5 Mindset Shifts to Overcome Imposter Syndrome

Before we get into this, you may be wondering: "How do I know if I have Imposter Syndrome?" Well, similar to someone attending their first AA meeting and questioning whether they’ve a problem, if you’re clicking into an article about imposter syndrome, there’s probably a strong sign that some part of this feels familiar.

Most people with any sort of ambition, desire to grow in their career, lead better, build something meaningful or reach a new level of potential will experience it at some point. So instead of listing a questionnaire here for you to diagnose yourself, it’s probably more worthwhile to learn how to manage imposter syndrome so you can continue growing and not completely sabotage yourself.

First a bit of background, originally the term used wasn’t “imposter syndrome.” It was “imposter phenomenon,” because it was viewed more as an experience rather than a diagnosable disorder. The concept was first explored in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes after observing high-achieving people who struggled to believe their success was deserved.

Nearly 50 years on, I’d bet it’s more common in the workplace than ever before. There’s more pressure, more comparison, more expectation and more visibility (including social media). I recently heard the stat that around 70% of people experience imposter feelings at least once in their life. And while that may be true, I’d go further and say it’s probably closer to 100% for those who are genuinely growing, pushing past old limitations, breaking old identities and reaching new heights of their potential.

Because the moment you start becoming someone new, the old voice has something to say.

So here are five mindset shifts to help you handle imposter syndrome without letting it make your decisions.

1. Prepare Without Overpreparing

Often, it’s instinctive to get stuck into all the material. You start reading everything. Checking everything. Rehearsing every possible angle. Trying to cover every tiny gap so nobody can catch you out. But pause for a minute and ask yourself: “What do I need to cover in order to be 80% prepared?”

That 20% is the test but also the growth spot.

The brain is looking for relief from anxiety, uncertainty and not knowing what will come up in that meeting, presentation, interview or leadership conversation. So it tries to grab everything. That’s normal, it’s wired to protect you, since the dawn of humankind out hunting in the woods. But in modern times, where it’s less about physical safety and more psychological, the skill to really be trained is sitting in that uncertainty. The more you practise that, the stronger you get at walking into a room without needing to know everything. That’ll serve you much better in the long run than managing fear by constantly trying to retain more knowledge. Take a break!

The only other thing I’ll say about preparing is that preparation is as much about the material as it is the mind and body. There are many tools to prime the mind and body for an event. Let me give you one, visualisation. There’s a well-known basketball study often referenced in performance psychology. The players were split into 3 groups: one practised free throws physically, one only visualised making the shots, and one did nothing. The physical practice group reportedly improved by 24%, while the visualisation group improved by 23%. You see, the brain doesn’t know the difference between reality and a visualisation. Hence we can use this tool to teach the mind and body how we want it to be before going into the main event. I saw this at a recent Olympics, a swimmer sitting in the waiting room eyes closed before going out to race, she won. Then I asked, what would have happened if the whole room had their eyes closed...

Anyway, before your next meeting, presentation or conversation, don’t just instruct the subconscious with worst-case scenarios. Instruct it with how you want to be. See yourself on that stage calm. See yourself steady. See yourself answering slowly. See yourself not needing to prove everything. See yourself contributing value.

You’re not trying to trick yourself into confidence. You’re training your nervous system to recognise the version of you that already knows how to handle the room.

2. Coach Yourself Through the Voice

Coach yourself on it.

Seriously. Get two chairs. Sit in one as the coach and ask the question. Then sit in the other while you speak to it. Go back and forth.

If that feels too weird, grab a pen and paper.

You’re exposing it, bringing it to the surface, and weakening the neural connections associated with imposter syndrome while strengthening the neurons associated with self-belief (provided you coach yourself well enough of course).

Because when the voice stays in your head, it feels powerful. When you write it down or speak it out loud, first, you get a better understanding of it, and second, it often starts to feel boring, outdated and not true.

