How to Stop Worrying About Losing Your Job - The Muse

How to Stop Worrying About Losing Your Job - The MuseHow to Stop Worrying About Losing Your Job A lot of thoughts tend to go through your head when youre worried that youre not good enough for your job. You might be convinced that your boss asked to see your most recent project again because shes finally figured out that youre terrible. Or maybe you wake up with the sinking feeling that you werent invited to happy hour last night because your smarter colleagues wanted to talk about how dumb you are. There are plenty more, of course. But as a card-carrying member of the Impostor Syndrome Forever Club, I can tell you theres one humongous lie that the majority of club members believe on a regular basis. And because its often really hard for people to put it into words, Ill do it for you.Im one mistake away from losing my job.Youd have an incredibly hard time finding someone whos never made a mistake at work. But while some people are good at moving on and focusing on the next thing, you and I often cant shake this sinking feeling without assuming the worst. Personally, Ive lost count of the number of times I made an administrative mistake and figured that it wouldnt be long before someone from HR came down to my desk and politely asked me to never show my face around the office again. But the good news is that unless someone has come to you and explicitly said that youre on thin ice, most people understand (and accept) that even the smartest people slip up. And that also applies to you. You might be thinking, Rich, this sounds great, but Im still pretty sure that if my next email to my boss doesnt have flawless grammar, shes going to send me packing. And trust me, I had that thought at least 25 times as I wrote this article, so I get where youre coming from.But like most instances in which you feel insufficient for your job, putting yourself at ease is often as simple as asking for additional feedback on whatevers worrying you. Heres how it works Find someone you trust and ask for their honest take. In this case, you might ask a co-worker to read over the email before you send it in others, maybe you ask a small group to hear a trial run of your presentation, or to give you input after a meeting you led. You might not love everything you hear- but take it from me, a little constructive feedback can help you move forward because youll have the knowledge you need to tackle any real issues. (And if asking for honestys making you nervous, try this feedback trick.)Plus, youll find out how your colleagues feel about you and your work- and often times, thats a quick fix for imposter syndrome. After all, half the battle is fighting back thoughts that everyone thinks poorly of you. So if youre currently stuck in this one slip-up and Im out mindset, you need to memorize this sentence (and keep saying it until you believe it) Smart people make mistakes, too- and they also know when to ask for help.