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70% of people will feel like imposters at some point in their life.

So if you’ve ever felt it, you’re not alone.

One of my favourite quotes of all time is from Ricky Gervais:

“The best advice I ever received: no one knows what they are doing either”.

But while this does provide some relief, it doesn’t take away from the fact that feeling like an imposter can be very uncomfortable.

Personally, it was a great source of anxiety for me and one of the reasons I burnt out while working at Uber.

But more recently, while I still feel it, it doesn’t affect me as much.

So I thought I’d share the 5 step process that has helped me overcome it.

The first step is:

1) Awareness

According to Dr Valerie Young, there are 5 types of Imposter Syndrome:

1. The Perfectionist: You set impossibly high standards and feel like a failure if you don’t meet them.
2. The Natural Genius: You believe you should master things effortlessly and any struggle feels like failure.
3. The Soloist: You believe asking for help means you’re not good enough.
4. The Expert: You feel like a fraud because you don’t know everything.
5. The Superhero: You measure your worth by how much you achieve and feel you’re failing if you’re not doing it all.

Each one of these types is like a little voice in your head, influencing how you feel, how you act and how you make decisions.

Most people find that they identify with several of them, sometimes all of them.

Did you recognise yourself in any?

They also show you the unhealthy ways in which you tend to derive your self-esteem.

And becoming aware of this can point towards the unhelpful thoughts that influence how you feel.

Which brings us to the second step:

2) Distance

Once you’re aware of your imposter type and the unhelpful thoughts that come with it, start labeling them whenever they show up.

For example:
​
​“Oh there’s my Natural Genius acting out again” ​
OR
​“There’s my perfectionist voice”

The better you get at labelling your unhelpful thoughts, the more distance you create between you and them and the less weight they will carry.

Remember, you are not your thoughts, you are the one observing them.

And it’s not the thoughts you have that make you suffer, it’s the thoughts you attach to.

Detach from these unhelpful thoughts by creating distance.

The next step is:

3) Action

Confidence is the result of taking action, not the cause of it.

So the best way to overcome imposter syndrome is to take action regardless.

Collect evidence that these thoughts don’t stop you.

Feel the fear and do it anyway, which takes us to the next step:

4) Courage

Just like fear, imposter syndrome isn’t something you have to overcome, it’s possible to do it scared.

Which is the definition of being brave.

You can feel the Imposter syndrome and do it anyway.

So don’t focus on the fear, focus on the fact that you are being F**king BRAVE.

Which leads us to the final step:

5) Kindness

Be kind to yourself, practice self compassion - accept that you are simply having a human experience.

There’s nothing wrong with you.

Feeling like an imposter is showing you that you’re exactly where you need to be:

Outside the comfort zone and growing.

Here's an extra special hack I use for being kinder to myself:

I imagine that the imposter voice in my head is the voice of 5 year old me.

It’s a lot easier to be self-compassionate when you realise that the voice in your head is just of a little child who’s trying to protect you.

So next time you feel like an imposter, just take yourself through these 5 steps.

Remember, imposter syndrome doesn’t mean you’re unworthy or unqualified—it simply means that you care.

And caring is a sign of growth.

Much love,
Alex

PS: What I’m reading: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
​What I’m watching: Avicii - I'm Tim
​Quote of the week: “Real confidence is about believing in your ability to grow, learn, and improve—not about having all the answers right now.” - Unknown

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