Here are some questions to get you started.

1. What would change in my life if I stopped arguing with my success?

2. What are you trying to prove? To whom, really? 3. What part of me benefits from staying uncertain about myself?

4. What evidence would finally convince you that you belong? …And if you got it, what would it take to believe it?

5. Imagine tomorrow I woke up completely free from imposter syndrome. What would immediately become my responsibility?

Not everyday questions so even if you don’t know the answers now, at least you’re now aware of the questions for later while out for a walk or wherever your quiet place is.

3. Stop Trying to Prove, Start Trying to Give

Staying with the running example through this blog, presenting, leading meetings, being visible or sharing your opinion in front of people who intimidate you. It’s easy to go into those moments thinking: How can I look good? How can I win them over? How can I impress these people? How can I prove I deserve to be here?

That way of thinking is coming from a place of taking.

You’re trying to take peoples approval, validation, reassurance and take proof that you’re good enough. And of course that creates pressure, because now the whole room becomes a mirror for your self-worth.

So reframe it.

Ask: “How can I give to these people?”

Who are these people? What do they need? What do I have? What value can I offer to help solve the problem?

Take the spotlight off you. Stop making it about you. It’s not about you.

Now, when it comes to fear of judgement, it might still linger there. But essentially, most people are not sitting there thinking about you as much as you think they are. And the minority who are judging negatively are often, unknowingly to them, judging themselves.

4. Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Body

Emotions are energy in motion E-motion = Energy in motion.

That imposter voice in the form of internal dialogue and negative self-talk creates emotions of fear, anxiety, tension and sometimes even depression. That energy will stay in the body if you let it. So there comes a point where you consciously need to intervene. Shift that energy. That state.

There are plenty of tools that get you out of your head and back into the body. Exercise is the obvious one. A good walk. Lifting weights. Running. Swimming. Anything that helps move the agitation instead of sitting there negotiating with it in your mind.

One of my favourites is Breathwork. The popular techniques like box breathing are valuable in real time to help reguate while also remaining focused. But the lesser talked about one is altered states breathwork. It not only shifts the state but also gets to the root of what persists internally for a deeper release and new perspective.

And often what persists internally doesn’t come down to the meeting, the presentation, the leadership role or the business you’re trying to grow. It can come down to something deeper.

This feeling of not being deserving, not being good enough or not being worthy of success can often be traced back to some degree of trauma. A troubled household environment. School. A significant amount of time being repeatedly told something about yourself until eventually it became your own voice.

My next group breathwork session is on 5th July at 7pm Irish time. You can join here if you're feeling the pull: https://www.resetwithrichie.com/groupbreathwork

5. Wait... Could You Be in the Wrong Career?

This is where it gets interesting. Not always. But I have seen clients clearly develop a deeper understanding of this voice, learn to quieten it, and then, lo and behold, they don’t want the same career that brought them to me in the first place.

They’ve let one thing go, that voice, and made room for something else.

In other words, they look to swap a career for a calling.

I’m not saying they all go and coach others through imposter syndrome. But when they start believing in their successes and strengths, a lot becomes possible.

I pause and ask you, what would be possible in your life if that voice didn’t run the show?

A lot, right?

Some change company for a more aligned culture. Some start their own business. Some stay exactly where they are, but make internal shifts, like beginning to lead a team, getting more involved in projects, or finally putting themselves forward for opportunities they’ve secretly wanted for years.

You’d be surprised what opens up when that voice stops making your decisions.

Final Point on Imposter Syndrome

The goal here shouldn’t be to never feel self-doubt again.

The goal is to stop letting self-doubt become the decision maker.

Because there is a part of you beneath that self-doubt that knows what matters. It knows what you’re capable of. It knows the work you’re here to do and who you’re here to be.

So the next chapter of your career doesn’t begin when the voice disappears completely.

It begins when you stop putting it in the drivers seat. Richie