9 Comments

Thanks, Rach. I finally got around to getting diagnosed at age 66! I have had several very successful careers as a paramedic, professor, physiologist (equine reproductive) and most recently pastor. All of my life I lived with the things you are describing. The term “imposter syndrome” is new to me, but it sure fits how I saw myself all of my life! No one close to me could understand what I was talking about….”you’re an awesome teacher” I would hear and still think I would be “found out”…..WOW, thanks for writing this as this now almost 69 year old Lutheran pastor keeps on keeping on! God bless you!

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This post! So true. I feel like I entered adulthood with ADHD. I don't have the courage to go get diagnosed- big time imposter syndrome there too. The fear of 'what if its not ADHD and I'm actually just disorganised, lazy and procrastinate with no good cause.'

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The absolute refusal of my brain to pay attention to details!!! I am so grateful for this newsletter! Thanks for the information and clarity.

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“ I’m even feeling like an imposter writing this newsletter about imposter syndrome because there’s already a lot of useful information out there” T-H-I-S Thinking every individual has something unique to contribute - except me! (A kind of backwards narcissism?)

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I question myself all the time and had a family member who reinforced this as I was growing up. It took me decades to work out ways of dealing with it - taking the facts and comparing them to my feelings to let myself know I was on the right track, trying to be more open when other people tell me positive things about myself, etc. Questioning myself beyond healthy limits also made me more susceptible to gaslighters and other forms of abuse.

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This is something I think a lot about, whether or not I'm really aware I'm thinking about it. My best solution so far is to base what I do on my identity, and not my performance.

For example, when I run, I ask myself, "Why am I running?" The answer? "I'm a runner, and running is what runners do." I don't cease to be a runner if I miss a day, or don't put enough miles in. But because I'm a runner, I continue to run. Remind yourself of who you really are and let that guide what you do.

In his book, Shipping Creative Work, Seth Godin writes, "Imposter Syndrome is real. It's 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." He refers to this principle as "Reassurance is Futile", writing that, "Hope is not the same as reassurance. Hope is trusting yourself to have a shot to make things better. But we can hope without reassurance. We can hope at the same time that we accept that what we're working on right now might not work."

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