February 2016
Natalie Portman at Harvard
 Imposter
syndrome was identified in the
1970s by a pair of social scientists who were
trying to understand why so many of the
high-achieving women they were studying
felt like frauds. There are male sufferers
(including, apparently, Tom Hanks and
Einstein), but the scientists who identified
the phenomenon stated that it
disproportionately affects women – and
intelligent ones at that.
 Tina Fey, Sheryl Sandberg, Maya Angelou,
Emma Watson and Natalie Portman have all
admitted to experiencing it.

Most practical strategies to deal with imposter
syndrome boil down to a combination of
perspective and “faking it til you make it”. The
perspective part is about acknowledging that
you’re underestimating your own abilities and
achievements, and overestimating those of other
people. The reality is likely to be much less
spectacular and somewhere in the middle.
You’re probably not incompetent (people who
are don’t experience imposter syndrome), but
you are imperfect. So is everyone else. You may
not be able to feel the truth of this, but seeing
the logic is an important step.

The next thing is to take action. Anxiety thrives
when you’re paralysed by it. Small, practical
steps towards an achievable goal will help
change your mindset and keep you moving
forward. The bad news is you may have to fake it
at this point. If you’ve been hanging back,
waiting for some imagined day when you’ll be
bursting with self-belief and feel magnetically
drawn towards your moment of glory, rest
assured, this day never comes for anyone,
except unbearable egomaniacs nobody wants to
be friends with. Everyone else is just jogging
along as best they can. You might as well join in.
 Einstein
said that his work was 1% inspiration
and 99% perspiration
 He said that the reason he was so successful
was that he stayed with problems longer
than others
 There
are some people who just happen to
be brilliant at things but most of us just have
to work really hard
 So don’t look at others, work hard and you
will succeed…
 The
idea that you can be perfect is a myth.
You can be brilliant but usually that comes
from a whole combination of factors
including some talent, hard work,
confidence, good friends, opportunities and
luck
 The images that appear flawless in the media
are “photoshopped” and false
 Don’t buy into a myth
 Celebrate reality

The antidote to the myth of effortless perfection…

Keep going…sometimes that’s all you can do but all you
need to do.

Don’t look to others. Focus on yourself and your goals…

Celebrate the small steps

Log your progress

Surround yourself with really positive people