The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: And Men: Why Capable People Suffer from Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive In Spite of It

Learn to take ownership of your success, overcome self-doubt, and banish the thought patterns that undermine your ability to feeland actas bright and capable as others already know you are with this award-winning book by Valerie Young. Its only because they like me. I was in the right place at the right time. I just work harder than the others. I dont deserve this. Its just a matter of time before I am found out. Someone must have made a terrible mistake. If you are a working woman, chances are this internal monologue sounds all too familiar. And youre not alone. From the high-achieving Ph.D. candidate convinced shes only been admitted to the program because of a clerical error to the senior executive who worries others will find out shes in way over her head, a shocking number of accomplished women in all career paths and at every level feel as though they are faking itimpostors in their own lives and careers. While the impostor syndrome is not unique to women, women are more apt to agonize over tiny mistakes, see even constructive criticism as evidence of their shortcomings, and chalk up their accomplishments to luck rather than skill. They often unconsciously overcompensate with crippling perfectionism, overpreparation, maintaining a lower profile, withholding their talents and opinions, or never finishing important projects. When they do succeed, they think, Phew, I fooled em again. An internationally known speaker, Valerie Young has devoted her career to understanding womens most deeply held beliefs about themselves and their success. In her decades of in-the-trenches research, she has uncovered the often surprising reasons why so many accomplished women experience this crushing self-doubt. In The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women, Young gives these women the solution they have been seeking. Combining insightful analysis with effective advice and anecdotes, she explains what the impostor syndrome is, why fraud fears are more common in women, and how you can recognize the way it manifests in your life.