Imposter Syndrome

Do you suffer from Imposter Syndrome?

Chances are, you probably are one.

'Imposter syndrome' is the feeling of doubt surrounding one's achievements, skills and talents.

It's an internalised fear that we're not who we claim to be; a sense of guilt that we're lying to the people around us.

After all, who are we to give our opinion?

Who are we to claim we're good at something?

Who are we to grant ourselves permission to start?

We're imposters, right?

For a large part of my life, I suffered from imposter syndrome.

There were times I didn't speak up because I didn't think I'd be adding anything new.

I hesitated to publish my first blog because I was afraid to stake my claim at being a writer.

I held off from creating videos because, what right did I have being a Youtuber?

"I feel like an imposter often. That's because my best work involves doing things I've never done before." - Seth Godin

With time, I learnt to dance with the fear of being an imposter, to accept it.

The truth is, it isn't normal to be arrogant over a title you've granted yourself.

It isn't normal to be disproportionally confident in your abilities.

It isn't normal to feel entitled to new spaces.

Imposter syndrome is a sign that you're a "well-adjusted human".

Often, it appears when you're doing something that hasn’t been done before.

You feel like an imposter because you don’t belong there, because nobody belongs there.

With no clear path, no guarantee and no manual, imposter syndrome is a sign that you're innovating.

It's a sign that you're not just following those who came before you.

A sign that you're working towards a future that's not quite here yet.

A sign that you've earned the right to a new space, because you're the one creating it.

So if you feel like an imposter, you very well might be.