Impostor Syndrome Poster Child

Donna SLam — Impostor Syndrome Poster Child

I Was The Poster Child For Impostor Syndrome

What Exactly Is Impostor Syndrome?

Four Characteristics of Impostor Syndrome

  1. Deep-seated feelings of fear that you aren’t able to meet expectations.
  2. Undermining your achievements even when you worked diligently towards that goal.
  3. Setting unrealistic goals and then feeling disappointed if you do not meet those goals.
  4. Doubting yourself no matter what you’re working on or working towards.

How Do You Know You Suffer From Impostor Syndrome?

  1. You think you are a fake. You think “I’m afraid my colleagues will discover how little I know.” You fear being found out and having your perceived phoniness revealed.
  2. You lack confidence. When showing your accomplishments, you never speak up or contribute, because you are afraid of being seen as silly or ignorant.
  3. You downplay your knowledge, abilities, or skills. You feel you are not enough so you’re always upgrading your skills, with numerous certifications and diplomas so you can show others.
  4. You are a perfectionist: You look over every single detail, and check your emails, papers and exams time after time to ensure they are perfect. Naturally, you never feel they are perfect, so you must be incompetent.
  5. You are a people pleaser. To need to be validated so, you focus more on doing what others want and expect.

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