Self-fufilling worry
Have you ever felt like you don't belong in a certain situation, like you're not qualified or experienced enough, like you're a fraud who's going to be exposed any minute? If so, you're not alone. Many people suffer from impostor syndrome, the feeling of being inadequate or undeserving of their achievements or roles. Impostor syndrome can affect anyone, regardless of their age, gender, education, or profession. It can also have negative consequences, such as lower self-confidence, higher stress, and reduced performance.
But what if impostor syndrome is not only a result of our self-doubt, but also a cause of it? What if by worrying about how well we're doing, we're actually making ourselves do worse? That's the paradox of impostor syndrome - it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. By focusing on our flaws and failures, we're reinforcing our negative beliefs and limiting our potential. We're also wasting energy that could be better spent on improving our skills, learning from our mistakes, and celebrating our successes.
That's why it's better to just focus on doing our best, rather than comparing ourselves to others or setting unrealistic expectations. Doing our best means acknowledging our strengths and weaknesses, setting realistic and specific goals, seeking feedback and support, and embracing challenges and opportunities. Doing our best also means being kind and compassionate to ourselves, recognizing our achievements and efforts, and accepting our imperfections and limitations. Doing our best does not mean being perfect, or being better than everyone else, or never making mistakes. It means being authentic, resilient, and curious.
By doing our best, we're not only overcoming impostor syndrome, but also applying a system thinking approach to our personal and professional growth. System thinking is the ability to see the interconnections and patterns among the elements of a complex situation, and to understand how they influence each other and the outcomes. By doing our best, we're not only looking at our individual performance, but also at how it contributes to the larger system we're part of, such as our team, our organization, our community, or our society. By doing our best, we're also creating positive feedback loops that reinforce our confidence, motivation, and learning. By doing our best, we're also adapting to changing circumstances and embracing uncertainty and diversity.
Impostor syndrome is a common and understandable phenomenon, but it doesn't have to hold us back or define us. By shifting our mindset from worrying about how well we're doing to focusing on doing our best, we can overcome impostor syndrome and enhance our system thinking skills. Doing our best is not only good for ourselves, but also for the systems we're part of. Doing our best is not only a personal choice, but also a social responsibility.