There’s always something rewarding hearing about a comeback story. Where someone is faced with uncertainty and is pushed in a corner with all the cards stacked up against them and they somehow walk away triumphally, it’s easy to feel motivated and impressed. Until you find yourself being the one in the corner. It’s a feeling so many have experienced firsthand in life and in their careers. The triggers to set those feelings off are mostly unpredictable. Which only makes climbing that mountain of doubt even harder because we are forced to face it at random. But finding yourself in a tough spot isn’t always a negative place to be. Regardless of if you find yourself leaning towards a glass half full or glass half empty mentality, one thing is for sure…It’s sometimes difficult to find the positives in certain situations. In this blog post, we want to help with that inspiration to see the light you may have trouble finding. Specifically, in a career setting. Where imposter syndrome and doubt sometimes make an appearance more times than you are comfortable with.
What is Imposter Syndrome?
According to a Verywell Mind article, “imposter syndrome refers to an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be. While this definition is usually narrowly applied to intelligence and achievement, it has links to perfectionism and the social context.” When you strip the definition to its core, imposter syndrome is simply self-doubt that has manifested to the extreme degree. Making you feel like the achievements you have gained in a workplace or where you are in life isn’t deserving and it’s all just a lottery those things happened to you. Even though you may have put hundreds of hours of work into it to achieve what you have, this feeling may creep up on you randomly. A recent study shows more than 80% of adults experience some level of imposter syndrome somewhere in their lives. With percentages that high, it’s easy to assume that the feelings you may be going through are overall common at some point in those around you.
How to Overcome Doubt in a Job Role
Raises, promotions, bonuses, new careers, milestones, achievements…these are all huge deals that most people would celebrate over and should. But after the claps fade off, another sound may be lurking around the corner in the form of self-doubt. As you sit back down at your desk and have a moment to yourself, you may begin to have faint questions pop up in your head. “Am I actually deserving of this? Should this have gone to someone else on my team who is way more qualified than me? How am I going to continue to prove myself even if I’m not sure I can?”
The three main things you need to overcome doubt in a job role is:
- Grit
- Faith
- Persistence
Grit
A major way to face doubt is by meeting it with passion. Passion in the workplace means something different for everyone. It may mean a passion for the work itself, a passion for aiming at higher goals and progress, or simply a passion to provide for yourself or family financially. Those are just three common examples. You have your own reasons that drive you to success. When it comes to having self-doubt, it’s important to remember those things. Have them fuel your mindset and help get you past any mental roadblocks that may pop up along the way. Keep your eye on the prize and have that grit be placed in the forefront of your mind as you strive for a bigger and better tomorrow in the work you accomplish.
Faith
Having faith in yourself and your abilities may seem impossible during times of self-doubt. But it’s important to be your number one fan when you may feel like no one else is rooting for you at times. Imposter syndrome may be affecting you now. But it is likely difficult to look back at the work you’ve done to get where you are and not see your talent and skills being shown off constantly throughout every step along the way. If you can do that, then have faith in yourself that you are deserving of what you have done now.
Persistence
Sometimes the only thing left to do in situations is try until you succeed regardless of how many times you may fail. Keeping persistence in the quality of work you do and maintaining the expectations your name or job title may have attached to it in the workplace will help you get to the other side of doubt. While never accepting failure as the final answer and using it as way to motivate the strengths you have.
The Old You vs the New You
It may feel like you are going head-to-head with a past version of yourself. Looking at who you used to be and judging your current self-value. But often, reflection helps us grow as individuals and as employees. Taking note of your past mistakes and skill level may not only highlight how far you’ve come but also remind you how you overcame them. Use your past self as a way to remember the true value you have after looking back at where you started. Instead of joining a mental boxing match with a weaker version of yourself, accept that version as guidance and motivation. Because you need to keep the end goals in mind until you find yourself giving up from doubt and ending up at step one all over again.
Source: Pinterest
One way to face imposter syndrome head on is by having confidence in your skills. If you have the ability to prove yourself wrong by the quality of work you do, then tackling the unforeseen hurdle of doubt may be easier for you through the proof.
In the world of professional developers, imposter syndrome is a trait that can appear more often than not simply because of how fast the role and industry is constantly moving. Having to constantly find ways to pivot and overcome random obstacles becomes a part of everyday job tasks. You may find yourself getting lost and questioning the value you bring to the team. These feelings may be justified if you do lack the necessary skillset to keep up. If you want to maximize your skills as a developer or learn how to code with confidence, devCodeCamp’s coding bootcamp is able to be that solution for you. Reach out today to learn how.
