Do you suffer from impostor syndrome symptoms? If you've ever doubted yourself as a coach, consultant, speaker, author or any type of service provider, you may be experiencing impostor syndrome.
What Is Impostor Syndrome?
According to Wikipedia, impostor syndrome is a psychological pattern in which individuals doubt their skills, talents, or accomplishments and have a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.
Psychologists have used the term since the 1970s. In a Harvard University study, researchers interviewed people who made over a million dollars in their businesses.
They discovered that 87% of them still feel like they are an impostor in their own business.
And having trained thousands of business owners globally, I've personally found that impostor syndrome can affect anyone, no matter their experience, skill level or type of industry.
Even when they succeed, they still might say things like, "I just got lucky," or, "Anyone could have done it."
Even JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books and self-made billionaire, openly admitted that some days, she feels utterly undeserving of her success.
So impostor syndrome is a problem because it stops you from realizing your potential, from charging what you're worth and from prospering from your passion.
It creates a significant impact on your performance and results because it means that you will eventually self-sabotage.
But more than just affecting your results, impostor syndrome affects your well-being, happiness and self-worth. It simply doesn't feel good to constantly be stuck second-guessing yourself at every turn.
The 5 Signs Impostor Syndrome Is Stopping Your Success
So, let’s find out if you have any of these five impostor syndrome symptoms. Each sign is actually a particular PERSONALITY TYPE you may feel that you need to be to feel worthy of success.
#1: The Perfectionist
Perfectionism and impostor syndrome often go hand-in-hand. Think about it. Perfectionists set excessively high goals for themselves.
And when they fail to reach a goal, they experience major self-doubt and worry about measuring up.
So, do you have trouble starting things because you want to get it right?
Do you have trouble delegating because you want it to be done right?
Do you criticize your own work?
If so, you could be the perfectionist type.
#2 - The Superwoman or Superman
This is where you're convinced that everybody else is the real deal and you are an impostor.
So in an effort to catch up, you push yourself to work harder and harder like some kind of superhuman.
Do you work back later than is necessary the majority of the time?
Do you find it hard to relax and feel the need to work?
If so, you could be the superwoman or superman type.
#3 - The Expert
This type of person measures their competence based on how much they know or how much they can do.
They are on a treadmill of always wanting to know more or get better at their work before they can actually feel good enough.
You might think to yourself:
“I don't know enough yet.”
“I don't have enough certifications.”
“Nobody will listen to me.”
If this sounds like you, you could potentially be the expert type.
By the way, I’ve definitely experienced this one before. I remember the first time I landed a lucrative series of speaking engagements across Australia to speak alongside Dr John Demartini, a world-renowned speaker, author and teacher from the hit movie "The Secret".
When I finally saw the picture of both John and myself on the website, I had that instant feeling of not being good enough to be on the website standing next to him.
So I definitely know what the impostor syndrome feels like!
#4 - The Natural Genius
This type of person believes they need to be a natural “genius”. So they judge their worthiness based on the ease and speed they can do something.
So, if they take a long time to master something, they feel bad.
Do you compare yourself to others and how quickly they learn something?
Do you avoid challenges because it’s so uncomfortable to try something that you’re actually not great at?
Do you think others might be smarter than you?
If so, you could be the natural genius type.
Number 5 - The Soloist
The last of the impostor syndrome symptoms is the soloist. Now they believe that you have to do it all on your own. And if you ask for help, you're a phony.
Do you feel you need to accomplish things on your own?
Would you rather try and figure things out on your own instead of asking for help?
If so, you could be the soloist type.
So these are the five signs of impostor syndrome or the five personality types of people experiencing impostor syndrome. Now owning it is the first step to improving it. So which one are you? And yes, it is possible to be a combination of these types.
Let us know your personality type(s) by dropping a comment down below. This will also help other people know they are definitely not alone.
How To Overcome Impostor Syndrome?
We need to apply what I’d like to call the 3 Ps to prosper from your passion, where you stop feeling like an impostor and start owning the success you deserve.
And what are the 3 Ps?
- The first P is to “Power Up” your mindset. You need to begin to rewire your mind to remove beliefs and emotions that don't serve you and replace them with ones that do.
- The second P is “Present”. When you do a presentation and talk about your passion, you begin to physically embody confidence and belief in yourself. It's not just about the mental component. This physical component is critical to transforming yourself.
- The third P is “Package”. Most people have never sat down to truly unpack all the skills, experience, information and KNOWLEDGE they have into a valuable package that could not only help others but that others would pay them thousands of dollars for.
Now I've structured these 3 Ps into a series of step-by-step processes that are more in-depth than I can go through in this quick video.
That’s why I created a very special FREE & LIVE online event called “Prosper From Your Passion Sharing Your Knowledge Online”.
At this event, not only will you learn the three steps to banish all impostor syndrome symptoms, but those same three steps will also help you make a difference and a living doing what you love.
You see, many people have great advice, information, experience or skills in areas such as mindset, health, business, relationships or ANY topic you're passionate about that could actually benefit and help others.
They just don't know how to discover it, believe in themselves or have the confidence to share it with the world.
And I'll go through everything, step-by-step at “Prosper From Your Passion Sharing Your Knowledge Online”. To learn more or book your FREE ticket to the event, click here.
I Also Just Want To Talk About The Elephant In The Room… Why Is It Free?
This is something that most people don’t address. It’s free because we use a marketing method called Freemium marketing.
Just like Zoom, Spotify and Gmail are free, we deliver great value for free, and a small percentage of people want more and decide to buy the premium version, which makes it a win-win for everyone.
So, if you want to remove all your impostor syndrome symptoms and replace them with fulfilment and the financial rewards you deserve, click here to secure your free ticket at Prosper From Your Passion Sharing Your Knowledge Online, and I'll see you soon!
Read more about: Mindset
