Imposter Syndrome Nearly Stalled My Life

Imposter Syndrome Nearly Stalled My Life

I knew my stuff. I still felt like a fraud.

No matter what I built or shipped, that voice was always there.

Not Good Enough.

For years, imposter syndrome ran my life.

And I didn’t even realize it.

It showed up in small ways at first. I’d get stuck tweaking something to death — code, slides, specs, designs, even having a conversation. Chasing a version of “perfect” that didn’t exist.

I’d say yes to every small project, terrified that saying no meant I wasn’t good enough. I’d attribute every success to external factors: luck, timing, someone else helping. Never me.

For me - equating perfectionism with success was the cause. And it sunk me.

But the biggest challenge I had was making a decision about myself.

It sounds subtle, but it added up. I was exhausted.

I was stuck.

I had opportunities I didn’t pursue.

I'd find that every choice there was a better alternative that was better.

I’d build fast… then stall out.

Imposter syndrome makes you self-sabotage in invisible ways.

If you build things - you’ve seen this. Maybe you've felt it too.

The lie that says: you don’t belong here.

I had hacks that worked - sometimes.

Adding a proxy for myself almost like referring to myself in the third person - made whatever I was doing about some extension of me.

Using my name as a brand made it worse. Coming up with a name helped - because the name didn't have impostor syndrome.

For me, the turning point didn’t come from some motivational book or coaching session. It came from pure burnout.

I hit a wall. I was working nights and weekends, trying to prove I was “good enough.” I wasn’t sleeping. I was numb in meetings. I couldn’t even enjoy the things I was building — and that was the worst part. I was too deep in my head. And then my kid had a heart attack.
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​What Followed

Coming out of this, I did some deeper work on myself. MDMA and Mushrooms, CBT and refocusing on exercise.

Then I added a piece - which was really the thing that did it.

Then I forced myself to build in my zone of genius.

Not what looked impressive. Not what other people wanted. Not what I thought I “should” be doing.

Just the work that made me feel like me.

That one decision was the big game changer.

I stopped chasing projects that didn’t align with my strengths. I focused on tools, systems, and product problems that I genuinely knew well — and enjoyed solving. I said “no” more often. I leaned into clarity and confidence, not over-preparing and hiding behind research.

Not as luck. Not as “a good team.”
As my work, my decisions, my craft.

I started feeling good.

I shifted my learning from "something new" to "something deeper".

If you’re stuck in imposter syndrome right now, here’s what helped me most:

1. Recognize the patterns. Perfectionism. Self-doubt. Attributing success to anything but yourself. These are symptoms. Name them when they show up.
2. Own it. It took me a while to put a name to it.
3. Track your wins. Keep a file. Big or small. Did something go well? Write it down. Force your brain to internalize success.
4. Stay near your zone. This doesn’t mean avoid hard things. It means focus on the work that energizes you.
5. Talk about it. Most high-performers feel like frauds at some point. You’re not broken. You’re just early in understanding your value.

There’s no “cure” for imposter syndrome (if there is I'm not aware). It still shows up for me although its better.

But now, I know what to do with it.

I don’t let it run the show anymore.

And neither should you.

Have you ever dealt with imposter syndrome?​
What helped you move through it — or are you still in it right now? Hit reply, I’d genuinely love to hear.

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