that is that there is plenty of space to go around and we’re all welcome to take up as much or as little of it as we want.
“I have always viewed imposter syndrome as a growth moment — if you’re not feeling like an imposter then you’re probably in your comfort zone and that’s not where the good things happen. You should feel like an imposter every now and then.”
— Steven Bartlett (The Dairy of A CEO)