Worse than Imposter Syndrome.
By now, everybody’s heard about Imposter Syndrome, right? That thing were even if you’re been working diligently in the same business sector for decades you still have this gnawing suspicion that you really don’t belong there? That for all your hard-earned expertise, you still shouldn’t be openly sharing your thoughts about it as there are ‘real’ experts out there that know everything about the big picture when you’re only truly expert in your own little piece of it? Yeah, that Imposter Syndrome.
Well, here’s something I’ve learned over the years: everyone is a unique combination of expert and amateur. Anyone who says there’s only one right way to do anything is really just revealing that they only know of one right way to do things. In fact, the only true originators in any endeavor are the ones that creatively bend or break the expert rules of the day.
All of this is to say that if you suffer from Imposter Syndrome, you need to stop. This book is not here to tell you how. There are a ton of books out there that can provide help if you need it. But as far as I’m concerned, the best way to be cured of the malady is to ignore it, and start sharing what you know loud and proud, because what you know is developed over years, and what you know is something that others don’t.
Imposter Syndrome: why I like it.
If Imposter Syndrome stops you from sharing and demonstrating your expertise, that’s bad. But if it keeps you honest, making you work harder and deeper, that’s actually good. For years, I had (and still have) a personal rule of thumb that ‘the second you DON’T think you’re not a hack, you are one.’ Call it my ‘hack axiom.’ I still think that’s 100% true.
If you think your ‘fill in the blank’ whatever is perfect, I can absolutely guarantee you’re wrong. But if you’re always just a little bit paranoid about the data you’ve included in your report, or the assumptions that underlie your findings, that’s going to make you double- and even triple-check them to ensure their rigor and quality. Fact is, every ‘fill in the blank’ whatever has a flaw in it somewhere. If Imposter Syndrome forces you to seek it out, that’s a win in my book. But no matter how debilitating this syndrome can be, there’s one that’s even worse.
Expertise Laryngitis.
Where Imposter Syndrome can slow you down, Expertise Laryngitis stops you altogether. It that’s feeling of ‘yeah, I have ideas to share and stuff to say, but what if no one wants to read my blog /view my work / watch my livestream. It’s like being a person who never throws a party because they’re afraid no one will come. Sound familiar? To many, it does.
Could be you’re still healing from that 6th Grade birthday party where no one came. Or the 7th Grade dance where the girl you asked to go with you, and she said yes, wouldn’t even dance one dance with you the entire night. Yes, Beth, I still remember that, 45+ years later. …weeps quietly to self…
But here’s the core reason everyone should be creating and communicating their personal brand: there’s only one person with your experience, expertise, and point of view—but there’s an entire world of people out there who might benefit from hearing your unique voice.
You have a voice. It deserves to be heard. If you feel like an imposter, welcome to a global club of roughly 7.8 billion members. Remember my ‘hack axiom’? A corollary to it is that the only qualification needed to be considered an expert in 90% of business fields is to call yourself one. And demonstrating that you do, in fact, know something about the subject. How do you do that? Read on. That’s what this whole book is about.
…and there’s much more to come.
BOOKWARD BOUND / Daily Build is just what it says: the writing I did today in order to get my book a little bit closer to its publication. It is presented here exactly as written and complete with all the misspellings and grammatical errors you’d expect of a rough draft. Don’t worry, it’ll be edited later. The above was written during a livestream video of BOOKWARD BOUND that you can find on my YouTube channel any time you’d like. – DP Knudten
@2020 DP Knudten LLC – all rights reserved.
