Hi, Kyle. Thank you for writing this. So I'm writing on this local social media site (I live in Indonesia) when we can write anything, like a facebook for people who simply love writing, a little safe paradise with flexible standards. I mostly write fiction because of this Impostor Syndrome problem. Because I think people will judge my work more objectively because they're fiction with entertainment purpose. I'm afraid of using 'my own voice' to talk directly to the readers in a motivational or self-improvement articles which ideas come around occasionally. I tried a few times, a couple of them even got pinned up and achieved a little boost of traffic, and it scared me a little bit. And I'm still shaky about posting such thing again. Like I mentioned before, people can write almost anything on this site including 'statuses'. So the preference and quality are vastly varied. Not little of them are still (understandably) neglectful to basic writing canon like punctuations and grammar. But what gets me sometimes are the typical repetitive romantic, sentimental and religious topics people write on. Some of them spark quite sour judgment in my mind but I never speak of it. While some other try to educate the others through posts about how to write more properly, sometimes with decorated words and literary profile that I personally don't think I have the capacity to do. I feel uncomfortable reading these appeal-for-improvement posts. I feel like someone shouting my mind with different voice. It makes me feel like a really bad person. And when some other members write short pieces and statuses, appealing for not being proud and feeling better than other people, possibly responding to other posts, my heart would start racing as I feel like they're talking about me. It must be me. At least I'm one of the people they direct the post to. They can sense my thoughts and assume I'm actively judging them. This is not stopping me from writing on the site, but it definitely stresses me out. Most of the site is very positive. But how do I apply your tips in my situation and stop worrying about what other members might think of me personally? Thank you.
1344 Comments (page 12)
Hey, I revisited this article multiple times and I finally learned and encouraged by it. Thank you. I'm writing again.
Kyle, I felt so empathetic with your situation! I feel like a fraud when I have to do something realted to "my field". And I put quotation marks on it, because my field is broader than I can explain, and that makes me feel like I am no good at anything, but that's a lie I tell myself. I have studied every part of my discipline and I have been giving consulting to small and medium companies on that. Recently, I have been asked to do a talk about a topic of my field, and I am so afraid! I am going to do it anyway, but I literally think that someone is going to think I know nothing and tell the whole world I am a fraud. I hope this exercises help me overcome the imposter syndrome.
Kyle, Thank you for sharing this blog. Currently, I'm in the process of changing careers into very different directions. I find I feel fraudulent by staying in a career that no longer motivates me, yet they take excellent care of me and I will also be able to change career paths while still working there…and I also feel fraudulent trying to practice in the career that I do not yet feel prepared to be a part of. I'm working with my coach on imposter syndrome right now. To answer your challenge, I have not been blogging the way I want to because I don't know exactly what message I want to put out there, And I am too worried about how it will be received, or who will even receive it. To answer what I'm going to do about it: I'm going to just write on the topic that I think is relevant and go from there. if I don't get time to write today, I will tomorrow. Thank you again.
Congratulations, You really nailed so many of the aspects of what I go through and I'm sure may others do too. I have people who call me an expert. I know people more knowledgable which obviously proves I'm not but I still want very much to speak publicly on my field, my passion. I want to write out that expressions and I get on highs of how fantastic that would be and how it would look. But a "high" proves it isn't real which proves my impostership and keeps me in the whole filthy spiral. There have been a few times though when the wall wasn't there and I did write and I did express and I accepted my personal mode and colors. Just writing this I realize how many more aspects of my life are ruled through this syndrome.
I feel so much better after reading this. The pressure of society is a difficult beast to manage when you feel like an imposter. I have felt on many occasions that I couldn't carry on speaking to groups of people as I felt my knowledge wasn't sufficient to hold a conversation or be in their presence even. It felt demoralising each time but felt it was the best option to get out of there as I would of felt like I was faking it even being there at all. Tis article reinforces the idea that every person has a worth and just because one knows more about something than another, it does make the one superior in a status sense. Thank you for this article
I have recently realised that I have imposter syndrome after nearly ten years of being a yoga teacher and I really hope I can get some relief from the soul destroying feelings this creates,
Up until yesterday I didn't realize I had 'impostor syndrome' when a colleague who knows me really well pointed it out. I was afraid of applying for my boss's position even after i have demonstrated time after time again my capabilities and gotten promoted to senior management. I have always felt like that every time I got promoted was by chance. My fear was that if i applied for the position I would be exposed for all the things I don't know. I have issues accepting and internalizing my success ... but no more! Thanks for the article.
Up until yesterday I didn't realize I had 'impostor syndrome' when a colleague who knows me really well pointed it out. I was afraid of applying for my boss's position even after i have demonstrated time after time again my capabilities and gotten promoted to senior management. I have always felt like every time I got promoted was by chance. My fear was that if i applied for the position I would be exposed for all the things I don't know. I have issues accepting and internalizing my success ... but no more! Thanks for the article.
I'll go back and read this article from time to time to remind myself that I'm not the only one who feels like a fake. It's hard to let people see the real, complete you for fear they won't like what they see and run. As a massage therapist, I feel that if I can't help someone resolve their pain issues that means I'm a failure and a fraud, even if it's their own resistance to letting go that is holding up their progress. Thanks for this post!
I've been failing to finish writing my thesis because I feel like I cant do it, what did they ever see in me, why am I even in grad school? I'm surrounded by people who try to give the impression that they are perfect and expect perfectionism. I obviously failed to meet these standards and I was consumed by depression and a lack of self-worth.
Grad school can really mess with your head. When I finally defended my thesis I felt like I was an imposter- like I could have done better or like I really had no clue what the heck I was doing throughout so the outcome wasn't great. Looking back on it now after reading this article I feel I really did put in a lot of work and I still use what I studied in my teaching profession 5 years later.
I have often felt like an 'imposter', but had not heard of Imposter Syndrome. Interesting to know that it is a real thing. I started a blog and wrote posts consistently for about 2 years, but Imposter Syndrome got the best of me and I questioned why anyone would want to know what I had to say when there were many others saying similar things. I haven't posted for a couple years. In that time I did start a business. My age leads people to believe that I have been in this business for many years, and while I know a lot about the industry, I certainly don't know everything (or even as much as some think), and Imposter Syndrome rears its ugly head again.
