Becoming an image consultant has been my dream since when I was a child of about thirteen years old, but like most people in the fashion industry, I suffered from imposter syndrome. This is a psychological pattern where people doubt their accomplishments and fear being exposed as frauds even after having achieved remarkable success.
In this post, I will narrate my journey and provide useful tips on how one can overcome these feelings to achieve professional growth.
Understanding Imposter Syndrome
Critical Characteristics of Imposter Syndrome
1. Self-Doubt: Constant lack of confidence concerning one’s abilities or accomplishments.
2. Fear of Exposure: A constant worry that others will “find out” they are not as competent as they appear.
3. Attributing Success to External Factors: Believing that success is due to luck, timing, or other external factors rather than one’s skills and efforts.
4. Overworking: To avoid being “found out,” individuals may overwork themselves and burn out on the job.
5. Discounting Praise: Dismissing any positive feedback or praise as empty words by assuming that other people either don’t want them to feel good or do not know enough about them to be critics.
Common Causes
- Perfectionism: Setting extremely high standards for oneself resulting in feeling like a failure if those standards aren’t met.
- Family Expectations: it’s a good thing for one to have grown up under high expectations, and where achievements are over-emphasized upon.
- New Challenges: beginning a new job, taking on a new role, or being in a new environment in which the person feels out of his depth.
- Comparisons: constant comparisons with others especially in areas with many image consultants, influencers, better equipment, etc.
Imposter Syndrome’s Effects
Increased Stress: it results in increased stress levels due to continuous worry and self-doubt.
Burnout: exhaustion and burnout can occur as a result of overworking oneself and trying to prove themselves.
Limited Career Growth: The fear of exposure makes individuals shy away from seeking promotions, new opportunities, or taking up the challenge of something else.
Decreased Self-esteem – Continuing perceived inadequacy impairs self-esteem and overall well-being
Imposter Syndrome in the Fashion Industry
Fashion is one creative field that has imposter syndrome; this is because personal style and subjective opinions are very important. Doubting oneself is made worse by comparing oneself constantly to others, having extremely high standards, and being publicly scrutinized. A lot of talented professionals feel as if they don’t deserve their success and are scared that they will be exposed as ‘fraud’.
My Titanic War with the Imposter Syndrome
Once I began my career, I was always feeling as if I were a square peg in a round hole. Despite positive feedback from customers and colleagues, I doubted myself and thought that maybe success had come by me by chance not skill. My confidence was shattered due to self-doubt, deterring me from embracing full chances.
Two years ago when I commenced my career, self-doubt quickly set in because of scrutiny and judgment from acquaintances. It is this which has made it hardest – being judged by people around you and/or misunderstood by loved ones who cannot fathom your work or motivations. Relatives’ doubt magnified them causing me to take time off work to try to improve my self-awareness. This blog post talks about how to overcome such obstacles but does not mean that they have all been fully defeated. These insecurities may well return necessitating self-improvement in terms of seeking again for support and building trust with your nearest ones.
Confronting these challenges needed great courage, much contemplation, and introspection especially while grappling with this syndrome alongside attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among others. They are often intertwined problems acting more like distant cousins whose matters remain far unresolved yet.”
I want to help people like myself deal with life’s challenges because of how we are wired: this is why I am determined to do this kind of work and get the education I need. In my view, the problems described are negotiable and can be enhanced with time, making the lives of the sufferers more comfortable. In this world full of the emergence of many phenomena, I submit that attaining a decent life is key to happiness.
In the subsequent sections, I noted expected techniques to counter these hurdles more effectively and provided a rudimentary guide for use daily.
Impostor syndrome management
Self-care and coping mechanisms
With such thoughts in mind, over time I managed to adopt the right strategies for dealing with imposter syndrome and achieving self-confidence. Here are some methods that helped me and can help you too.
- Seek Support: Sometimes it may be helpful for the student to speak to coaching, classmates, or friends to obtain another outlook. It was their encouragement and ongoing positive critiques that assisted me in recognizing my value and potential.
