Have you ever started a new job or been accepted into a university program
and then just felt terrible about it?
You feel like you don't really belong, that you aren't good enough,
and worst of all, eventually,
everybody's gonna find out.
That right there,
that's the imposter syndrome talking,
and it's absolutely no way to live.
So today,
we're going to discuss what impostor syndrome is,
where it comes from,
and most importantly,
the ways you can overcome it.
The impostor syndrome is a psychological phenomenon
where people feel like they're not as competent as their achievements indicate.
And it can be a major problem
because it means you're living in a constant state of stress.
You feel like you're faking it,
always looking over your shoulder to see if somebody's going to expose you.
And it happens to people in many professions and levels of power,
from CEOs of major corporations,
all the way down to new writers and narrators
of moderately popular YouTube shows.
Impostor syndrome stumps people, even successful people,
from reaching their full potential.
Sufferers can get so worried that they'll be
"found out"
that they develop unhealthy coping mechanics, such as
overworking, not asking for raises or promotions,
or ironically, procrastination,
because they're afraid they'll just end up failing when they actually do the things they were hired to do.
Some people give up entirely
and settle for a menial job below their capabilities.
It can manifest as physical symptoms
such as anxiety or stress panics,
and in extreme cases, sufferers can turn to substance abuse.
All of these things can negatively impact a person's productivity,
causing actual burnout or failure,
which in turn just makes those nagging imposter feelings even worse.
Oddly enough, when impostor syndrome was initially researched,
it was very wrongly thought to solely affect women,
which is why so much literature on the subject is primarily targeted towards them.
But make no mistake,
impostor syndrome affects all genders and ethnicities.
However cases affecting women and minority groups
are heard about more often for one simple reason:
One of the leading causes of impostor syndrome
is feeling like the odd one out in a work environment,
such as the historically white male-dominated game industry.
However, there are a myriad of other causes.
Another major source that many of us have unfortunately experienced
is a hostile, hyper-competitive work culture.
This is all too common in academia and creative fields
where people can be shunned for not volunteering for excessively long hours or
are often judged against one another.
Unfortunately, too many of you probably know exactly what impostor syndrome feels like,
and maybe even have some thoughts about where it comes from for you.
So let's get to the most important bit, managing those impostor-esque feelings.
When it comes down to it,
impostor syndrome is really a symptom
of having a warped idea of what constitutes competency.
Feeling like you aren't supposed to be there,
or that you're failing everybody around you
comes from expecting and demanding perfection from yourself,
or the idea
that you have to do everything on your own
without asking for help.
Therefore, first, you have to learn to accept that nobody's perfect.
You don't need to do it all.
It's okay to ask for help when you need it,
because you don't need to know everything.
You don't need to be an expert at a job you just started,
or have read all the classics before your freshman year at a great school.
Now hopefully some of the pressure lifts
when I tell you that nearly 70% of people
experience the impostor syndrome at some point in their lives.
For instance, our studio director, Jeff, mentioned feeling this way recently
when a colleague explains some new server tech he didn't fully understand.
Now despite Jeff having over 20 years of experience working in MMOs,
(what up, Ever Quest!)
he felt like he'd have to learn that entirely new discipline just to keep up.
And personally, if I could just break away from the script here for a second real quick,
I actually felt this way when I first started at Extra Credits.
It felt, um, like I had not earned my place,
and that I would never be doing the job well enough to...
what's the word I'm looking for?
Deserve to be here,
you know, putting on these shows for you every week.
And it's tough, you know.
It's tough.
But something that did get me through it, I think, is knowing that it does happen to almost everyone:
Mike Meyers, Neil Gaiman,
Maya Angelou,
even Oprah, all hugely successful people,
have spoken openly about dealing with impostor syndrome in the past.
So just like I sort of learned, I think it's important to remember
that you are not alone.
Now something actionable you can do the next time you begin to feel the imposter syndrome creeping up,
is look around it everybody around you,
and remember that statistically,
over half of them are feeling like imposters as well.
So how is it that they all seem so natural and competent compared to you?
Because most people
are faking it,
at least to some degree.
Nobody is actually perfect and totally competent,
and we're all learning as we go.
As cliche is the line "fake it till you make it" sounds,
it can often be the most helpful mindset in overcoming the impostor syndrome.
And though it is easier said than done, you can do that
by reframing your thoughts away from negatives.
Don't imagine all the ways that you'll fail.
Instead, focus on the positive outcomes you want.
For instance, when showing your game, don't say to yourself,
"Ah, they'll hate it. My game isn't ready."
Instead think,
"It's gonna be great finding out what isn't working early so I can fix it!"
Another exercise that can be helpful
even though it can feel a little bit silly at first
is to write yourself your own letter of recommendation.
People who suffer from impostor syndrome
often have a habit of dismissing their achievements
as luck or some other external reason.
So in your letter, objectively list what you've accomplished
without downplaying your contributions.
You'll often find you've achieved more than you ever let yourself admit.
If your impostor feelings are too much to overcome by yourself,
try to organize a group of friends and colleagues
who might also be feeling the same way.
If you put a call out on social media,
I'm pretty sure you'll be surprised at how many of the people you felt inferior to
might be feeling the same way about you.
And if you're in a management position and notice this happening to new people,
consider setting up a kind of mentorship program to ease in new hires.
Impostor syndrome is, at its core, mostly a mental block.
So you have to keep reminding yourself that you are not a fraud.
You are capable and you deserve the success you've earned.
Also remember, nobody got to where they are by themselves,
and it's never wrong to ask for help.
We know it's scary to put yourself out there
and possibly face judgment from others.
But if you can shake off those insecurities and boldly present yourself,
whether you really feel that confident or not,
you'll almost certainly be surprised at how well things turn out.
See you next time, everybody.