Career Confidence

10I'm a Fraud; You're a Fraud

I hate the term imposter syndrome. I know it is one of those fancy schmancy terms that people use to talk about stuff they don't want to talk about, but here is the deal, at one time or another in your life, you are going to get lucky. You'll get a job that you aren't qualified for. Land a deal you didn't think you had the balls to close. Land a boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse who is way above your paygrade or land a pair of $500 shoes at the thrift store, unworn, with a designer label for $10.

The textbook definition of imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments, skills, or talents and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud” despite evidence to the contrary. People experiencing imposter syndrome often feel that their achievements are the result of luck or external factors, rather than their own abilities. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, anxiety, and a constant fear of being “found out” by others.

I am no psychiatrist and cannot even begin to explore why people feel this way, but it is more common than you think.

While we would like to believe that all the people we look up to, admire, and hope to emulate are in jobs or positions because they are so smart, so brilliant, so driven, so capable because they are akin to business superheroes, it's just not true.

Most of us have had a lucky break from time to time, and a lot of the people you admire, while ...