I've just realized had impostor syndrome my entire life but I had no idea other people felt this way too. I can't seem to find the difference between humility and having the imposer syndrome. I don't like making people feel inferior to me so I negate every accomplishment I have by saying "It wasn't hard" or "It was just luck". Every accomplishment I've had has been really hard for me to accept, and I tend to just brush it off and think little of it. I also have impatience (which I'm working on) and I sometimes think, "When will life get exciting and adventurous?" but then I think to myself "Why do I deserve to have fun if there is so much to be done and so many people with many problems in the world? I don't deserve a super exciting life when I have so many problems to solve and people to help". Its kind of an endless circle. I am a recent high school graduate, and my senior year was full of many awards and accomplishments, but I found it extremely hard to recognize my achievements. It's very hard for me to learn how to acknowledge an accomplishment since I hate feeling superior and bragging about successes. There isn't anything specifically that I've been procrastinating on from the impostor syndrome.. its more of a general "there's nothing special about me or my accomplishments". Thank you for a great post, I will definitely be reading more of your writing
I don’t speak up when i feel compelled to... makes me feel like a fraud. I built my life around false assumptions and dreams.
My Imposter Syndrome revolves around being hopeful. I speak it, not as much as I used to, but I rarely live it. Inside I am filled with emptiness, depression and a constant feeling of failure. These days I am paralyzed by fear. With the life I was given I felt I had to beat all the odds but they have always been so stacked against me. The ways I envision having to overcome them seem unusual and impossible. I like to think that I can do it. I can accomplish this. Then reality hits and I'm stuck not trying. Today I am suicidal. My fear leads me to believe I will never accomplish anything. It's too late. There really is no way for me to accomplish anything. All of my talents are wasted. I have nothing of value to leave behind. I will be forgotten and little good will be remembered of me because I never did anything worthwhile in life.
My Imposter syndrome started in Grad school. Recently i got an internship but i feel like it was a fluke. I am constantly working more than my peers because i feel that i might get exposed. I grasp things quickly and articulate them properly but when my manager asks me to explain something i feel that he has seen through my disguise and is just asking me to explain because he wants to make fun of me. I have started letting go of opportunities. Also, the people around me are all more experienced and from more renowned colleges which makes me feel inferior to them. Recent setbacks at cracking interviews have added to this fear. I am really questioning myself if i am good enough ?
Hi i have missed out on many jobs due to feeling i was not good enough despite getting the job in the first place and support from manager's.
I don’t make the art that I want to because ‘who am I to be having a voice like that when really I’ve got nothing to say??’
Dear Valerie, I can see myself in your comment, apart from being suicidal. I can imagine that the pain is so intense sometimes that you just want it to stop. Sometimes I think about dead but not in a dying wish but as sleep where you don’t have to feel things. Then, I carry on with my life, knowing that that was just a moment, it’s not reality and we’re all here for a reason, even if we don’t know what it is yet. This too shall pass. There’s a part of you that feels like an Imposter but there’s also a part of you that accepts yourself and has hope. Just give this part some more space. Don’t give up and I won’t give up as well.
I feel like my jewelry isn't good enough, despite having had some success with it in the past. (I'm restarting my business, but it's slow going.) I feel like there's always room for improvement, and I wonder sometimes if I'm just wasting my time on something that's ultimately doomed to fail.
I often feel so stupid around my colleagues. I feel that they must wonder how I am in the role I am in and they must be so annoyed by me. It’s so shocking how at times people will tell me that they appreciate me or that I am doing a good job. I have a hard time seeing it or feeling it.
I've avoiding being pro-active about the last 15-years of my life because I believe I don't deserve a place in a world of artists and writers with far greater talent than my own. I allowed the idea that a lack of formal education and being exposed for a fraud or poser as I called it in my head, hold me back. On top of health issues, this has also kept me from holding any kind of job for very long. I've reached the point in my life where if I don't fix this now I may never be able to and the depression may get to me.
I have always had constant insecurity about my talents/skills because I did not start learning them at what most people consider the "correct" age to learn: I'm a guitarist/bassist who has been well respected amongst my peers, yet I did not start learning until I was 19. I've had a relatively successful career as a CAD drafter and digital artist for 20 years, though I did not begin this until I was in my early 30's. I've been a programmer, creating my own tools and getting accolades from computer scientists, yet I didn't begin this til I was in my 40's. I hide these facts from most people I know, even my own wife, and I'm terrified of people knowing these things, even though, logically, it should not make any difference. I'm scared that all the work I've done will be made irrelevant if people knew that I didn't take the "proper" course to get there.
After going through 3 rounds of gruelling interviews, I have just been offered a job as a Consultant, but I am having a lot of self-doubt. I feel like I coasted through the interviews because I put in so, so, so much effort that I was being inauthentic. Because in real life, at my real job, I would never care that much to devote that much time and effort at my work. So now, I feel like it isn't the real ME who got the job. Consulting is something I have always dreamed about doing, but I never gave it a go because I knew I didn't have the Straight A's to even get an interview. I know that everyone in my new company is going to be super smart, and while I like to think of myself as a smart person as well, there are days, and even extended periods, especially at my current job, where I feel stupid, where every move I make seems to be wrong. Add to that the fact that my last two jobs ended rather badly, I can't help feeling that I will not last long in this new job too.
I really want to be a pro gamer. I let imposture syndrome scare to me so much I don't practice as much as I should. But because of this blog, I'm going to stop doing that. I have to put in the effort to achieve what I want to achieve. Yeah it's not what most people would think is a decent living, but gaming is my passion and I would love nothing more than to pursue it.
Well here it goes; I actually just overcame some of the syndrome by asking lost friends to have a drink with me! But I usually feel that I can't make any new lifelong friends. Also when amongst a group of friends that I'm new to, I get this feeling of not belonging?.. it is a really weird feeling that I can't explain and I had my whole life in certain situations.. it's this deeeep loneliness in the bottom of the stomach that happends at a wedding or party or even some busy street. (If anyone knows this, please tell me!). I didn't get a job in the last degree I had because I felt like I wasn't good enough, even though I have a degree but yeah.. now I am studying for something else and I was afraid to apply since I'm older than every one now and I thought I wouodn't be smart enough (a teacher at a another shool even told me I shouldn't even try) but still I did and I ace every test the first try, but still I feel fake.. (its biology so the meme with the dog really hits home haha!). And the last thing is.. I created am instagram for my own art, ofcourse I don't have a big audience, and most of the time I don't care.. but somedays I think "why did you think you were special enough to make a whole acount around it?? You don't even draw enough to post every day." And I got very close to deleting it.. but didn't. Anyway these were my two cents on it :) thank you for this post! (As an extra push out of the comfort zone I'll even put my real name on here)
I am so frightened of public speaking. I am worried people will think I don't know what I am talking about and I will be criticised for it.
