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Imposter Syndrome & The Incredibles

I've been using Ghost for a week and half now. Awesome platform.

Here is my most recent article.

Imposter Syndrome & The Incredibles

https://hacker-origins.ghost.io/imposter-syndrome/

In the article my goal is to define how we commonly experience Imposter Syndrome and the best ways 'out of it' that I believe we can start doing immediately.

This is primarily for those learning a skill to change careers and yet I realize that there are people at all stages of life who experience Imposter Syndrome and it is experienced by Indie Hackers.

Would love feedback.

Thanks!

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    Thank you for sharing Ben! I feel like acknowledging what psychological stage you is so important in the remote work era. From Asana's 2021 Remote work remote, two-thirds of respondents have experienced imposter syndrome. We need to celebrate our small accomplishment! what you are doing for the community is amazing!

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    10 years as a 'web developer' and i am paralyzed DAILY with imposter syndrome...#theStruggleIsReal

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      @Scotalia how does the imposter syndrome manifest for you? As in is it still the feeling of 'not belonging'?

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        Many small ways that I don't think I recognize at the time or can put into words, but if I had to I'd describe it as a constant state of anxiety - anxiety that my code is garbage, fear when i start a project (that i've done a hundred times before) that I have no idea where to start, not wanting to ask for help because every time i do the person i ask ALWAYS knows how to solve the problem so i feel like an id10t, paralysis analysis when working on a project, putting off new projects/difficult tasks from fear of not knowing how to solve/complete the task...most recently it seems it is becoming debilitating.

        It's also a self-fulfilling prophecy (at least for me): i fear the hard tasks because I feel i don't know how to do the hard tasks, so i put off the hard tasks, so i don't learn from the hard tasks, then i need to scramble at the 11th hour to complete the task anyways, and the result is crap because i didn't provide myself the time to learn how to do/or (in most cases) prove i could find a way to accomplish the hard task. Rinse. Repeat.

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          That makes sense. I would also venture to say this is what keeps me/others from not starting a project. Trying to plan it to where it will be what I want it to be only to then have some other thought occur that keeps me from believing my plan was good and now I am back at the beginning.

          I think Imposter Syndrome and Paralysis somehow where the cloak of a 'righteous' feeling. Meaning it is so easy to be convinced that it is right.

          The hardest part is discerning the validity of the feeling and 'conversing' with it so as to know whether there is anything true about it or not rather than just assuming it to be true.

          This comes back to the idea of a community because I need a community of people, those closest to me (wife, friends, and family for me) to help remind me of the good things and also need people in similar situations as me, those here on Indie Hackers, to also help me remember that I am not an Imposter.

          So I would encourage you that you are not an imposter. Starting is the hard and important part. "Build the plane on the way down" as Courtland says. Having a perfect plan only leads to paralysis, so if you have a thought let that thought lead you toward action, even if you refactor stuff later. As Dave Geddes said on one of his podcast, "ship something, even if it is an outline."

          Those are the things I need to continually hear myself.

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            I need tho hear this today. Thank you.

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