Two years into my first job at Microsoft, I was expecting to be fired.
I felt like I wasn't good enough, like I was only pretending to be smart. I spent years desperately trying to hide my incompetence from others.
Eventually I realized I had Impostor Syndrome, where qualified people belittle their own talents and are constantly being terrified of being discovered as a fraud.
This is a story about how I struggled with impostor syndrome and eventually turned it into an advantage.
Today I share my journey, and how you can also benefit from it
Click here to read my story and learn how to use The Impostor's Advantage
What I'm reading
Useful isn't always Fruitful
Always remember who pays the bills
In the 50s computers were used as giant calculators, not for email. Why? Email would be expensive, with unclear benefits
Engineers wanted to build it, but the people who wanted it couldn't afford computers. And the people who could afford it, didn't want it
Notice how the message is given
It's easy to just enjoy the ride when consuming media. But if you want to get better, focus on *how* it was presented
What were the words, the phrases, the styles? Notice what catches your attention and think about why it works.
Then try it out yourself.
The Lazy Way To An Awesome Life: 3 Secrets Backed By Research
Your actions determine your feelings. Tap into that and pay attention
Did doing something feel pleasurable? Did you feel like you were mastering a skill? Pleasure & mastery are the two things that make us feel best
Focus on them, and the next steps will come naturally
The Takeaway
Funny thing about impostor syndrome: it doesn't go away even when you know it's fake.
How have you dealt with your own impostor syndrome? Did you find a way to help others with theirs?
Till next week
--Zain