I'm about to start a new role with a company I love, and I desperately do not want to fail them. They've given me so many opportunities others haven't, and all I want to do is KICK ASS at this for them to return the favor. But I am shaking in my motherlovin' boots over here. Because what they're asking me to do, I have all the skills to do, but I've never actually done before. And I've made that clear, but they're paying me so well, giving me the freedom to work as a contractor, and I am terrified that I'm not cut out for it. What if they realize I'm just a stay at home mom who works in her leggings and isn't an expert in this specific field, just might have the stuff to pull it off? One foot in front of the other. I'm going to act anyway. I'm going to do it. But I am so freaking scared right now.
I’m supposed to be starting my college applications now, but I’m afraid that all of them will see that I do not deserve to be there. I have a hard time realizing that I might be someone worth an admission.
Thank-you for writing steps to overcome The Imposter Syndrome. I have written 28 drafts for Linked In and only last week had the nerve to publish one of them. I love to write but hold back from putting them out there because it doesn't feel good enough. What if people read it and think "that's pretty silly. Anyone could have written that fluff." ON the other hand if it just stays as a draft no one will ever read it except me and what is the point of that? It is reassuring to know that many suffer from this malady. I liked points 1 and 11 the most. Positively, Pauline
Trying this out, don’t know what’s going to happen when I start typing... I often avoid having an opinion because i feel like I have no right or experience to have one or for fear of finding out I’m wrong. I avoid talking too much about things I care about for fear of being called out or not knowing as much as I should I avoid asking certain questions because I feel like people will make assumptions about my intelligence and abilities based on that (but I don’t do this to others, so why would they to me?) I avoid talking about things because I often have trouble verbalizing what I truly mean (which is usually some high level concept and no one gets it, but that’s likely because it makes no sense anyway). I avoid people in my profession because I feel an awkward mix of jealousy and superiority at the same time as being very unconfident in my own abilities. I know that’s not a fair assessment from either point of view. It’s almost like I feel like I have a lot of untapped potential and I compare myself and get upset with myself when I see others succeed in ways I feel I could (but at the same time feel I can’t). I have no idea if any of that makes any sense, but it was cathartic.
I just read through the comments and I can't believe how much I connect with it. I have had such severe anxiety about failure all my life. I am afraid that if I make a mistake, people will realize I didn't deserve half the things I have achieved and I would be abandoned. I postponed therapy for a long fearing that the psychologist would just prove that I wasn't suffering from something, I was just an overall bad person, who was faking it to manipulate others. I am so glad, I am not the only cuckoo out there (no offense intended). I just see myself as a freak most of the times. But this post has helped a lot. My parents have been encouraging me to have more confidence in myself I just didn't know how. Thank you.
I’m afraid to put my gargantuan goals out there because I’m afraid of judgement. I’m even afraid that what I’m writing here in this very comment isn’t good enough and doesn’t warrant being read in an article about impostor syndrome. I feel like my anxieties aren’t serious enough to be heard. I freeze and want to run away at the prospect of pricing a project in case I offend anyone for pricing too high, for asking too much, even though I know I’m REALLY good. I feel like everyone is just putting up with me and following me on Instagram out of pity, and that every time I post something sincere they’re just rolling their eyes and thinking “oh my god just get over it!!” I’m ugly. I’m stupid. I’ll never succeed. I shouldn't even try. The real me knows all these things aren’t true, but it’s like they get amplified every time I feel that someone starts to show that they believe in me or trust me. It’s like part of me believes I will always let people down and it’s better to stop before I’ve started so I can avoid disappointing people.
Everything you have written here rings so true. I have only recently found out there is such a thing as imposters syndrome and it was like seeing myself described - I thought I was the only one. To me, the thing that is missing from so much of the coverage of imposter syndrome is that so many unsuccessful people suffer and that it can be a direct contribution to their failure. I have been a failure - a chronic underachiever - because I simply do not believe I can do what I set out to do. Finding out imposter syndrome has shone a light onto my thought patterns and behaviours and I am starting out again - and I am doing so open to the world. My therapy for my own imposter is to share with the world through a blog. I am panicking just commenting here - who do I think I am to think I am good enough to comment on someone else's post but I will push through.
Almost daily, I'm scared that my friends will one day call me out on how self involved I am. That I'm not a loyal enough friend or I think only for myself. I'm an artist. I'm one of those people whose work is their life, so there is some truth to how self involved I can be. If my friends want to hang out, but I'd rather be working on my art, I almost always choose art. Not just that, sometimes I just don't like hanging out in general, and I don't like to do online chats because those REALLY get in the way of my work. But I usually give in because I don't want them to figure out how much of a shitty friend I am...and of course when I go out with them I'm usually thinking in the back of my mind "I could be getting so much work done right now, what am I doing". Same goes with my family. They almost never see me because I'm away in my studio. I care for my friends, but I'm so scared that one day they'll think I'm a fraud of a friend, just because my work is really important to me. And of course, my friends and family ARE the only people I can confide in, but I can never talk to them about this. No way in hell.
Ok....I don't have anyone I can talk to about this, so I'm trusting the anonymous hands of the Internet. Here we go. I don't have/share my opinions because I'm afraid that they'll be wrong or I'll look stupid. I have trouble explaining things I've thought for hours about because It's hard getting all my thoughts together. I write a lot on a writing website, but not a single draft has ever been posted (except for one, but I took it down) everytime I come clise to finishing a story, I remember how terrible I am at writing. I've gotten straight A's for the past three years of middle school, and everytime I get an award I can only think about how I didn't earn it. I avoided going into French 3 this year because I thought the class would be too hard to get an A in. (No one knows this. I lie everytime someone asks me why I'm not doing French anymore, and until now, I don't think I knew I was lying.) I'm in a special highschool program that I had to apply to called the ACA that will allow me to earn my Associate's degree by Senior year. My friend applied too, but she didn't get in. A day doesn't go by where I don't think, "I don't deserve this." Reading this article was really eye opening. I hate saying I have problems because there are people worse off than me, but I think I actually might have Imposter Syndrome. The question now is what I'm going to do about it.
