Feeling Like A Fake Most Likely Means You’re Not

It’s time to learn how to take credit for your achievements

One time, in my early 20s, I took a five-day acting course to test if my perceived acting talent wasn’t just a life-long delusion. The first-class left me feeling pretty raff. I did okay, actually, but my classmates did way better. This made me think about leaving the course — the fear of looking inadequate was too much to bear at that time. Yes, I felt like a fake. Which, looking back now, was silly, because, eventually, I finished the course at the top of the class. Still, I attributed my success to luck, or coincidence, thinking that the next time I’ll definitely fail.

Later, I figured out that at the time I was dealing with impostor syndrome. This phenomenon was first described in 1978 by psychology professor Pauline Clance and psychologist Suzanne Imes who studied high-achieving women. The majority of participating women couldn’t accept their achievements without some kind of qualification. They cited luck, serendipity, contacts, charisma, beauty, and the ability to appear more capable than they “were” as defining factors in their success.

Have you ever felt the same?

It’s highly likely.

According to a paper published in the International Journal of Behavioral Science, more than 70% of people in the United States have felt like a fraud at least once in their lifetime, and for many people, it’s a constant struggle.