Impostor syndrome (also spelled imposter syndrome, also known as impostor phenomenon or fraud syndrome) is a term coined in the 1970s by psychologists and researchers to informally describe people who are unable to internalize their accomplishments.

Living and working at the bleeding edge of our industry can sometimes make it hard to internalize our accomplishments. I feel it has to do with the reality that many of us are paving new ground and aren’t working off of well defined road maps. 

When you don’t have much to compare it to. We tend to get lead down one of two roads. The first road is over self confidence and leads straight into the dunning Krueger effect. The other road takes us to feeling like an imposter. Like we are just making it all up as we go along and are basically a fraud. 

Feeling like an imposter is not a bad thing though. I find that when these feelings begin to materialize I tend to become more involved more attentive and a better listener. I feel like it’s a practice in humility and underneath it all are hidden opportunities for self growth. 

We feel like imposters because it’s hard for others to recognize the rewards in the kind of work we do. In turn it makes it hard for people to give us those “atta boy’s” that would typically let us know that we’re on the right track and doing good work. 

If you are struggling with feeling like an imposter just remember you’re not alone and that the silence isn’t a bad thing. You’re just a brave warrior charting new ground. 

Stay strong.