Dear friend,
I want to bring something to your attention that almost everyone carries and almost no one admits: imposter syndrome.
Do you ever fear that you will be found out? That sooner or later everyone will realize you are a fake, that you do not really know what you are talking about, that you are underqualified, that you just got lucky? In other words, do you ever feel like an imposter? You are not alone.
I have felt it many times. When I first launched the Power Course, I used to freak out before every group call. Who do I think I am to teach this? I do not have my Ph.D. yet. I have not studied Heidegger as carefully as I wanted to. On and on it went.
And then one day I said: you know what, it is not about me.
Imposter syndrome comes from too much focus on yourself, too much concern with your own identity. In all that self-concern, you forget the one thing that matters. It was never about you. It is about the people you are here to serve.
It is about taking a stand in care for others, and committing to prepare yourself to take that stand. The moment your attention moves there, the imposter feeling begins to give way to something else: a commitment to learn, to expand, to care.
Really, imposter syndrome is just a lack of confidence in the offer that you are. And confidence comes from preparation. If you are making an offer and do not yet have the skills to make good on it, you can commit to building those skills. And just like that, the loop is broken.
So if you are caught in it right now, hold on to this. Your value is not in how much you know. It is in your willingness to listen, to learn, and to care about the people in front of you. That is the whole path, from imposter to a being of service.
Does imposter syndrome visit you? I would love to hear what this letter stirred up.
With care,Saqib