Skip to main content

Impostor Syndrome

 

Late last year, I was listening to NPR (WEKU) as usual on my way to work. Can't remember which of the programs it was, and the topic of discussion was "Impostor Syndrome" (IS). I was struck by this discovery. I had thought I was the only one that suffered from this experience - apparently, it is a common feeling among those we respect, people who have inspired in history, and those who continue to motivate us.

Maya Angelou was a renowned poet and she continues to inspire humanity long after her death, here is what she wrote: "I have written eleven books, but each time I think, 'Uh oh, they're going to find out now. '” Can you imagine, Maya saying this - of course, she was an African American woman who came out of the civil rights era - being a colored person and a woman for that matter, and with a dark past. But she was highly accomplished. Here is an endless list of famous entertainers that have suffered from IS at one point in their life:

  • Tina Fey
  • Sophia Amoruso
  • Barbara Corcoran
  • Tom Hanks
  • Sheryl Sandberg
  • Lady Gaga
  • Howard Schultz
  • Maisie Williams

So, what is impostor syndrome? It is a feeling of "I am faking it", "I cannot be this good", "only if you knew my struggles", "I am not whom you call me, "they will soon find out I am a fraud - I am not that good". Worst feelings are those of "I am an impostor", "I am fake", in the words of verymind.com - "an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be". Experts say it is a feeling common with people who have perfectionism attitude to life - they are hard on themselves. I bet it is a common issue with minorities in a society that already tagged them as "not good enough", and oftentimes they work double hard to prove to themselves and others that they are more than competent and in that process are always in self-doubt.

Researchers report that as many as 70% of us suffered from IS at one time in our lifetime. Someone wrote: "Apart from serial narcissists, super low achievers, and outright crazies, no one is immune to the self-doubt that feeds Impostor Syndrome"

I was able to overcome my experience with constant self-evaluation and being factual about my low and high points. By choosing to accept that I cannot do it right all the time and I am human. Being satisfied with my record of achievement against the hordes - I have found that inner peace.

I found these resources very helpful if you think you suffer from IS - https://impostorsyndrome.com/10-steps-overcome-impostor/.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/margiewarrell/2014/04/03/impostor-syndrome/?sh=19045c6348a9

#impostorsyndrome, #iamvalued, #respect, #experienceImpostor

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DARWANIAN Theory - The Driving Force Behind American Capitalism Philosophy

Communism died, and capitalism survived. Capitalism is a supposed system that allows freeness in an economy - market forces in the hands of private owners control what happens to the economy with minimal influence by the state. Capitalism has produced enormous wealth in the West. There are so many millionaires and billionaires. The question is, what is the ratio of the stupendously rich and those who are just scraping by - living from pay check-to-pay check? The gap is huge between the rich and the poor in most capitalist states. When President Trump was going to deliver his tax reform, it favored the rich with about 80% of the tax benefits going to the top 1% richest people in America. The argument was that they create jobs, they should benefit more - money is being given to those who really do not need the extra cash but those who need it the most, aids is been taken away from people who are at the bottom of the ladder because of a few who lie on their social welfare claims. I h...
1 comment
Read more

STATE of THE NATION (NIGERIA) - February 2020

For 16 years, Nigerians believed that their problem was a political party called PDP. The other side agitated for those 16 years to wrestle power from PDP and many of us supported them. That other side has been in power for almost 5 years now, and things have gone from bad to worse compared to the PDP years. The money APC government has borrowed in 5 years is multiple of what PDP borrowed in 16 years, and the economy has gone down the drain. Nigeria has become the poverty capital of the world, and millions of children are out of school, there are no hospitals, unemployment is double digits and it has remained so for the better part of Buhari's time in office. The security situation has gone worse because the president is complicit due to the involvement of his kinsmen - he has shown zero will to tackle the problem decisively. The consequences of this is crack in the wall of the entity called Nigeria - with Amotekun launch in the South West and the US ban of Nigerians from ce...
1 comment
Read more

Lagos - Calabar Coastal Highway, Another White Elephant Project by the Nigerian Government?

Except Nigeria changes its approach to project execution fundamentally, I do not see the Lagos - Calabar Coastal Highway project finishing in my lifetime. This project was conceived in 2006 by OBJ, 18 years ago. They are just starting today... 2024. If things are done properly, it will take 8 years - 8 years oh... that could be 80 years in Nigeria. How many decades since the Ibadan - Ilorin highway was conceived (since 1979) - it was restarted in 1999 during OBJ who conceived the road during his first stint in government as a military head of state. The road is yet to be completed, and the portion completed is already dilapidated, worse than the old road. Lagos - Ibadan expressway is yet to be fully completed 25 years since it was awarded. There have been several awards and re-awards since 1999 and billions of dollars have been wasted on a major road that links the commercial hub of Nigeria to the rest of the nation. There are so many other Federal highways like this, especially those ...
Post a Comment
Read more