Chances are, you too, have felt like a fraud at some point in your life…
after all, who are we to share our limited knowledge with the world?
who are we to give our opinions?
We may feel our “stolen ideas” aren’t worthy of anyone’s time…
well, the fact is some of our ideas which we feel we may have stolen from books, the internet and other people even may be revolutionary to others, and this is where “the curse of knowledge” as Derek sivers puts it in his book “Hell yeah or No”(p.s- a great read ) comes into play, he states that once we truly know something, it is no longer interesting to us and our minds are tricked into thinking that it is quite surely obvious and not worth sharing with others. Our personalities, thoughts and knowledge as a whole are concoctions of what we have learnt overtime, and almost everything in this world is stolen, all we must do is learn to steal like artists.
‘Imposter Syndrome’ is the feeling of doubt surrounding one's achievements, skills and talents.
It's an internalised fear that we aren't who we claim to be; a sense of guilt that we're lying to the people around us.
It isn't normal to feel entitled to new spaces.
With no clear path, no guarantee and no manual, imposter syndrome is a sign that you're innovating.
We shouldn’t be resistant to feeling like imposters, it is a feeling we must embrace and learn to live with.
At the end of the day, what do we have to lose…
This is where the “spotlight effect” comes into play,
It is an idea that is embedded into most of our heads that there is a spotlight that is always present on us and that everyone is always focused on what we are doing and any error we make would lead to them judging us, this is very untruthful and leads to massive resistance toward achieving our goals.
Imposter feelings are shockingly common, it is estimated 7 in 10 people have experienced them.
If you Fake It ‘til You Make It then you aren’t an imposter, you’re an original.
‘‘I feel like an imposter often. That’s because my best work involves doing things I’ve never done before.” — Seth Godin
🔗 The Weekly Link-Up
Links to things I’ve enjoyed this week and think you might enjoy too:
📖 Must Reads
“steal like an artist” by Austin Kleon
“Hell yeah or No” by Derek Sivers
Nicely written! I’m your grandpa’s medical school classmate living in the US. What prompted you to write this article in the first place?