During an appearance on The Blind Spot podcast, I had the opportunity to discuss imposter syndrome with two accomplished women who had been recognized on a 40 Under 40 list.
By most people's standards, they were successful.
They had built careers, earned recognition, and achieved goals many people aspire to reach.
Yet despite their accomplishments, they openly shared something many high achievers experience but rarely talk about:
Self-doubt.
As a mental health professional, I wasn't surprised.
In fact, I see it all the time.
One of the biggest myths about success is that confidence automatically comes with achievement.
Many people believe that once they earn the degree, get the promotion, build the business, or receive recognition, they'll finally feel confident.
Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way.
I've worked with students, athletes, leaders, and professionals who looked successful on the outside but still questioned themselves on the inside.
They wondered:
- Am I really qualified for this?
- What if people find out I don't know everything?
- Maybe I just got lucky.
- Everyone else seems more confident than me.
These thoughts are common signs of imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is the feeling that you don't deserve your success, even when there is evidence that you've earned it.
The problem isn't the occasional moment of self-doubt.
Most people experience that from time to time.
The problem is when self-doubt starts making your decisions for you.
It can cause people to:
- Overwork to prove themselves
- Avoid opportunities because they're afraid to fail
- Struggle to celebrate their accomplishments
- Constantly compare themselves to others
- Feel pressure to be perfect
Over time, that pressure can become exhausting.
That's why confidence is so important.
Confidence isn't believing you'll never make a mistake.
Confidence is trusting yourself enough to keep moving forward even when you don't have all the answers.
That conversation on The Blind Spot reminded me of something I often tell clients and audiences:
You can be successful and still have moments of self-doubt.
You can be accomplished and still feel uncertain.
You can be recognized and still question yourself.
Those feelings don't mean you don't belong.
They don't mean you're unqualified.
And they don't erase everything you've achieved.
The goal isn't to eliminate every moment of self-doubt.
The goal is to stop letting self-doubt decide what you're capable of doing next.
