Your Friendly Reminder About Imposter Syndrome ...

I was recently asked about whether or not I feel imposter syndrome running a social media page and a nonprofit, both of which are public facing. I explained that I absolutely can feel that way at times, but that there was a strong caveat to feeling like an imposter. It’s absolutely normal to feel that way. I think we all feel a little bit of that no matter what path we choose in life because many of us never feel like we are done learning or that there isn’t someone out there who may know more than us about what we are choosing to do. However, it isn’t okay to let those feelings stop you from doing the work that is important to you. When you feel like you’re working towards a purpose that makes you proud and you are doing something that you genuinely want to share to help people, I believe it is impossible to be an imposter. Therefore, though that fear is very natural and understandable, we have to acknowledge that it is irrational.

I believe that the people we are most afraid of seeing us fail (and we all know who they are) are often times the people who want us to the most. Personally, I would hate to let the hypothetical thoughts of people that don’t make me feel safe or supported impact any decisions I make in my life. The more I have learned about support and the idea of community, the more I have come to understand that the people who do the best are those who genuinely believe in other people who might be working towards similar goals. I think that our best chances of succeeding at what we love to do includes aligning ourselves with people who are on similar paths. That means embracing the fact that there may be a million other people trying to make their mark on an industry the same way that you are, but not making the mistake of thinking that you have to pit yourself against them in order to be successful.

In the age of media that we live in now, it’s almost impossible not to come across likeminded people. Their accounts, products and services are literally fed to us by our user habits and algorithms. You can either choose to embrace those people, learn from them, be inspired by them and root for them, or you spend your time comparing what they’re doing to what you’re doing and convincing yourself that there is such a thing as a right way or a wrong way to do it. The minute you start comparing yourself to others, you’re turning yourself into the very people that I talked about earlier; the ones who shouldn’t be paid attention to. I promise you, the person you’re resenting for taking up space where you’d like to be isn’t paying any attention to you. All comparison does is rob you of the ability to be inspired because you’re no longer including yourself in the collective purpose, you’re trying to find the ways that you’re different and why you think that you “should” be more successful. The problem with that is you’re spending all your time focused on what someone else is doing which leaves very little time to chase your own dreams and put in the work that is required to bring them to fruition.

I’ve said this so many times, I know, but I never get tired of reminding myself that though there may be a million people already out there doing what you’re trying to do, there is still a space for you! No one can monopolize your life experience. If you’ve been through something, anything, you get to do what you want with the motivation and purpose you have gained from it. Literally no one can take that away from you but yourself. Even if you are saying the exact same thing someone else might be saying at that moment in time, just by you being the person who is saying it, you are going to reach a different group of people. Not only that, but those people may be able to receive it better from you than they could someone else they identify with less. So long as you’re staying true to who you are and true to the purpose that inspires you, you can’t possibly hold the same space as someone else because they’re not you.

So much of our behaviors that we take on, especially through absorbing what we see on social media, have a lot to do with wanting to identify with the people who are putting themselves out there. For example, maybe you follow a trainer or a chef… there’s probably millions of accounts that focus on the same practices, but for whatever reason, the person you chose to follow appealed to you because something about them, their smile, their voice, their personality, even their mannerisms spoke to you and you wanted to identify with and emulate them.

To me, the more people out there trying to serve others and live with purpose and meaning in their work, the better. It is plain and simple. I think it’s getting easier and easier to tell who is being authentic and who isn’t and there is a shift that is happening where people are wanting to identify and connect with those that they feel are like them or represent who they’d like to become. So while imposter syndrome is something that can creep in from time to time, I keep a little note on my desktop that reminds me that as long as I am doing something that I genuinely care about, it is impossible to be an imposter. I know with 100% certainty that there are people out there in the world who want to identify with me and my story and staying true to myself is also staying accountable to them.