Introducing This I Do Know
Isn’t it one of God’s cruelest jokes, Manuele, our ability to feel imposter syndrome? When I read your post — late, obviously, because RSS feeds and I will never quite be best friends — I was struck by your openness on the matter. You feel like you don’t know shit. Samesies! I suppose most of us suffer from imposter syndrome every now and then, even the famous ones to whom we compare ourselves:
As a self-taught designer, I never walk far without experiencing imposter syndrome. And don’t even get me started on web development… I’ve been building websites since I was 11, but I never fail to find a reason to condescend to myself about it.
What if we help each other battle our imposter syndrome? I’m inspired by IndieWeb Carnival, which is growing to be a delightful way for the community to engage. I would like to introduce This I Do Know.
How it works
If you work or participate in a particular field, but you don’t feel like you have the authority to speak on anything related to it, you may be suffering from imposter syndrome. This I Do Know is a tag that may be used by anyone fighting theirs.
- Identify an area that activates your imposter syndrome
- Pick one thing you know about it, big or small
- Write about it as though you were engaging a peer who knows nothing on the matter
- Embrace the fact that, while you know this thing, you still have many questions; make sure to work these questions into your writing
- Publish your post
- Tell me about it
This is not meant as a gateway to thought leadership. I personally believe that the tech industry is rife with people who equate professional growth with thought leadership, and I think there’s something harmful and boring about it.
This is just a simple, small thing.
Maybe I’ll learn that nobody cares about this exercise as a way of reducing their imposter syndrome. Maybe I’m the only one who even experiences it. Doubt it. If you do find it helpful, I’d love to hear from you.