5 Ways You May Be Experiencing Imposter Syndrome in Your Life.
In the Emmy Award-winning series Mad Men, Don Draper is the epitome of success in the advertising world. With his striking good looks, effortless charm, and a string of brilliant ad campaigns, Don is a man at the top of his game—at least on the surface. Beneath the sleek exterior, however, Don is plagued by self-doubt, insecurity, and a constant fear of being exposed as a fraud. His internal struggles with identity and self-worth capture the essence of imposter syndrome, something that many people experience in real life.
Much like Don, those struggling with imposter syndrome may feel trapped by their own success, haunted by the fear that they don’t truly deserve their achievements. Using Don Draper as a metaphorical guide, let’s unpack how imposter syndrome can manifest and help you recognize if you, too, are grappling with these feelings.
5 Ways Imposter Syndrome May Show Up in Your Life
Are you hiding who you really are?
1. You Feel Like You’re Wearing a Mask.
One of the most defining characteristics of imposter syndrome is the sense that you’re living a lie. You present a polished, capable version of yourself to the world, but underneath it all, you fear that your true self—flawed and vulnerable—will be discovered. No character embodies this more than Don Draper. Despite his success as a high-powered ad executive, he constantly fears that the truth about his past will come to light, unravelling everything he’s built.
Ask yourself: Do you feel like you’re "masking" your true self out of fear of rejection or being discovered as a fraud? Do you spend so much time curating your external image that it leaves you feeling exhausted? This mask may keep you from being your true authentic self. While your constant performance takes an emotional, mental and physical toll.
2. You Attribute Success to Luck, Not Talent.
Don Draper receives accolades, awards, and praise from the marketing world, yet he privately doubts that he deserves any of it. He struggles to internalize his success, attributing it not to his talent or hard work, but to being in the right place at the right time. This is a classic symptom of imposter syndrome—believing that your achievements are due to luck, connections, or other external factors, rather than your own abilities.
Ask yourself: When you reflect on your own accomplishments, do you chalk them up to luck or coincidence? Do you minimize your role in your own success, telling yourself, "Anyone could have done it"? If so, it’s worth questioning why you’re so quick to disqualify your own abilities.
3. You Hold Yourself to Unattainable Standards.
In Mad Men, Don is a perfectionist to his core. Whether it’s creating the perfect ad campaign or maintaining his flawless image, he’s his own harshest critic. Even the smallest mistake feels like a monumental failure to him. This "all-or-nothing" thinking is another hallmark of imposter syndrome, where the fear of failure looms so large that it leads to procrastination or self-sabotage. If it’s not perfect, it feels like it’s not worth doing.
Ask yourself: Do you set impossibly high standards for yourself? Are you so focused on avoiding mistakes that it paralyzes you from acting? Perfectionism doesn’t just stifle personal growth; it also skews your perception, causing you to filter out your successes and fixate on your shortcomings.
4. You’re Uncomfortable with Praise.
Despite his accomplishments, Don Draper is visibly uncomfortable when praised. He brushes off compliments as if they’re undeserved, another sign that imposter syndrome is at play. If you find yourself cringing when someone acknowledges your hard work or success, or you feel the need to deflect praise with statements like, "It wasn’t a big deal," or "I just got lucky," you may be struggling to see your worth.
Ask yourself: Do you downplay your achievements or struggle to simply say "thank you" when someone offers you a compliment? If you find praise uncomfortable, it’s likely because deep down, you don’t feel you deserve it.
5. You Live in Constant Fear of Being "Found Out."
Over the course of Mad Men, Don’s biggest fear is that the truth about his past will be revealed—that people will find out he’s not the person he pretends to be. He believes that once everything comes to light, he’ll lose everything he’s worked for. Similarly, individuals with imposter syndrome live in fear of being "found out"—that at any moment, someone will uncover the truth, and their entire life will fall apart.
Ask yourself: Do you feel like you’ve fooled everyone into thinking you’re more capable than you are? Does the fear of being exposed as a fraud keep you from fully embracing your success or taking on new challenges?
BREAK FREE FROM THE DON DRAPER DRAMA
It’s important to recognize that feeling like an imposter does not make it true. While Don Draper and the Mad Men series is entertaining, his story highlights common signs of imposter syndrome.
Identifying the signs in your life – wearing a mask, disqualifying the positive, fear of exposure, will help you move forward by challenging the beliefs that keep you stuck in the cycle. Unlike Don Draper, you can choose to be authentic. Give yourself permission to trust your abilities while internalizing your successes.
Ready to Unmask and Step into Your Authentic Self?
Have you ever felt like Don Draper—constantly on edge, living in fear that people will discover the "real" you? It doesn’t have to be this way. Let’s talk about how you can work through imposter syndrome.
Which one of these 5 points did you connect with most? Contact me today to explore how we can work together to help you step into your full potential.
