Embrace Imposter Syndrome
You’ve probably heard of imposter syndrome. Perhaps you’ve even felt it yourself. People often want to avoid this feeling, but according to Arthur C. Brooks sometimes imposter syndrome can be a good thing. In a short video, he says that if you’re a normal person, it is natural to feel that perhaps you don’t deserve the success you have because you see the whole picture. Outside observers often only see your strengths and successes, but you also see your weaknesses and failures. This might lead you to wonder whether you really deserve what you have and whether you’re really capable.
Brooks suggests that if you’re successful and don’t feel some degree of imposter syndrome, then you might have something called the “dark triad.” He says, “Dark triads, in business or in personal life, are people who are above average in three characteristics—narcissism, it's all about me; Machiavellianism, I'm willing to do what it takes, including hurting you to get my way; and psychopathy, to be psychopathic, which is to say, I'm going to hurt you and feel no remorse.”
So how can we healthily engage with imposter syndrome? “Lean into the imposter syndrome without giving in to it,” Brooks says. “The answer is to understand it, keep up to date with it, and keep trying to get better at the things that you're not good at yet. This is an opportunity. It's for growth, for becoming the person that you truly want to be. If you feel imposter syndrome, that's great. That means all kinds of good things about you. But don't miss the opportunity.”
Know that your negativity bias might lead you to focus more on the gaps in your abilities and performance than on what is going well. This doesn’t have to be bad. You can view your feelings of being an imposter as a signal about where to focus next and as a sign that you are only human.
This week, I invite you to ask yourself:
Where in my life do I feel like an imposter? Could it be ok to feel this way? What gaps in my performance and abilities does this feeling point me toward? What are the next small steps that I could take to improve in these areas?
God bless,
Dan
