What is 'Imposter Syndrome' & How to Overcome it

What is ‘Imposter syndrome’ & How to Overcome it

I could probably safely say that we’ve all experienced the Imposter Syndrome as some point in our lives! Some people may not even notice it any more, for some it may be part of our lives! But thats wrong, thats not how we should be or live.

Though you may be thinking “Do I?” or “Have I?” you may not even know what it is.

What is 'Imposter Syndrome'?

Imposter Syndrome is to do with the thoughts in our head, what we say to ourselves or what the enemy is saying to us. The thing is it may even sound like our own thoughts, when truly, they aren’t.

These specific thoughts are those negative ones:

What is the imposter syndrome & how to overcome it

The Imposter Syndrome is ultimately about feeling like a fraud. Whether you experience thoughts and have beliefs that you either aren’t good enough or when you do achieve things you think it may have been a fluke.

There are 5 different types of “Imposters”.

  1. Perfectionist: Fixates on their flaws, can never be good enough.
  2. Superhero: Feels as though they need to work as hard as possible
  3. Expert: Underrates their knowledge and wisdom and always wants to learn more & more.
  4. Natural Genius: Sets high goals and is upset when doesn’t achieve these at the first attempt.
  5. Soloist: Very independent people who find it hard to ask for help or assistance.

What ever the reasons are behind it and these thoughts and beliefs, the bible, God, tells us otherwise.

God chose & loves YOU! Deuteronomy 10:15

He adopted YOU as His Son or daughter, according to His will and His pleasure. Ephesians 1:5

YOU were also made in the image of Jesus. Romans 8:29

YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made! Psalm 139:14

We need to meditate on these scriptures and apply them to our lives.

3 John 1:11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.

1 Corinthians 11:1  Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

ESV

How to Overcome it

There isn’t an easy way to beat the Imposter syndrome as it can come down to how we were bought up, what we have heard others say about us and deep ingrained beliefs we have.

One way of changing our thoughts is through repetition. It’s not a quick overnight fix, but a process, by prayer and petition we can make our requests known to God. Philippians 4:6. We can turn our thoughts and beliefs around, though Him, by identifying where you may be experiencing the thoughts of the “Imposter” and work on overcoming them.

Affirmations are a great way of doing this.  They can help overcome mindset limitations, reaffirm & help to recognise identity too and boost confidence!

I created a FREE Affirmation poster for you. All the affirmations are created from scripture and so they are biblical truths. Get yours HERE.

We also have an affirmation pack in the shop for 50 Affirmations if you’re interested.

Below is one activity that  helped me personally with overcoming those negative beliefs I had about myself. Check out the 5 min video below for the activity.

It could change your life as it did mine!

Please do come back here or comment on the video in youtube on how you get on with the activity. 

I do coach on mindset and refocus and if you would like some assistance, please do check out the Coaching page or you can reach out to me directly here.

Any additional thoughts, experiences or advice. Please do comment below.

7 thoughts on “What is ‘Imposter syndrome’ & How to Overcome it

  1. This was great! I feel like I learned about this topic and added to my knowledge of it. I didn’t realize there was so much behind it all. Thanks for this!

      1. Aw, Lauren, that’s very similar to what I do and talked about at the Summit you organised. So glad it has helped you as well. Blessings, Journeyofsmiley.com

Please feel free to comment, request prayer or ask anything...

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.