Imposter Syndrome, It's Real

If you downplay your success by saying you got lucky or were just in the right place at the right time, you may suffer from imposter syndrome. If someone congratulates  you on a big accomplishment and you brush it off, you may have imposter syndrome.Entrepreneurs can be their own worst enemies and in situations like this women can be especially hard on themselves. We live in a world where, if you are a woman in tech, it is easy to believe you have to be twice as good to get ahead because this field is largely male-dominated. It is estimated that 70 percent of people (not just women) feel this way, according to a study in the International Journal of Behavioral Science. Imposter syndrome occurs when we feel like a fraud—when we feel that our successes are undeserved. We convince ourselves they’re based on luck, timing, or other factors outside of our control, instead of embracing the fact that we’re actually responsible for having made those successes happen. There are so many ways to overcome these feelings through a few practical steps.

1. Start Asking Yourself More Positive Questions

Spin your doubts into questions that you know will have positive answers. Instead of asking yourself if you can do it, ask yourself what is exciting about that challenge?

2. Change Your Focus From Yourself To Others

Stop thinking about yourself. Focus on what your hard work has done for other people. What jobs have you created? How have you contributed to the greater good?

3. Remember What You Have To Offer The World

People have been in your shoes before and they didn’t give up, so fight for the people to come after you.

4. Become Part of a Supportive Network

Go to meetups, seek mentorship, mentor others - these are the people who are going to build you up when you have moments of self doubt.

5. Let Your Accomplishments Speak for Themselves

Set goals & achieve them. You don’t have to tell yourself that you are good enough, the evidence is in the results.

6. Find Your Truth and Repeat it, Again and Again

When you get stuck on the imposter syndrome train, find a phrase you know to be true and repeat it until you believe it. It can be as simple as “I am good enough” or “You were made for this”.Here’s the good news, you are not alone. Even extremely successful women like, Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg has said, "There are still days when I wake up feeling like a fraud." Now is the time to remind yourself of your worth, your success & the reality that everything you have accomplished has happened because of YOUR hard work.