How To Overcome Imposter Syndrome – 10 Amazing Ideas

What is imposter syndrome?

Before we cover how to overcome imposter syndrome, let’s go over what it actually means. Imposter syndrome is a terrible, crushing, life-altering emotion. It’s when you feel like you’re pretending to be something you’re not. In reality, you’re not pretending at all. But self-doubt gets in the way and ruins everything.

This is what imposter syndrome feels like to me:

I tell people I’m a writer. I post it all over the internet. It’s part of my resume. Writing is what I tell my friends I do on weekends instead of partying like a rockstar. It’s what I actually do in my free time. I love writing because it’s my passion in life. But I haven’t been *published* yet. So officially, technically am I really a writer? Should I be saying “aspiring writer” instead?

What Imposter Syndrome Feels Like

Does this sound familiar? I can imagine it does for many of you. Imposter syndrome is something that every writer goes through. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you put words on paper, you are a writer. That’s it.

But it isn’t that simple. Is it? It’s one thing to have people tell you, “Yes, of course you’re a writer.” It’s so easy for you to say it to yourself, over and over. To internalize it, to believe in your heart and soul that you really are a writer… That’s the hard part.

Keep reading to find out how to overcome imposter syndrome once and for all.

Some all too common things people suffering from imposter syndrome think and say:

• “It was just luck. It’s no big deal.” – Downplaying real successes and achievements as mere happenstance. People do this out of fear they might not be able to do it again
• “What if I fail?” – Especially for new writers, fear of failure can be paralyzing. Imposter syndrome magnifies that fear by equating it with the inability or unworthiness to continue
• “I’m just faking it.” – Yup, sweet child, you are. But you have to until you actually get better at writing.
  • One thing about writing is that we don’t get better without feedback.
    • You have to put your work out there in order to be a successful writer.
    • You can’t wait until you’re ready because that day doesn’t exist.
• “I have to do XYZ before I can consider myself a real writer.” – The idea that there is some magical checklist out there that qualifies someone to be a writer is complete and utter nonsense
  • The only thing you HAVE to do to call yourself a writer is write.

Not only do I suffer from imposter syndrome all the time, but I see a lot of others on Twitter and Facebook groups with the same issue. So, this toolkit was created to help you get out of your own way and stop doubting yourself.

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How To Overcome Imposter Syndrome: The Comprehensive Toolkit

1. Write down a list of your accomplishments.

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This is something I first learned from “Girl, Wash Your Face” by Rachel Hollis. Try this and see if helps you at all. I tried it and was blown away by how much I’ve actually done. Warning, this exercise may make you cry.

From the moment you finished this list, you’ll start to believe in yourself. This is a very powerful tool, perhaps life-changing. Do this right now before you move on.

Stop reading and go try it.

Your list of accomplishments doesn’t have to be fancy. Write it on a napkin if you have to. If you don’t have anything to write with, do a mental checklist. Keep a copy of your list on your phone so you can reference it anytime.

Once you finish your list and you’re done crying, take out your writer’s notebook. Use your list to make a beautiful collection page showcasing everything you’ve ever done. You’ll be surprised how long your list actually is and how much you’ve been able to accomplish so far. You’re amazing! Believe it.

Keep your list of accomplishments. Refer to them often. Add new accomplishments to your list as they occur.

2. Face your fears.

First, take a hard look at yourself. What are you really afraid of? Use your writer’s notebook to work through this. Write about it until you’ve figured it out.

Chances are you’re afraid of failure, not being good enough, not being liked, not finishing, or something similar. Once you’ve uncovered your fears, it’s time to face them. Break your writer’s notebook back out.

Next to (or near) where you journaled about your fears, come up with at least three positive affirmations you can say to yourself when you see those fears creeping in.

Don’t beat yourself up if you find yourself succumbing to fear. That doesn’t help. Instead, acknowledge what’s happening. Remain calm. Then try to coax your mind into a better flow by using your affirmations.

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Some of my personal affirmations:
“Fear doubt. Doubt fear.”

“Change is the only constant.”

“Find peace among chaos because chaos is the natural state of the universe.”

“One day at a time.”

“You got this.”

“You are not your thoughts.”

The Serenity Prayer – I’m not religious at all, but I love this collection of words anyway.

3. Failure is a chance to learn, not an excuse to give up.

You will fail. This is inevitable because no one is perfect. But it’s not the end of the world. Learning to accept and appreciate failure is a major step toward learning how to overcome imposter syndrome.

Grab your writer’s notebook again and create a page titled “Learning Experiences / Opportunities to Improve.”

Use this page to record the things that didn’t work out. Take some time to figure out why things didn’t go as planned. Take notes about what you can do to prevent the same thing from happening again.

Refer to this page often and never stop growing. Keep putting yourself out there. Every opportunity (and potential failure) is a chance to grow. If you never take chances, you’ll never grow.

4. Watch your self talk.

“Be careful how you talk to yourself because you are listening.”

-Unknown

You may have noticed some of the word magic that was used in Step Three. Take another look at the second to last paragraph. Instead of saying “record the things that failed,” it was rephrased in a more positive manner. It says “record the things that didn’t work out.”

This is just a tiny example of the ways you can trick your brain. This is all part of the process of working on embracing positive thinking. It’s a constant struggle for most. You might catch yourself muttering about how fat you are, or how you did something stupid. Eventually, you’ll be able to catch those nasty phrases and turn them around.

Again, don’t beat yourself up for having those thoughts. Simply acknowledge them. Then say to yourself, “Well, ok. But also this -insert something positive or motivating-.”

This is not an easy thing to do. It takes practice. It’s frustrating. But give it a try. Eventually, your whole life will be better because of this method.

“The mind is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master.”

