49. I Am a Total Fraud - Exposing Imposter Syndrome

Hello Teacher Brain,

Do you ever worry that  someone is going to discover that you don’t really know what you’re doing? That you’ll be found out or exposed as a fraud? That you’ve been pulling the wool over everyone's eyes, and that any minute someone is going to out you for the con artist that you are?

Are you ever anxious about saying or doing the wrong thing because then everyone will find out that you actually aren’t that smart, or you aren’t good enough, or you don’t really deserve that job, or award, or responsibility, or attention, or praise? 

 If this is ringing true with you,  you are definitely not alone.

AND, there is actually even a name for this condition. It’s called “Imposter Syndrome.”

Imposter Syndrome is essentially when you attribute your successes or accomplishments in life to some external factor or factors - like chance or luck, connections that you have, possibly even your physical appearance, or really anything else that’s not your own talent or drive or intelligence or work ethic. 

And you decide that that success is highly unlikely to be repeated, since it is attributed to a rare lucky break - one that comes along less often than the ice cream truck in winter.

Everyone experiences self-doubt from time to time — especially when they’re trying something new.  It’s also possible to doubt your abilities without believing that you ultimately succeeded because of some sleight of hand or that you are fooling others. 

A person could have normal jitters before, say getting up to give their first speech, do well, and then draw from this experience to feel more confident about the next time.

But impostors don’t think this way. Because “impostors” have insanely high self-expectations, the self-doubt is chronic. No matter how well they did, or how loud the applause, they find a way to explain them away.

Would you be surprised to learn that Maya Angelou experienced Imposter Syndrome? She was once quoted as saying, “I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out”, Albert Einstein described himself as an “involuntary swindler, whose work didn’t deserve as much attention as it had received.” Mozart, David Bowie, Howard Schultz (the Starbucks guy), Tina Fey, Sonia Sotomayor, Tom Hanks - all experience(d) Imposterism.

Today we talk about where Imposter Syndrome comes from, what it results in, how to recognize Imposter Syndrome in yourself, and how to overcome it.

Because, the truth is that you are 100% worthy and deserving of all the success, no matter how easily or quickly they came, or how much support you rallied to achieve them, and no matter how loudly your brain is telling you you aren’t!

Thank you for joining me today! I love that you're here.   Let's dive in!

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