The Pretender

There’s been a lot of talk, the last few years, about “imposter syndrome.” It refers to the internal monologue so many of us have that tells us we’re not as good, or as competent, or as worthy as our achievements or positions seem to suggest. We live in fear that we’ll be discovered for the frauds we truly are, and that we’ll be shamed and humiliated as soon as our masks are lifted.

People have pointed out, correctly, that imposter syndrome is a manifestation of more than personal insecurity. The barrage of implicit bias faced by women, minorities, LGBTQ+ people and many others makes imposter syndrome as much a societal problem as an individual one. But that doesn’t mean we are helpless in the face of it.

One way to reframe imposter feelings is to acknowledge that we are not, in truth, as good as we hope to be . . . yet. If you aspire to grow and improve, if you’re willing to stretch and be brave and to forge ahead into an uncertain future, you will always be an imposter, of sorts. You’ll be someone who is striving to be more than what you currently are--and the only way to do that is to plunge in and live it.

You can’t prove who you are, because you’re still becoming who you are. If you’re lucky, that will always be the case.