Small lies, big impact.

Let's talk about "Imposter Syndrome."

It's a weird one.

I don't get it often.

Well, I thought I didn't.?

I was talking to an old friend the other day about their martial arts training, & they were telling me how it was holding them back.

But they hadn't realised how, until they spoke to their coach who talked them through why they were losing at key moments.?

It turns out, they just didn't feel they should be winning.

So they didn't.

That got me thinking about the work I've done in the last couple of years in particular, but also the work in the 15 years in tech that I'd done previously.

You see, I've been involved in tech pretty much since I left university.?

First as a mobile phone sales & support guy.

Then leading a team & helping them to do the same.

The first camera phones, the first internet phones, the first picture messages, touchscreens, even the world-first launch of 3.5G.

We were there for it all & figuring it out on the fly.

After that, I became a full-stack web developer before moving into a system analyst role dealing with various software packages & languages.

When I moved full-time into the web3 space (or just "blockchain" as we called it then) it was as a certified Blockchain Solution Architect.?

Helping companies figure out their tech, develop the right packages & make the right choices for their software stacks.

I worked with developers, C-levels, VCs & everything in between.

But, over time, I'd started to move away from that, to get more heavily into the copywriting & marketing side.

I enjoy writing, so I told myself that was why.?

The more I did it, the more I started to feel, well, worried about dealing with the tech side.?

Not so much for me, but with potential clients.?

I was still reading whitepapers, discussing tech online & reading through code, but whenever a prospect would ask me to work on something technical I would back away.?

Then it hit me.?

In the past 2 years, I've turned down 4 CTO roles, with clients who have worked with me, seen what I've done, & wanted me to step up to the role.

Looking back on why there's always been an excuse.?

The project wasn't good enough, the tech wasn't right, it wasn't a "good fit".

Blah blah blah.

All things that, in that role, I could have fixed.

Hell, in some cases I was helping them to fix it without being in the role.

All excuses, but I believed them.

So, I sat, & I figured out why, & it came down to one sentence.

"I'm not a great developer."

If you've met & spoken to me, chances are I've uttered that line to you.

I've been saying it for over 2 years now.

But, it's a lie.

It's a deliberate lie because, when I was starting out, everyone was desperate for devs who understood the space & had experience.

Every other person I spoke to asked me to help dev their project.

But I don't massively enjoy dev, certainly not full-time.

So I'd say that.

But, explaining it & the back & forth after as they assumed I wanted more money, tokens, etc, just wasn't worth it.

So, I started saying "I'm not a great dev."

It was an easy fix.

The truth is, I am a damn good dev, I just don't want to do dev as a role after 7 years of it.

The problem is, a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth, & every time I was in a position to take a technical role, I'd back away from it.

So, I started to drift away from the technical roles I wanted into the copywriting & marketing side, which, frankly was easy as people were also desperate to hire writers who understood the tech.

(Though I am also a damn good copywriter!)

Those earlier technical whitepapers, the 30-page scoping documents where I'd plan out entire ecosystems & solutions, the dev team meetings where I'd pull apart a process & solution, they all drifted away in favour of writing blogs & articles.?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those & I'll keep doing them, but they aren't the reason I moved into the space.?

I did it to help people build something incredible, not to write about other people building the incredible after it's happened.?

Archit3ct was my plan to start building & help others build.?

But, even that became watered down.

A small roadblock & my brain went;

"Well, it's probably for the best, after all, you aren't a good dev."

So, I started thinking about the copywriting route again, widening it out to marketing more, maybe an agency.

Thankfully, I realised.?

Some small part of my brain, hidden away at the back went

"This isn't what you're best at. This isn't what you should be doing."

Mixed with the right random conversation at the right time, it gave me enough self-awareness (even if only for a minute) to snap out of it.?

So that's what Archit3ct is going to do.

We're going to help you build to web3, & make it astonishing.?

The first service, a "fractional CTO" where I work with you a few days per month, depending on your requirements & to drive your project tech forward, is already available.?

Over the next few days more will be launching, all designed to get your tech stack planned out, built, & running in a way you can be proud of.?

You'll never hear me utter those 5 deadly words again, but maybe you have your own sentence, your own "catchphrase" which is slowing you down.?

Making you miss the opportunities you'd be ideal for.?

If so, figure it out & get clear of it.?

It'll be worth it.?

Dan