Have you ever felt like you don’t belong, or like everyone is going to find out that you don’t deserve your achievements?

If you can relate to those feelings of chronic self-doubt, you’ve probably experienced imposter syndrome.

You’re not alone – studies suggest 70% of people experience imposter syndrome at some point in their career. Higher education and imposter syndrome have been linked in various studies. Highly educated people who have stayed in the educational system through the ranks of a master’s degree or Ph.D. are used to the external validation that the system provides. Believe it or not, that’s the type of dynamic that can lead to imposter syndrome in many of us. 

This article is specific to helping my fellow academics overcome imposter syndrome since it is critical to building a brand and making an impact at scale with our work. 

Overall, imposter syndrome stems from a high sense of self-doubt. Instead of attributing your success to your skills, you might downplay your success or feel that it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It is a form of cognitive dissonance; your circumstances don’t match up with your beliefs, so you believe your circumstances must be wrong. 

The worst part is that we resolve cognitive dissonance by bringing our behavior and beliefs in line with each other. That means that, if we can’t change our belief that we don’t deserve our success, we may change our behavior to make ourselves less successful instead. Experiencing imposter syndrome can limit your confidence to go after new opportunities because you feel that you do not deserve it. Our goal is to change those beliefs instead to make them line up with our circumstances.

Luckily, there are some steps you can take to reverse those beliefs, give yourself more credit, and start overcoming those feelings of self-doubt.

Steps to Overcome Imposter Syndrome

1. Acknowledge imposter feelings. The first step is always to acknowledge that there is a problem. Learn to recognize when you start feeling like an imposter. Instead of engaging with your thoughts of self-doubt, acknowledge that it is a normal response.
   
2. Understand the root of the cause. Why do you think you feel like you don’t belong? Is it due to a fear of failure? Do you believe that you don’t deserve success? Why or why not?
   
3. Focus on facts, not feelings. When you start feeling like a fraud, focus on positive facts. For example, maybe you were chosen for a job interview because of your qualifications. You may feel out of your depth, but the fact is that your experience is the same as a qualified person.

4. Build facts until they cannot be ignored. To change your beliefs, you need evidence. Build facts until it would be unreasonable for you to believe that you do not deserve your success. This may mean getting successful speaking engagements under your belt, collecting testimonials from clients, publishing papers, applying for grants or awards, etc. Anything that proves that you are capable of speaking with authority on your subject is fair game.

5. Collect your accomplishments in one place. Awards, plaques, degrees—any accomplishment that can be framed should be gathered and displayed in one place. Rather than sitting ignored in a box, they will now function as a reminder for you that you are who you say you are. The weight of those awards will give that place significance, and it will help you visually see the evidence of your success.
   
6. Ask yourself if that thought helps or hinders you. Does feeling fraudulent help or hinder you? Is that what you want to be? What kind of person do you want to be? Many thoughts, even if true, are unhelpful to dwell on. Even if people are overestimating your expertise—which they most likely are not—letting that keep you from your goals is doubly unhelpful. Where possible, leave behind thoughts that hurt your ability to succeed and keep you from being who you want to be. 

7. Add value until your cognitive dissonance fades. You may be reluctant to raise your speaking engagement prices to the recommended $3500 for a one-hour speaking engagement. Even if your presentation is already worth that higher rate, you still may have to convince yourself. One way to do this is by making the engagement more valuable to the audience. This may involve doing additional research for your talk, hiring a designer to improve your slides, or offering the audience something beyond just the speaking engagement—anything that will help you convince yourself you are worth it.
    
8. Reframe your thoughts. Instead of telling yourself that you don’t deserve success, reframe your thoughts to give yourself more credit and enjoy the experience.
   

• Own your accomplishments instead of attributing them to “luck” or “help from others.”
  
• Instead of setting impossibly high standards, set smaller goals so you can enjoy the process.
  
• Remind yourself there will never be the “perfect time.”
  
• Accept that we all have to start somewhere.

• Accept that it’s okay to make mistakes and learn from each mistake instead.
  

9. Focus less on yourself and more on others. Imposter syndrome centers us in our thoughts: “I’m not good enough. I don’t deserve my success. I will be found out.” Instead, consider focusing on what your work can do for others: “My audiences will find this information valuable. My clients will be more successful with this knowledge. My peers will find this insight useful.” By recognizing that your work can provide value for others, you can take the focus off of whether or not you deserve your success, and turn towards what you can do with it.

10. Reach out for support. Having a safe space to receive support will help you reduce feelings of being an imposter. When you feel imperfect, make a mistake, or receive a compliment, your first instinct may be to hide. Instead, start reaching out to an encouraging mentor, coach, or colleague for support.
     

• Say “thank you” when you receive a compliment.
  
• Practice being honest when you feel imperfect, embarrassed, or have made a mistake.
  
• Share and celebrate your achievements and successes.
  

Imposter syndrome can make you feel like you’re not good enough, you don’t belong, or you are undeserving. But it’s important to remind yourself that learning and making mistakes do not make you a fraud – it makes you human.

Instead of doubting yourself, take the above steps to build your self-esteem and self-worth.

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