Why Successful People Are More Likely to Suffer From Imposter Syndrome
Did you know there are different types of imposter syndrome?
Have you ever felt that you aren’t good enough?Have you ever felt like you don’t deserve success?Have you ever felt like … an imposter?Imposter syndrome is that funny feeling that you don’t belong, that you’re not good enough. You’re afraid other people will see straight through you and call you out as the fraud you are. That you’ll be exposed.You’re not alone. According to research, 82% of people face feelings of impostor syndrome at some point in their lives. In fact, research from Dr. Valerie Young reveals there are 5 different types of imposter syndrome.
1. The Perfectionist
Perfectionism and imposter syndrome go hand-in-hand. Perfectionists set exceptionally high standards for themselves. They focus on doing something perfectly. Any flaw ruins your endeavors.You may recognize yourself if you:
- Micromanage
- Hold yourself to the highest standard
- You kick yourself for forgetting minor details
- Never settle for less than perfection; anything else is a failure.
2. The Expert
Experts focus on their ability to know everything and are ashamed when they don’t know. They measure their success on how much knowledge they have and believe they will never know enough.You may recognize yourself if you:
- Despite working for years, you still don’t feel enough
- You don’t apply for jobs that appear out of your league
- You prepare yourself by diving into research before taking action
3. The Soloist
The soloist needs to be the only one who completes a task. They believe they can do everything by themselves. They feel like they’ve failed if they need to ask for help.You may recognize yourself if you:
- Prefer solo projects
- Feel you need more prep time
- Never ask for help, even when you need it
4. The Natural Genius
The natural genius feels like they should know everything, and feel shame if something takes them a long time to complete. They measure success by how quickly and easily they get something done.You may recognize yourself if you:
- Believe people are born talented
- Get easily frustrated and switch tasks quickly
- See everyone around you succeeding while you fail
5. The “Superperson”
Superwoman (or man) feels like they should be able to handle everything. It matters how many things they can juggle at once. They expect they can handle everything and feel badly when they fall short. It’s very likely they’re a people pleaser.You may recognize yourself if you:
- Juggle multiple tasks at once
- You neglect your relationships to work more
- Find yourself working overtime, even past your colleagues
The Dunning-Kruger Effect
Have you ever met someone who was clearly way out of their league, but for some reason they were confident?This is the Dunning-Kruger Effect in action. The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a bias that says people with less knowledge tend to overestimate their abilities. They’re fully confident in their lack of knowledge.
It starts with a person who is overconfident in their abilities. They believe their ability is greater than it is. But as they start to learn and question their skills, that confidence falls. You start to realize that you don’t know everything and you have plenty to learn.On the other side of the spectrum, you have imposter syndrome. Despite your growing library of knowledge and experience, you second guess yourself.You become aware of all the things you don’t know and doubt your abilities. This explains why you experience more imposter syndrome the more successful you become.
Coping with imposter syndrome
The first step to coping with imposter syndrome is to recognize it. And you’ve done that part. Now, you can learn other ways of coping with it.There are many ways to deal with imposter syndrome, including:
- Accept it
- Know the signs
- Try a digital detox
- Keep a success file
- Let go of perfectionism
- Cultivate self-compassion
- Use positive affirmations
- Share your feelings and failures
- Write out all your negative beliefs on paper
- Capture small wins/celebrate your successes
- Make a list of 10 things showing your qualifications
“It’s not what you are that holds you back, it’s what you think you are not.” — Dennis Waitley
Final Thoughts
You’re afraid of being caught out as an imposter, but you don’t recognize all the hard work you’ve done to get here. You’ve done the work, and now it’s paying off.It’s hard to not feel like an imposter. It’s not a switch you can turn off. But you can train yourself to look for the evidence and document your wins.You deserve the chance to feel special.You deserve to feel good enough.You deserve success.
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