Ever struggled to feel like you have done anything worth celebrating? What about feeling like a failure - or like you’re one step away from someone realizing you don’t know your stuff?

That’s imposter syndrome creeping in. There’s nothing wrong with you! Many women suffer from the pressure they put on themselves, which creates self-doubt. It’s time to end the cycle.

Psychology Today defines imposter syndrome as “a psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their accomplishments.” It’s not a fun feeling to have creeping up on you daily. Trust me.

We all face these daunting questions in our everyday lives. If you’re anything like me, you may even spend hours wondering, am I enough and do I actually belong here?

If you have had these wandering thoughts, you are by no means alone. Social media has not made this comparison game any easier for us. It’s easy to feel like we’re fakes or aren’t who we think we are. And it’s even easier to feel like we aren’t enough - doing enough or being enough. The only way to true, fulfilling success is by slaying your toxic dragons — and that includes imposter syndrome.

What can we do about imposter syndrome?

It’s easy to say “just ignore it,” but the reality is that these thoughts are internalized and difficult to separate ourselves from. In many ways, it’s part of the journey of being a CEO and reaching for new goals. So it’s important that we acknowledge two important things:

Embrace the feelings of fear - especially as you grow and try new things.
Admit what you do and don’t know. This seemingly tiny admission will go a long way in freeing you from these toxic dragons.

As you grow, it will be normal to feel like you don’t know what you’re doing. But that doesn’t mean that you’re incapable. It means that you’re changing and evolving.

Allowing yourself the freedom to grow is different than feeling inferior. Additionally, we all have to start somewhere - so when you don’t know something, take the time to learn it (and admit that you’re learning). There’s no shame in that game!

If you can learn to shift your mindset from what you don’t know or what you’re fearful of, into something that’s helping you grow, imposter syndrome won’t be able to hold you back. Instead, you’ll be able to bloom into the CEO you were always meant to be.

When you need an extra boost of confidence, try some of our favorite quotes….

Let these powerful words remind you that you are enough.

1. "You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do." — Eleanor Roosevelt
2. “Through my education, I didn’t just develop skills, I didn’t just develop the ability to learn, but I developed confidence.” — Michelle Obama
3. “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself aloud.” – Coco Chanel
4. “ A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” — Mark Twain
5. “Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
6. “Don’t trade your authenticity for approval.” — Anonymous
7. “You attract the right things when you have a sense of who you are.” — Amy Poehler
8. “We are constantly invited to be who we are.” — Henry David Thoreau
9. "Trust yourself — you know more than you think you do." — Benjamin Spock
10. “Don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Washington Thurman
11. “Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness.” – Deborah Day
12. “Be humble - not knowing something doesn’t make you a fraud, it makes you a student.” – Marie Forleo
13. ”Even when it's not pretty or perfect, even when it’s more real than you want it to be, your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.” – Michelle Obama
14. “We have to dare to be ourselves.” — May Sarton
15. “Self confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.” — Samuel Johnson
16. “ It is confidence in our bodies, minds, and spirts that allows us to keep looking for new adventures.” – Oprah Winfrey
17. “When nothing is sure, everything is possible.” – Margaret Drabble
18. “ You yourself as much as anybody else in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.” — Buddah
19. “Never too old, never too bad, never too late, never too sick to start from scratch once again.” — Bikram Choudhury
20. “People talk about confidence without ever bringing up hard work. That’s a mistake. I don’t understand how you could have self-confidence if you don’t do the work.” — Mindy Kaling
21. “When life gives you lemons don’t make lemonade, make pink lemonade. Be unique.“ – Wanda Sykes
22. “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” – Bernard M. Maruch
23. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou
24. “You are you. Now, isn’t that pleasant?” – Dr. Seuss
25. “God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.” – William Shakespeare

Do you need help overcoming imposter syndrome?

We tame these toxic dragon and many more inside the Upleveler Society - a group designed to help powerful female CEOs step into the life and business they were always meant to have. We’re here to cheer you on every step of the way - especially when you struggle to see your own worth.

Learn more about the Upleveler Society!