I am now trying to quit my job because I am feeling like I know less or contribute less than anyone at my team. I am most senior in my team and even recently got promoted. I've been getting positive feedback from management and peers. The more they are telling how amazing my work is, the more I feel like a fraud. Then I feel even more pressure to give more of myself (that would cover all my shortcomings) which generates even more stress. That makes me want to quit. But they are convincing me not to quit... because I am so useful for the team... but really... I am just a fraud.
I am still undergraduate student, but I got brilliant opportunity to hold a research in the lab in my university. However, I feel myself so underqualified that I cannot propose any item on weekly meeting. I often feel that I am not skilled enough to be there, and do not know why professor accepted me when I applied. I have some ideas and started analysis already, but I have no confidence in my results. I have to seek for advice from professor, but I am afraid that people think of me as a stupid. However, thanks to your article, I can believe in myself. I know that it will not be easy, but I am on the right start. Thank you. I really want to overcome these stupid things about me and I want to accept my successes (I really did a lot, but I always think of this as a luck, like I dont deserve it), and I really do not afraid of failure, but I am afraid that people think of me. It is hard, but I have to go forward. Because I cannot give up on what I have done till now on.
I've had this my whole life. At one point I was doing well in my career but did not take opportunities to advance. But far worse is where I'm at now. I'm a stay at home mum who needs to be earning some $$, but finding it very hard to take a step in any direction due to imposter syndrome. I'm wheel spinning so bad and it's almost like I'm frozen (for a couple of years). Good to know I'm not the only one and that there are strategies to improve. I'm looking forward to powering through this.
I feel just like you, OMG! The same situation... But I'm also going to act, even though I feel really scared right now. :(
I have this huge call on my life but consistently feel like I'm not enough--not good enough, talented enough, pretty enough, fit enough, so on and so forth. About 98% of the time I don't understand what God saw in me or why He would call somebody like me in the first place. I have many books in my heart that I know I need to write, but I continually feel that I must first become an "expert" in order to "qualify" to do so. It helps to remind myself that God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Blogs like this are a blessing because they serve to inform each and every one of us that we are not alone. Thank you for taking the time to face your fear--it's giving me the push I need to face mine.
Your whole not feeling like you belong in a group of friends thing struck me. I swear I've always had that, I never feel like I belong despite having lots of varied friend groups.. I don't think I do a good job of keeping them choose either... Maybe we weren't meant to have many choose friends for long, maybe we prefer many more surface friendships... Or maybe we're just afraid they won't like us once they get to really see who we are.. I just wanted to tell you, I'm with you
Exactly my position! I’m a speech language pathologist which requires a Master’s degree but I feel Really stupid & I am SURE my colleagues find me annoying & know I’m faking it & wonder how on earth I got the job. I am riddled with anxiety whenever I’m @ work despite having done this type of work for 10 years! & I’m filled with anxiety typing this for fear of spelling/grammar mistakes!
I want to be a freelance makeup artist but I'm so scared of reaching out to people I would like to work with because I'm afraid they'll think I'm not good enough.
This article has really struck a cord with me. Obviously I didn't just stumble in here but i searched for it. I have been an artist for about 5-10 years now. My artform is a bit different than most and i use existing designs and modify them for my art. This is where the problem lays. I feel that even though I get loads of praise for my work that I should be drawing my own stuff but I am a terrible artist and cant draw. I am working on it but it is a slow process. Regardless i keep pumping out my current artwork and interpretations. People assume that i sell my works but I dont feel like I should because I am not the original artist. Sort of like a tattoo artist not doing tattoos of an eagle or a flag because he did not design it, or a band not playing covers because they did not originally write the song. It is driving me nuts to the point where I quit my job so I can do nothing but this but am still too afraid to sell my stuff. (I am sort of financially stable so not the end of the world but still). I have never told anyone this stuff so thank you for reading it.
Our stories are nothing alike, but we share very similar feelings. When the troubling ones take over, I've found helping others helps me. Also, after living as an atheist, I discovered Buddhism two years ago, but only became consistent recently. I don't think of it as a religion, the word makes me cringe. I think of it as a tool to help me evolve into my best self. I could say I wish I had started off consistent, but I believe I had to go through some major challenges to realize how much it helped me. We don't worship anything, rather we believe everything is cause & effect, and the only way to find peace is by living up to our fullest potential. If we are full of depression, anxiety, & constant confusion, we are living in our own hell. I was tired of living in hell. I believed in karma & had inherited my family's, but had no idea how to change it, because I was still hanging onto all these false beliefs about myself. Chanting "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo" over & over helps me feel more aware of my thoughts & magically began changing my perception of myself & my environment. I feel more alive & grateful for everything & I find I can take on more challenges & help more people this way. You can Google Nichiren Buddhism & find an SGI (soka gakkai international) Community Center closest to you. If you ever want to talk or have questions, my email is [redacted] . 🙏🏼❤️
I have just started a new role. I am in a new department with a very different work culture from where I used to work. It involves new processes with a new set of equipment. I don’t know anyone and for my first day I wasn’t given anything to do, just some stuff to read and a desk. Truly, I feel lost and that some how I got the job just because I was the only one who applied despite the fact that they have turned down previous applicants. I am terrified that they will start to question why I am even there. To combat this I sat down with my new boss and asked what his expectations are and he said that all he wants from me is to sit at my desk and learn what I can. The daft thing is that I fought for this position! I have never felt so unsure or like I don’t have the abilities to succeed before so this is all alien to me. Nothing is familiar which is making the feeling worse. I’m not sure how I will over come it but I’m just going to tackle each day hour by hour. Then each week day by day and so on.
I’m a tattoo artist struggling with this.. my biggest dream is to have the courage to go and do conventions and guest work in other countries. I have done it 4 years ago but then I had a network of people to travel with. Now I’m alone and I don’t believe anyone remembers me or wants me to come work. I’m so scared of being told “no” so I don’t even try. Everyone I used to know and work with back in 2014 has gotten much further than me by now since I’ve been struggling with depression and burn out, so now I feel even more fake and like I should just give up my work and passion cuz they’re soooo much better than me. I feel extremely lonely in this.
I’ve really appreciated this article. I nearly decided not to take an Executive Director position because of Imposter Syndrome. I’m young, new, and fear I smooth talked my way through the interviews. I’ve decided that take the position and challenge the feelings of being a fraud. I start on Monday. Here goes nothing! Thanks again!
Thank you so much for this post. I interview well. I am personable, friendly and intelligent. I have gone through three rounds of interviews and am fairly certain I will be offered a job tomorrow. But I am terrified to accept because I feel like I must have lied somewhere, or tricked them into hiring me. I have gotten other jobs and learned what I didn’t know and done well at them but this is a step for me into a much harder job. I can do it but part of me wants to tell them no because I don’t think I’m good enough.
