Why young achievers still doubt themselves

Do you feel like a character in the "Among Us" game, where at any moment someone will hit the emergency meeting button and scream, "You don't belong here!"? Or, maybe, after you have landed the job or secured the degree, or somehow tricked a room full of intelligent people into thinking you belong. Then bam-that unsettling feeling creeping up your spine. Or, that voice in your head saying "Hahaha look who's Googling basic stuff, you don't deserve it!"

Congratulations, you probably have some degree of imposter syndrome. But what is this imposter syndrome? It is when your success is real but your brain goes, 'naah'. This is the chronic internal scam where your brain gaslights you into believing that you are a total fraud, even when all the evidence seems otherwise. It is a mental parasite that thrives in fresh environments of success and achievement. People often mistake it for showing up when you are completely ignorant of what you are doing, but as history suggests, it arrives after, say, you've passed five rounds of interviews or got selected/chosen/promoted against all odds. This is your deeply insecure, toxic former partner, always convinced that you don't deserve happiness and willing to pop up at the worst vulnerable moments to remind you.

How do you recognise that you have it? One indication is the getting lucky mindset, that is, dismissing achievements as luck, timing, or good lighting. Did you get the job? There must have been some glitch in the matrix. Won an award? The judges must have been high. Do people appreciate your work? Pfft, they have no standards! Another indication is the panic attacks, living in constant fear of being "found out". Your boss asks you to see him in his office, and your mind goes boom, you are getting fired, but in reality, maybe the bloke is trying to dump more work on you for your prowess. Another indication is doubting your education as well, that you have learnt nothing from it, and even if it is a degree from Harvard, it seems like Hogwarts to you since you think you must have used magic to survive. You start comparing yourself to "Ofu Bai" flaunting his yellow hair in his yacht and Lamborghini, or that LinkedIn top voice or Instagram influencer. You start feeling inadequate about how you are the sidekick of the hero of the movie, who dies a gruesome death. But just because they have everything on social media, are you doing justice to yourself, where you know how looks can be deceiving?

Let's make you feel good about it first, then we drop you off the cliff. Psychologists say this demon affects high-achieving individuals the most. Translation: the more qualified you are, the more likely you are to feel like a fraud. Because hey, what fun would it be if only the mere puny clueless suffered? So this special brand of self-doubt is an elite club for those who actually "earn" their place. You think you are alone, but pretty much everyone who has achieved even the minuscule of success had it or some form of it. Also, it is a perfectly mixed club; it never discriminates. Nobel Prize winners? Check! World-famous actor/sportsperson/writer/celebrity? Check! Fortune 500 CEOs? Check!! You don't believe me? Deep dive into the life of Albert Einstein, Emma Watson, Sheryl Sandberg, Seth Godin, and Serena Williams, and you will find the reality! Ergo, if you are feeling it, you aren't alone like Green Day on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

But it gets tiring, and like a true parasite, it rises to the point where you get drained of second-guessing your every move. How to stop it? First, take a deep breath. You are alright! Everything is OK! Accept that no one knows what they are doing. Also, all the bigshots make their living by learning constantly, and winging it on some level! Perpetual learning is the key here, not the other way around. The moment you think you have learnt enough, you are ruined! The whole world is faking it to some degree, or else business schools would not have taught "Fake it till you make it"! If the actual true scamsters and imposters can pretend to be competent, you can also pretend to be confident! No shame in that! At times, a bit of snobbish behaviour or narcissism can be cathartic in this regard, but it is not always a red flag! It also helps to keep a file/database or some repository of your accomplishments or emails of praise. Why do you think they put certificates on the wall? Other than showing off, this is a testament to achieving things one once thought they couldn't do but mastered eventually!! Last but not least, you can share it with your closest circle and talk about it. But beware! Ensure this vulnerability is not taken advantage of. When you become famous, you can afford to talk about it in a speech, but before reaching that height, ensure to hide it within your inner circle.

Imposter syndrome is just the perfect proof that you care. It shows you have high standards, and you constantly strive for betterment. In addition, it helps you to stay humble and tied to the ground, without taking success for granted. But like every other aspect, there must be a balance to it. The next time you feel like a fraud, just remember: the real imposters never doubt themselves, so are you sure you want to be one of them? So ignore that voice at times, go forth and succeed, Sunshine! If you can't? Well, at least you are not alone! Godspeed!

The writer is an engineer-turned-finance-expert-ESG-enthusiast, trying to drink gulps from the stimulating ocean of economics/ESG and move to greener pastures of the development sector to shift from his regular job in the capital market.

galibnakibrahman@gmail.com