5 Typical Intrusive Thoughts Stemming From Imposter Syndrome and How to Deal With Them

The journey from idea to business looks different for every person who decides to take the step from idea to action. While our reasons for building something of our own may look different, many of us share the common experience of facing imposter syndrome and analysis paralysis, two issues stemming from self-doubt. If your circumstances forced you into entrepreneurship you may doubt that you have the necessary skills or resources to succeed. If you launched into entrepreneurship due to opportunity and encouragement from others who believed in you, you might fear not living up to the expectations from others or think you've only been lucky.

Imposter syndrome relates to a feeling of being underqualified to hold a certain position and the fear of being exposed as being underqualified. It is often rightfully referred to as an "energy thief". When we constantly doubt ourselves and our abilities, it takes a toll on our confidence and self-esteem.

Instead of channeling our energy into productive and positive endeavors, we find ourselves caught in a cycle of self-criticism and anxiety. This drain of mental energy can lead to decreased motivation, increased stress, and even burnout. Together with analysis paralysis imposter syndrome makes us question our accomplishments, making it hard to celebrate our successes or take pride in our work. It's like a thief that steals away our sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. The worst part of it is that it's not something you can or should conquer once and for all, it's something you have to learn to live with. Here's why:

An arrogant ego that doesn't allow questions such as "Do I have the skills and resources necessary to succeed?" will never find the answers of what you need to change about yourself in order to succeed. Through confronting your imposter syndrome you can make yourself a more robust and successful founder. Research even shows that people who experience imposter syndrome also score higher on empathy, due dilligence and resilience. In this post we will discuss how you can productively embrace your imposter syndrome.

Having an internal critic allows you to confront your critic in a safe environment and gives you time to formulate counter-arguments. Having these internal discussions will make you prepared for confronting critics in real life. The same way other people can give us both productive or spiteful and nasty criticism our internal critic can be either productive or unproductive criticism. Although pretty much all self-help literature ever produced claims that your inner critic is your worst enemy, we don't quite agree. Just think about it. You've surely met someone who doesn't seem to have an inner critic. They just walk out in the world and think that because they don't criticize themselves, no one else will either. Don't get us wrong, we acknowledge that nasty and spiteful criticism can have a harmful impact on an individual, but how we react to our inner critic is what determines whether or not the impact will be harmful.

If you experience imposter syndrome, good on you for wanting to live up to the standards you try to present. Here are five typical intrusive thoughts stemming from imposter syndrome and how to deal with it.

1. "I don't really deserve to be here" Do you? Ask yourself why you deserve to hold the positions that you hold and Write. It. Down! If you've had a lot of luck in getting to where you are, admit it and state how you are prepared to do the work to make the most of the opportunities you were lucky enough to get.
2. "If people find out xyz about me I will lose everything" Depending on what XYZ is explore your flaws and shortcomings honestly. Practice confirming your weaknesses by "I don't have a lot of experience with XYZ" and continue with a plan to strengthen weak points.
3. "Other people in this space are far more qualified than me" Explore your strengths and look at how this can benefit those that you work with. Explore the skills and competencies of those you work with and prepare communication that lifts their strengths and how you can ask to learn from them. Approach this with humility.
4. "Other people will try to expose me" Stay one step ahead by working on points 1-3
5. "I should be better" Make a realistic plan for what you should work on, and stick to working on it. Nobody is perfect, progression is the closest you can get.