Overcoming Imposter Syndrome This Year

Do you ever find yourself asking if you’re good enough? As students, nothing scares us most than being singled out as a fake, a fraud, an impostor.

More often than not, you fit in, but you somehow can’t feel like you do. This fear takes many forms, with you somehow feeling like you just haven’t done enough.

That can manifest itself once you’ve become your worst critic resulting in a lack of appreciation for what you’ve actually accomplished.

In your feelings when you feel sidelined when all your friends are out there having fun without you and there you are wondering if you have all the necessary extracurriculars under your belt for Princeton.

Imposter syndrome leads to one of the worst types of suffering — a self-afflicted anxiety that only stresses you out more and creates dissatisfaction within yourself.

Overcoming imposter syndrome involves the process of reassurance. Before anyone can believe in you, you must believe in yourself. Be confident and when in doubt, ask questions.

When you are in a meeting with people you look up to and respect, make sure that you communicate yourself respectively. Addressing your peers and mentors with deference should be a habit you encourage for yourself, especially because it welcomes a culture of collaboration.

Furthermore, you must also assure yourself that it is truly okay to make mistakes. Mistakes are how you grow and do not necessarily reflect badly on who you are if you take steps to correct it. Feel free to make as many mistakes as you want in learning any subject of your desire, including life, as long as you do not make the same mistake.

We’ve all realized at one point or another that we’re really defined best by how we handle crises. If you make a mistake and choose to ignore and refuse to learn from it, that is when you become a true imposter.