Imposter Syndrome is as common as X bros DMing you, “Love your content! Dropped a follow… can you follow back?”

Here are 5 things I do remind myself of when Imposter Syndrome is heavy:

1️⃣ My success has been earned and not given to me.

Imposter Syndrome likes to convince me that my success isn’t valid because, compared to those who live in 3rd world countries, I have it easy.

I have the privilege of going to school, the means to attend higher education, and the ability to get a job that pays 10x more than the average global personal income.

Imposter Syndrome can convince you that you aren’t deserving of your success because of where you come from or what your childhood was like.

Or maybe it tells you that you don’t deserve your life because of the trauma you’ve endured.

Or maybe because you “made it out” but the rest of your family, town, or community is suffering.

At the root of Imposter Syndrome is comparison.

Whether that’s to other people your age, others in your family or community, or even your past self, this feeling tries to convince us that we are unworthy by comparison.

When I feel this way, I remind myself that, yes, I grew up with many advantages that others will never have access to in their lifetimes.

I acknowledge the logic behind how I feel, not being dismissive to try to protect myself.

However, I also remind myself that I took advantage of the resources I had access to and honored the life I was given by working hard to shape the success I wanted to see for myself.

2️⃣ I have and will continue to honor the resources and time I have been given for the betterment of not only myself but society.

After months of fighting Imposter Syndrome, I realized that one of the best things I can do is to use my success for the betterment of society.

I could use my time to volunteer in the community.

I could use my knowledge and skills to help educate others.

Just because it was my money didn’t mean I had to keep all of it.

Reframing my mind from seeing my success as something that solely benefits me to something I can use to benefit those around me helped me to lessen the feelings of Imposter Syndrome I was experiencing.

3️⃣ Just because I feel this way doesn’t mean it’s true.

Just because I feel undeserving of my life as a result of Imposter Syndrome does not mean I am undeserving of my life.

Any of the guilt, shame, anxiety, that I feel associated with Imposter Syndrome is not true of my life and the success I’ve accomplished, as long as I’ve achieved that success in an honest, genuine, and hardworking way.

Freeing yourself from the feelings associated with Imposter Syndrome allows you to enjoy the life you’ve worked towards and built for yourself.

Acknowledging that the feelings are just a feeling and not based on evidence allows you to shed the implications of Imposter Syndrome and fully enjoy your life.

4️⃣ Imposter Syndrome can be a good thing, but only if I let it.

Imposter Syndrome isn’t all bad.

It can be an indication of achieving a type of success you never thought possible for yourself.

It can be proof that you’ve “made it” and that the visions you’ve had for your life are finally becoming reality.

Experiencing Imposter Syndrome can be an opportunity to practice gratitude for your life and how it has turned out.

It can be an opportunity to reflect back and see how far you’ve come.

It can even be an opportunity to help those around you experience the same thing by sharing your skills, knowledge, and time.

5️⃣ Even if I can’t shake the feeling of Imposter Syndrome, I have the ability to remedy the side effects.

If the big picture of Imposter Syndrome is hard to overcome, then narrow your focus instead to overcome the side effects of Imposter Syndrome.

There are many side effects of Imposter Syndrome.

Guilt, shame, anxiety, self-doubt, and overworking are all possible side effects.

In our battle with Imposter Syndrome, it’s important to remember that we have the ability to control, remove, or alleviate these side effects.