Happy Monday!
Impostor syndrome is far more common than you think. As Mike Cannon-Brookes, billionaire CEO of Atlassian said…
“Imposter syndrome doesn’t go away with any form of success.”
We think that once we reach a certain level of success—whether it’s building a profitable business, becoming a millionaire, or getting promoted—impostor feelings will vanish.
But instead we enter a new level of play, feeling ill-equipped.
You are ill-equipped, but so is everyone else. And that’s unavoidable.
If you were doing something that had no challenging aspects to it. Something you’ve done before. Nothing to figure out. Nothing to learn. No new skills needed…
Then you probably wouldn’t feel impostor syndrome at all.
For example, I don’t feel impostor syndrome when I talk to someone about email marketing or how to build online courses. I’ve done it for a decade.
But this Saturday when I run my first mountain marathon (I’ve only ever done a 21km Spartan race, years ago), you bet I’ll be at that start line thinking, “I shouldn’t be here. This is not me.”
Everyone is winging it to some extent. Even the ultra-successful. No one has perfect information. No one has the perfect skillset. There are always gaps, doubts, fears, unknowns.
But no one really talks about their impostor syndrome—especially not the successful—so it’s easy to assume that they don’t have it.
Impostor syndrome is a sign that you’re on the right path
A reframe that’s been helpful for me:
If I’m not feeling impostor syndrome, the game I’m playing is probably too small or I’m not growing.
If you never feel impostor syndrome, you’re either one of the lucky people who just don’t feel it…
Or you’re simply playing in an arena you already know well.
Which is fine. You can do what you want.
But if you’re challenge-oriented—which a lot of people reading this newsletter are—you already know that staying in the arena you know for too long leads to stagnation, lack of fulfillment, and low mental/emotional energy.
And if that’s you, then going long periods without feeling any form of impostor syndrome should scare you. Because you’re staying in the comfort zone. Holding back. Playing the easy game.
Is it impostor syndrome, or is it true?
The dark side of impostor syndrome is its propensity to cause paralysis and inaction by excessively exaggerating the truth.
Going back to the mountain marathon example: I feel impostor syndrome. I’ve felt it the past few weeks leading up to the event.
The truth: I’m underprepared mentally and physically. I could have trained more. I’ve never done something this challenging. I could have dropped a few kgs too.
But rampant impostor syndrome transforms these truths into lies: I’m not prepared at all mentally and physically (a lie, I have been training hard for months). This is too challenging (how can I tell myself that when I haven’t attempted it yet?)
You must separate what’s true and what’s exaggerated. There are two reasons why this is crucial…
First, because of the example I just gave. You need to know when you’re exaggerating how underprepared or unequipped you are. When you’re taking the kernel of truth and blowing it up into something that’s not true at all.
But also because sometimes your impostor syndrome is actually true. And you shouldn’t attempt the thing you’re about to do, because you are legitimately unprepared or unsuited for it.
For example, if I decided to start an aerospace company tomorrow, would it be “impostor syndrome” that I feel? Or would it simply be the fact that I have zero knowledge of the space (ha), played table tennis instead of going to physics class in high school, hate the idea of having lots of employees, and have no track record at all?
The latter. It’s not impostor syndrome. It’s the TRUTH.
Acknowledge and recognize this difference. Push forward in situations where impostor syndrome is at play. Step back when your concerns are legitimate.
But most of the time, you should be where you are. You just feel like you shouldn’t. It’s not often that people end up in situations they are completely unqualified for (governments and bureaucracies aside).
Outwork your self-doubt
I love this quote from Alex Hormozi:
“You don’t become confident by shouting affirmations in the mirror, but by having a stack of undeniable proof that you are who you say you are. Outwork your self doubt.”
When you feel impostor syndrome, the best thing you can do is get to work. Prove to yourself that you’re capable.
Learn the skills. Solve the problems. Acquire evidence and proof that you aren’t an impostor.
And then do it all again when you hit the next arena. The next level.
Get comfortable with it, because it’s not going away
To wrap this up, I want to tie back to the quote from Mike Cannon-Brookes:
“Imposter syndrome doesn’t go away with any form of success.”
If you’re someone who feels impostor syndrome, then you’ll always feel it to some degree.
You can either let it run your life and stop you from making decisions, confidently attacking opportunities, and doing cool shit…
Or you can acknowledge it, use it as fuel, and operate in the midst of it.
-Sam
P.S. My latest video seems to have hit the spot with some people. I talk about why you should develop character and virtue, instead of just seeking productivity hacks.
Shout out to Benjamin Franklin for the inspiration on this one.
