Shower thought: Imposter syndrome is a positive signal.
A lot of people (esp knowledge workers) perceive that they struggle in their chosen field (impostor syndrome). They also think this is somehow ‘unnatural’ or ‘unique’, or take this as feedback that they should stop doing the thing they’re doing. I disagree with this; actually I espouse the direct opposite view. Impostor syndrome is a sign you should keep going.
Claim: People self-select into doing things they struggle at, and this is ultimately self-serving.
Humans gravitate toward activities that provide just the right amount of challenge—not so easy that we get bored, but not so impossible that we give up. This is because overcoming challenges is the essence of self-actualization.
This self-selection toward struggle isn’t a bug but a feature of human development. When knowledge workers experience impostor syndrome or persistent challenge in their chosen fields, it may actually indicate they’re in exactly the right place for growth and self-actualization.
Implication: If you feel the imposter syndrome—don’t stop! Keep going!
Humans gravitate toward activities that provide just the right amount of challenge—not so easy that we get bored, but not so impossible that we give up. This is because overcoming challenges is the essence of self-actualization.
This is true when you are free to choose what you do. Less so if life just throws problems at you. Sometimes you simply fail because the problem is too difficult for you and you didn’t choose it.
(Technically, you are free to choose your job. But it could be that the difficulty is different than it seemed at the interview. Or you just took a job that was too difficult because you needed the money.)
I agree that if you are growing, you probably feel somewhat inadequate. But sometimes you feel inadequate because the task is so difficult that you can’t make any progress on it.
Shower thought: Imposter syndrome is a positive signal.
A lot of people (esp knowledge workers) perceive that they struggle in their chosen field (impostor syndrome). They also think this is somehow ‘unnatural’ or ‘unique’, or take this as feedback that they should stop doing the thing they’re doing. I disagree with this; actually I espouse the direct opposite view. Impostor syndrome is a sign you should keep going.
Claim: People self-select into doing things they struggle at, and this is ultimately self-serving.
Humans gravitate toward activities that provide just the right amount of challenge—not so easy that we get bored, but not so impossible that we give up. This is because overcoming challenges is the essence of self-actualization.
This self-selection toward struggle isn’t a bug but a feature of human development. When knowledge workers experience impostor syndrome or persistent challenge in their chosen fields, it may actually indicate they’re in exactly the right place for growth and self-actualization.
Implication: If you feel the imposter syndrome—don’t stop! Keep going!
This is true when you are free to choose what you do. Less so if life just throws problems at you. Sometimes you simply fail because the problem is too difficult for you and you didn’t choose it.
(Technically, you are free to choose your job. But it could be that the difficulty is different than it seemed at the interview. Or you just took a job that was too difficult because you needed the money.)
I agree that if you are growing, you probably feel somewhat inadequate. But sometimes you feel inadequate because the task is so difficult that you can’t make any progress on it.
Yes, this is definitely highly dependent on circumstances. see also: https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/03/24/should-you-reverse-any-advice-you-hear/