Do you often feel that you're not good enough? That you're not working hard enough? You're not alone. Even many top executives are "insecure overachievers:" They feel that they're a fraud and that people are eventually going to see through them.
Here's an article from BBC Capital about the phenomenon of "insecure overachievers." "‘Insecure overachievers’ are exceptionally capable and fiercely ambitious, but driven by a profound belief in their own inadequacy." It typically stems from childhood adversity and/or the childhood belief that they were valued only when they excelled.
And this insecurity is perpetuated by employers: "by combining internal competition with a lack of transparency: you know you are being directly measured against your colleagues and the reward at the end of the year depends on your evaluation in relation to those others. But you don’t know how well they are doing – you can just see them “working super hard.” The result? "You set yourself incredibly high standards in the hope that you win out."
The article goes on to suggest that, because this insecurity is rooted in childhood, there's little we can do about it. It suggests that we recognize our triggers and raise our "psychological defences," define success in our own terms, and recognize and celebrate our achievements. Too often we discount our successes.
Do you believe that we can't change our belief that we're not good enough? How do you help your clients overcome insecurity about their achievements?