“People will do anything for those who … justify their failures and allay their fears.” ~Blair Warren
Except, here’s the thing with that quote.
It’s directed at sheep—the mindless masses of people handing over their brains to an authority figure.
That’s not you.
So…in the hopes of cutting another invisible string that might be influencing your behavior.
Let’s dissect ‘impostor syndrome’ a little more.
And give you a tool to master your inner game.
Let’s go…
To start with, ‘impostor syndrome’ is not the original term.
The original term was ‘impostor phenomenon.’
It was coined in the 1970s by Pauline Clance & Suzanne Imes.
How did they stumble upon this ‘phenomenon?’
Well, they found many women in the workforce were struggling with the role strain between being a good mom and a career woman.
[Remember, the business workforce in the 1970’s, was a new’ish endeavor for women. And when something new collides with traditions. Friction is created.]
Women expressed to Pauline and Suzanne that they felt ‘they were failing at one (or both) of those roles.’
So, they felt like they were ‘being an impostor.’
Now, were they actually being impostors?
I don’t think so.
It was a time for major cultural shifts that created new ideas of what was possible for half of society.
But what I think really doesn’t matter. To the women caught between these two roles, they were experiencing a strain.
And that strain was given a name:
Impostor Phenomenon.
You’ll notice it wasn’t a ‘syndrome’ but an interesting observation.
Webster’s Dictionary defines a syndrome as:
“A set of medical signs and symptoms which are correlated with each other and often associated with a particular disease or disorder.”
Now, maybe you’re thinking:
“Geez, Todd! You’re being awfully clinical in assessing how other people feel.”
And to that, I’ll say—my pursuit is the truth. However uncomfortable it may be.
Whether it’s with the hundreds of coaching clients that come through our programs…
The thousands of people I get the chance to speak to…
Or the millions of people getting our content.
My job is to help you find the truth of what you are.
Because when you do, you have a powerful foundation to act from.
Which gets me to the tool I promised you earlier to master your inner game.
Let’s say you’re doubting yourself, doubting your abilities, or doubting you can achieve a goal you really desire.
Doubt can creep into your mind because you haven’t been deliberate about stacking all the wins you’ve achieved in your life.
It’s so easy for all of us to find the faults, losses, and errors. (Our brain is literally wired to find the negative.)
This means you need to be diligent in noticing and logging your wins.
And here’s a method to do it.
- Have a journal on your desk
- Create time periods of years (0-3, 4-6, 7-10, etc.)
- List out all of your wins in each of those time periods.
What skills did you learn? What abilities did you develop? What achievements did you earn? Where did you travel? What challenges did you overcome?
There are a hundred different ways to find your wins. The key is to capture every small, medium, or big win.
For example:
- 0-3 – Learned to walk.
- 4-6 – Learned to ride a bike.
- 7–10 – Moved to a new town and made new friends.
- You get the idea… except there are WAY more to add for each period.
I learned this method from the former CEO of Levi’s.
When he doubted the success of their expansion into China, he:
- picked up his ‘Wins Journal,’
- flipped through it,
- saw a history of perseverance, achievement, and resilience,
- then he returned to work, knowing that ‘everything will be okay.’
I hope you’ll look at your list of wins and think,
“How could I ever doubt myself or call myself an impostor when I’ve done all this?”
Keep your stack of ‘wins journal’, or whatever you use, in a highly visible location.
I have glass jars with ‘confidence chips’ in them.
Each confidence chip (poker chip) has a win written on it with a black sharpie.
Why?
Because I want to feel like I’m sitting at the poker table of life with a huge stack of chips.
Think about it…
Imagine you and I are playing poker.
You have a huge stack of chips, and I have a small stack.
Who’s going to be more calm?
Who’s going to play more confident?
Who will ‘brush it off’ if they lose a hand?
The answer: You.
But even if I had a GREAT set of cards in front of me, I might play it nervously.
Why?
Because I feel like I HAVE TO get the win.
And when you play nervous, you make a mistake. You make poor decisions. And you don’t enjoy yourself.
So…
Stack your wins.
Because you ARE playing at the game of life.
And I’d love to see you play it big.
To wrap up this week’s ‘A Peak Life’ newsletter, we covered:
1. Empowerment Over Labels: Let’s move past ‘impostor syndrome’ and stop creating maladies that create scapegoats.
2. Understanding Roots: Knowing where ideas come from is important. ‘Impostor phenomenon’ originated in the 1970s, and it highlighted cultural shifts at the time.
3. Build True Confidence: Use a ‘Wins Journal’ to log your achievements and fortify your mental fortress.
Be Bold. Take Action. Leave a Mark.
Todd Herman
P.S. If someone forwarded you this article, you can subscribe to my weekly ‘A Peak Life’ newsletter below. Every week I’ll share one idea, framework, or perspective that will help you lead a life you’re excited for.