C'est La Vie

It’s likely that there is a monster living in your head that you didn’t even know was there. It likes to whisper words of doubt every time you are proud. It likes to remind you that others are doing better at exactly what you love to do. It likes to make all of your insecurities big and your accomplishments small. This monster has lingered in the minds of women like Lupita Nyong’o, Tavi Gevinson, and Emma Watson, and this monster’s name is Impostor Syndrome. Impostor Syndrome is something that has impacted my entire life (and probably yours, too!) but I’ve never really seen it, talked about it, or heard about it until a few years ago. The term was created by two female researchers, Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Dr. Suzanne A. Imes, and can be defined as “a psychological pattern in which a person doubts their accomplishments and has an internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.” It impacts all of us to an extent; young people question their accomplishments because of their youth and older people feel that they are too late to be accomplishing things that younger people have accomplished ages ago. Even when we work hard, get dirt under our fingernails, and lean into our endeavors, we still have this feeling that all of our success is just dumb luck.

For creatives starting their careers and leaning into their art, whether that be in music, photography, or writing, impostor syndrome has a way of creeping in. Since impostor syndrome causes people to doubt our work and success, our mental health can suffer from it; by double-guessing and doubting accomplishments or by scrolling through feeds and comparing to other people, anyone can begin to feel that they are not good enough or talentless. Moreover, many people who do struggle with their mental health also struggle with impostor syndrome by downplaying their mental health or not speaking out about their struggles at all out of fear that they are not as bad as others.

How do we start allowing ourselves to not only embrace our successes, but to actively celebrate andbe excited about our achievements?

1. Make the monster small by supporting yourself and others. We make the impostor syndrome monster smaller and smaller by acknowledging the accomplishments made by both ourselves and those around us. Start implementing the shine theory, a theory created by writers Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman. Shine theory asks us to lift each other up and help one another shine together rather than succeeding alone. By acknowledging the work of others, it will help us look at our own work and acknowledge the good in it, too.

2. Embrace your success. Instead of downplaying your achievements, celebrate them! You did the work, you survived the long nights and early mornings, you pursue your passions and created something out of it, so you deserve to celebrate moments in your career that are meaningful to you.

3. Be kind to your mind. While you go through ups and downs in your life and career, remember that it’s important to be kind to yourself. There will be moments when you will want to compare yourself to others, days when you lack motivation and inspiration, and moments where you will question whether the hard work is all worth it, but even in the lowest points you have to be kind to your mind.

4. Capture Your Truth. Figure out what makes you different and don’t listen to anyone else’s opinion, including the opinion of the I.S monster. How can you live your truest life and be the true you? There is a magical feeling when you realize what you’re meant to do with your life. Capture that feeling and don’t let go.