Some notes I took this last month while dealing with one of those mental battles that never seems to go away. Definitely not organized or poetic, but maybe it will resonate.
Newsletter is back and might look different the next time you hear from me. A lot of clarity this last month.
IMPOSTER SYNDROME (???):
The feeling that you are not worthy of your designation, title, position or success. Your accomplishments may be due to luck or effort, but you feel you lack the talent or skill to justify them. The catch-all term for self doubt and anxiety that prevents us from doing the work.
OBSERVATIONS:
The impostor syndrome is like a nagging feeling that our success might be due to luck, good timing, or even a computer error.
It makes us think we have done nothing, and that we secretly are a fraud for taking undue credit.
The person suffering from an impostor syndrome lives in fear that soon the 'secret' about his true nature will be uncovered.
REMINDERS THAT HELP:
As Good As Others
We subconsciously give undue credit to other people who are successful around us, while we undermine our efforts. Most of our peers are coming from similar places with parallel qualifications. And even if they seem more qualified on paper, they're dealing with their own imposter battles in different areas. It's not always apples to apples.
Collaboration
Other people who can provide you with a positive opinion or praise about your good work, including your talent and skills, can wake you out of your feeling of being a fraud. Don't go fishing for compliments, just talk to somebody you trust about how you're feeling. You'll probably be reminded of things you forgot about yourself. Working with others often shows us where our strengths compliment their weaknesses.
Find Ways to Keep Accomplishing
The worst thing we can do is not do anything. Too much time with negative thoughts lead to more negative outlook. Go accomplish something you're proud of. Try pottery or draw something on the back of a receipt for a friend. Do anything. Big or small. It all helps.
Thanks for reading ✨
My name is Alex Tan and this is my newsletter. I created MOUTHWASH and MOUTHWASH Studio with my friends. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram if you’d like.
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