Overcome Imposter Syndrome

The Accidental Creative with Todd Henry

Today we're talking about a topic that affects many high-achieving individuals: imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon where individuals doubt their abilities and fear being exposed as frauds.

Now, to be clear there is a difference between imposter syndrome and self-awareness. Self-awareness is the recognition that your skill level may not be sufficient for the task at hand. For example, while I have some experience leading designers, I would never take on a project that requires me to design a campaign for a major brand. That's not imposter syndrome, it's wisdom. However, fear often comes disguised as wisdom also, and it can show up in the form of imposter syndrome. This is when you perpetually feel like a fraud, or you become paralyzed when you are called upon to perform a task. You may even turn down opportunities you are perfectly well suited for because you fear that you will be "found out".

On this episode I offer three key strategies for overcoming imposter syndrome in life and work.

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