Three Mindsets to Flip for a Happier Workday: #3 -- Self-Doubt to Self-Care
No one starts their workday expecting the worst or planning to have a terrible day, but fear, doubt, imposter syndrome, and anxiety have a way of creeping in without our permission. The good news is -- a shift in mindset may be all it takes to turn the day around.
This is Part #3 of a three-part series of blogs giving you three mindsets and frames of mind to flip so you can enjoy a happier workday, despite what's happening all around you!
Mindset Flip #3: Self-Doubt to Self-Care
Do you secretly feel like you’re not up to the task? That you don’t have what it takes to do your job or to balance your career and your family responsibilities?
You have a classic case of imposter syndrome.
First described by US researchers Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978, imposter syndrome is a specific form of intellectual self-doubt. It’s fearing you’ll be unmasked as a fraud, that you don’t deserve the success you’ve achieved.
We often hesitate to confide in others about our doubts because we think our fears will be confirmed. We suffer in silence and feel like we have to live a lie with this dirty little secret. Let me tell you the truth -- I talk to a lot of professional women and 99% of them (and I’m not exaggerating) express some feelings of imposter syndrome, feeling like a fraud or failure, or not being good enough in some way. You are not alone. You are in good company!
Flip that mindset of self-doubt to one of self-care.
Talk with mentors you trust about your feelings. Look back and recognize how far you’ve come. Learn to celebrate all you’ve achieved.
Trust that the people in power knew what they were doing and you have all it takes – and more – to be successful.
Imposter syndrome is one of my areas of focus, both because I have lived and live it on a daily basis and because I”m committed to researching it and helping women unmask it and move through it smoothly and successfully.
Flipping for a Happier Workday
Simply viewing a situation in a different, more positive light can have an immense impact on how we move forward and how we feel, both at work and at home. It encourages us to think about what’s possible and gives us hope, confidence, and motivation to keep moving even when situations aren’t going perfectly our way.
I’m not saying that having a better day is as simple as “turn that frown upside down.” That being said, maybe there’s more truth to that old saying than we give it credit. Try it out, and see how flipping your mindset not only leads to feeling better, but actually leads to more peace, ease, focus, and opportunity.
PART 2-- Scarcity to Abundance
