INFJ's Dealing With Imposter Syndrome

Nothing breaks my heart more than when I see INFJ’s and gentle souls struggle with imposter syndrome.

Most INFJ’s that I have come across have a deep desire to leave a positive impact on this world.. Whether that’s through online entrepreneuship or starting non-for-profits… The thing is, this little thing of Imposter Syndrome gets in the way… creates a block.. and causes the INFJ’s to freeze up and not get anything done.

I sometimes wonder how many amazing things we could see in the world if w didn’t allow our imposter syndrome to get a hold of us.

What exactly is imposter syndrome?

Imposter syndrome is that sneaky little thing that whispers in your ear, “You’re a fraud. You’re not good enough. Who do you think you are?” It’s that anxious feeling of not being qualified enough in doing what you’re doing, or being incompetent at your job. Can you believe that even PhD holders in their field, can still experience imposter syndrome?

Let me know in the comments what you think about this… But I feel like INFJ’s experience imposter syndrome because they are such big picture people and they have a thirst for knowledge. The problem is, the more you learn and read and grow, the more you realise that there is so much that you don’t yet know…. And because you have this knowledge that there’s still so much to learn and read about, you can begin to feel unqualified or incompetent in what you do.

I’m no stranger to imposter syndrome… In my 20’s I studied the highest qualification to become a Youth Worker, but then spent the next 10 years feeling like a complete imposter, wondering when people were going to figure out that I didn’t really know what I was doing.

Now that I’m a counsellor… I’m very aware of what imposter sysndrome looks like and how it can rear it’s ugly head. The more I learn about therapy and how to be the best therapist, always highlights to me how far I’ve got to go on my journey… But just because there’s still so much to learn and improve on, doesn’t mean that I don’t know what I’m doing today.

Ofcourse I’ll always be learning!

Just like you. You should always be striving to learn and grow, right up until old age. But just because there’s continuous learning to be had, doesn’t mean you’re a fraud or an imposter.. You are probably excellent at what you do.

INFJ’s also probably struggle with imposter syndrome because of perfectionism. If you gave me a dollar for every person that has told me they’re a perfectionist… Well… I’d be incredibly rich. We can get stuck and frozen in place, because sometimes for us to launch something, we feel like it needs to be perfect first. The trick is, you gotta learn that not everything needs to be perfect.. There is beauty in the imperfect. There is power in ability to show up as your raw and authentic imperfect self. Yes, do what you can to make something incredible… But don’t get in a place where you do nothing for the fear it won’t be good enough.

 If you want to overcome the feeling of imposter syndrome.. You might need to do some inner work and reflect on what your core beliefs are. You can help change your story.. If you know what your thoughts are, you know where they come from, you have more power to change the narrative.

And ofcourse.. it’s time to embrace your authentic self… I’ll sing this until the cows come home…. It’s important that you learn to come to a place of self-acceptance and self-love. To embrace all of your qualities.. the good, the bad, and the ugly. To celebrate your strengths and love your weaknesses. Remind yourself that you’re not a fraud… you know what you’re doing… and if you don’t know, you’ll learn.

It's time to look imposter syndrome in the eye and say enough is enough… Get up, brush it off, and do the thing. Whatever that thing is. Start your business. Create your logo. Take steps and action. Small steps is always better than no steps.

Know that I believe in you… You’ve got this… If you need extra support in the process, you can book an appointment with me.