Imposter syndrome affects us all. Here's how you can take back control and build confidence in your work
ᴿᴹ Always be prepared
As the saying goes, failing to prepare is preparing to fail. During your work day, set aside some time towards the end of day to get ready for the next day. Check your email, write out a list of priorities for the next day and if possible start a few of tomorrow's tasks today. This way you will be one step ahead of the game.
ᴿᴹ Set realistic goals
Set yourself some realistic goals. It's good to have big goals but sometimes that can become overwhelming and set your confidence back. Instead, break things down to achievable and do-able tasks. By being able to do the tasks you set yourself, you build your confidence. You can then start to set more challenging tasks for yourself. You'll see as you do this, you will develop your skills more and things become a lot easier and manageable for you.
ᴿᴹ Have positive self-talk
List your strengths and remind yourself of how far you have come. Only you know the struggles you've faced and the wins you've had (big and small). So whenever you feel you can't possibly achieve the next goal you've set yourself or complete an assignment, look through your list of accomplishments. Practice positive self-talk. The more you sing your own praises, the more you will start to believe in yourself.
ᴿᴹ Identifying your limitations
Your limitations do not define who you are or how capable you are. Identifying your limitations however is a smart and tactical thing you can do for self-improvement. Know what you struggle with and strategise ways to work on and improve this. Are you bad with time management for instance? Perhaps you could adopt the pomodoro approach; this is where you give yourself a set time to work on a certain task.
ᴿᴹ Celebrate your wins
While it's good to understand your weaknesses, it's also important you reflect on your wins as well. No one knows you better than you know yourself. No one has been with you at your lowest point. And no one knows what you truly want from life. So, the small wins you have in your day-to-day life, needs to be validated by yourself and celebrated by you. You can treat yourself to a Starbucks coffee or get yourself a brownie. However you do it, recognise when you have put in effort and got the desired outcome as a result.
ᴿᴹ Have supportive relationships
While you cannot control who you meet in your life, aim to surround yourself with people who will be your cheerleader, will be there to support you and genuinely want to see you win. You may not always know who these people are, but life will always show you in time who are there for you. These are the people you should have in your life.
ᴿᴹ Don't "should" yourself
You are exactly where you are you meant to be at this precise moment in your life. Keep on working on your goals and the life that you want. You are doing a great job and future you will be happy you never gave up on yourself. Also, past you knew less and was less experienced. Don't feel bad about where you wish you were in life but keep focused on where you would like to be and keep chipping away at your goals.
ᴿᴹ Take breaks
Breaks are necessary to rest, hit the reset button and to gain some perspective. You are more than the work that you do and the job that you have. You have worked hard
ᴿᴹ Dress for success
Wear a black dress and a blazer. Immediately, you will feel yourself stepping into a more professional version of yourself. I am not suggesting you should do a major haul of your wardrobe and only have formal work attire, but do dress up, even on the days you don't feel like it. You will automatically feel a lot more confident, capable and professional version of yourself.
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