Affirmations Self Improvement

55 positive affirmations for imposter syndrome – overcome self-sabotage

affirmations for imposter syndrome
Affirmations for imposter syndrome

Do you often reject compliments directly or indirectly?

Yes?

Chances are, you think you do not measure up to the good people see in you or say about you. You simply don’t think you are worth more than what your mind tells you.

Sometimes, we assume people are being sarcastic. Well, while sarcasm exists, there is a greater possibility that you are battling a bigger devil called “imposter syndrome.”

If you struggle with and want to overcome imposter syndrome, this blog post contains 55 positive affirmations for imposter syndrome and 6 helpful tips to manage this challenge.

What Is Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter syndrome is simply the belief or feeling that you are not as capable or efficient as people say you are.

mposter syndrome affirmations

Many of us actively fight this inbuilt distrust in ourselves and want an end to it.

What’s more saddening than playing an active role in dismissing your growth and efforts?

You are literally bringing yourself down before others do.

Good news is, you are not alone because there are more people actively fighting imposter syndrome than you can imagine.

The bad news?

If you don’t work on this flaw, you will battle with making progress.

Not to worry, we can all scale through this – we just need to put our minds to it.

What are affirmations?

Affirmations are positive statements that can help you to challenge and overcome self-skepticism, self-doubt, and negative thinking.

When you repeat an affirmation to yourself, you are programming your subconscious mind to believe what you are saying. This can help to eliminate negative self-talk and improve your overall confidence level.

55 Positive affirmations for imposter syndrome

General positive affirmations for imposter syndrome

  1. I am not a fraud.
  2. I am as good as people say I am.
  3. I accept and appreciate compliments.
  4. I am an expert in my field.
  5. I am capable of great things.
  6. My accomplishments are valid.
  7. I may make mistakes, and that is fine.
  8. I am an innovative thinker.
  9. I am a gifted strategist.
  10. I have what it takes to be successful.
  11. I do not plan to fail, but I am ready for whenever failure comes
  12. Every step I take is a tick to my success 
  13. My goals are achievable and realistic
  14. I know my strengths and weaknesses and have everything in place to keep them checked.
  15. Everything I do, I do because I know what they can offer.
  16. Procrastination has nothing on me. I do the right things at the right time.
  17. I take action and do all that I need for my success.
  18. I am open to constructive criticism, and I use them to better myself and works
  19. I do not seek validation from people; I get my deserved accolades.
  20. I am a powerful and successful individual.
  21. I am a valuable member of society.
  22. I know what I can do, and not one person can make me think otherwise.
  23. I am capable of anything that I set my mind to.
  24. I can handle any situation that comes my way – whether embarrassing or difficult.
  25. I can succeed in any field that I choose.
  26. I am confident in who I am and what I have accomplished.
  27. I am proud of my achievements and who I am.
  28. I am worthy of the success that I have achieved.
  29. I take pride in my achievements and who I am.
  30. My self-esteem is based on my own accomplishments, not on the opinion of others.
  31. I have what it takes to achieve my goals.
  32. I am not perfect and that is okay.

Imposter Syndrome affirmations for Entrepreneurs and digital creators

  1. I am a fantastic creator and builder
  2. I create the best products for my customers.
  3. My projects will thrive anywhere, even in a saturated market.
  4. My works are marketable, they can serve the purpose I created them for
  5. I am a skilled businessperson.
  6. I am an asset to any team or organization that I join.
  7. Whatever the outcome of my interview may be, I know am great at what I do.
  8. This will work out, but if it doesn’t, I can start over with a new plan 
  9. I am a successful entrepreneur (be specific with your field)
  10. I am knowledgeable about what I am building and continue to learn to be better.
  11. I can defend my job and skills
  12. My job/project/skill is imperfectly perfect.
  13. I learn from mistakes and develop better strategies to fix them.

Imposter syndrome affirmations for bloggers and content creators

  1. I am a badass content writer/creator
  2. My blog posts are informative and helpful to my audience.
  3. I am a problem solver.
  4. I am working to become a better creator 
  5. I am able to upgrade and create better contents.
  6. I do great research and write the best contents with ease.
  7. I attract good clients who appreciate my work and efforts.
  8. My blog is on a path to success.
  9. My audience appreciates my efforts and look out for more contents from me.
  10. I understand people will always talk, and that’s okay – it’s a sign of my growth.
positive affirmations for imposter syndrome

More Inspiring Affirmations

How do positive affirmations help to handle imposter syndrome?

Positive affirmations can help to handle imposter syndrome in a few different ways.

Affirmations reshape your thoughts about your accomplishments.

Instead of thinking “I can’t believe I could do that,” positive affirmations can help you think “I did that and I can do great things.”

This shift in thinking helps to increase self-confidence and decrease feelings of fraudulence.

Affirmations remind you of your strengths and capabilities

When you are feeling down about yourself, positive affirmations can help to remind you of all that you have accomplished and all that you can do.

