I am a Fraud

Part 1: Knowing the fraud by name

Good Morning!

The title of today’s edition of Daily Self probably got your attention more than most of the other emails you received this morning. It’s a sensational thing to say—and something many of you have felt at some point in your lives.

Proof → Have you ever prefaced a question with the following:

I have a stupid question.

In other words, you wanted to ask a question but felt self-doubt and insecurity about not already knowing the answer. In reality, not only were you undermining yourself, but may have also been overlooking the fact that others probably had the same question and you were the only one brave enough to ask.

If you start questions like this often, or feel like a fraud in some area of your life, despite the success that you have achieved in that area, then this post is for you!

Here’s what you’ll find in today’s Daily Self…

1. Morning Microdose: I am a Fraud (Part 1)

2. Myth of the Day: Women are typically inclined to distrust their success due to Imposter Syndrome

3. Action Item: Prep for tomorrow’s discussion by considering times you’ve felt like an imposter

(1) Morning Microdose

I am a Fraud

Imposter Syndrome might be one of the most important topics that I write about here at Daily Self; however, part of me feels like I don’t have the qualifications or expertise to write about it.

part of me feels like I don’t have the qualifications or expertise to write about it.

👆 That’s Imposter Syndrome.

Imposter Syndrome in a nutshell

Imposter Syndrome is the recurring pattern of doubting your accomplishments and feeling like a fraud, even in areas where you typically excel. This occurs even in the presence of concrete evidence of your abilities or successes.

Real-life examples of people I know who feel like imposters:

• Popular Instagram and YouTube content creators who think that unless their content is absolutely perfect, it’s crap, and they’re not as good as others might think they are

• Brilliant founders who thought they accidentally and/or by sheer luck received funding from investors

• High achievers who believe that we have tricked everyone around us—we actually don’t know what we’re doing, and nothing we ever do will be good enough

(I may have switched the point-of-view on that third bullet intentionally.)

All three examples suggest feelings of insecurity, self-doubt, and unworthiness.

Verywell Mind put together the following list of characteristics “imposters” may have—do you recognize any of these as things you do or feel?

• An inability to realistically assess your competence and skills

• Attributing your success to external factors

• Berating your performance

• Fear that you won't live up to expectations

• Sabotaging your own success

• Setting very challenging goals and feeling disappointed when you fall short

Types of Imposters

In 2011, Dr. Valerie Young (co-founder of the Impostor Syndrome Institute) broke Imposter Syndrome into five competence types, which she published in The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It:

• The Perfectionist: focused on “how” something is done and “how” it turns out. One minor flaw (e.g. a 99/100) = failure → shame

• The Expert: focused on the “what” and “how much” is known or done. A minor lack of knowledge = failure → shame

• The Soloist: focused on “who” completes the task (it needs to be them and them alone). Needing help is a sign of failure → shame

• The Natural Genius: focused on “how” and “when” accomplishments happen. Failure to master a subject or skill on the first try = failure → shame

• The Superhuman: focused on “how many” roles can be juggled competently. Falling short in any role → shame because they feel they should be able to handle it all, perfectly and easily

To see how these types manifest in real-life, check out this article from Entrepreneur Magazine on leaders, entrepreneurs, and celebrities who have struggled with Imposter Syndrome.

This wraps up today’s Morning Microdose, as I wanted to provide you with a brief overview of what Imposter Syndrome is, and how to identify it, before getting into ways to manage it. We’ll get into solutioning tomorrow.

(2) Myth of the Day

At Daily Self, we are not afraid to publish other points of view, which is why we’re breaking format today. Our “Myth of the Day” comes from the Harvard Business Review, and is a counter-argument to the hypothesis that women may be inclined to distrust their success due to Imposter Syndrome. I’ve included an excerpt below, but I highly encourage you to read the entire article.

The impact of systemic racism, classism, xenophobia, and other biases was categorically absent when the concept of imposter syndrome was developed. Many groups were excluded from the study, namely women of color and people of various income levels, genders, and professional backgrounds. Even as we know it today, imposter syndrome puts the blame on individuals, without accounting for the historical and cultural contexts that are foundational to how it manifests in both women of color and white women. Imposter syndrome directs our view toward fixing women at work instead of fixing the places where women work.

Source: “Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome,” originally published in the Harvard Business Review on February 11, 2021.

(3) Action Item

Consider times in your life when you may have experienced Imposter Syndrome (you may still be experiencing it). What type of imposter were/are you? Tomorrow, we’ll discuss ways to adjust self-limiting thinking. See you Wednesday for Part 2!

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