The imposter syndrome
I wrote this piece a few years ago. Somehow it does not go away but I have seen a difference in dealing with imposter syndrome and feel that I have improved — growling out of my shelf.
Having heard about the imposter syndrome, I have observed that it is quite common - especially among women. Whether starting off something new or even in between that something they believe in or have worked hard for, they feel that they are just faking it and probably are not worthy enough of the recognition or even the reward that comes along with it.
To quote the definition from Wikipedia “Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon, impostorism, fraud syndrome or the impostor experience) is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments, and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud”.”
Similarly, when I started blogging, I asked myself, “who am I kidding? This isn’t even worth it because I’m not worth it”. It was the same for any new task I ever started, such as driving or a starting off a new job.
That imposter syndrome has evolved into fear, insecurity and slowly started oozing out into everything I do.
But nevertheless, I fought. I blocked away those thoughts, rolled up my sleeves and charged right into it. It had become a challenge against myself and I felt the need to win.. from myself.
To be honest, this has only taught me that as individuals, we become our own enemies at times. We can be better at blocking out other negative thoughts or people from our lives, but can we really control our own negativity towards ourselves? It becomes a constant battle, a war that WE must win by believing in ourselves — because, who else will if we don’t?
But, if you don’t feel strong enough, if you feel the negativity slowly diffusing into your thoughts, use it for yourself by saying — and believe me it has been quite a support despite the irony- “fake it till you make it”. Tackle your problems by using them for yourself.
Believe in yourself. Don’t give up, do your best, pray and leave it to fate as well.
Below is an image i came across entailing how even the brightest minds like Neil Gaiman have experienced imposter syndrome through Neil Armstrong.
