Welcome to a new section of my newsletter called: Tuesday tea-time.

In this space, I’ll share stories about success, failure, common misconceptions, incredible people I’m meeting, and real shit in life. In other words, the tea in life ;)

Intro

Today, we’ll tackle something I truly believe doesn’t exist: imposter syndrome.

I know, I know: you may argue you’ve experienced it before — so how can I say it’s made up? Let’s dive in👇🏼:

Problem

If you’re unfamiliar with what imposter syndrome is, the word originated in the 1970s and has increasingly grown in popularity over time. If you look at the chart below, the term gained popularity in the mid-2000s. This phenomenon is described as “self-doubt of intellect, skills, or accomplishments among high-achieving individuals”.

Now, question:

Anything pop out to you as you see the chart?

Two things come to mind for me:

1. This was around the time we had the huge dot com tech boom where people became billionaires almost overnight

2. This timeline is also similar to when more women came into power, challenging society’s preconceived notions

So what does that mean? My theory is this: Imposter Syndrome is a made-up 2-word thing that was purely created to hold us back. It makes us feel like there’s something wrong with us. Like we’re unqualified and can’t achieve what these great achievers can.

As if we’re less than.

Before I dive deeper, as a female, immigrant, and minority, I want to provide a few more links/articles on how imposter syndrome is unequal in the ways it affects us.

For me, I haven’t seen a lot of women minority representation in larger tech organizations and that’s where I’ve felt the most amount of ‘imposter syndrome’.

For you, you might’ve noticed ‘imposter syndrome’ based on race, gender, socio-economic background, field, interest, or any other characteristics that make you you.

This concept has been studied by multiple entities and here are a few articles that expand on how it disproportionately affects some of us:

1. Racial Imposter Syndrome: A Racial Identity Crisis

2. Why is there a higher rate of imposter syndrome among bipoc?

3. Imposter syndrome plagues most women — less than half of men

4. 75% Of Women Executives Experience Imposter Syndrome In The WorkplaceRacial Imposter Syndrome: A Racial Identity Crisis

Significance:

So what does that mean? That means we need to question the entire concept of imposter syndrome at its existence. My problem with it is that it makes people feel like they’re not enough, like they don’t fit in, and like they’re not capable. When in reality, most people facing imposter syndrome can accomplish great things.

The truth is there are very few people out there who look like us or have similar backgrounds to us. If you feel like you don’t fit in, that’s probably because you don’t and that’s not inherently a bad thing. That means it’s our responsibility to be the first to carve out that path for us. To ensure that the future generations after us CAN.

The other side to imposter syndrome is the reaction we feel:

• discomfort

• anxiety

• nervousness

• physical signs like shaking, sweating, etc.

What if I told you that’s just a natural reaction? Doing anything hard in life is bound to come with nervousness. You’re supposed to feel discomfort trying something for the first time or giving a big presentation.

Solution

In my opinion, there are really only 2 solutions to imposter syndrome:

1. To completely irradicate the notion that this is a real thing in your mind (tougher to do than it sounds, I understand)

2. To do the very thing that scares you.

I’d like to lean on #2 here. Doing the very thing that scares you is the only way to build confidence and trust in yourself, reinforcing the belief that in fact, you can do it. Let me share a quick personal story:

What I’m trying to say is this: by doing the very thing you’re afraid of, you end up building that muscle over time. You’re able to develop those skills, and in return develop the confidence to be the person you seek to be. This kills imposter syndrome at its core.

Closing Notes

Btw, I’ve had some incredible opportunities to meet people who’ve “made it”. Founders, CEOs, investors, executives, etc. Let me tell you one thing - they’re not smarter than you. That’s because being successful at something isn’t about being smart enough or qualified enough. It’s just about being who you are and continuing to push the boundaries.

You are uniquely qualified to make any of your dreams a reality. So forget about any doubts you have and focus on the task ahead of you. How can you lead that change in your field?

You are here today because you are capable. And imposter syndrome is just two made-up words. That’s the tea ;)

-Radhika

p.s. feel free to reply to this email if this is something you’ve experienced before and have found other ways to combat this feeling. I’m always here to listen & learn