You can advance your career or own a successful business, and you are ready to sharpen your skills. This course will help you grow and improve your inner gifts, and you like the approach. In the meantime, you question whether or not you’re worthy of taking this opportunity. After completing your course and taking the following steps, you wonder if anyone will take you seriously. Who would take you seriously anyway if you become an expert in something you are already good at? Isn’t that a bad case of Imposter Syndrome?
What Imposter Syndrome?
VeryWellMind defines Imposter Syndrome as not feeling as competent as other people perceive you to be. According to the source, it falls under the category of anxiety disorders. People with imposter syndrome do not only apply to intelligence and accomplishments. The issue has a lot to do with perfectionism and how one fits in socially. You may have the skills, but you don’t think you are that good at what you do. Your attitude is that you are a fake, a phony, and a fraud. It is only a matter of time before you are exposed as a fraud. Those who suffer from it may feel that their prestigious position came from good luck or nepotism. They won’t take credit for their hard work. This can prevent you from acquiring more skills and progressing in your career or business.
Which Group Is Most Likely To Suffer From Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter Syndrome is an anxiety disorder, as I mentioned. Anyone can suffer from Imposter Syndrome, even if they do not have a mental illness. However, those who suffer from anxiety or depression disorder are more likely to suffer from Imposter Syndrome.
In the same report, VeryWellMind notes that people with OCD struggle with plenty of self-doubts, are known to be overachievers, cannot accurately assess their skills and competence, and are worried they will not live up to their expectations. By the way, they set a very high bar. If they don’t meet their demands, they blame themselves. Additionally, they will be more likely to sabotage their success. We’ll look at examples of Imposter Syndrome, and you may even relate to one.
What Are Some Examples Of Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter Syndrome has many examples. I will, however, share one that I can relate to as a writer. Think about someone who is just starting as a freelance writer. They take some freelance writing courses and enjoy learning how to become a good writer. After they complete their exercises and see that they can make six figures a year with freelance writing, they begin to doubt that they can make that much.
The writer knows they are good at what they do, and they can improve even more. However, the idea of becoming exceptional writers scares them because they feel like they’ll never be able to reach that point. Writing services on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork (not that there is anything wrong with doing that since Fiverr was an excellent tool for me to help with that) at a low price is what they think they can offer. Those who suffer from Imposter Syndrome believe they can’t move beyond charging clients low prices. However talented these writers maybe, they don’t feel comfortable charging more than they charge clients.
If the writer is told to charge four times what they do, they won’t listen and won’t even consider going there. The writer might increase the price slightly, or at most may double their costs if they decide to increase their prices in the future. However, they won’t want to go any higher than that. If they do, that will make them the best professional writer around, which they cannot comprehend. This is due to Imposter Syndrome.
After someone has worked in an industry for a long time and becomes more confident in what they do, the Imposter Syndrome tends to disappear. If someone struggles with anxiety and depression, that may never happen.