Embrace Imposter Syndrome in 2023

If you’ve never experienced #ImposterSyndrome, you haven’t pushed yourself.

Imposter syndrome is often thought to be lacking confidence in yourself, but while listening to the podcast How to Be Awesome at Your Job episode 795, Zena Everett gave, in my opinion, a much better description.

She said imposter syndrome happens when you become an expert at something and ACTUALLY REALIZE how much there is you STILL don’t know. This can give you a bit of a “confidence wobble” when you’re comparing yourself to other experts that seem to know so much more than you and you forget how competent you are.

Kind of the opposite of the Dunning-Krueger effect – thinking you know more and have a better understanding of something than you actually do. Tread lightly here as its easy to fall into – its better to be curious and continue learning than assume expertise.

So what does this have to do with pushing yourself? Well, when we push ourselves, we’re stepping out of our comfort zones into the unknown and often times will feel that uncertainty of if we are truly ready.

• Maybe you’re trying rock climbing for the first time and even though you’ve conquered the climbing wall at the local gym many a time…that actual mountain might be a tad more intimidating. Imposter syndrome.
• Perhaps you’ve been tasked with presenting a work project to the leadership team. You know the work inside and out, but when you get up there in front of everyone, their questions have you stumbling and you wonder if you’re capable. Imposter syndrome.
• Possibly…you can see your team is facing challenges getting the right information to the right people at the right time. Managing the emails...and event plans...and documents...and permissions has your administrative team constantly distracted from their other responsibilities. But you’re avoiding finding an alternative solution because you’re not confident in learning a new piece of tech. Fear of Imposter syndrome.

So let’s not sit back on our laurels as we enter #2023. Craft a bold #vision for your future. Set some audacious #goals. Venture into new territories of work or hobby without being afraid you're not up to snuff. And maybe even take a look at that tech platform you’ve heard could streamline your #familybusiness communications and collaboration. I can help with that last one.