On imposter syndrome, anxiety and ambition • The Empowerwoment Project

I am scared to be a manager. I am scared to be a leader. I am scared to present on a stage. I am scared to ask a question at a major conference. I am scared to launch a new product. I am scared to speak my mind on Twitter.

Stepping out of your comfort zone can be so scary. And yet, that is what we ask women to do if we say they need to step up or lean in to be successful. For many women, taking the next step in their careers will give them a lot of anxiety. In this blog post, I’ll share my thoughts and experiences on how imposter syndrome could make it hard to live up to your ambitions. But I’ll also share some tips on how to get through that!

What is imposter syndrome again?

Imposter syndrome is a strong feeling of self-doubt and impotence, although your experiences, education, and accomplishments prove otherwise. Sometimes, people use imposter syndrome if they’re s scared to try something new. But that’s not entirely right. Imposter syndrome is not just about being scared to try new things. It is only imposter syndrome if you are qualified and experienced enough for a certain task and still feel like a fraud.

Imposter syndrome is the overwhelming belief that you failed or going to fail when you are flourishing. I was convinced I failed the theoretic part of my driver’s exam, while, as it turned out, I made 0 mistakes. During the public defense of my Ph.D., I was so sure that one of the professors would laugh and point out that I was not qualified and that my dissertation was not good enough. Even though I already had several scientific publications and won awards.

Imposter syndrome and ambition are enemies

Having imposter syndrome and being hardcore ambitious will inevitably lead to anxiety. They do not play well together. Anxiety makes it harder to step up. Those intense feelings of self-doubt will make you feel nervous. But you must step up to get into a leadership role or senior management position. You need to step up if you want to get that Ph.D.

And thus, you need to muddle through the anxiety. You’ll have feelings of nervousness and restlessness, and perhaps you’ll have negative thoughts like ‘ I am not supposed to be here’ or ‘I don’t deserve this’. You’re constantly self-doubting and always scared to be exposed as a fraud.

And, if your ambition is high (like mine is), you’ll step up and lean in any way. And you should!

Tips on how to muddle through!

Although I was scared of everything I did remotely out of my comfort zone, it never stopped me from doing it anyway. That did come at a cost, though. I have experienced panic attacks and hyperventilation, and I suffered from depression and sleeplessness.

It will get better over time

My experiences don’t need to be yours at all. But it will get better. As with all forms of anxiety, whether you’re scared of spiders, small rooms, or leadership roles, the more you are exposed to the thing you fear, the less scared you’ll be. The only way to get rid of that imposter syndrome is to muddle through and fight it. It will get better! You will get less scared.

Talk about it!

If you talk about your thought and feelings, your negative self-talk will have a smaller chance of sticking. If you have thoughts like ‘ I don’t deserve this award’ and talk about it with other people, you’ll hear a different perspective. Your negative self-talk will be challenged. Keep challenging your negative self-talk.

Be kind to yourself

If you know that you experience imposter syndrome, be kind to yourself. Don’t judge yourself because you feel nervous or restless. Don’t judge yourself because you think you ‘should have been over it by now’. Give yourself a break. Being ambitious and having that stupid imposter syndrome is challenging!

Educate yourself

It could help if you educated yourself about imposter syndrome, how it originated, and how you can cope with it. Good thing you’re reading this blog post now! That’ll help you understand your thoughts and feelings and give you some extra piece of mind.

Small steps forward

Try things that are just outside your comfort zone. You don’t need to become the next prime minister all at once. Try to step into a bigger role or a more challenging position, but don’t overdo it. Taking small steps, and trying out new things, will eventually get you where you belong!

Let’s step up together in the Empowerwoment Project!

In the Empowerwoment Project, we are going to tackle that imposter syndrome! We’ll read and talk about it and challenge it. Check out our project and see how you can battle your imposter syndrome!