– Robin Sharma

5. Set realistic goals.

This is pretty simple. But a lot of new writers do the exact opposite. You can’t write a 12 book series in a year. Well maybe you can, but it probably won’t be very good.

Creating goals you know you can’t achieve is setting yourself up for failure. It’s self-sabotage whether you intend to do it or not. You need to take stock of who you are and what you can reasonably achieve. Then create goals for yourself.

This will help focus your mind and keep you organized. Breaking bigger goals into smaller tasks makes completing your goals that much easier. For more ideas and information on how to accomplish your writing goals, check out this article.

6. Talk it out. Find support.

You should not be on your writing journey alone.

A story about my life as a writer:

In 2019, I finally finished writing my first novel. It was huge for me. It was a project 3 years in the making. The pride and relief of accomplishing this major goal was overwhelming. My first instinct was to tell my mom. In most other areas of my life, she’s my biggest fan. Her response was “Ok, so when is it getting published?”

I was crushed. Devastated. Floored. All of my hard work felt pointless. My major success dissolved into “no big deal.”

This was all because there was literally no support system for my writing career. My family doesn’t get it. They don’t think it’s legit. Whatever the reason, they’re not there for me when it comes to writing. They just don’t care.

So I had to find some people who do. Enter the #writingcommunity on Twitter. My friends, these lovely people shouted from the rooftops when I told them I finished my novel. They retweeted and “liked” my post into oblivion. I felt the love. But they’re not just there for the good times. Whenever I’m struggling, I reach out to them. My tweeps. They got my back.

Everyone needs a writing community – a place where they can go to hash it all out and get support and love and understanding and compassion. If you don’t have these things, you will not succeed. So find someone, somewhere that you can trust, and lean on them when you need to.

7. You are worthy – Learn how to take praise.

This is not something that comes naturally to most people. If you’re reading this, you probably feel the same way. When someone compliments you, your knee-jerk reaction is probably to contradict them or diminish what they’ve said.

Stop doing that. Just stop it.

Accept the compliments. Say “Thank you.” Then repeat the words to yourself until you believe them.

For example, someone says, “This piece is great. It really moved me. You have some unique talent.”

• Your instinct in this situation might be to say “Oh thanks, it’s just something I threw together. It’s *no big deal*.”
• But you need to work on accepting and internalizing praise.
• Once you do, you’ll be able to kung fu chop that *no big deal* nonsense. You might even respond with, “Really? Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

Praise is validation. It’s proof you’re not an imposter. So, take your writer’s notebook out again and create a new page – call it something like “Why People Like My Work.” Record the praise you get and refer back to it often. One day, you’ll actually believe it.

8. Create a vision board.

I love making concrete things for abstract ideas. This is no exception. What are your writing goals? If you’re actually following these steps, you should know them. If you don’t, figure them out – record them in your writer’s notebook.

• Once you have your goals figured out, find some images, colors, items, phrases, etc… to represent them. Use what inspires you.
• Take a poster board, or create a page in your writer’s notebook; make it as big or small as you want.
• Create a collage for your writing goals. Make it eye catching, something you love to revisit.
• Look at your vision board every single day.

Remind yourself why you’re doing this. This is about learning how to overcome imposter syndrome. Your writing goals and vision board will motivate you far beyond what any silly old imposter syndrome can do. They’ll scream, “This is your life. This is everything you want. Now go out and get it.”

9. Ship your work.

I don’t know who first came up with this idea. But I’ve heard Steve Jobs is famous for saying, “Real artists ship.” What does that mean? It means if all you ever do is write (or create) for yourself, you’re not a real artist.

I know it’s scary putting your work out there. Trust me, I get it. It was a long struggle before I was brave enough to start posting on this site. But then I did it.

And you know what?

I didn’t die, no one told me I wasn’t allowed to write anymore. Nothing bad happened. I got some feedback and kept writing. Now I don’t care what people think (mostly… sometimes).

Start small if you’re having serious anxiety. Share a snippet of your work with your Facebook friends – or wherever you feel comfortable. However you do it, take the leap and get your words in front of other people’s eyes. Unless you start shipping your work, you will always feel like an imposter.

10. Use Your Imposter Syndrome to Your Advantage.

There are several ways you can use imposter syndrome to overcome imposter syndrome:

• If you have imposter syndrome, it means you are inherently a humble person. That’s a good thing and people notice.
  • Use it. Stay humble, my friend.
  • Just don’t be too humble. You are worthy. Remember that.

• Another way to use your imposter syndrome is by noticing when it’s ready to attack.
  • See it for what it is – your mind being a jerk.
  • Then use it as a stepping stone.
  • Evaluate where you are. Compare that to where you have been. Use this to plan where to go next.

• As you first start out working through this issue, keep a journal of your progress.
  • Write down when your imposter syndrome strikes.
  • Journal thoughts about why it may be happening (Hint, usually because you’re scared of something).
  • Create an action plan to crush your imposter feelings (see your affirmations).

• You got this, my friend.

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Head over to my Writer’s Bullet Journal Page to find bullet journal spreads on how to overcome imposter syndrome.

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Additional Resources:

More information on what imposter syndrome is:

• The Reality of Imposter Syndrome
• Wiki Page: Imposter Syndrome
• Psychology Today: Imposter Syndrome

Struggling with imposter syndrome is no joke. It’s a serious issue that incapacitates writers everywhere. But there are ways to deal with it, and even conquer it forever. Use the tools I’ve given you to help you master your mind and banish imposter syndrome. If you still need some help, check out the additional resources section below for more tips on how to overcome imposter syndrome.

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Note: This page may contain affiliate links for which, if an item is purchased, I will receive a small commission at absolutely no extra cost to you. I only ever post links for products that I have used, found helpful, and loved. Thank you for supporting my writing journey so I can continue to help you on yours!