This simple habit helped me kick my impostor syndrome

The good news? I figured out a way to fight impostor syndrome. The bad news? My solution is pretty lame.

There’s nothing like that feeling when you walk into a room and you are just certain that you shouldn’t be there.

The room looks different for different people. For a student in their first couple years of college, it could be that graduate seminar you were invited to by your favourite prof. For an apprentice in a trade, it might be your first time on a real job site. For an athlete, it could be the locker room of a top team. We’ve all felt it at one point or another. And if you’re a woman or a minority, you’ve probably felt it most acutely.

On a work trip for my first job out of school, my impostor syndrome appeared in full force. It was a few hours into the journey, and I was staring at myself in the mirror of the airplane bathroom when it hit me, like a punch in the gut. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be the one sent on this trip. I have no experience. I’m way too young.

The feeling is universal. Even if you’ve earned your place, you feel like you don’t deserve to be there. And you feel certain that everyone knows it.

The problem with impostor syndrome is that it doesn’t matter how qualified, intelligent, talented or prepared you are — it can always get you. It hits when you least expect it, knocking the wind right out of you. Worst of all, it has this tendency to hit at the most crucial moments, when the stakes are the highest.

The good news? In that airplane bathroom, I figured out a way to fight it. The problem? My solution is pretty lame.

I made up a little mantra.

See? I told you it was lame. But I swear, it works.

The mantra goes like this:

You’re smart. You’re good at what you do. And you deserve to be here.

That’s it. I dare you to give it a try. Look in the mirror, and repeat it the person you see there — as many times as it takes for it to sink in.

You’re smart.

I put this one in there because I tend to convince myself that I’m the dumbest person in the room, even when that’s far from the truth. That said, feel free to change this line to what you most need to hear. It might change depending on your situation — if you’re a violinist with two decades of experience under your belt, perhaps you need to remind yourself that you’re talented. If you’re facing something that frightens you, try reminding yourself that you’re brave.

You’re good at what you do.

Remember, there’s a reason you made it to that room. Someone didn’t send that invitation to you but mistake — they included you because you have something to contribute. As you repeat this line to yourself, visualize a few of the successes you’ve had that brought you to this moment. Promotions. Performances. Projects launched. Goals scored. Walk into the room without any doubt that you’re good at the thing you do, whatever that may be.

You deserve to be here.

Even if you’re confident that you have the skills you need to do the work, it’s easy to feel like you haven’t earned your spot. But you have! It’s no accident that you made it to where you are. At some point, you put in the work. Walk into that room knowing that your sweat and hard work got you to that moment. No one can take that away from you.

Now, I’m the first one to admit that this strategy isn’t bullet proof. Some days, I repeat my little mantra before a big meeting, and I feel instantly more confident. Other times, the person looking back at me in the mirror seems less than convinced, and my doubts stick around. But in the grand scheme of things, I find that it helps. The magic of the mantra is that it makes me redirect my thoughts, shifting my focus from my misgivings to my qualifications.

Most of the time, it’s enough to get me through that door.