Do you feel like an imposter?
Imposter syndrome has taken center stage recently in blogs, articles, speeches, and marketing.
What I'm hearing about is not necessarily imposter syndrome, however.
Self-doubt and a lack of confidence are part of human nature. We've all had them at some point.
From what I've experienced of imposter syndrome, and from what I've seen my clients deal with,
imposter syndrome is much darker and much deeper.
This is not to dismiss self-doubt and poor confidence, which can have crippling effects.
Imposter syndrome is not part of human nature.
I didn't experience it until I was well into my forties.
For me and some of my clients, imposter syndrome was the result of trauma.
This trauma could be of a professional nature or it could be caused by bullying or gaslighting, among other things.
The result is a deep sense of fraudulence, even though you are entirely capable and worthy,
and it feels much worse than self-doubt and low confidence.
It attacks the core belief of who you are inside and can lead to self-abandonment,
valuing everyone else and their needs over your own.
Imposter syndrome feels gut-wrenchingly awful.
Although some of the same tools and strategies can often help
the effects of imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and lack of confidence,
imposter syndrome is not as common, is often more detrimental,
and takes more deep work to overcome than its companions.
One you've attacked it at the foundation, however; it's actually easier to beat,
while self-doubt and low self-confidence can resurface more frequently throughout our lives.
There's no need to spend one more minute feeling like an imposter or a fraud.
Dr. Nancy Williams is a musician and leadership & life coach. Receive the free guide 3 Ways to Beat Imposter Syndrome and sign up for her inspirational emails.