How to overcome imposter syndrome at work: one simple practice to build confidence

You know the feeling.

That churning in your stomach as you think about something from your workday that made you feel like a big, fat failure with a capital “F”.

And like a totally un-fun rollercoaster ride, other cringey memories start piling on top.

Why does everyone else seem to have it together more than I do?

You want to believe you’re smart enough and capable enough. But it can feel like your mind takes you hostage every time you’re not perfect.

If that sounds familiar, you may be experiencing what’s commonly called imposter syndrome: persistent self-doubt despite plenty of evidence that you’re actually capable.

I know that feeling well. And from my own experience, I can tell you that the simple practice I’m about to share has made a huge difference to the way my brain now responds to challenges, mistakes and those inevitable moments when things don’t go perfectly.

A simple practice for overcoming imposter syndrome at work

At the end of every day, find at least five things you did well and are proud of.

You can simply think about them or write them down.

Look for what you did well, what you learned, how you grew, what you navigated, what you accomplished, or a goal you moved towards.

Seriously, it can be the smallest thing. And it doesn’t even need to be about work.

“I managed to pick the kids up on time even though I had a million things to juggle.”

Awesome!

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about deliberately noticing and celebrating your progress and growth.

The important bit is not to turn it into a mechanical checklist. Take a moment to actually feel the pride, satisfaction or appreciation that comes with each memory. Let yourself smile. The cat might think you’re weird, but the dog will love it.

And set yourself a reminder. You’ll probably forget until it becomes a habit. A journal on your bedside table makes a great physical cue.

Why does imposter syndrome make us focus on what went wrong?

While you probably did tonnes of things well today, your brain has a natural tendency to pay particular attention to problems, threats and things that went wrong. This is our brain’s negativity bias.

Then there’s confirmation bias. If you already carry a belief that you’re not quite as capable as other people think you are, you’re more likely to notice and remember experiences that seem to confirm that belief.

The presentation where you stumbled over an answer?

Filed as evidence.

The twenty other things you handled brilliantly that day?

Barely noticed.

And that creates a pretty unhelpful loop.

What neuroplasticity has to do with it

Our brains are constantly changing in response to what we repeatedly think, notice, practise and experience. This capacity to change is called neuroplasticity.

I like to explain it using roads.

If you’ve spent years automatically noticing your mistakes, discounting your successes and telling yourself you’re not good enough, that pattern can become like a well-travelled 8-lane super-highway.

Your brain knows the route. It’s easy to travel down it.

When you deliberately start noticing what you did do well, imagine that you’re beginning to carve out a little dirt walking track alongside it.

At first, the old highway is much easier.

But keep using the new track and, over time, it becomes more familiar. The walking track slowly but surely becomes a road. Over time, your new-found way of thinking becomes more natural and automatic.

What you repeatedly practise becomes more familiar and easier for your brain to access.

That’s why consistency with your daily journaling matters.

This isn’t about pretending you never get anything wrong

This practice doesn’t mean ignoring mistakes or convincing yourself everything you do is wonderful.

Got growth areas? Awesome.

Learn the skill. Improve the behaviour. Try a different strategy. Ask for feedback.

What went “wrong” today can simply become useful information about what you’d like to do differently next time.

There’s a huge difference between:

“I didn’t handle that well. What can I learn from it?”

and:

“I didn’t handle that well. Clearly I’m not good enough to be here.”

One helps you grow.

The other keeps feeding imposter syndrome.

The moment I realised my own thinking had changed

Just before Christmas 2024, I had an “oh wow, this is crazy!” moment.

I’d joined a programme being run by another coach. One of the exercises was to journal about two big challenges we’d experienced during the

year.

On the next group call, I was surprised to hear other participants talking about how triggered, upset and frustrated they’d felt doing the exercise.

I couldn’t remember it feeling horrible at all.

So I went back and looked at my notes.

Everything I’d written about those challenging situations focused on what had come from them.

I’d written about how proud I was of the way I’d navigated the challenge, what I’d learned about myself and the world, and how the experience had helped me grow.

I’d even written something along the lines of:

“If this thing had never happened, I would have missed out on all this growth. I’m so happy I went through it, and it all worked out perfectly.”

I was kind of blown away.

I hadn’t deliberately set out to put a positive spin on the exercise. It was simply where my brain went.

The little dirt track had become a road.

Your turn to try it out

Tonight, before you go to sleep, find five things from your day that you did well.

Not five extraordinary achievements.

Just five things you can genuinely acknowledge yourself for.

Then do it again tomorrow.

And the next day.

Try it consistently for a month and notice what starts to change.

You may find yourself becoming quicker to notice your successes, more balanced about your mistakes and less willing to let one imperfect moment become evidence that you’re somehow not good enough.

At the very least, it’s a much nicer way to end your day than ruminating about everything you think you got wrong.

At best, it might start changing the story you tell yourself about who you are and what you’re capable of.

And one final thought about imposter syndrome:

Nobody expects you to be perfect.

The people you hold up as the gold standard have self-doubt too. They make mistakes. They’re still learning.

Life and work aren’t about being perfect. They’re about progressing, learning and growing.

The only person worth comparing yourself with is the person you were a year ago.

Candice