By Elsie Udoh
You got a call. It’s finally happening. That job you’ve worked so hard for is yours. Your years of experience and hard work paid off!
You are excited at first by the news but after a short while, you start to process it all in. Why was I chosen over the rest? There must have been someone better than me. I can’t take up the role. I’m not qualified enough. I will mess things up and they will realise, they made the worst mistake choosing me for the job…
If you have had to battle with thoughts like the above when a significant event occurs in your life, then you are among the many out there who are victims of Imposter Syndrome.
Imposter Syndrome is a strong belief in self-incompetence; the feeling that you are not as good as others term you to be.
But the truth is that battling with Imposter Syndrome signifies already that you are capable of great things because Imposter Syndrome comes up most times after a great feat like getting yourself your dream job (mentioned above), acing a test, receiving a public award or recognition, etc. However, because of the negative feeling you have welled up in you, you begin to doubt if you merited it.
Imposter Syndrome arises in different forms. It can be an inability to assess your competence or criticizing your performance. It also involves a high level of self-doubt and the fear that you won’t live up to expectations. Also, you resort to blaming yourself very critically when you do not meet up to what is required of you and this immediately retards your thinking and causes you to underperform.
Sometimes, Imposter Syndrome comes in subtle forms like when you refuse to move out of your comfort zone because you do not want to unlearn what you are used to and learn something new that you think you will flop in. This can be in terms of starting a new business. Or when you know the answer to a question in class but intentionally refuse to say anything, even when no hands are raised, because you feel that what you have to say would not make sense to anybody.
Whatever form it takes, Imposter Syndrome does more harm than good to you because it robs you of your self-confidence and builds anxiety in you over time. It is even worse to the point that, the more you achieve something big, the more you feel even less competent and undeserving. So the circle never ends.
The feeling of Imposter Syndrome can haunt a person all the days of his life. However, you can rise from it. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, talk to others. Look for reasons why you actually merit what you earned. Acknowledge your skills, your abilities and your weaknesses and when you make a mistake, do not overly condemn yourself, rather accept the defeat and consciously work towards doing better. Never compare yourself to others.
No matter how much self-doubt you feel when you have to pursue a goal, do not let that stop you. Keep going and you will get what you are truly deserving of.
