Double-tap if you’ve heard of or even struggle with imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome (IS) is the idea that you’ve only succeeded due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications. It’s usually characterized by chronic feelings of inadequacy, incompetence, and fraudulence.
It can feel hard to internalize success and genuinely hold the belief that you’re competent and capable.
Many actors, creatives and really anyone with goals and dreams struggle with imposter syndrome.
So what can you do to push these thoughts aside and move forward?
A few things:
1. 𝙎𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙨: Recognize that just because you have these thoughts, it doesn’t mean they are true. If your mind says, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing,’ remind yourself that you know more than you think you do you and are capable of learning.
2. 𝙏𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨: In moments where you feel less-than, it can be helpful to have a tangible reminder of your successes. Write down every time you are pinned, get a callback, given a compliment or have a breakthrough in acting class.
3. 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜: Focus on measuring your own achievements instead of holding them up against others.
4. 𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 that smart, high-achieving people most often deal with imposter syndrome. So the very fact that you recognize it in yourself already says a lot about you.
5. 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 Sometimes, a good chat with someone who knows you and supports you can help you realize that your imposter feelings are normal but also irrational.
Self-doubt can be paralyzing. But recognizing and dealing with these feelings, can help you move forward instead of getting stuck in the dreaded imposter cycle.
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