Impostor syndrome has prevented me from changing jobs. I always feel that I was lucky that people trusted me and gave me the opportunity to grow. After years of success in the different roles I covered in my company I had the opportunity to apply for my dream job in another company.... after the interview imposter syndrome came with a vengeance!!!!! I am glad I found all these posts, I hope they will give me the courage to accept that I can do the job and do it great (that for God’s sake I know I can do!)....
Geez. Okay well, I am somewhat experienced (11 years) in my field however have never been able to explain what I do and how I make a difference. I have won awards and peer awards yet struggle to figure out how I managed to pull the wool over their eyes. I struggle to hold conversations with men and women who hold higher positions than me and/or have more confident exteriors than me because I don't think I'm going to make an impression on them. My thought process sabotages me in almost every interview or networking situation I have been in. I have a notebook full of business ideas that I don't think I will be able to achieve and some of them have since been done by "smarter" people who created thriving businesses, but I could never have done that. I have a special corner in my brain which stores the excuses I have used both internally and externally. I struggle to find my place in new social environments and have struggled to understand or find my place in the world. I use the phrase " the world is too full of opinions " because I'm not sure I can back my own. I don't like arguments because I get caught up in my own head thinking "crud, the other person is right" pretty early on. I lack confidence in myself and am not confident I will be able to build any up. Time to put the mask back on and get back to my day :)
I feel like an imposter all the time. I topped class through school and college (it really hurt to write that..."who am I to write this on the Internet ?" Certain circumstances in life have made it impossible to pursue a full fledged career (here I am beating myself up for not trying harder). Have pursued hobbies like classical music and photography for some years now - I learn fast and work hard and have been told that I am quite good but can't internalize it. Don't have a ton of friends now - feel like I don't belong in any group...either I feel less than or better than ! Always feel lonely. Nothing special to offer to the world, can't think of any difference I am making in anyone's life !
I have intentionally plateaued my career, accepting the same role at the same startup stage saying "I'm doing this because it's what I'm good at and love" which was truly a mask for "I'm afraid to fail at something greater than". Not saying the former isn't true, but the lack of challenging myself has made me feel unable to do more, and comfortable in repetition (aka scared of new 'work' things). When I look back at my past, I think "where have I gone?". I used to be someone who, with no experience whatsoever, decided to start a fashion label, and did it successfully, then a bar, and did it successfully, or be head of marketing at an e-commerce company and helped grow it a multi-million dollar business managing dozens of people (all these things before 25). I look back at my last 5 years and think - wow - I've been doing the same thing over and over and over. Lack of challenge lead me to not just thinking that I am not capable of more, but (1) believing it, then (2) convincing myself it was a choice to remain stagnant. And maybe it was a choice, but some environmental factors like buying a home (new financial pressure) and US immigration challenges (catalyst for a job change), have forced me into discomfort. It forced me into uncharted territories again, and it's causing massive anxiety - though identifying this anxiety, then calling it something like 'Impostor Syndrome', and now reading up on it (thank you btw for this post), I'm feeling more empowered than I've felt in a long time. I use to have a sticky note in my desk that said "Just Do It" - then would beat myself up for not doing it and procrastinating. In writing this comment (thanks for the push to do it), I've arrived at the conclusion to change it to "You can do it." And in even writing those words down in this very moment, I cried. It feels good. Thanks for this post Kyle - seriously.
talking to guys in general and worse if theyre cute, starting today i’ll do my best and not feel like an impostor talking w them yesss
Thank you for this post. I work in healthcare for the last 7 years. I’ve had imposter syndrome my whole life. Today I could finally put a name to it. I’ve accomplished a lot in my life and Career but still feel I don’t measure up or it’s only a matter of time before the figure out I’m a fraud. The last year got the best of me. I actually believed all the lies.
You made a difference to me, just by being honest. I relate to what you said.
I landed my dream (paid) internship working with the Human Resources and Marketing departments at an international software company. Even before I began my new job, I was telling everyone (myself included) that I got the job because I had met the recruiter once before ten years ago and she remembered me. The recruiter didn’t conduct any of the three interviews that it took to get the job offer. In hindsight and after learning about impostor syndrome, I realize I was already belittling my accomplishments and reminding myself that I didn’t deserve/earn the position. I am now almost three months into my internship and I tell myself at least 20 times a day that I do not belong at the company. I am in constant fear of being “found out” by my coworkers and I wonder daily if they’re asking themselves how I managed to slip through the cracks. I genuinely believe that they are kicking themselves for hiring me now that they’ve seen how incompetent I am. I do understand that I’m a student intern and have 0 experience in corporate America, but this doesn’t shake my feelings of worthlessness. Because I’m below an entry level employee, I often visualize my manager approaching me and telling me to pack my things and leave - that my time is up. Compliments from my superiors just amplify these feelings. Impostor syndrome prevents me from networking with colleagues because I feel I’m not worth anyone’s time. I stay silent in meetings because I don’t think my ideas are worthwhile. I spend so much time worrying about what everyone thinks of me that I find it difficult to function. I want my employer to hire me so badly when I graduate that I’m pushing myself to the limit to impress everyone. Thank you so much for writing this article. Putting a name to this disorder and hearing other people’s experiences makes me feel less alone. :)
wow, this is exactly me - it's as if I wrote this. This is how I've been my whole life, and slowly I've been trying to train myself to not fear being judged by others.
Incredible comment Andrew. It sounds like you're ready to start the next chapter now. Like most things - getting rid of this mindset is a habit. Everytime you feel those feelings coming up - realize it's genuinely a chemical-state, and you can change it. The more often you change your mental state - eventually you just become that person. We used to be nobody. We had to hustle for everything, prove ourselves to everyone - and the struggle is addicting... Now that we've actually achieved a thing or two, we need to learn how to attack growth from a new angle... Now we have something to lose...
Check out 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' - nothing has helped me more with social situations!
