You do not have a condition.
You’re simply experiencing a human moment. One that presents an opportunity for you to grow and make progress.
Those are words that will make sense to you if you read my last post. If you haven’t read it yet, go now and read it before you continue with this one. It’s titled; Stop Saying You Have Imposter Syndrome. Simply click the blog menu and when the page loads up, look for the post titled; Stop Saying You Have Imposter Syndrome.
In the said post, I talked about the difference between imposter syndrome and the inadequacy phenomenon and why you should stop saying you have imposter syndrome when you don’t.
I did say last week that I felt there was more to talk about on this subject. So today, I will be talking more about The Inadequacy Phenomenon (TIP for short) which is what I believe most people who say they have imposter syndrome really have.
First, a brief description of what TIP is.
It is simply a feeling of not being enough.
Before you dip your eyebrows in a semi-scowl thinking…”hang on a minute, isn’t that what imposter syndrome is?” Well, not quite. TIP differs from imposter syndrome in the sense that imposter syndrome is associated with feeling like an imposter. The key word there is imposter. It suggests that a person feels like they are not good enough to be who they are claiming to be or who they are projecting themselves to be. That feeling then causes them to feel like a fraud, a cheat, or a scammer whenever they achieve something as a result of who they’ve projected themselves to be.
That is where TIP (The Inadequacy Phenomenon) is different.
It has nothing to do with feeling like an imposter. The words fraud, cheat, and scam are not associated with the feelings of someone experiencing TIP. A person experiencing TIP does not claim to be who they are not. They don’t even believe they are good enough to start with. So, claiming to be more is not something they feel comfortable doing. If they happen to go as far as embarking on something and achieving a result, they are just happy to know that they achieved what they did in spite of how insignificant they felt.
The key word in TIP is inadequacy. People experiencing TIP tend to feel like they are not enough and that feeling of not being enough restricts them from being and doing all that they have the potential to do.
Here are some things that people experiencing The Inadequacy Phenomenon might feel or do:
- Short change themselves when it comes to their abilities or the capacity of what they can handle.
- Feel like who they are is not strong enough, not intelligent enough, not beautiful enough, etc.
- Feel like what they can do is not good enough, not clever enough, not needed enough (or at all), etc.
- Feel like they can’t venture out into something or move to a higher level because they might not achieve what others achieved or what people expect them to achieve.
- Doubt themselves and have a hard time believing that what they have is valuable enough to make a difference in the lives of others or in an environment.
Some common themes associated with feelings of Inadequacy:
- A deficiency
- Past failings
- Inexperience
- An impairment
- A weakness
- Not meeting certain requirements
- Not having enough resources
- Not qualified enough (or at all)
- Not fluent enough
- Not strong enough
- Not important enough
- Not having enough connections
- Not known enough (or at all) in certain circles
- Not having anything valuable to offer
The list is inexhaustible as there are other themes as well as other variations of those already mentioned above. What is important to note is that there is a common thread of self-doubt that often stops people experiencing TIP from moving forward.
As individuals, we will at one time or another experience moments when we feel like we are not enough but that does not mean we have imposter syndrome. Not feeling enough does not somehow make us imposters. Neither is it a reason to liken ourselves to imposters.
It might seem like there is a thin line separating a feeling of inadequacy and feeling like an imposter. But, the line is not as thin as you might think. It’s amazing what kind of impact a seemingly small shift in our thinking and/or mindset can have on our lives. You might think what you call something or what you tell yourself doesn’t matter, but it does; and a lot too. Imagine being misdiagnosed by a doctor…imagine your symptoms were signs of the flu and you were diagnosed with something more serious…how would that affect you? What impact will that information have on your life going forward?
The difference between realising you feel inadequate and referring to yourself as an imposter can mean the difference between a genuine transformation that produces lasting results and a lip service transformation that produces fleeting results. I’m a coach, I should know 🙂
Disclaimer: I am in no way diagnosing anything here, I’m simply using the ‘symptom-doctor-diagnosis’ as an example. Please be aware; The Inadequacy Phenomenon is not a diagnosis for a condition and it is not a condition either. It is simply an occurrence that’s a fact of life and has been found to be part of people’s life experiences.
Let me make this clear again (in case I wasn’t clear before); if you find yourself feeling not enough and it’s stopping you in your tracks or making you short-change yourself, you are not an imposter. You are experiencing a season of inadequacy; you’re experiencing TIP (The Inadequacy Phenomenon).
Once again, TIP is not a condition; it is simply an occurrence. One that involves you going through a cramping human experience that can be discomforting, frustrating, and even sometimes stressful. The good news however is that TIP can be overcome; with sincere acknowledgment and with the right support.
I’ll stop here for today. Maybe next time I’ll share some characteristics of people with TIP as well as some things someone experiencing TIP can do to overcome it.
Keep Leading Right and Living Light,
Belinda
