Imposter Syndrome is Real

It is a sign that you’re healthy and that you’re doing important work. It means that you’re trusting the process and doing it with generosity.

Confidence isn’t the same as trust in the process. Confidence is a feeling we get when we imagine that we have control over the outcome. When Joe Namath guaranteed that he would lead the Jets to the Super Bowl, he was sharing his confidence with the media.

Every pro athlete is confident, but more than half of them lose. Every game, every tournament, has a confident entrants who don't win. Requiring control over external events is a recipe for heartache and frustration. Worse, if you need a guarantee you're going to win before you begin, you'll never start.

The alternative is to trust the process, to do our work with generosity and intent and to accept every outcome, the good ones as well as the bad.

Yes, you're an imposter. But you're an imposter acting in service. of generosity, seeking to make things better.

When we embrace imposter syndrome instead of working to make it disappear, we choose the productive way forward. The imposter is proof that we're innovating, leading and creating.

By Seth Godin
The Practice: Shipping Creative Work