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Lets allow wikipedia to clearly explain what impostor syndrome is for all of you guys who asked me on Instagram:
is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud”. Despite external evidence of their competence, those experiencing this phenomenon remain convinced that they are frauds, and do not deserve all they have achieved. Individuals with impostorism incorrectly attribute their success to luck, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent than they perceive themselves to be. While early research focused on the prevalence among high-achieving women, impostor syndrome has been recognized to affect both men and women equally.”
wikipedia ❤
So, if you have ever felt anxiety and fear around something you are doing or achieving and you feel like you are not really prepared or you will for sure fail and you are scared everybody will realize how much of a “failure” you actually are…
Well that my friend is what impostor syndrome is.
As wikipedia mentions its research has been focused on high achieving women, because of our culture women have proven to have an incredibly higher tendency to doubt themselves and their capabilities.
But Im here to acknowledge and direct this message to all outstanding humans who have experienced it, regardless of their gender, what I found is that the real common denominator is not gender but bold ambitious risk taking talented people.
So if you are at that moment of fear and anxiety around the risks you are taking and how you are putting yourself “out there” for the world to see and judge your work, let me tell you you are among the most talented highest performers in history, including: Barak Obama, Sheryl Sandberg, Mark Zurkerberg, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and the list goes on and on with all the famous succesfu people you have heard of. They all have mentioned how often they have felt and still feel sometimes as “impostors”. But the truth is that it is a feeling that comes up everytime people are doing something bold.
So if you haven’t felt it I am here to encourage you to push yourself a bit further, answering this question and taking action on your answer:
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
Think deeply what is holding you back from doing what you want to, what you dream of, what you even laugh at yourself about, what is it that holding you back? is it fear? fear of what?
Do you want the easiest way to kill fear?
Write down: what is the worst thing that I fear could happen if I do this…
Would you be able to handle those worst case scenarios?
Then you will realize if it is worth taking the risk or if it is better to live with the regret of never having tried.
Please share with me your experiences and thoughts on this subject.
Read you soon!
Alex – The yogi coder
The Yogi Coder 