“Every time you make a status shift as you move upwards, of course you have imposter syndrome. When you first make a transition into a new role, you are an imposter, because you’re a beginner. You don’t know what you’re doing!

That doesn’t mean you’re a liar or a fake, nor does it mean you should presume more knowledge than you have. What did Nietzsche say, ‘Every man is an imposter to his own ideal’? That’s what feeds into the imposter syndrome.

In some sense, if you want to move on to the next stage, then at some point you’ll have to act like you’re already there when you’ve just barely started. That’s not a lie, that’s the willingness to try. It can degenerate into a lie, especially if you presume more than you know, but if you move…

Let’s say you move from being an undergraduate to a graduate student. Well, all the other graduate students and all the professors know that you’re just a beginning graduate student. They’re not going to expect as much from you as they would from a more seasoned graduate student. So you have some leeway – that’s genuine. But you know you’re the low-rung occupier of that role, and of course  you’re gonna feel like an imposter, because you’re just barely there. You’ve just barely made the transition!

That’s okay!

That’s not a problem. First, you have to understand that any one with any sense, who’s not narcissistic, feels that. It’s an indication of your mental health and competence. As long as it doesn’t become crippling, it shouldn’t knock you out.

“I’m such a phony.” Well, don’t be a phony, that’s the first thing. If you’re dealing with competent people, and you admit your ignorance, the competent people never judge you harshly for that. Then, pay attention!

So in my classes, there were people who were afraid to ask questions, especially the quieter types, because they were afraid asking the question would reveal their ignorance, and they would assume that they’re the only person in the room that’s ignorant. But they’re not! If they’d been paying attention and had a question, the probability that half the class had that question is really high.

If you’re not paying attention, that’s different. You can be an ignorant newbie, and you can even ask the questions that are necessary to ask in that position and sort of reveal your inadequacy. If you’ve been dealing with competent people and you’ve been paying attention, they’re just going to answer your questions and then you only have to be ignorant once.

That’s the thing about asking a stupid question: you only have to ask it once, and you’re no longer stupid. To well-balanced people, that kind of intellectual humbleness is endearing, because they’re always asking questions, too, and they have imposter syndrome, too.”

-Jordan Peterson

The rest of the talk here:

So, are you trying something you’ve never tried before? stretching yourself in new ways? Breaking into new levels? Congratulations, you are normal and mentally healthy.

If on the other hand, it keeps coming back at a neurotic level when you’re operating in your area of competence and should be enjoying it… watch the video, and think about it.

Give yourself grace, and be kind to yourself.