Does Imposter Syndrome Ever Go Away?

Imposter Syndrome is that terrible little voice in your head telling you that you’re not good enough, you don’t have what it takes, and you’ll never amount to anything. It can come out of the blue when we least expect it – and it’s never pleasant.

The first thing I want you to know is that it’s normal. Everyone has it – period. So, if you’re someone who thinks you’re the only one (like I did), you’re not.

Sometimes, the voice will be your own. Often, it will be the voice of someone else who we believe is judging us or has openly judged us in the past… a teacher, parent, friend, or spouse are likely candidates.  

The voice is creative, thoughtful, and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to telling us what it’s thinking. And it has no timeline, so something that happened days, weeks, or years ago is fair game.

Imposter Syndrome usually shows up when we want to expand ourselves - when we want to start something new or try something different. When you’re in those circumstances, naturally, you get scared; the voice sees a chink in your armor, and it slides through and into your brain.

But at that moment, you’ve got a choice. Listen to it or do something different to change the message.

Here’s the conversation that I have with my Imposter Syndrome when it kicks in:

First, I notice the negativity and indulge (I’m human).

Then, realizing what’s happening, I look objectively at what the voices are telling me. I separate myself from the emotions the voice is trying to invoke and look at the message itself.

I think – oh wow – listen to that craziness in my head… is that true? And I’ve noticed that about 100% of the time, it’s not.

So, I replaced the voice – one thought at a time, with a more useful message. Here’s how that might sound:

I’m just scared. I’ve been scared before. It’s not a big deal. I can do new things. I can do hard things. I have what it takes. What’s a step that I can take right now?

And by taking action, the voice will quiet down, and you can get back to that big change in your life.

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