You're Not an Impostor. You're an Outlier.

Ever been in a meeting at work, and for some reason, you feel like you don't belong there? Like you're about to be found out as a fraud? You know that feeling you get when you're in a room with other professionals who seem to know everything? You might even be a total expert in your field, but still, the doubts creep in. “What if they can tell I’m not really a professional? What if I don’t really deserve this job/this title/this salary?”

That feeling is so common among women that it has its own name: impostor syndrome. But here's the thing: it isn't real. It's 100% BS. and something that affects all of us at some point. You're not an impostor. Workplace culture is gaslighting us to believe that we're impostors, and it's time to stop.

Imposter syndrome is a real thing, and a lot of people can relate to feeling like they're just pretending to be at the level they actually are. That's because, in many ways, we've been taught that "not knowing" is the same as "failing". We think we have to fake it until we make it—and if we don't make it, then there's something wrong with us. This couldn't be further from the truth. The first step to overcoming imposter syndrome is accepting that you deserve to be here, wherever "here" is. Maybe you've gotten into a top school or landed an amazing job, and now you feel like at any moment someone will figure out you don't belong.

One of the most pervasive beliefs that interfere with our confidence is the idea that we are somehow unqualified to be where we want to be. That other people have some kind of special magic that we don't have. There are three major parts to why we struggle with impostor syndrome:

1. We are not taught to see ourselves as individuals

2. We are not taught to differentiate between perfection and excellence.

3. We are not taught to recognize the difference between others' perceptions of us and our actual abilities.

It's easy to feel like an impostor when you're surrounded by people who were raised in a system that values conformity over individuality, perfection over excellence, and external validation over internal confidence. But what if there was another way to look at this? What if, instead of feeling like an impostor, you began to see yourself as an outlier—someone who exists outside of the norm?  

We are all, in many ways, outliers. We don't like the same things, we don't learn the same way, and our preferences and personality traits exist on a curve of their own. And yet we're constantly forced to try to fit into the same mold as other people.

Why do we do this?

We're worried about fitting in, but the truth is that you can stand out and be appreciated for it. It's time to come to terms with the fact that you're an outlier. What does it mean to be an outlier? It means that you don't fit neatly into categories, that you see things differently, and that you have unique strengths and experiences. It means you may not be able to relate to everyone around you.

So the next time you doubt your abilities, remember you're an outlier. You're a human being with unique skills and experiences that make you capable of incredible things. The world is full of outliers like you. You have plenty of company. Besides, "normal" is overrated.

So go ahead and claim it: You're an outlier, and that makes you unstoppable.