How Low Self-Worth Leads to Imposter Syndrome & a Powerful Strategy to Overcome Both
— EPISODE 4 —
Everyone has something important to share with the world…
But imposter syndrome can get in the way of fully showing up. At the core of imposter syndrome is feeling unworthy of success and feeling like you don’t have a place at the table, in the classroom, on your job, or in relationships. This often leaves us feeling like we don’t have anything to offer or feeling like we are not good enough.
When we feel low self-worth, we are more likely to feel unworthy at work and at school and unworthy of love, life, and success. We question ourselves and our achievements and we feel like imposters. All of this contributes to the anxiety, procrastination, overworking, and perfectionism that often come along with imposter syndrome. It can be a never-ending cycle.
Imposter syndrome shows up in many different ways…
In my personal experience, I overworked myself. I tried to be perfect in order to prove that I was good enough and worthy of my accomplishments. I would stay up later than I needed to and pushed myself to turn in every assignment on time. I felt I needed to prove I was good enough on the merit of my academic achievements. Now I can see that perfect achievement would never make me feel worthy or release me from imposter syndrome.
When you struggle with imposter syndrome, you may also find it hard to start projects. Or, you may struggle to do the work in front of you, because you don’t feel worthy or smart enough to do a good job.
You may have trouble recognizing your gifts, or shrink yourself and hide your talents. When we struggle with imposter syndrome and low self-worth, we also miss out on the joy of engaging with our strengths and talents and showing up fully. And, the world misses out on the important gifts we have to share. You deserve to tap into your gifts and share them because the world will be a better place when you do that.
What would you find the courage to do if you knew you were worthy?
Think about what life would feel like and be like if you showed up courageously in the world.
To start showing up courageously,
Identify your strengths
I want you to reflect on and identify your strengths. Take some time to think about it. Often, our strengths are things that come easily to us and that we do naturally without even thinking. You may be creative, a great listener, or you may be a great problem solver.
Once you’ve identified your strengths,
Consider how you would like to share them in the world.
How do you want to share your gifts at your job, at school, on your teams and in your community? How do you want to show up in these spaces? Do you want to be a listening ear for people? Do you want to help people solve problems? Write this down because having a list will help you during the times you feel like an impostor.
This is a list you can return to when you’re feeling nervous, or you are wondering if you belong in a space.
Return to this list!
When you feel like you need to be perfect or have all the right answers, or you need to get everything right, return to this list. Often when we’re nervous, it’s because we are focused on not wanting to make a mistake. Instead, you can focus on how you want to bring your strengths to play.
If you’re interested in getting started on your journey to embracing your unconditional self-worth…
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