3-7 The Value of Feeling Like an Imposter

The imposter syndrome is that feeling that you’re not as good or as talented as the other people around you. It’s actually a very common feeling, especially if you’re venturing into a new or different area. Often, feeling like an imposter makes you afraid that you won’t be able to succeed at whatever tasks lay before you. After all, you think, if everyone around you is somehow more talented or knowledgeable, what chance do you have to succeed? These feelings can make the tasks ahead of you seem even more formidable and difficult. Your mind tells you, you only got to where you are because of good luck, and you suspect that good luck might not be enough to continue to propel yourself forward to success. Psychologists often say that feeling like an imposter is a bad thing, and you should just stop feeling like that. But here’s an important point. Doubting yourself isn’t always bad. It can keep you more open and flexible to seeing and doing what you need to do to succeed. And in fact, people who are open to self doubt tend to be more successful in the long run. Why is this? As it turns out, people can tend to fail, not so much from under confidence, but from overconfidence. History is filled with the stories of business executives, generals, and politicians who only listen to others when they reinforce their own convictions. These leaders then steer with blithe abandon towards disaster. Doubt, of course, can be overdone, but it can also be undervalued. In fact, if you’re full of doubt, that means you have a mindset that leaves you more open to what’s going on around you. It can spur you on to try harder, and as we know in this course, it’s persistence and flexibility that can be what matters most in the long run, not genius. It’s natural that most of us except, perhaps, the most brash and narcissistic can fall occasional pray to feeling like an imposter. Accepting that these feelings are normal and re-framing them to our advantage forms a healthy way to move forward.