Three Daily Habits to Keep Impostor Thoughts at Bay

You are a fake. You should hide away from the world. People will soon see you for the impostor you are. You don't deserve praise. Your success was just dumb luck.

Do you ever think like this? If so, here are three simple habits to keep harmful impostor thoughts from limiting your life.

Habit #1 - Repeat This Mantra

When you question yourself, repeat this mantra. "Done, not perfect."

Perfectionism is one of the most common symptoms of impostor syndrome. A person believes she isn't capable and worthy of recognition. With this mindset, it follows that anything she creates will be imperfect. This leads her to work in the fruitless pursuit of a perfect outcome.

Perfection doesn't exist and the pursuit of it keeps you from moving forward. It's an illusion no one can truly achieve. Strive to accept when a task is complete. Tell yourself it's done. Know that a perfect outcome is rarely possible. Let go of this unrealistic expectation.

Habit #2 - Snack on Small Successes

Where most people just want to get through life, you want to create the best reality for yourself and your loved ones. You want to achieve big things. That's good. If you want to truly feel like you can make meaningful, positive changes in your life and that you are worthy to live that life, fill your day with lots of little wins.

You may be starting a blog. You put up your first blog post. Celebrate! Show your friends. Share it with people that will support you. Tell yourself you are amazing because you genuinely are. You've done something you have never done before.

Look for multiple opportunities like this throughout the day. Today, you didn't yell at someone in traffic when you usually do. You took the stairs instead of the elevator because you wanted more physical activity. You finished everything on your to-do list with time to spare. You said “no” to something that you normally would have done, even though it would have interfered with the rest of your day.

Celebrate small wins. Give yourself lots of credit for them. They foster positive feelings, and those feel-good emotions make it difficult to feel like an impostor.

Habit #3 - Give Impostor Syndrome a Persona

Give these limiting thoughts a name. Create a persona that is very real to you. Give it an identity. Make it an imaginary person. You might create a comical image of a cartoon character, one that makes you laugh. This is the place where you will send your impostor thoughts when you have them.

When limiting thoughts pop up, say “shut up Steve” or “take a hike Hilary.” Tell yourself that this thought pattern isn't yours. It belongs to Steve or Hilary.

They are different from what you are truly capable of. You deserve beautiful things in your life, and you need nothing more than a belief in yourself to achieve them. You also deserve all recognition that comes from those achievements. So when you think you are a fraud or impostor, don't embrace those feelings. Give them to your impostor persona instead.

Conscious habits that are repeated regularly will create your experience. This can be good or bad. These three daily habits help create the world you know you deserve. It's a positive place where you feel good about who you are and you graciously accept the praise of others. Put them in practice today, and you'll start feeling less like an impostor and more like the capable and worthy achiever you are.

Ready to go deeper? You can take my online course "The Imposter Syndrome Solution" and I will guide you through the complex maze of Impostor Syndrome, shedding light on its intricacies and equipping you with effective tools to dismantle it.