Feel Like A Fraud?

Performance psychologist Dr. Josephine Perry shines a light on impostor syndrome: the condition that can cause even the highest of achievers to be overcome by self-doubt

- Dr. Josephine Perry

Albert Einstein thought of himself as a swindler. Will Smith says he doubts himself every single day. Ben Fogle never felt he belonged. they may be Nobel-prize winning, Grammy owning and mountain conquering but, like 70 percent of us, they feel like impostors.

Impostor syndrome is when you have a deeply felt belief that you just don’t have what it takes, no matter your achievements. You fail to internalise your successes and live in fear of being exposed as a fraud. Instead of connecting your achievements to your abilities or efforts, you feel any accomplishments are undeserved; you keep expecting to be unmasked. Irrefutable evidence of success is put down to luck. Compliments get discounted as people being polite. A personal best becomes a fluke. A win gets attributed to better athletes not showing up that day.