Imposter syndrome: how do you overcome this phenomenon? “If you do the work, you don’t have to feel like an imposter.” —Melody Hobson, Co-CEO, Ariel Investments
Rituals, we all have them knowingly or unknowingly. These are activities we do either to anchor ourselves in times of crisis, to quell anxiety or give us a sense of order and control whenever confronted with uncertainties e.g. a job interview, meeting a first date, etc.
There are many reasons why we practice rituals. Many embrace rituals as a religious practice e.g. Sabbath, the Jews day of rest according to the old testament in the Bible. Others, observe various rituals as a coming of age practice for teenagers, during grief periods or weddings celebrations. Still others are very religious on how they go about their day: some have morning, afternoon and even bedtime rituals.
Undoubtedly, rituals do play a significant role in our lives whether we know it or not. But did you know that by having a unique practice that you engage in over and over again, you could cue your brain to the highest performance, boost confidence and overcome the imposter syndrome?
Rituals serve to regulate feelings especially if one is feeling nervous about a particular situations that they are unsure of.
For example if someone had told you back in January that you and the rest of the world would spend almost half of the year in lockdown, would you have believed?
COVID-19 pandemic has proven that it’s here to disrupt our lives with no end in sight. This has presented all kind of challenges from health, economic, social, mental, work, etc.
Everyone is coping with the situation differently as all reconfigure schedules, and seek to figure out how to do life in this precarious season. That said, some especially those who understand and have experienced the power of rituals have either come up with new rituals, revised old ones or kept their old ones despite the disruption in order to create a sense of meaning, joy and connections in their lives.
According to a Harvard Business Review study, those who reported having some type of rituals were said to experience less stress and feel more grounded than their counterparts. In fact, there are many benefits of embracing this habit and most successful people, athletes, etc credit their highest achievement to having a ritual. For example, Michael Jordan was reported saying that his pre-game ritual was the means by which he won the game first in his mental state also called Simulations Mental Rehearsal, or SMR techniques before he actually played in the actual match.
By engaging in rituals, our ancestors and many others have throughout history sought to create a familiar circuitry path in their brain that helped them hack their best self, create a sense of control and or order into their lives, and thereby empowered them to manage and regulate themselves in the face fear or challenges.
Why Rituals matter?
If you don’t have one, you may want to start one today. This can be whatever you wish it to be as long as it gives you a sense of meaning towards whatever goals you are pursuing. Here are some of the notable benefits of engaging in a ritual either daily or in whatever frequency you choose.
- Relieves stress and feelings of anxiety especially in the face of uncertainties.
- Creates a sense of order and control especially in crisis time.
- Recharges your spirit with a sense of ‘I can do this’ attitude.
- Grounds or anchors you to tap into your inner strength.
- Brings a sense of joy, meaningful and connections.
- Ground you into your highest and truest essence.
- Empowers you to Come Alive.
- Increase self-awareness.
- Boost confidence.
Rituals especially when done often create consistency. Consistency is how you and I build our muscle to best perform at our optimal levels. In the long haul this yields confidence and gives one a sense of credibility with self.
It’s no wonder if one is battling the imposter syndrome, the best way to overcome it is to remind oneself in the word of Melody’s advise through the quote above. Essentially, if you and I have done the work, then our confidence thus ought to be based on the fact that we have done the work, and by that alone we should quiet the lizard brain in letting it know we are in that space, role, boardroom, or have that position because we have done what is required to be done to our the best of our knowledge-we have earned our way there. It’s like graduating from college, no graduates wonders if they are qualified to receive the degree at the end of the their 4 year course work if they know with certainty they have maintained their course work and attained the required GPA.
So, next time you find yourself feeling like an imposter (imposter syndrome), ask yourself if indeed you’ve done the work necessary to be in the room or in the position you are in, and if so; then have the inner and deep assurance that you are doing great, and are in the right place! At the same time, you may want to do the affirmation as a ritual every time you find yourself confronted with this humanly feeling of feeling ‘not worthy’. Simply, affirm yourself by telling yourself louder or softly by declaring… ‘I’m worthy’ and I’m enough!
Do you feeling like an imposter? How often do you find yourself experiencing this feeling? If yes, we should talk. As a certified coach, I help professional and organizational brands gain CLARITY for better results—increase productivity, performance and profits. You may reach me via email at carolyne@vpfstrategies.com. Thank you.
