I realised I will never know all there is to know therefore imposter syndrome is not a useful vehicle. Like you I try and grow a little each day. What I don't know that I need to know I either learn, or if that is impractical, I delegate (and learn through proxy). HN and all the posturing, such as the "I reverse engineered Google/Facebook in 15 seconds during my lunch break" posts, are not the real world. While I am a proponent of small highly productive teams I know that the best work always happens through collaboration and diversity. Imposter syndrome is bound in hyper-reality so I decided to ignore it.
Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
81–90 of 159 posts
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#82Work with other startup founders, mentor students, assist at an accelerator, teach a course at your local university.
In my experience, sharing the (limited) knowledge I have gained has helped me realise I actually know more than I give myself credit for. Even if you're only six month ahead of another founder, you've got six months of knowledge to share. Share it, and you'll realise how much you've actually learned.
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#83i stopped hanging with sycophants and big bullshitters and became my own person.
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#84Easy. Realize that the front page of HN is a view of the world that is filtered heavilly (nothing wrong with that just to let you realize it) and the real world is out there. What you need to do is get a job at a real company, look at their code, and everything else, and you will see a lot of red flags. Those people, that took those decisions do not have "imposter syndrome" so why should you?
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#85I do not have the imposter syndrome. On the contrary, I often feel overly confident and ready to jump straight in, while in reality, I am probably just an average lazy engineer with pretense.
Wait oh shi
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#86I 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…
> You feel less like an imposter when you realise that nobody is perfect
That reminds me of this: https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/11/the-cook-and-the-chef-musks-s... Especially this diagram: https://28oa9i1t08037ue3m1l0i861-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-...
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#87One thing I loved about the PyBee project is they have a whole page on this:
https://pybee.org/contributing/how/first-time/imposter-syndr...
It's not overtly detailed but helps a bit. Basically surround yourself with a community of people who try to accomplish what you do, IRC is really good for this, so is Reddit and even HN. Try to help those new to whatever field you're in and you'll find yourself being useful to others and more capable than you thought. If you cannot teach someone else, you cannot learn. Another thing and I guess it depends where you work / study is don't be shy about asking for help. Communication is your most powerful asset, use it.
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#88My personal opinion, like some of the others, is diversify out of tech. You can still work in tech, of course, and I suggest to stop putting all your hopes/desires/fears into the "tech" basket. Try investing in a non-tech project/venture like: woodworking, dancing, public speaking, rock climbing, organizing, run for office, volunteer, teach, coach sports, throw dinner parties, learn a spoken language, learn to draw,…
When you overfill a cup, you do replace the old with the new, it's just harder to notice.
Depends how caked on and congealed the former contents are, how well the new and old mix, and with how much force you're pouring...
Also, if the cup was filled with rat urine before, how much tea would be wasted before you considered it replaced enough to drink?
Analogies only go so far.
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#89If you are happy with yourself after having achieved something good, you will soon stop trying. If you are not happy with yourself even after having achieved something great, you will try again and again.
Is it surprising, then, that many of the most accomplished individuals still have the imposter syndrome ? It is a cognitive tradeoff: the price you pay for the ability to never stop improving is feeling a little weird about yourself.
Re: Ask HN: What ways have worked for you to overcome 'imposter syndrome'?
#90Writing a compiler, or a similar project where you know that doing it takes some skill.