Impostor Syndrome

Welcome to the Nomad Show!

This is a podcast for you, if you find yourself in a new place, geographically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually or otherwise. 

This is a show about philosophy, psychology, spirituality, and motivation. 

Together, we will ponder human nature from the perspective of the nomad, the sojourner, the immigrant, the traveler, the wanderer. 

Today, we will explore the concept of imposter phenomenon, or imposter syndrome, or fraud syndrome. 

This is simply described as when an individual attributes their achievements and accomplishments to luck, or as a result of deception. It is when you become a self perceived intellectual phony.

if you feel like you’re not deserving of your accomplishments, or you’re not as smart as the people around you at similar professional levels, or you feel like you are soon to be discovered as a phony. you feel like youre the most unqualified person in a room full of bonafide geniuses, then you might have impostor syndrome

It is more commonly described in high achieving successful women, but I wonder if it doesn’t affect men at high rates as well. 

The intersection of race and gender that women of color in professional fields experience make them more susceptible to experiencing this phenomenon. This also makes them more susceptible to experiencing the anxiety, depression, and diminished self esteem that comes with impostor syndrome because they have nobody around them that looks like them to commiserate with. 

sounds exhausting right?

Now imagine youre the first person in your large extended family to go to college or graduate school, or youre the only female in an all male project team, or youre the only or first BLANK person in an all BLANK team that doesnt look like you. 

I imagine how you must feel. 

I feel it too. 

I read this blog recently about a young writer who was invited to a gathering of great people, artists, writers, discoverers, and accomplished leaders. He felt that at any time they would realize he was unqualified to be there. 

As he stood at the back of the room, a nice elderly polite gentleman walked up to him and they started conversation. The older gentleman then pointed to the hall of people and said:  I just look at all these people, and I think, what the heck am I doing here? They’ve made amazing things. I just went where I was sent.” 

The young writer replied: “Yes. But you were the first man on the moon. I think that counts for something.”

You’re not alone. 

The first man on the moon Neil Armstrong experienced impostor syndrome

The first latina supreme court justice Sonia Sotomayor  experienced impostor syndrome

The first black female first lady Michelle Obama experienced impostor syndrome

Can I ask you to consider a few thoughts that could help alleviate these feelings?

Is self doubt a normal response to being an outsider and not a sign of lack of ability? 

Is it a typical feeling of a nomad, as opposed to an evidence of inability?

Can you separate feelings from fact? 

Just because you feel inadequate, does it mean you are? 

Can you develop a new internal script? this is the story you tell yourself. Instead of telling yourself youre not good enough, can you remind yourself of your accomplishments? remind yourself of the years of hardwork to get you to the place youre in? Can you remember the journey that got you here?

Neil Armstrong felt like an imposter because he did something nobody has ever done before. He was somewhere no one of his kind has ever visited before. 

Is it possible that you feel like an imposter because you’re a trailblazer? 

You are doing something that’s never been done before. You’re walking in circles that no one of your kind has ever walked in before. 

That’s gotta come with some feelings of loneliness, uncertainty, and doubt. 

And that’s ok. 

This has been another episode of the Nomad show. I hope you enjoyed it. 

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