The monster has been called a lot of names: “the imposter syndrome,” “the lizard brain,” “the inner fraud.” It’s that voice inside your head undermining everything you do.
You’re not good enough…You just got really lucky…There are people far better and more qualified than you…
It’s been defined as, “a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist even in face of information that indicates that the opposite is true. It is experienced internally as chronic self-doubt, and feelings of intellectual fraudulence.”
There are a number of reasons why the negative voice exists:
- Maintaining the comfort zone. Self-critical thinking steers you away from the unknown and frightening tasks (even though you know growth comes from being stretched and stepping outside your comfort zone). It’s a safety mechanism with good intentions, but unproductive outcomes.
- Inherited behavior. Those who grew up with highly critical parents unknowingly mirror and internalize the negative talk they received.
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