This reminder can help to increase self-belief and decrease feelings of self-doubt.

Affirmations provide motivation

When you are feeling stuck, positive affirmations can help to provide the motivation needed to keep going. They can remind you of your goals and help to keep you focused.

Helpful tips to handle imposter syndrome

Before I knew there was a term for imposter syndrome, self degradation, I googled in my own words ‘why do I think I’m not as good as people say?’ There was a lot of information to help, but fast forward to years later, it still proved a problem.

Sometimes, getting the right help to overcome imposter syndrome can be daunting and, most times; the right help may be useless if you are not ready to be assisted.

Imagine the feeling of not being good enough to be helped. My point is, you can find all the information you need to fix your problem, but will get nothing done if you are not willing to open up for some changes.

Many people don’t understand this, and that is why they remain in the dark.

First, I’m in no way a professional, but someone who is constantly working on herself. I hope that you’ll tag along!

So, here are a few starters to eradicate the feeling of not being good enough to the barest minimum.

It’s imposter syndrome, acknowledge it

Here’s the thing: it’s not a sin to battle with imposter syndrome and it’s not a mental illness, but a challenge you have to manage. Every time you experience growth, you may encounter this feeling. 

You don’t have to lie to yourself; embrace it; you are not alone. When you acknowledge it, you give yourself a chance to fight and handle imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is just a feeling; you are not all the negative things you say to yourself. I could call myself an awful writer for all I care, but it doesn’t negate the fact that I write well and strive to be better.

Feeling you are not good enough doesn’t mean you aren’t good at what you do. It’s just you sabotaging your efforts.

First we identify, then we fix. Remember, slow progress is still progress.

Accept and appreciate compliments

I had this awful habit of laughing off and rejecting compliments. It was always easier to feel undeserving.

Rather than boost my confidence, compliments were excuses to mock my efforts and go all negative:

“You call this trash nice?”

“I know it’s awful, even if you argue it’s lovely.”

“Don’t say I did well. I only wasted my time.”

Yes, those kinds of negative responses to compliments.

Even if we feel undeserving, unless you cheated or stole someone else’s work, a “thank you” takes you one step ahead and makes it easier to handle imposter syndrome.

Acknowledge compliments when they come and shun the “negative” sarcastic replies in your head. It’s that easy.

If you have a hard time accepting compliments, use #2 and #3 in the affirmations for imposter syndrome above. Repeat it to remind yourself that it’s okay to accept compliments.

  1. I am as good as people say I am.
  2. I accept and appreciate compliments.

Understand that perfection is a fallacy

We beat ourselves too hard for not being perfect, but cannot realize that there’s hardly anything that’s faultless.

I can’t count how many times I procrastinate and leave tasks undone because they never come out perfectly.

There’s a reason products continue to have newer versions. There’s always something you would miss or need to add; you could introduce them on the go and that’s perfectly okay. I repeat these sentences to myself frequently to stay on track.

There’s always something you would miss or need to add; you can introduce on the go and that’s perfectly okay.

Learn to appreciate yourself

Don’t blow your trumpets, they say, but I’m calling the bluff. Appreciate yourself! It’s soothing when you remind yourself of how great you are doing. It’s not about vehemently lying to yourself, it’s about commending your progress.

“It’s okay to be a “lizard,” even for once in your life.”

I grew; I learned how to see and appreciate my efforts and believe me, it helps. You don’t have to wait for comments from others. Don’t sabotage your work, and you’ll be more confident. 

Surround yourself with positive people

Some people are mean. They pretend to be your friend, only to pull you down at the slightest chance.

You don’t have to endure such hateful “friends” even if they blackmail you for not being open to criticism. I’m pretty sure every smart human can tell outright malice from criticism.

It’s your right to have the best people around you – genuine people who want you to grow.

Keep journals

Not everyone enjoys writing, but if you can inculcate the habit, a bit of writing could do some magic.

Write what you feel as they come. You should also write your plans and stream of ideas that bump into your head.

I do a lot of writing, especially when I sense my mind wandering off. Sometimes we can’t help but overthink (which isn’t good), but writing can help us break free before we go off to Neverland.

I try as much as possible to keep my write-ups positive, but I often document my feelings regardless of where I find myself. Reading your thoughts is therapeutic and a helpful distraction.

Also, try writing out some affirmations that you can say to yourself when you are experiencing imposter syndrome. For example, “I am a competent person.” “I am worthy of success.” “I can do this.”

Conclusion

If you are struggling with imposter syndrome, know that you are not alone. There are many people who feel the same way.

However, I believe that the helpful tips and affirmations above will help you handle and overcome imposter syndrome.

Remember to repeat your affirmations to yourself throughout the day, and eventually you will believe them. Do not let imposter syndrome hold you back from achieving your dreams. You are more than capable of overcoming it!

It is self-sabotage! But we can manage it one step at a time.

Good luck!