I was sitting here trying to come up with a new essay, so I went to Twitter to see what others are writing about.

And the other essays I see are good. Really good.

Which made me feel not good. Really not good.

"I can't compete!", I thought.

This made me think about imposter syndrome.

What is Imposter syndrome?

According to Wikipedia:

Impostor syndrome, also known as impostor phenomenon or impostorism, is a psychological occurrence in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.

Ever feel that way? So did Albert Einstein.

He is reported as saying:

“The exaggerated esteem in which my lifework is held makes me very ill at ease. I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler”.

Even Einstein, one of the most intelligent and important people in history, considered himself a swindler!

Why do we feel like imposters?

We all have certain skills. But we believe that everyone else also has the same skills. Our worldview has us trapped into thinking that everyone else knows what we know, and knows how to do what we do - but better.

Meanwhile, there are people all over the spectrum. Some people are ahead of us with certain skills. Some people are behind us. Most people don’t have any of the skills that we have. And zero people have the skills that we have with our unique perspective.

Preventing imposter syndrome

The best way to prevent imposter syndrome is to talk to others about it. It can be reassuring to know that others also feel the same way.

And once you understand this syndrome, and realize everyone has these feelings, you can go back and review your positive feedback.

You got that positive feedback for a reason.

Because you are competent!