You Can Do This. You Can Do This. – Getting past imposter syndrome
Marcus Aurelius didn’t believe he was suited to be emperor. In fact, when he received the news of Hadrian’s plans to have Antoninus Pius adopt him and place him next in line for the throne, he broke down in tears. There was no one he revered more than Antoninus. How could he possibly live up to the task of following in his footsteps?
Today, you would say that Marcus was struggling with what we call “imposter syndrome.” It’s a very real thing that many of us wrestle with. Am I good enough? Can I do this? Are people going to find out that I don’t have what it takes? Neil Gaiman talks about it in his famous commencement speech, that fear “that any moment now they will discover you.” It holds so many people back. It wastes so much time. As if anyone is thinking about discovering you. No, they’re thinking about themselves!
I don’t think there really is such a thing as being an imposter. You’re just on the spectrum of getting better and getting better. But I do think that we’re sort of led to a calling or to something that we do. The trick to me is self-belief. It’s just believing that you are not an impostor. Who says you’re an imposter? That’s the voice of resistance in your head, trying to sabotage you… You’re being called in some sort of way like a dream is calling you or like you’re unconscious or the muse or whatever you wouldn’t be given that… unless you were capable of somehow enacting it.
As the story goes, the night of his adoption, after his breakdown about whether he was ready, Marcus Aurelius supposedly had a dream. In the dream, he found that his shoulders were made of ivory. It was a sign: He was not an imposter. He was not weak. He could do it. And then guess what? He did do it. Better than anyone in history.
Well, your shoulders are made of ivory, too. You can do this. You are not an imposter. Don’t be afraid. Do the work. Show us what you’re capable of.
What are your thoughts. Let’s talk about this. You know what to do. 🙂
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