This is so me. I keep trying fix this but i give up too easily. I'll try harder
I'm finding this very interesting and comforting. Spent my life thinking I'm just not quite good enough, pretty enough, athletic enough. I have good days and bad, It is nice to know that I'm not alone in these crazy insecure thoughts. I am a nordic coach, ultra Runner, race director, mother and wife. I'm also 56 and live in Colorado. My question is do you think this syndrome was brought on by some childhood trauma? My childhood, like many others was based on a mother with mental illness and family dysfunction. I'm an adult child of two alcoholics and I think I always felt that bit of Shame. I know better so I do better. I will start the journal, even putting these words down has made me feel accepted. Thank you for your honesty
I identify with this. I was born with a fascination with the military in all its forms, but I was born deaf in one ear making me medically unfit. Due to loop hole and some incompetence I applied anyway and became a ships navigator. I was an actual imposter and eventually the fear of not hearing something and a realisation that my career wasn’t going to progress (due to the hearing issue) led me to quit for a job ashore. Fast forward many years I’m in an executive level position in a major marine insurance company and a.m. well thought of and doing well, but I worry every day that a small mistake will blow everything and enable them to see me for what I am. I put in a speculative application for an assistant directors position in a government agency, I got it and now am wracked with worry. Friends of mine at work tell me I’ll be great at the job and should go for it. I cannot let it defeat me I’m going to go fir the job, I’m specifically going to work on my mental health and take this opportunity of a life time. Good article.
I make excuses for good grades and accomplishments, accrediting them to anyone but myself. I have an interview for an internship this week, if i get it then it will be my very first internship and my first job with any relation at all to what I want to be my career. This week I will work hard to be confident in my skills and interests, selling myself to the interviewers and the following day to representatives at the career fair. I will not tell people that the interview is my only chance at an internship and I will not tell people I only got the interview because my dad works there. I know it helped for sure, I won't lie, but they wouldn't want to interview me if I wasn't at least somewhat qualified. I will stop feeling inferior in my technical classes for no reason.
I would like to just love what is. Be happy with my Lot in life as it really isn’t bad. But I feel guilty for not really trying.
I have recently graduated from school as a Minister in a national Church and taken my first position as a Child and Youth Minister. I have always struggled with Imposter Syndrome (through two degrees) though I refuse to let it stop me from doing anything. However, I struggle with the emotional drain that goes with the constant battle of thought attacks. I wish I could figure out how to stop the thinking before it starts or at least see the pattern and shut it down before the doubt and fear gets any kind of hold, setting up a repetitive pattern. Thanks for the article. It is good to remind myself of these truths as I seem to forget them easily and in this new position, the exhaustion of fighting the old messages, especially relating to perfectionism, has already started. I also know, as you say, that action is one of the best ways to combat Imposter Syndrome yet action does not seem to stop the thoughts from appearing. One of my biggest fears is that the exhaustion of the battle gets too much and I give in, or get sick, or give up and quit. Burn out is a real issue for Ministers and I worry this could be the thing that ends my career relatively quickly. But here I am taking action...talking out loud, and refusing to give IS power. Will keep trying. Thanks for the article!
I want to start a blog but I'm afraid it'll be stupid and no one will read it. Aside from the fact that I have no idea how to do it.
I feel like I can never do anything right at work when it comes to code. When that Happens I feel that everyone thinks that I’m not good enough. The minor mistakes I make I feel like it’s the end of the world and I see other building things and getting praise for it where I’m just trying and trying feel like I get nowhere. I tend to question myself and expertise all the time. But in the end I always keep pushing to be better and try my best. This imposter syndrome is no joke and I will over come it soon
I hope you are ok. We all have our struggles and you are not alone.
I did not know imposter syndrome had an actual name until I was today years old. I’m highly relieved because my “madness” has a name. I love how this post holds us “imposters” accountable for the ego aspects of the syndrome. Anyways, I’ve been wanting to start a YouTube channel for months but haven’t done so because I’m afraid of being laughed at. Afraid that all of the other wonderful content creators out there will forever shadow anything I could ever make. I’m afraid to do about anything that actually puts myself out there. My entire life I’ve been told I’m mature and clever. Those compliments while validating, have NEVER resonated with me. They left me feeling as if I had tricked them into thinking so. I naturally believe if an opportunity doesn’t plop itself in front of me then maybe I’m not good enough for it. If I have to seek out the opportunity then I’m not deserving of it anyways. A terribly backwards way of thinking... a way of thinking that makes me feel like, well, a fraud. Yikes. Maybe faking some confidence in myself (a frequent thing for me) will allow me to start up my YouTube channel. Eh who knows?
I have avoided applying to new jobs after graduating from coding boot camp because I have felt as a fraud. Everything you have described is what I feel at this moment, but that is all about to change. Thank you for this. Awesome article.
OMG I'm in my leggings too! And I've also been given an amazing opportunity by a company that believes in me. Allowing me to WFH, at a salary I want and even part time. But their belief in me scares me more than a zombie apocalypse. How? Why? Will I ever be as good as they think I am? Reading your comment has given me light and hope. Tomorrow I'm sticking some notes on my office wall. We can do it.
I haven't been video recording my therapy sessions for clinicals, to be critiqued, because I'm afraid I'm not good enough, don't know enough, and will be found out a fraud.
I'm in college right now. For some reason, any sort of competition or test gives me anxiety. I end up obsessing over if I'll ever be good enough or if I even belong in the science stream. Why am I here? I could've joined an art school, that's where I belong. I saw Big Hero 6 and said to myself"Gee, I sure wish I could make something like that". It's gonna take a lot of work and there's so much I don't understand that people around me get easily. This has ALWAYS been the case for me, ever since fourth grade. Even as I write this out I feel pretentious and like I'm just yammering on without actually struggling with anything. Do I actually have issues or is it just me cooking that up because I'm lazy or because I want to feel like I have some weird tragic backstory? Anyways, I have a test coming up, and I can feel my throat close up again and my eyes watering. But thanks for giving me the space to get my feelings out there, even though I don't have time to read the whole article right now. On the ther hand it feels great to know that I'm not the only one who feels like this, since I'd never even heard of something called the "Imposter syndrome " until today. So, hey, atleast I'll be able to describe it more accurately and help myself get over it in a better way.
I feel like an imposter every single day. I work in Public Affairs and make a lot of print and digital products like annual reports and social media graphics. People always ask me how I made my designs, what software did I use, did I make every icon and illustration individually, did I go to school for design, etc. The truth is I hate designing vectors and am pretty terrible at it. Most of the vectors I use are purchased from shutterstock, Canva or creative market, but I still change the colors to match our brand and arrange everything on the page to look nice. Still, anytime someone asks me if I made each illustration by hand I lie and say yes because I don’t want them to find out that I’m a fraud.
