Imposter Syndrome:
• Doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. • Finding it difficult to accept your accomplishments. • Questioning whether you’re deserving of accolades.
It comes in many forms.
Not taking on a certain project or job. Avoiding reaching out to a person who intimidates you. Feeling fear and anxiety about not being worthy.
If any of these things paralyze or debilitate you from taking action, that’s not good…obviously.
But one thing I’ve realized about myself in the past year is something rather counterintuitive:
I don’t ever want these doubtful feelings to go away.
Of course, I don’t ever want these doubtful feelings to keep me from doing the things I want to do. But I’m okay with their existence.
These thoughts:
• Can I really do this? • Do I deserve people’s money? • Am I actually able to make a prosperous career for myself?
They don’t keep me under the covers. They fire me up to get out my ass out of bed each morning and say, “Fuck yeah. I can do all these things. Let me prove it.”
Courageous and fearless are not the same thing. Being courageous is taking action despite feeling afraid.
I’m afraid almost every day. And I like it.
It makes me work hard. It makes me take action to be less fearful. It helps me connect with other people who are scared too.
So long as this remains true, I welcome my Imposter Syndrome with open arms.
Being fearless is overrated. Be courageous instead.