If you start as a teenager, you'll get a healthy dose of Dunning–Kruger, and if you keep at it, your skills should eventually catch up to your self perceptions - thus avoiding the imposter syndrome all together (prevention is the best cure) ;)
Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
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Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#122Eventually you will realize that you know absolutely nothing, and it's liberating.
Even if you're considered a relative expert on a particular topic or subject, there is usually no end to learning more about it. That's the humbling beauty of learning. Just stay curious and stay interested. Losing your ego in regards to your knowledge (rather, your lack of knowledge) feels pretty good and reduces that pressure you may feel now.
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#123I found reading The Gifts of Imperfection ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4KQI11 ), by Brene Brown, really helped reframe "imposter syndrome" for me. “Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be your best. Perfectionism is the belief that if we live perfect, look perfect, and act perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgement, and shame. It’s a shield. It’s a twenty-ton shield that we lug ar…
That quote is fantastic. Definitely gonna check out the whole book. Another book that sounds similar is The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019MMUA8S ). I don't know exactly how it compares to The Gifts of Imperfection as I haven't read the latter. The former talks about how you aren't as special as you have been told and how that's not only perfectly okay, but really freeing. You learn t…
Thanks for the recommendation! ....+1 for the generous use of fuck
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#124Mentoring and contributing to open-source are, by far, two of the best techniques I've encountered for overcoming impostor syndrome. The old saying that "the best way to learn is to teach" has proven true for me time and again. It forces me to verbalize my knowledge, and if I'm unable to do that, it means I don't really understand it as well as I thought and have to return to Google or Stack Overflow until I can verb…
I'd like to echo this. Not only is mentoring a fantastic way to increase your confidence, but the skills that come with practiced mentoring are highly sought after in a lot of fields. Being sought after helps you feel like less of an imposter as well :)
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#125I follow a simple principle: keep a seriously great work ethic, and don't sweat what you don't know.
Trust me when I say most "innovation" -- aka the stuff you might not understand right away -- is really just a re-hashing or re-packaging of something that's been done before.
Getting "up to speed and being current" doesn't require first-mover advantage. Use your work ethic to learn something when you need.
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#126it always excites me to work with people who are better than me, in my selfish mind, I get so pre-occupied by thinking how I can absorb more knowledge from my peers that I wouldn't have the chance to feel I'm an impostor.
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#127Read other people's code. Soon you will realize that even the people who you look up to the most will have their fair share of mistakes and ugly hacks. Nobody's perfect.
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#128Keep in mind that if you are comparing yourself to the front page of HN, you aren't comparing yourself to one person, you're comparing yourself to thousands.
Comparing oneself to the impossibly achievable is sometimes how you end up achieving the impossible. Or at least falling short and ending up with something impressive all the same.
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#129I found reading The Gifts of Imperfection ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4KQI11 ), by Brene Brown, really helped reframe "imposter syndrome" for me. “Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be your best. Perfectionism is the belief that if we live perfect, look perfect, and act perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgement, and shame. It’s a shield. It’s a twenty-ton shield that we lug ar…
I'll add to my Amazon cart. Currently reading: "Reinventing Your Life" and rereading "Think and Grow Rich" for the dozenth time.
I like to be the dumbest person in the room, I force myself into situations where my ego is starved so I can grow from the inside and learn at a deeper level. I'm currently learning Framer and React hoping to reapply to YC in the fall, I got rejected for Summer 2017.
Thanks a lot, this thread is something I'll refer to a lot. I want to respond to every reply but I just can't because of 'you're commenting too fast. slow down!' You're right about HN being the most helpful place for me. It's amazing how supportive this community is to anyone who is sincere.
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#130Eventually you will realize that you know absolutely nothing, and it's liberating. Even if you're considered a relative expert on a particular topic or subject, there is usually no end to learning more about it. That's the humbling beauty of learning. Just stay curious and stay interested. Losing your ego in regards to your knowledge (rather, your lack of knowledge) feels pretty good and reduces that pressure you may…
Very true. Reminds me of Socrates. After reading this thread, I feel a lot better knowing that this is something any self-aware person struggles with.
I'm getting more into Zen Buddhism at the moment and 'beginner's mind' is the closest state of mind to enlightenment. Experts often struggle the most because of the weight of their ego.