Mirror, mirror on the wall - who's the biggest poser of them all

Welcome to Questions from my team; where my team at Deakin gets to ask me questions and hold me accountable in answering them.

So here's Question #4:

Imposter Syndrome /ɪmˈpɒstə/ /ˈsɪndrəʊm/ - noun

the persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills.

Imposter syndrome is such a vibe.

In the last two years, making the jump from side-hustling content writer to Head of Content has been a massively, steep learning curve.

Aside from the lingering self-doubt and anxiety to do well, there are also voices around you that contribute to imposter syndrome.

"They only got the role because they're young."

"They lack experience."

"They don't look how a [insert job title] should look"

I definitely know that it's not just you and me that go through it.

But, over time, I've learnt a few ways to deal with imposter syndrome.

And if you keep these in mind - I have no doubt that it'll get easier to deal with.

(i) This shit is normal

I promise you - everyone who glances over this article will flashback to the first time they experienced imposter syndrome (in which case; if you could be so kind to leave your experiences in the comments below).

That's because feelings of self doubt are part of the normal, human experience.

And trust me - my moments of self doubt can range from whether or not I've adopted the right content strategy, to whether or not my baseball jersey and tartan pants really work or not.

You don't need to know everything.

And you don't always have to have it together.

But, I really do believe that by acknowledging imposter syndrome for what it is can be the first step in overcoming it.

That is, a normal part of the human experience.

(ii) Recognise when those feelings first begin to arise

This is a vitally important skill.

Overcoming something like imposter syndrome requires introspection; identifying where, when and with who these feelings might begin to bubble in your consciousness.

Is it when you're presenting to a big group of people?

Then maybe a bit more practice on public speaking is required.

Does somebody always seem to question your experience and legitimacy?

Avoiding one on one interactions might be the best way to go about it.

By recognising the situations in which imposter syndrome may suddenly set on can allow you to consciously and purposefully catch it early, while providing further insight on how you can improve moving forward.

(iii) Always have a beginners mindset

This final point is everything.

And I believe in it so much.

I always remind myself to approach things with a beginners mindset.

That is, the idea that I can't know everything and therefore don't know everything.

Which in turn translates to me only talking about things I have authority to speak on - but listening to others when I have no bloody clue.

SEO - someone please teach me.

Crocheting - no idea how to do it.

The application of nanotechnology in the ocean to prevent waste and pollution - yeah, I'll pass thanks.

When you're self aware enough to know when to speak confidently, and when to ask for help and guidance - no one can accuse you of switching lanes.

You're owning you.

Everything you know, and everything you don't know.

And if you're ever in further doubt about yourself and whether you deserve your achievements; imagine you're standing in front of the mirror from Snow White.

And ask, "mirror, mirror on the wall - who's the biggest poser of them all."

The answer is going to be - almost every time - not you.

Unless you are posing.

But only you'll know the answer to that.