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Today I want to take a look at 'Impostor Syndrome' from a different angle. 'Impostor Syndrome' is spoken abou...
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I had this issue for really long. Literally everything i did. Why I'm so bad at game even after thousands of hours, why i can't solve it fast enough, why it's hard only for me and so on. Causing me depression, low self-esteem or what ever you have.
I still have this issue partially, but i learned to accept who I'm and i can be even better if I learn, adapt and accept.
Good write.
Glad to hear you're coming out the other side! Yes, the ego is a double-edged sword: sometimes it is the best thing you can have, sometimes it is the worst. The key is knowing when to embrace your self-confidence and when to put that aside to prioritise learning from a place of humility.
Really interesting post. In some ways this seems like a very similar message to the one that Hiro Nishimura plans to talk about at this upcoming virtual meetup cfe.dev/events/power-of-yes/ - basically that saying yes to things you don't feel fully ready for can help you handle imposter syndrome - similar to how you say to change your mindset and look at opportunities for growth rather than deficiencies.
Really interesting! Honestly there are so many ways you can combine ideas on this, since it is actually very complex. Overall, I'd say having a 'growth mindset' helps in a lot of areas. The standard advice I outline early on ("We all feel this way sometimes", etc.) is extremely useful in normalising the emotions and feelings of inadequacy, however I just feel there is always a next step missing from that advice. OK, we all feel that way. Now what? How do we make ourselves feel better? To me, the only way is to accept that you still have a lot to learn and get on with doing it. Reflection and acceptance are good, but there needs to be a next step!
"If you adopt this attitude and learn to approach work and life from a position of "What can I learn from this?" rather than "How can I prove myself?", then Impostor Syndrome becomes irrelevant."
Treating imposter by just switching the context before the question mark. So cool. Pure gold, thank you :)!
The alternative, which absolutely nobody wants to talk about, is that you're actually the impostor you fear you are.
I say this because when anyone brings the topic up, people start trying to help by telling them they're really smart/capable/whatever. 99% of the time, these are people genuinely trying to be helpful - but who don't even know the person in question.
Exactly! That's why this approach works better for me, at least. With my approach, even if you are "the impostor" then it's fine, because it just means you have more to learn. It's the same approach I take to people disliking me: rather than trying to fight to deny that people dislike you, just say "yeah OK they don't like me. Now what?". It's forward looking rather than backward facing.
Thanks for writing this. I've been pushing back on "imposter syndrome" for a long time. I don't think it is useful for us to explain away uncomfortable feelings of "being an imposter". Our feelings can give us useful signals on what we should improve upon.
Whenever I feel like an imposter, it is a sign that I need to beef up on the fundamentals of a new topic. And that I need to get over myself.
Yooo what a great post!
I really never saw it this way before but it makes total sense.
I was reminded of this book by Ryan Holiday while reading this article.
The "learning mindset" you mentioned is truly a great antidote for that syndrome, that and also giving value to others instead of trying to "prove something" works for me, like I wrote before.
Good post one strategy that worked for me was just building projects and getting good at it. I have grown a lot lately. A few months back I had to google and seek help from developers when I got stuck on complex problems. Now I can just work on through it and if I get stuck I can usually debug it on my own.
Excellent!!!
Your article give me another perspective on impostor syndrome. Thanks for share.
Nice point of view Anna! Didn’t think about how ego and impostor syndrome are correlated.
Interesting perspective!, never saw it this way.
I respect your thoughts here, not share them though.
Thank you Anna
Instupendo!
I like your take a lot. As someone in recovery for alcohol addiction the whole concept of ego is one I’m quite familiar with. I’m almost embarrassed I never thought of it like this!😅🤷🏻♂️
Thank you for you encouraging post.
In the same idea, I don't think flagellate ourself makes you a better person...
"expect yourself to learn something to become the best you can be in future" Thanks for sharing Anna