My Truths About Impostor Syndrome: A Bullet List

May 14, 2017

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My compiled truths (to date) about Impostor Syndrome, a bullet list, from a few decades of wandering around in the world, and talking to lots of people who have been around even longer:

Impostor syndrome is a result of assuming what we see is the truth.
It’s not the truth.
Even if people don’t doubt themselves, no one knows everything. Most of us are learning on the fly. It’s normal.
Anyone who says they know everything there is to know about something is an ignorant fool.
Anyone who says they know all they need to know is done growing in that area.
That’s because there is always something more to learn or discover.
Which means we all are, to some extent, making it up as we go along, assuming we’re always being asked or trying something new or different or difficult.
Oh, and the fear that we’re inadequate and impostors is a great marketing hook.
Really, Impostor’s Syndrome is just self-awareness and the ability to see where we could improve meeting a capitalist society that is fueled and sustained by a cultural standard of perfection that relies on keeping us doubting ourselves by teaching us that we’re not good enough until we know everything.
We will never know everything, so we’ll always need to buy something from them. It’s brilliant in a screwed up way.
Now that you know it, you can work on ignoring it.
Besides, what you know isn’t half as important when it comes to being successful and happy as being willing to learn is.
Those people who are curious and trying something a little beyond their usual limits are the true bad asses. They are the ones who grow and eventually get to do really cool stuff.
Cool to them, and cool to you, someday.
I don’t mean cool as in ground breaking and new and worth making a movie about. Just something you think is cool, something you want to be able to do.
It doesn’t even matter if someone else can do this thing. That other person did it for the first time once too, but not being first doesn’t disqualify it from being significant to us.
It’s not a competition or comparison.
Besides, we all can find reasons why what we did doesn’t count as valid, and if we can’t, someone else can.
It still counts. IT STILL COUNTS. If it made you happy IT COUNTS.
And anybody who say it doesn’t count are insecure assholes who need to tear others down so they can feel special.
The same goes for anyone who says being proud of a new accomplishment is a bad thing.
It’s GOOD to be proud of what you did.
IT’S NOT A COMPETITION.
That kind of competition hinders growth and limits our life.
Fuck that kind of competition. Just try to do a bit better than yourself once in a while.
Or don’t. Just do something that makes you happy, try new things you think sound interesting.
Even if you want to be good at what you do, it takes baby steps.
It’s okay to be proud of baby steps. Ask a parent; it’s healthy.
I know, we’re taught to not be proud of ourselves, right?
But being proud of ourselves is the feedback our brain needs to take the next step forward.
So being proud of what you did, just because it was something new to you is how you feel that pull to do that thing more.
This is how you get better.
And yes, I KNOW, there are assholes everywhere who will roll their eyes at newbies.
Ignore them. They are assholes, and even if they tear you down, it doesn’t have to stop you. It just means they are bigger assholes.
That’s because anyone worth dealing with remembers what being new is like and will encourage you to keep going, keep working, keep growing.
Especially encourage you to keep going and improving and growing.
Those people know that it’s not those who know the most that are happiest, that contribute the most, that make the biggest difference, but those who love it the most.
Those people, they never quit, and drag others into it who will also love it.
Anyone who says those people are bad for something long term probably needs their ego fed through some illusion of being special and elite.
If you’re legitimately elite, no amount of new people will change that or threaten real skill and mastery.
Besides, life is too short for worrying about that shit.
Do what you love, and love what you do, and if you want to get better, work to be better than you were yesterday because it makes you happy to see your growth.
Screw anyone who tells you to do differently.
And yeah, Impostor Syndrome takes some time to shake, but it’s possible once you realize that you’re comparing yourself against someone who is imaginarily perfect.
Seriously. We’re all learning and no one knows everything and anyone who says differently doesn’t really know what they are talking about.
Rinse, and repeat from the start until you don’t need to anymore.

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Header image: Photo of some of our chickens (including the infamous Pepper) coming to visit me and check out why I opened their coop door. Be like the chickens. Be curious, and don’t let fear of not being good enough hold you back from checking new things out.

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