Imposter Syndrome.

While drafting my article yesterday, and as I was about to click on the "publish" button, I met with this topic and decided to make it the title of my today's article.

Without further ado, today's blog topic is called the:

Imposter Syndrome.

After surfing through Wikipedia, it's been found and seen that:

Imposter syndrome is loosely defined as doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. It disproportionately affects high-achieving people, who find it difficult to accept their accomplishments. Many question whether they're deserving of accolades.

Wikipedia

I'm pretty sure we all might have felt this way in one way or another. Well, I have also felt this way too and even till now, I still feel this way.

I remember when I wrote a poem on faith; sometime last year. I was beyond shocked and expressionless when my poem got reposted by different people, people I didn't even imagine would deem it fit to repost it. I had to go back to the poem and kept reading and reading; wondering what was so special about the poem.

There's something I realized...

Sometimes, that worst post, worst design, worst drawing to one's imagination is what gets the best praises.

When I wrote the poem on faith, I was completely and totally shocked, because even after posting it, I didn't really like the poem. I was more surprised when I got replies like:

• Were you the one that wrote this?

• Wait, you wrote this?

• Is this your writing? Wow!

Even after all these questions and all the reposts, I still felt the poem wasn't worth the accolades, or better still; I felt I wasn't well deserving of such accolades.

A person with imposter syndrome doesn't accept his accomplishments, doesn't feel good enough of himself/herself.

And that was exactly the way I felt on that day, and the way I always feel almost everytime. This is one of the best and main reasons why I love feedbacks. It helps my sanity.

After few findings;

Some things have been identified as signs of imposter syndrome.

• An inability to access your competence and skills realistically.

• When you keep attributing your success to external factors.

• Berating or belittling your performance.

For more emphasis, here's a short dialogue between Ella and Tomi

Ella: Wow, Ife, this is beautiful, I love this poem, you're such a good writer!.

Tomi: Hmm, be decieving me oh, no dae whine me abeg.

Ella: I'm being serious here, this is wonderful dear, I love this poem.

Tomi: (sighs) okay ooh, I've heard you, thanks (sighs).

From that dialogue above, Tomi; also called "Ife" was berating his performance, he has an imposterous mentality that he didn't write the poem well and Ella was just pulling his legs. Whereas; unknown to him, Ella truly loves his poem and she enjoys reading his write-ups and poems.

After few more findings;

Here are some ways to overcome the imposter syndrome.

• Learn the facts

• Share your feelings

• Celebrate your successes

• Let go of perfectionism

• Cultivate self-compassion

• Share your failures

• Accept it.

The facts listed above, were all gotten from Wikipedia.

Imposter Syndrome is linked to not feeling good enough about yourself.

In addition to the aforementioned ways...

• Learning to love yourself and seeing value in what you do is one awesome way to let go of the imposter Syndrome.

Easier said than done right?

Yeah, it's the same words I'm presently telling myself, but there's no harm in trying after all.

So; to me and to everyone out there with this syndrome.

I love you, and I love me, but let's learn to also love ourselves, and love what we do.

Till we meet again in my next article and in yours.

Thanks for reading.