My Thoughts on Imposter Syndrome

Let’s talk about imposter syndrome. Everyone’s got their theories: it’s the silent career killer, the gnawing feeling that you’re one step away from being exposed as a fraud. And sure, in a world where every job is some idealized version of itself, maybe that’s true. But here’s the kicker: imposter syndrome can’t exist when the bar is set low.

You know what’s great about the world? Most people suck. Yeah, I said it. And I don’t mean that as some misanthropic, “the world is trash” kind of sentiment. I mean it in a real-world, walk-into-an-office-and-look-around way. Chances are, half the people you work with are just skating by, doing the bare minimum, collecting a paycheck, and fooling everyone into thinking they’re busy.

Here’s the dirty little secret: the bar is low. So low, in fact, that just giving half a damn about your work sets you apart. You feel like an imposter? Really? Look around. People are coasting on mediocrity while you’re sitting there thinking, “Maybe I don’t belong here.” Guess what? If you even care enough to have that thought, you’re already doing better than most.

Imposter syndrome assumes that there’s this towering standard to live up to. But most of the time, that standard’s a myth. We live in a world of minimum viable products, Agile sprints, and "good enough" solutions. We half-ass, ship it, and iterate. You know what that means? It means the expectations have been so thoroughly dumbed down that anyone who remotely tries isn’t an imposter—they’re the overachiever in the room.

Let’s put it this way: if you’re constantly looking over your shoulder, waiting to get caught, chances are no one’s even paying enough attention to notice. We’re in the age of inbox zero and KPIs nobody understands, not the Renaissance. The average workplace is just a bunch of people crossing off tasks like they’re going for a high score in a to-do list app, not rewriting the rules of human achievement.

So stop worrying about being an imposter. You’re not. The bar is so low you’d have to consciously try to trip over it. And if you do mess up, guess what? So does everyone else. Half your coworkers can’t remember the login to their own damn HR portal. You think they’re going to catch your little slip-up?

The real lesson here? When the bar’s set low, imposter syndrome becomes irrelevant. Just show up, do the work, and recognize that nobody else is playing on some higher plane. You’re not an imposter. The game’s rigged to make you think you are.