There are other mentors like Tony Robbins and Joe Rogan that I have subscribed to. However, let me assure you to look for today’s contemporary role models who practice coaching while embracing your lifestyle characteristics and dreams. Bear in mind, friends that who appreciate you and your company are also good as they know you better than you know yourself.
- Celebrate Successes: One must not underestimate the power of rewards; one can gradually accumulate small achievements that culminate in boosting confidence. I am a late bloomer, therefore I had to begin documenting achievements in the events that I had been participating in so that I could realize my effort and productivity. ‘Every little helps’ means that even small actions achieved have significance. Bear in mind that we have focused on the process and not the outcome because even when we achieve something, everybody has something coming immediately after.
- Continuous Learning: The more entry-level skills acquired by embracing a continuous learning mindset the better; this enabled me to redefine challenging encounters as learning experiences. It made me feel competent when I attacked the exercises because I was aware that I was increasing my skills. To date, I have nursed the goal of striving to be a better person every day of my life. A Costa Rican saying goes something like this “A day wasted is mourned by the spirits”. Meaning that in each day there is always something new to learn that can benefit us in the coming days and that no days should be wasted.
- Challenge Negative Thoughts: Whenever I felt that I was not capable of doing something, I refuted such thoughts by compiling proof and instances that stated that I was capable of impressing others. Doing so helped redirect my thoughts and create further self-confidence. One could either put it on paper or go take a seat somewhere to possibly think about it. Bring to this process gentle words or talk to it as though it is a ‘delicate child’ because a soul is a delicate thing and needs to be handled gently. Self-reflection can be the greatest utility, as it allows you to immerse yourself in the essence of your personality.
- Set Realistic Goals: Dividing goals into practicable targets helped me realize that career advancement is achievable, and the structure of sub-tasks gradually retained the sense of motivation. Both of these were good because they also outlined a clear way forward on how I could achieve my goals. Hearing one’s first plan is to establish a business in two weeks when in fact it might take up to two years can be discouraging. In an exertion to attempt the unattainable, it demoralizes the spirits and causes the achievement of the goal to seem even more improbable. But to have a business plan, taking the first, second, and third steps in writing, makes me focus and the achievement of the intended goals.
It is very possible to suffer from imposter syndrome at the workplace, but with due measures, this can be managed and one performs excellently in his or her career. I established positive self-assertiveness by accepting help from others, encouraging myself, ongoing professional development, disputing irrational thoughts, and setting achievable objectives. Let me remind you, that all professionals have their doubts; it matters what they do with them to proceed.
Do you sometimes feel like you are a fake in the company or workplace or do not deserve to be where you are? That has never been a problem for everybody but how did you surmount it? Please, use the remarks sections below to share your experiences and as we encourage one another to develop confidence and attain success.
A little recap
- Acknowledge Your Feelings: You need to come to terms that you may indeed be having such thoughts, therefore making them real. The key is to remember that it is not uncommon, and therefore knowing that many others have experienced something similar is comforting.
- Talk About It: Talk with your friends who are also struggling with it as well as your mentor or your co-workers. Friends are always ready to help, especially in cases when you feel down, and may give you a new perspective on things.
- Reframe Negative Thoughts: Cognitive restructuring involves challenging and reframing irrational thought patterns. Be confident and take note of the things that go towards the accomplishment of the goals you set for yourself.
- Set Realistic Expectations: Have realistic targets to minimize the pressure and perform to our max without expecting the impossible. It is important to note that you should allow yourself to fail and to make errors in the process of learning.
- Celebrate Achievements: Always find time to congratulate yourselves whether big or small achievements because success is attainable and should be cherished. It is recommended therefore to maintain a record of the feedback and achievements received.
- Seek Professional Help: Although imposter syndrome might have a positive side if it has become a major issue in one’s life, it would be advisable to seek an expert like a therapist or counselor ready to offer help on how to deal with it.
It is therefore important that individuals manage imposter syndrome to develop a more positive perception of their respective capabilities to enhance their professional growth.
The images used in this blog are AI-generated for example purposes only and may not accurately represent the actual product, service, or scenario.