You Are Not A Fraud

When you are generously and passionately trying to solve a hard problem your relative expertise is irrelevant. New problems and neglected problems, by definition, have no experts. Whoever makes the first move is never qualified. You’re there to do the work because it matters.

When you stick your neck out for the projects that others are too afraid to work on, the people that are most affected will notice. Don’t let the critics be your resistance. Whether the advice comes from people that love you and want you to be safe, or from strangers that compulsively need to hammer in the nail sticking out, they probably don’t get it. Imposter syndrome doesn’t come from a lack of credentials, it comes from swimming against the current when everyone is telling you to turn around.

Defeating insecurity, or the butterflies you get in your stomach is the wrong goal. Insecurity signals perceived risk, but it’s up to us to decide if the risk is worth taking. It’s nice to hide behind the comfort of degrees and book-knowledge so we can deflect if we get things wrong, but you’ll never be ready to dive into the freezing lake. The first time you do anything it’s going to be uncomfortable. Anxiety is the signal that we’re doing something that might not work. Security is usually a great indication that you’re doing something trivial or that’s old news. You don’t need to change the feeling of impostor syndrome, but instead have the courage and audacity to do the important work anyway. We remember and reward the people that take the risk, not the people who regurgitate what’s already been shown to work. When grappling with something makes you uncomfortable, that’s how you know it’s important.