"Imposter syndrome is real when it comes embrace it, we are all imposters lean into the possibility"
- Seth Godin
I'll start off where the idea from this post came from. It was from Seth Godin on Whitney Johnson's Podcast Disrupt yourself #303
You know that feeling when you start something new. Then that monstrous shadow of doubt and fear and maybe even a bit of panic starts to settle in.
It could be you are starting something new, typically out of your comfort zone something unfamiliar.
It could be starting a blog, a new job, a new position with some new responsibilities, starting a sport, you name it there are thousands of possible things you could be trying.
So when the panic and fear start to set in and the initial voice in your head is telling you, "STOP, you can't do this, you're not smart enough, you haven't learned enough, you're broke." and the entire laundry list of things that can prevent you from moving forward.
The feeling is enough to make you curl up into the fetal position and go back to what you were doing before.
But every creator, every person who makes progress at one point or another has to embrace that feeling. I've found in any creative endeavor most people have built on the success of others.
The most important part of differentiating yourself from being a real fraud and embracing imposter syndrome is to make the idea yours.
Approach it from your point of view. I think the authenticity of your insights plays a big part in making it different and unique and helping you realize that whatever your new adventure is it's to embrace the fear and make it your own.
There are a number of successful people who have struggled with it
Tom Hanks -
"No matter what we've done, there comes a point where you think, 'How did I get here? When are they going to discover that I am, in fact, a fraud and take everything away from me?' "
Sheryl Sandberg COO of Facebook
“And every time I didn't embarrass myself—or even excelled—I believed that I had fooled everyone yet again. One day soon, the jig would be up.”
Awkwafina -
“When you see so many people gunning for the same thing, waiting for their break despite how talented they are. It really makes you think, why me? Why not this other person, when she could’ve done better?” (1)
Like Seth Godin said it's more important to embrace it and the possibilities that exist with it.
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