Typing this to give it a go. I got a promotion in a job that’s not permanent but I avoid applying for other jobs in fear of failure of the interview (or no interview at all) even though I am unhappy in my current role and looking for a change. I come home anxious every night and afraid they will fire me cause I’m not doing a good job but I also don’t think anywhere else will take me.
Thank you for this post. I just googled "How to deal with imposter syndrome" because I just didn't know what else to do anymore. I'm going into the second year of my PhD. I went from my undergraduate, to my masters, straight to this PhD, so I feel like I've literally been in education for my whole life. Imposter syndrome has left me unable to work before, because I start thinking about how, if I'm such a huge fraud, there's not even any point in trying anymore. That I should just quit. It's left me anxious and depressed. Reading your post made me think about why I'm doing this - I love my subject, and I'm genuinely enjoying the experience (when I'm not feeling like a total fraud). And yeah, I actually have no idea what I'm doing! But that's ok, because that's exactly why I am on this journey - this PhD would be totally pointless if I had all of the answers. Thank you for this post. Reading yours and others' experiences has made this feel like a much more tangible concept, rather than this weird looming shadow of an emotion.
I'm am a student in a very important music school in Mexico but every time I have singing class (which is my instrument) I paralyze even though this is what I like to do the most because the teacher might not like if I can be better than her so I always end up being the stupid girl who can not do anything
I`v been producing music for a while now and it`s always come quite easily to me, I don`t How it happens or what I do to make it happen, it just does, whenever i sit down with my keyboards for a few minutes music just happens, and requires no skill or talent on my part. my last track recveived quite a bit of praise, certainly more than I`m used to or even expected, and Now i can`t bring myself to make any more, i sit at my keyboards and nothing happens, the magic has gone, and my luck has run out. I feel like I can`t possibly top my last track (though when i made it, I thought is was just `ok` nothing special), now this un due praise makes me feel I set the bar too high for me to make anything else. how can I improve on something that Just Happened? maybe I was a Fake all along! and just got lucky a few times, it would certainly explain why I feel there`s no skill or talent involved. but the really scary part is that i`v just spent over £4000 on having my studio done up (it took me several years to save up that amount, as a mother of 2), and now I feel really stupid because of it, I`d have been ok people said it was just OK, or even crap! i would have carried on making music just for fun. how could their praise have scared me so much? surely a REAL musician would have loved that?
I had my son at 19 and daughter at 25. I have GCSEs, no A levels and I qualified as a level 2 hairdresser. All my life I did an assortment of jobs to fit around my family. I never believed I could do anything else. Then my husband left and I had to do something. I contacted a friend who, at a dinner party, one evening at said ‘goodness I would employ you!’. True to his word when I asked he did. This was turbo imposter syndrome. Here I was working in a multi million pound start up in London with zero qualifications or experience. I compensated by working every hour god sent. 5am starts, evenings, weekends, bank holidays and Christmas. I did it. Anything they asked. Answer the phone, see clients, hire and fire, make tea, clean. But all the while I still felt at any minute they would see me for who I was. A fraud. A stupid waste of money. After 5 years and 3 promotions I still felt like a fraud and I was burnt out! I decided to take a break thinking they won’t miss me anyway. They were in fact really sad to see me go and gave me a wonderful leaving bonus. My feeling... fuck how did I get away with that. 2 year break and I have recently been asked to go back and be a COO for another start up. Well that’s a job for other people. People who have business degrees and experience. Realistically I have 5 years and shit load of life experience. I’m a mum with 10 GCSEs that can give you a short back and sides. The thought of taking the job gives me palpitations. This would mean I’m a mega fraud!!! I know deep down I can do. I crammed in probably 10 / 15 years experience into that 5 but I still can’t help feel like a fony. Reading your 21 points has really helped thank you. I’m going to take action. Starting tomorrow!! Wish me luck. Or send me a disguise!!! X
Wow. You and I could be the same person!! Every paragraph. It’s a bit errie having someone else descibe themselves but you feel it’s you and they don’t know you and you’ve kept it hidden for so long and there it is written down in front of you. You have written it down in a way I can’t. So thank you. I hope it helped you to write it. It helped me to read it. X
GREAT LIST TO HELP WITH A NOT SO GREAT FEELING. i REALLY APPRECIATE HOW CHEERFUL AND HOPEFULLY YOUR VIBE IS IN THE MSG.
I am an African American female studying Industrial Enginnering at a top 50 University. Being a transfer student it is difficult building and maintaining relationships with my peers. Especially since in the majority of my classes I am the only person of color. I struggle on a daily basis accepting that I have earned a seat in my classes. I often feel overwhelmed being the "only one" from my hometown to make it as far as I have in my field. Returning home is when I hear comments, "We're so proud of you", "You've accomplished so much". Then it's diffucult when things get challenging because apparently, "You got this," "You've made it this far". All of these things are positive and I recognize this. However, it can be difficult when my cry for help is responded with affirmations when all I want is someone who will empathize. Community is something I value but I find it hard building that in a new environment. I see a therapist regularly and that help a lot with managing my anxiety and stress.
Why did you delete the entry that we are all rotting pieces of meat etc for imposter syndrome Did people complain ? I thought it was full on but very sobering. Thanks. John
I’ve avoided writing down my ideas for my proposal for 8 months because I’ve felt that I wasn’t good enough to write a thesis. Now I am extremely delayed and have to write it all in two days.
Every day, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting to that trap door to swing open underneath me. I did well at school, but I always said I found it difficult, in case my marks were bad. I purposefully isolated myself from other people because if I chose to be alone, that was preferable to not being included. I never tried at sports because I knew I wasn’t very good. Better to not try than to try and fail. All I wanted when I was little was a husband, 2 kids, my own home near the coast and a job as a scientist. I never wanted friends because who would want to be friends with me, anyway? Finding just one person who would want to marry me was enough of a pipedream, without adding friendS – plural – to the mix. That would be greedy and not something I was/am deserving of. I only have this job because my employer was desperate – everyone else who could do this job already had jobs. I’m waiting for my husband to realise how horrible I am, for my friends to laugh is my face and my boss to realise how incompetent I actually am. I’m a fraud
You've got to ignore everybody else and do it for YOU. You didn't paint that Bernie piece for others, you painted it because you truly wanted to. When we live for others, we are not free. I once read that Picasso painted over 50,000 pieces in his lifetime. That's several pieces a day - every day - for an entire lifetime. And he did things that people told him were stupid - he needed the adversity to fuel him. Artists need adversity and struggle to thrive. You've heard of the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule). Remember that it applies to EVERYTHING. 20% of the artists will create 80% of the art, and at the extremes lies people like Picasso. I challenge you to be more like Picasso - prolifically creating new art everywhere you go. Don't worry about what people think - worry about leaving your mark on the world. Hope this helps!
