wordcamp nashville 2016 "imposter syndrome

Imposter Syndrome

How to get over it and get on with it

#WCNImposter

Beth Downey

Graphic Designer / Web Developer

#WCNImposter

Beth Downey

Graphic Designer / Web Developer

“Imposter!”#WCNImposter

What Is Imposter Syndrome?

● Term coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes

● Refers to high-achieving individuals marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a "fraud".

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#WCNImposter

Well knownImposters

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“I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.’ ”

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“I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.’ ”

Dr. Maya Angelou

Nobel Laureate, poet, memoirist andCivil Rights Activist

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“I still believe that at any time, the no-talent police will come and arrest me.”

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“I still believe that at any time, the no talent police will come and arrest me.”

Mike Myers

Actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, producer, SaturdayNight Live standout

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“Why would anyone want to see me again in a movie? And I don’t know how to act anyway so why am I doing this?”

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“Why would anyone want to see me again in a movie? And I don’t know how to act anyway so why am I doing this?”

Meryl Streep

Called the “best actress of her generation,” winner of eight Golden Globes & three Academy Awards

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3 Types of Knowledge

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3 Types of Knowledge

1. Stuff you know

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3 Types of Knowledge

1. Stuff you know

2. Stuff you know you don’t know

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3 Types of Knowledge

1. Stuff you know

2. Stuff you know you don’t know

3. Stuff you don’t know you don’t know

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You have been successful in taking a lot of information out of the third category and put it

into the second category; you know of a lot of stuff you don’t know. This makes you feel

dumb and helpless a lot of the time.

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Why You Feel Like A Fraud

Negative Side Effectsof Imposter Syndrome

How we sabotage ourselves

Not applying for positions.

Not asking for enough money (salary)

Not asking for pay raises.

Self Sabotage

BIGNEWS

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BIGNEWS

IT IS OKAY TO SUCK

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Try something new

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Try something new

Yoga

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Try something new

Yoga

$5 class / 1 hour

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Try something new

Yoga

$5 class / 1 hour

I thought I was going to die

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When you suck at something but gradually improve, two things happen:

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When you suck at something but gradually improve, two things happen:

1. You know what being awful at something really feels like

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When you suck at something but gradually improve, two things happen:

1. You know what being awful at something really feels like

2. You realize that you do have talent and/or perseverance and this builds confidence

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My Own Journey

Art School - (1995 - 1999) Attended alongside many people with far more artistic talent than myself

Graphic Designer (1999 - present) - Never felt like a “real designer.”

Jr Web Developer (2012 - 2015) - worked with Kenneth White at Sprclldr for 3.5 years and stayed keenly aware of what I didn’t know.

Jr Web Developer (July 2016 - now) - work as a Jr Developer at Parthenon Publishing & spent the first month convinced I would be fired bc I didn’t know what I thought I should.

I continue to learn...

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Combatting Imposter Syndrome

● Review what you have learned - you know more than you think you know

● Surround yourself with peers who are supportive of the learning process

● Keep a list of the nice things people say to you about you

● Get involved in your community - be a mentor or a mentee

● Step out of your comfort zone - you might find other things you’re good at too

#WCNImposter

#WCNImposter

Beth DowneyTwitter @PermeliaMedia / Instagram @MissBethD

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