Abundant Mind #018

Consider following me on Threads, Instagram, and Facebook

Read Time: 5 minutes

Hey bud,

Have you ever experienced that feeling of phoniness or unworthiness with your accomplishments?

Or when someone compliments you, have you ever caught yourself going “That’s not true at all!” a little bit too often?

These may be some signs that you are challenged with Imposter Syndrome.

This is a psychological pattern where individuals doubt their accomplishments, skills, or talents.

People with imposter syndrome, also have a fear of being exposed as a fraud and as someone who doesn’t deserve their success.

If you are one of the blessed ones and this isn’t you, then you may know and love someone who is going through this.

In this week’s letter, we will go over what can happen if this is left unchecked and how to actually solve this for ourselves, and perhaps for others as well.

Let’s get into it.

Imposter Syndrome Left Unchecked

A lot of the time, when we aren’t aware of a problem like imposter syndrome, it can get swept under the rug.

The challenge with that is, that if we don’t address solving this, it can have a lot of negative consequences in our lives. It may even have negative consequences to people that are near and dear to us.

Here are 3 consequences someone may face if imposter syndrome is left unchecked:

1. Low Self-Worth - The fear of being exposed as a fraud can lead us to feel that we aren’t good enough which limits us in what we can accomplish. This keeps us mediocre in our lives, and that’s something we definitely don’t deserve. (I talked about how we can cultivate self worth in this letter)

1. Self-Sabotage - Imposter syndrome can lead us to unwanted behaviors like procrastination or perfectionism. This is rooted in our possible fear of failure. Procrastinating to delay tasks can give us short term relief from the fear of not being good enough. Perfectionism will cause us to want to eliminate any flaws or errors no matter how small, ultimately sabotaging our own progress.

1. Mental Health Issues - In very severe cases, when imposter syndrome is left unchecked, it can lead to us developing depression or anxiety disorders.

If you are challenged with imposter syndrome, know that you aren’t alone. This is a common experience that most if not all people have at some point in their lives.

Now, let’s take a look at how we can solve this for ourselves, and once we do, we are actually in a good position to help others solve it for themselves.

Solving Imposter Syndrome

In this section, I’ll share 3 ideas that can help you solve imposter syndrome for yourself and others.

Idea 1: Recognize and Acknowledge

For us to solve a problem, we first need to recognize and acknowledge that there is a problem in the first place.

Denial only keeps it in our subconscious where, over time, it can grow into something nasty.

Ask yourself this: “If I could be fully honest with myself right now, am I currently dealing with any form of imposter syndrome?”

Idea 2: The 2 Voices in All of Us

For this idea, I’ll share the story of two wolves — a Native American Parable:

The dark wolf represents the voice where our imposter syndrome comes from.

The light wolf represents our empowering voice.

Where you place your attention is where you place your energy.

Keep feeding the light wolf. Keep listening to your empowering voice.

Whenever the dark wolf starts to speak and tells you nasty things about yourself, call it out. Consciously call on the light wolf to fight in your stead.

These two voices will always be inside of us, you just have to consistently listen to the empowering one.

Idea 3: Imperfect Action Over Perfect Inaction

Perfectionism is one of the common symptoms of imposter syndrome.

This usually causes us to want to get things perfect before we finish whatever it is we are working on.

Most of the time, what ends up happening though is that we aren’t able to get things done because of this desire for perfection.

Instead, strive for imperfect action in the short term.

Done is better than perfect.

It’s still important to strive for quality work, but if you are just starting out, you need to get the mistakes out of the way first and then learn from them to reach quality work.

You can tell yourself something along the lines of: “This is good enough for now, I will do better next time.”

That’s better than striving for perfection and not having anything at all to show for it.

In Conclusion

If you are challenged with imposter syndrome, try these ideas out for yourself.

If you are one of the blessed ones and this isn’t you, then you may know and love someone who is going through this.

Share this letter with them and they may get some ideas on how to start overcoming imposter syndrome for themselves.

Better yet, give friends and loved ones the gift of acknowledgement.

Tell them you believe in them.

Tell them that you admire them for what they’re doing.

Tell them that you care for them.

And if they’re in a position where they can’t feed the light wolf inside of them, give them a helping hand.

Imagine an experience where people are kind to each other and lift each other up, and it started because you shared your light with them.

That’s an experience worth having.

And always remember, that you deserve that.

Talk soon,

Zach

P.S. Whenever you are ready, there are 2 ways that I can be of help to you:

1. Follow me on Instagram here if you want a source of bite-sized ideas and content that can help you reach your next level in life.

2. Book a discovery call for one-on-one coaching here if you are currently looking to create solutions to a problem or challenge in your life but you seem to be stuck.