Letting Go of Imposter Syndrome - A Foolproof Plan to Boost Your Confidence

Time to take off the mask?

Ever feel like you’re just waiting for the day to come when someone figures out you have no idea what the heck you’re doing?

Feel like you’re trying to fake it ‘til you make it?

But deep down, you actually know you’re really good at what you do? Maybe other people even tell you that (but you don’t quite believe it….)

It’s called imposter syndrome. And it’s a sign of a lack of confidence.

A lack of confidence is NOT the same as a lack of competence.

If this rings true for you and you don’t get to the root of what is really going on, odds are you may throw in the towel before getting very far – and just before your time to shine arrives.

Waking up every day with the stress of low confidence hanging over you isn’t healthy. And it can hold you back in your career and life.

Fixing it is easier than you realize. You just need to shift your thinking to boost your confidence.

Here’s a little secret….

You don’t have to show up with the “Eye of the Tiger” playing in your head every morning, but it certainly makes life a lot easier when you learn how to feel like the rockstar you actually are.

“How do I do that?” you may ask.

It’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

Try these tips. Make it a habit to remind yourself of these things and they’ll raise your self-confidence through the roof:

1. Know thyself. Make a list of all of your strengths and capabilities. Include things that you seem to have a talent for but have never actually tried. Perhaps you’re reliable, intelligent, coordinated, and have excellent musical abilities.

Putting your positive qualities on paper will show you the many reasons you have to be self-confident. You’re already doing better than you think.

Pat yourself on the back…. Literally. I mean it. You deserve it.

2. List your major achievements. Think about all the amazing things you’ve already accomplished. We humans tend to linger on our perceived failures. Try lingering on the good stuff for a change. Don’t forget - you can choose our thoughts, so choose wisely.

3. Make a list of your daily accomplishments. At the end of each day, make a list of all (or even just a few) of the things you accomplished.

Maybe it is as simple as you remembered to take the trash to the curb, pay all your bills on time, exercised for 30 minutes, and helped your child fix her bike.

It might sound trivial, but each of these little things matter.

Celebrating victories creates a higher vibration of positivity in the brain. A higher vibration of positivity attracts more of the same. Who doesn’t want that?

4. Learn how to motivate yourself. Real, justified confidence comes from the ability to achieve goals. Achieving goals largely comes from the ability to stay motivated.

We all know it's easier to put things off, procrastinate, and invent excuses for not applying ourselves.

Set yourself up to be successful each day. Come up with a few daily activities that will improve your life and also provide a sense of accomplishment.

For example, you might decide to read a certain number of pages in a book each night or exercise for 45 minutes each morning.

Stick with your plan and you'll begin to trust yourself to follow through.

5. Take good care of yourself. Looking and feeling your best can contribute to your self-confidence. Take the time to stay healthy and fit. Dress well and practice good grooming habits.

If you take good care of yourself, you'll start to believe you deserve it. And others will believe you deserve it, too. That’s great for your confidence level!

What’s something you can do today that’s good for you?

6. Set goals to boost your confidence. Setting goals is important. It allows you to see what areas of your life require the most confidence. If you have the goal of finding your perfect life partner, you might require more confidence than when it comes to introducing yourself to others. Or maybe your goal is to plank for 1 minute every day for 30 days.

Setting a goal and accomplishing it builds overall confidence – even if it isn’t in the area where you’re feeling the most confidence-challenged.

7. Challenge your mind on a regular basis. Continue learning new things and keep your mind sharp. Everyone around you will find you interesting.

Consider reading, doing brain puzzles, staying on top of current events, improving your vocabulary, and playing games that require a lot of thought.

8. Work at it every day. Work to complete these simple steps continuously. Strive to better yourself in all of these areas each day.

Self-confidence is not a one-time event. It has to be cultivated over time. Growing your self-confidence is not much different from growing vegetables in a garden.

9. Don’t pretend you know things you don’t. This should be a no-brainer, but if you have the idea in your head that you need to show up as having more knowledge about something than you do, you’ll always feel like an imposter. If there’s something you need to learn for your job to get rid of that feeling, then go learn it. Ask to go to a conference, find an online course, read a book, or develop a relationship with a mentor you trust.

Having a high level of confidence makes life so much more enjoyable. By executing a simple action plan, increasing your confidence can be fun and interesting.

Consider drawing up your own personalized self-confidence action plan. It can be incredibly rewarding. By taking charge of your life, you’ll boost your confidence even higher.

Not sure how to start developing your own plan to boost your confidence? Start here with these tips. And if it doesn’t start clicking for you, reach out, book a call and see if some one-on-one coaching might be a good next step for you. A little investment now can pay off big for you down the road!