imposter syndrome is the price of showing up

The imposter syndrome whispers: "You don't know enough yet." But knowing enough is a moving target. There's always another book to read, another expert to consult, another angle to consider. At some point, the pursuit of readiness becomes a sophisticated form of procrastination. We convince ourselves we're being responsible, thorough, professional,... See more

But here's what I've started to understand about the "just ship" philosophy: it's not about ignoring these fears or powering through them with toxic positivity. It's about recognizing that our ideas—and by extension, ourselves—can only grow through contact with reality. They need friction. They need to bump up against other minds, other experiences... See more

I've started to see imposter syndrome not as a personal failing but as a natural response to the gap between our interior lives and our exterior presentations. We all contain multitudes—contradictions, uncertainties, half-formed thoughts, questions we're embarrassed to ask. But the versions of ourselves we present to the world are necessarily simpl... See more