What kind of imposter are you?

- You know how problems with your back can make you hurt everywhere? Pain in your legs, feet, even your hands can be traced to back issues. Well, imposter syndrome works sort of the same way. There's lots of different symptoms but each can be traced back to the feeling that we're a fraud, faking our way through. I'm going to describe some of the more common symptoms. If the description sounds familiar and you're answering yes to the questions, you probably identify with that imposter type. First up, the perfectionist who convinces you that any error is a sign you're a fraud. So it keeps you double-checking all the details all the time. The perfectionist expectations are impossibly high, 99% success just isn't good enough, only perfection will do. Consider these questions to see if the perfectionist sounds familiar. When you make a mistake, do you have trouble letting it go? Are you generally overprepared for meetings or presentations? Next, the workaholic who tells you you have to be a super hero to prove you're competent. Hard work will overcome a perceived lack of ability, if you're not as talented as everybody else, you're going to have to outwork them. The workaholic may also believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Consider these questions. Do you feel pressured to work longer and harder than everyone else just to keep up with them? Do you seek out new responsibilities even when your plate is already full? Third, the natural genius who believes new things should be easy to learn. If something takes time or energy to figure out, it's not because the task is difficult, if we were as intelligent as everyone else, learning wouldn't be hard. Do you give up on things that don't come easily to you? Are you sometimes ashamed to admit how long something took you to learn? Finally, the expert who believes knowledge is power. To be legitimate, the expert needs all the knowledge. The expert may procrastinate to gather more information even when they've already learned all there is to know. Experts think they're constantly playing catch up, they'll never know enough. Do you think you need to know everything about a job before you do it? Do you constantly look for new training opportunities even though others say you already have the credentials to succeed? If you shudder when someone calls you an expert, that's likely your expert imposter at work. Those are four general categories of imposters. You may find yourself in more than one category, that's perfectly normal. My personal imposter is a workaholic/expert hybrid, which means I have pulled all-nighters in the office over researching things I teach and write, you know, preparation and research are important, but seven citations for every minor point is a waste of time and energy. So take time to diagnosis your own symptoms of imposter syndrome. You'll find it easier to find relief from this phenomenon when you truly understand how it affects you.