I’ve avoided talking / hanging out with my girlfriend because of this feeling. It just feels like I’m fake and that the person I’m being when talking to her is different than who I actually am and it’s painful
This is my senior year f college and I feel like a fraud. I have had so many great experiences internships and fun - and now I am burnt out, I don't want to go out anymore, but also I have been avoiding my responsibilities to others because I do not have my future figured out and I usually have it all together. I am looking at entry level jobs, but I am not applying to grad schools; despite the fact that I would be a great applicant based on my gpa and experiences. I feel like a fraud because I have not been present and supportive of the people around me because Im ashamed of how I am not flourishing and they are doing great now. I don't want to become bitter or angry; but its hard because I dont think im giving myself enough credit for the things I've done; I've been very hard on myself which makes getting out and being me harder.
I am a carpenter by trade but have held myself back from starting my own business because I have always felt like I don't know what I'm doing and I'm worried about people finding out. I'm worried about making mistakes and not knowing how to fix them. I feel it's easier to work for someone else and internally deal with my insecurities. Well that's how I've felt for 10 years now and still feel the same and I'm not any happier. Actually it's getting worse as I feel that my own children will one day realise that I'm a fraud (I've asked my daughter before if she thinks that I'm a good dad and if I look after the family alright she's 10). It makes me feel distant from everything that is going on around me as I'm constantly internalising situations or thoughts. I seem to be able to come up with excuses or reasons why I can't rather than why I can. Thank you for writing this article because I felt like I was the only person who had this problem. I want to free myself of these feelings and I'm going to have to open up to my wife and tell her what I struggle with. I also have to not be afraid to accept myself which is really hard.
I just found about impostor syndrome today. Found your article and before commenting I have checked a lot of the comments before posting my own - checking their dates actually to see if I am not late to the party - at the same time thinking that I should know about this article earlier and now it is too late and it will look stupid if I comment. After thinking for a while I realised that is exactly the type of thinking that stops me from doing what I really want. Had a great start of my career, doing crazy stuff with some of the best entrepreneurs in the world. I started feeling like an impostor back then - thinking how the hell am I able to pull it off even though I am not doing epic things all the time. I didn't care about the positive feedback - just the negatives and then the feeling of being afraid that someone will question my knowledge or laugh at my question / lack of familiarity with what should have been obvious. I considered all the positive feedback as kindness only - still do to a large extent. Something which should have been obvious to me. I started taking on criticism less personally but more as development points only recently so I am getting somewhere already, but your article has allowed me to put all this doubts, feeling of superiority and inferiority at the same time into a concept. I am not quite sure how I am going to handle it in the future, but your post is a good starting point to start this journey. Thank you
I had never heard of imposter syndrome but YES i feel like a total fraud and should not be in the position im in. I dont feel worthy of my salary or inteligent enough to be a manager.
I routinely overcommit myself to things under the illusion that if I'm not all in then it's not real. Due to this, I've experienced severe burnout and a noticeable lack of joy from my success. On a daily basis, this tends to look like binge working without without the capability of compartmentalizing my day. If I don't spend *all* day on it, then I'm not a good math and physics student or an audio good engineer (or a therapist, or a musician...all activities and occupations that I've stressed to the point of misery). I realized I overdid things when I received an X-Ray of my spine (I was a very serious guitar player at the time; 6 hours at a minimum most days) and my cervical vertebrae had grown with bends and folds in them that occur from years of holding your head into that position during my teen years. At that moment, I had a strange relief that I could give it up and instead play piano for a change because I now had an "excuse" to not force myself into guitar or be that person anymore. I always felt like everyone in the groups I joined (social and work related) simply belonged there; I did not. Some days I would write it off as being better than my surroundings and in the same day would flip to believing that I had some severely crippling psycho-social malformation. I probably didn't and don't - I just never knew how to fit in. This caused me to become very unhealthy in social relationships. I started realizing that if people weren't talking to me about there problems that I would feel terribly anxious. If I could help them with their problems then I was being a worthy friend. I had a dire need to dig to the bottom of an existential crisis (or have a wildly good time in contrast) because if I didn't then people wouldn't need me. They had other "real" friends and I wasn't one of them. Finally, I could never feel a compliment. I could receive them thankfully but they never hit home. The only compliments I believed were indirect compliments (I heard through the grape vine that someone said something nice) or compliments that were so hyper specific that a person could not have fabricated it without being genuine. This was because I felt people were simply humoring me. That felt nice :)
I'm afraid to let people get too close to me because I'm afriad they'll realize I'm not as great as they thought I was when we first met. Whenever I make a new friend, there comes a point where I'll suddenly feel the need to withdraw because they're getting too close to exposing who I really am. I feel the need to hide behind an aura of mystery so people will keep believing the best about me. I haven't had a really close friend since elementary school.
I know exactly what you mean about the feeling of deep loneliness. Like no matter where you go you won’t be able to make a true friend despite evidence to the contrary.
Not pushed my self forward when there was a vacancy as head of department as I do not feel worthy of it. Now I find someone in charge who is even worse than I perceive myself and he has survived 7 months I could kick myself and it's too late
I started my business 8 months ago. My first paying client is in the process of ghosting me. (Apparently) Over the last 3 weeks or so I’ve done NO work on my business, even though I have to write a 3 hour seminar in the next six weeks. What am I going to do? Why - I think I will start with my own blog post about imposter syndrome. I haven’t done a blog post in months, and that is just not acceptable!
Hi, I returned to college and studied to become a psychologist. I have my own private practice but I feel such an imposter. I have loads of problems ..suffer from depression and anxiety and really feel like I don't really help my clients. Even when they seem happy at the end of a consultation I think its because its the first time they consulted. Its so bad that I recently considered stopping all consultations...and going out and getting a very basic job. But i decided to give it another go...I hope to find a similar minded psychologist and doing some learning by doing work...trying out new methods, recording the sessions and working on them together..to try to improve my skills. I love learning so I'm pretty motivated by that. But sometimes I wonder if I'll ever feel competent...even with more training. Its been problem for me since as long as I can remember...always felt unintelligent...even though I managed to succeed twice at college. Thank you so much for your post and for giving others the possibility to express themselves on this subject.