It's OK To Be A High Achiever. Here's Why.

"Impostor!" You'd think that damning word belongs only in TVs, movies, and other entertainment media, uttered in response to the revelation that a character isn't who s/he claims to be. You'd be wrong. In fact, 70 percent of us hear it every day – from our own minds. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what is known as impostor syndrome. Contrary to what its name may suggest, impostor syndrome is not a disease. It's a response to an inability to internalize one's own accomplishments and successes, and is characterized by feelings of fakery ("I'm not as good as they say I am."), giving too much credit to luck ("Oh, that award? It was a fluke, really."), and downplaying success ("What I accomplished isn't a big deal; others have done it before."). It's somewhat different from low self-esteem in that the person experiencing it actually does have something to be proud of, but is somehow having difficulty acknowledging the fact. Does that sound like you so far? If your answer is "Yes", here's what you can do to cope better with those feelings of fakery. Recommended Reading: 7 Insane Habits To Destroy Your Freelance Writing Career

Acknowledge That You Have It

The idea of having any kind of "syndrome" (whether it's technically a disease or not) is terrifying. Who wants to go out and tell the world "Hey, I have impostor syndrome!" anyway? Still, if your belief that you're a fraud is severely i [...]