See Yourself as You Truly Are

The impostor syndrome is cunning and baffling. Heed Joyce Roche’s strategies for confronting it head-on:

The impostor syndrome, at its core, is a distortion in the way we see ourselves. The trouble is that we believe the warped image to be reality – the “truth” we’ve somehow managed to hide from the rest of the world. We are petrified that we will be discovered and spend nearly all our energy guarding against that possibility.

Don’t stay silent. Find a way to speak about your fears with a trusted friend, a coach, a mentor, your partner, a therapist, or in a journal

Get a reality check. Test whether your way of seeing yourself and your abilities and accomplishments is realistic. 

Become familiar with your impostor. What are you trying to prove? To whom? And why? 

Listen to your heart. Work to clarify your own values and build connections with people who share those values.

Question your work habits. Ask whether all your hard work is making you feel less like a fake. Then, begin to consider what makes you feel truly worthy in your own eyes. 

Get centered in yourself. Don’t give power to assumptions other people may make about you.

Analyze your success. Develop a written inventory of your skills, accomplishments and experiences to understand your success. 

Exercise your sense of humor. Try to keep a sense of perspective and to laugh as often as possible – especially at yourself.

Adapted from Joyce Roche's new book, The Empress Has No Clothes: Conquering Self-Doubt to Embrace Success, Berrett-Koeller Publishers, Inc., 2013