The Imposter Syndrome and How to Deal With It

Ever caught yourself having those strange thoughts that diminish your achievements and question your competence for some weird reason?

Like, What the hell am I doing? How am I even a teacher?

I definitely know I get it every now and again…

In fact, I'm actually feeling it right now while writing this blog!

And it's funny how may have spent ages with your students and it takes them to ask you one random question where to think a bit more... and suddenly that annoying feeling starts to creep in, the good old imposter syndrome. 🙂

It's notorious for its tendency to show up when you're vulnerable, maybe after a difficult lesson, an interaction with a student who isn’t listening, or a mistake in your teaching or business.

Somehow you start wondering whether you actually deserve to be there.

Actually, this feeling is incredibly common, especially when you’re putting yourself out there professionally.

But the good news is that there’s a simple mindset shift that helps a lot.

So let’s talk about it.

When You Put Yourself In a Spotlight, Doubt Appears

Sometimes I feel like I don’t live up to what I portray myself to be.

You might have a service to offer, a teaching studio, or some kind of product or program.

And from the outside it looks like you’ve got things figured out… but internally you might still be thinking Am I really the person who should be doing this?.

That’s the strange thing about the imposter syndrome, it often shows up precisely when you’re trying to build something.

When you step into a visible role, like teacher, coach, or business owner, you’re suddenly being looked at as an authority, which at times can feel uncomfortable.

You’re not alone dealing with this! The imposter syndrome affects a huge number of professionals across different industries and actually often appears in high-achieving individuals.

So if you feel it occasionally, you’re in good company. 🙂

The Classic Teaching Moment

My wife actually pointed this out the other day, she said it happens all the time in teaching.

You walk into a classroom and normally everything’s fine — students listen, the lesson flows, everyone’s learning.

But then there’s one of those days, when it seems that suddenly nobody is paying attention, the room is chaotic, nobody’s listening, and the progress of students is slower than you expected.

And you start thinking:

“What the hell am I doing?”
“How am I even a teacher?”

You’re standing in front of people expecting respect and focus, and suddenly you feel like you want to bury your head in the sand.

That experience isn’t rare and happens to almost every teacher at some point, often during challenging moments or after mistakes, especially when people take on new responsibilities.

Why Mistakes Trigger Imposter Syndrome

So an interesting thing is that the imposter syndrome often shows up right after a mistake.

Maybe you handled a lesson badly or tried something new and it didn’t work, or maybe you made a business decision that didn’t go well.

When you’re inside that moment, it feels huge and you start thinking How did I even get here?.

But three months later, you may look back at that same situation and think Yeah, I know how to handle that now.

Something that once felt overwhelming becomes another experience for you, and experience gradually reduces the imposter syndrome.

So the more scenarios you face, the more you realise you can handle them!

Experience turns problems into knowledge, and that’s how confidence actually grows… not from avoiding mistakes, but from learning through them.

The Simple Trick: Look Back at Where You Came From

One of the ways I deal with this feeling is actually very simple…

I ask myself Where did I come from?

Not in any philosophical sense, but purely practically.

If I look back at my life when I was 14 or 15 years old, I was a chemistry student messing around in class.

Imagine that version of me seeing what I’m doing now: teaching, building a business, helping people.

He’d probably think Wow, you’re quite a serious person now!

Maybe even a responsible one, and hopefully a confident one.

That’s a big time jump.

But you can do the same thing with shorter time jumps too, even just three months.

Think about where you were three months ago.

• What skills have you developed?

• How many students have you helped?

• What problems can you now solve more easily?

And you’ll see that progress becomes much clearer when you look backwards.

Give Yourself Credit

Sometimes the best thing you can do is simply recognise the progress you’ve already made.

Look at:

• The effort you’ve put in

• The students you’ve helped

• The skills you’ve built

• The challenges you’ve handled

It’s easy to focus on what went wrong today, but if you zoom out, you’ll often realise that you’ve actually improved a lot.

And that means you’re not an imposter at all, you’re just someone in the middle of your development.

FAQ

Is imposter syndrome common among teachers?

Yes. Many teachers experience it, especially early in their careers or when facing new challenges. Teaching requires authority, communication, and leadership, which can trigger self-doubt.

How do you overcome imposter syndrome as a teacher?

One helpful approach is to reflect on your progress over time. Looking back at where you started, even a few months ago, often shows how much you’ve improved.

Does imposter syndrome ever go away completely?

For many professionals it doesn’t disappear entirely, but it becomes easier to manage. Experience and confidence reduce how often it appears.

Can imposter syndrome actually be a good sign?

Sometimes yes. It often appears when you’re doing something meaningful, like teaching, building, helping people. In other words, when you’re pushing yourself to grow, take responsibility, or build something new.