In Prison, There Are No Imposters
In prison, there is no such thing as an “imposter.” Prisons know all our aliases. They know our former misdeeds…at least those for which we got caught. Nearly everyone in prison is there for a reason. We’re in it all together.
There’s an unusual freedom that comes when everyone in the world knows what we did. Unlike others, who keep their misdeeds a secret, we are open books. We are exposed.
From that point on, we have unexpected opportunities to be authentic and generate trust. When we find employers and landlords willing to give us a chance, our relationships are formed by and solidified through accountability. They trust us not in spite of our criminal misdeeds, but precisely because we are truthful about them.
We quickly learn a lesson that we wish we could have learned much earlier in our lives: most people’s reactions to us are more about them than they are about us.
Imposter syndrome is just another prison cell. It is fueled by internalized shame and stigma. It’s a story we tell ourselves. It’s also a story we tell about others. In that way, the story becomes reality, so we hide our true selves to avoid being exposed.
Imagine a way through it. Pretend you’ve been convicted of a crime and that everyone knows your past misdeeds. Imagine being exposed. What freedom would it bring you to no longer have to hide?
What if, instead of reacting to the stories that others might tell about you - causing you to refuse to ask questions in the workplace, diminish yourself, obsess over assignments for fear of failure - you simply felt the feelings and observed the thoughts without believing them? What if you held compassion for others who believe the lies and absorb the shame?
You might find something magnificent on the other side:
You might find that imposter syndrome has served you well, compelling you to ever higher levels of achievement and proving to yourself just how capable you truly are. You might finally admire yourself.
You might decide to pursue a position for which you are not completely qualified, challenging you to run headlong into the learning curve.
You might find that the thoughts behind the imposter syndrome are simply the way you made sense of the world when you experienced past trauma. You’ll finally realize the power you have always had to tell an empowered story about yourself.
This new year, set yourself free from Imposter Syndrome. Tell a new story about yourself.
I’d like to support you in writing that story. Join my Transformational Leaders’ Author Community: https://douglas-smith.presale.manuscripts.com/.