Why Am I Not Good Enough?
Do you ever feel like you’re not good enough? You doubt yourself, don’t trust yourself, are always comparing yourself to others, and you’ve got that little voice inside you constantly questioning your worth, and asking “why am I not good enough”? Good news; you’re not alone! At some point, everyone feels this way. In fact, up to 82% of people experience these types of feelings. Keep reading and you’ll find out why we get these feelings, and how we can greatly reduce them.
In this BIT: Do you ever ask yourself, “why am I not good enough”? We explore imposter syndrome and how to move past it.
Credit: Vogue
Why do we get these feelings? Often, they can stem from our own insecurities, or surrounding pressures for success and achievement. This can include sports, school, extracurriculars, social media, as well as how we think our friends and peers perceive us. But remember, you are not alone! In fact, according to WebMD, there’s a long list of celebrities and successful people who have felt this way. This list includes Jennifer Lopez, Serena Williams, Emma Watson, and even Albert Einstein. Feeling like you’re not good enough or a ‘fake’, is not an indicator of your success!
What’s more, these feelings often haunt us even after we are repeatedly successful. Does this sound familiar? For instance, do you ever take a test and you think you have failed? Then for days you feel sad, stressed, and disappointed in yourself only to get the test back and find out you did excellent? Then, come the next test you still have those anxious feelings, even if you have been doing really well time and time again? Or perhaps, before every basketball game, you’re sure that you are going to lose, only to do really well? Maybe you’re worried that your friends don’t truly like you, even after being invited to hangout with them all the time?
If these feelings sound familiar, read about how to get past them!
Accept and Grow: Nobody is perfect. Sometimes we can perform better than at other times. Try to learn from your weaknesses, accept the results, and try better next time.
Fake It Till You Make It: Are you familiar with the saying “fake it till you make it”? Despite that it is something that we often hear, many of us never give it much thought. Let’s break it down. “Fake it till you make it” means that even if you don’t feel confident in doing something or knowing something you must not give up. Instead, keep going and working on it until you truly feel confident in it and you “make it”.
Another similar saying is “practice makes perfect”. The more you do something, the better you become. If you give up as soon as you realize you’re not great at doing something, you will never become great! However, if you keep trying, you will improve. The next time you feel not good enough, or as though you’ll never be good at something, remember these two sayings, and the deeper meaning they hold.
Feelings vs Reality: Separate how you feel from what is really going on. We know, this is definitely easier said than done. The next time you start feeling bad about yourself, or like you’re’ just not good enough, keep in mind that these are just feelings. Feelings are not reality, and we can overcome them! Additionally, don’t forget all the ultra-successful athletes, actors, artists, and scientists who have felt the same way as you.
We hope that you feel less alone, and realize that everyone feels like they’re faking it sometimes. Additionally, we hope our hacks for reducing these feelings help you, and give you a small bit of happiness.
For more happiness check out our Mood Boost page.
Featuring quick videos created for teens by teens.
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Do you have imposter syndrome and constantly questions whether you are good enough? In this post, learn all about imposter syndrome and how to move past it.
