How Golden Agers Can Overcome Imposter Syndrome

The 5 steps to overcome imposter syndrome forever

To overcome imposter syndrome should be something for all people. Researches show that around 70% of the population suffers from it. That should be reason enough to take it seriously to overcome imposter syndrome.

But what is imposter syndrome?

Without going into the scientific definition, in a nutshell, imposter syndrome is the experience of feeling like a phony. It’s like feeling that you don’t belong where you are and that you got there due to pure luck. You’re scared that people at any moment will reveal you as a fraud.

Pretty scary!

It affects anyone in society, no matter social status, background, gender, level of skills, or degree of expertise. So, welcome to this vast and silent group.

Imposter syndrome is something relatively new, and it wasn’t identified until 1979 by the psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes.

Like all syndromes or addictions, there are methods to overcome imposter syndrome. As always, the first step is to recognize that you are a victim of the syndrome. You don’t have to feel ashamed. Remember, you are only one out of 70% of the people around you.

55+ citizens and imposter syndrome

When you come up to the golden age and time for retirement, the risk is high to fall into the trap of imposter syndrome. You “lose the foothold” from the working environment you have been accustomed to for decades. Loneliness and the feeling of being “expelled” from a group community can even lead to depression.

The reality that most retired people have to face a lower income than during their active working life is another source of anxiety and lower self-esteem. Add to this that you are physically getting older, something nobody can avoid.

The so-called ball effect rapidly pushes you into a mode of “I’m done; I’m worth nothing” or anything else with the same negative touch. Imposter syndrome is getting a firm grip!

5 Easy Steps to Overcome Imposter Syndrome

The following steps to take are valid for anybody. Still, it’s more important than ever for the upper age generation to overcome imposter syndrome before it destroys the lifestyle you deserve when reaching the golden age.

Your evidence list

Take the time you need to do this exercise. It will serve you a lot when going forward.

You should make two lists. The first one should only include all you have achieved in life. Do not judge the importance of all that comes up. This is not a question of ranging the achievements but making a brief list.

When reaching 50,55,60+ age, you will notice when making a list that you have done a lot. What happens is that you often forget important achievements, or you reduce the importance of what you did.

When you feel that the list is ready (you can always add more evidence later on), do some sidenotes: Put a double + after achievements that came alive 100% due to your work and effort. Add a single + when the goal was reached based on a group work where you were one crucial member. Save the list for later.

The second list should include all projects and dreams you had, but that were never realized. The exact process as for the first list. Take your time. When ready, mark with a single – when the project was put on hold due to anything else than yourself. It could be your boss or any other external person who stopped the whole thing.

Mark with a double – where you were the roadblock, for whatever reason it could be, as no time, low level of interest, etc.

These two lists will serve you a lot later when starting the process to overcome imposter syndrome.

Be yourself

One of the most common habits when under the influence of imposter syndrome is to “jump out of your clothes,” trying to be somebody else than you. Do you know what?

Stop it!

Unless you are a professional actor, people will rapidly notice that you are acting. They will lose trust, and it all will get the opposite effect of what you aimed for.

The advantage of always being honest and not living surrounded by fakes and lies is that you don’t have to remember what you said or how you acted. You told the truth, and there is no need to memorize any invented speech.

Not until you live your honest you, you can label yourself as a true non-imposter. The phrase “fake it until you make it” doesn’t belong anymore to your habits.

Stop asking yourself if you belong to a particular niche or group. Instead, ask yourself how you can serve the people you’re connected to. Do not compare yourself to anybody else than yourself. We are all unique, and you’re not an exception.

Clean up your past

Before starting a new “honest to yourself” lifestyle, you need to clean up all fake things you created in the past.

By doing it the right way, you can actually learn from the negative experience in the past. Reflecting on those few simple questions can teach you how to build your future:

What really happened when something went wrong? Avoid emotions and confront the facts
Is there any emotional feeling involved
How to use these fake experiences from the past?

Spend some time to reflect while cleaning up, but then it’s time to move forward.

Stop avoiding difficulties

When you face a difficulty, and there is a lot in life, stop backing off by putting yourself in your comfort zone. If you have a true belief in what you would like to do, just do it! Take any famous and successful entrepreneur as an example. Do you think they were working from their comfort zone? No, they failed many times, but that’s part of the journey.

Typically we avoid difficulties to avoid stress. Avoiding stress might seem like a great way to become less stressed. However, in most cases, it’s entirely the opposite. It’s like a drug addict who needs more drugs to come out of the hamster wheel. The reality, however, is different, and by behaving that way, you only speed up the wheel.

If you can’t find a solution, don’t be afraid of asking for help. When leaving life as an imposter, your pride in not asking for help doesn’t exist anymore.

Work on daily goals

To wake up every morning and randomly do things that appear in your mind will lead you nowhere more than to a typical imposter. You will feel smaller and smaller, and in fact, you get almost nothing done.

It’s not about having gigantic “changing the world” goals. Still, you need to have yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily goals. For example, set up five goals for a year, split them up, and work backward for each quarter, month, week, and day. In an earlier article, you can get my view of how to operate your goals.

When getting into the retirement era, it’s easy to treat life as an eternal vacation. Of course, you should make life easier and enjoy life the way you deserve. But staying in bed until late and doing nothing in particular during the day will probably push you into other problems. It’s not a secret that many retired people get depressed, start drinking or suffer from other issues or addictions.

Overcome Imposter Syndrome as a Passionate Entrepreneur

When I entered the retirement era of my life, an indescribable emptiness appeared.

Fortunately, I could smoothly fade out from the corporate world while investigating a lot about what to fill up my life with when my work as an employee finally came to an end.

What I did part-time while still holding my management position in the company I was working for probably contributed to not falling totally into the imposter syndrome. After eight years in the business as an online entrepreneur, not until recently, it popped up in my head that this is much more than a system and platform to build an online business.

The education, training, coaching, and the amazing private community of like-minded people with an entrepreneurial mindset, is a complete package that can transform anybody’s life into something else than what you are accustomed to.

In our community, there are people from all over the world. No matter age, gender, race, or anything else, we all have the same overall goal. To help others to find their way to the lifestyle of their dreams.

A community to overcome imposter syndrome

In one of the sessions, you learn about the importance of creating your avatar, a detailed specification of a person in the audience you pretend to approach. My avatar focus on men about to retire or who already have retired. Even if there are many things to learn about online marketing, I feel comfortable approaching people in that niche. For sure, I can contribute with expert advice. I have made the journey and know the path, with all bumps and pits.

If you do this correctly, you’re not going to worry if you fit in, but if you get the job done to serve other people. You are going to worry about providing value. And there is probably the key to overcome imposter syndrome; contributing by giving value.

After watching the video below, click here or the box below and get access to learn more about what you can find of value for you in your journey toward an ideal lifestyle.