Let's talk about Imposter Syndrome.

If this term is new to you, it basically describes the self-doubting fear that you are secretly a fraud, and that you’ll be exposed if you’re not careful, even though you’re trying your best to provide value and have no evidence to suggest that you are deceiving anyone or lacking in skill.

When I first started Brojo way back in the day, I was approached by a media journalist wanting to do a piece on us. I was used to doing podcast interviews where everyone's really friendly and supportive, and so I naively thought that's what was going to happen.

Long story short, it was kind of a hit piece.

She was a feminist author, and it seems that she had a problem with men's groups.

While the article wasn’t especially harsh, to me it was brutal. She basically called me a fake guru, implied I was manipulating vulnerable men for my own egotistical gains, and even mocked my physical appearance.

I had a lot of self-doubt after I read that article. Am I just a wannabe guru? Am I delusional? Should I stop this?

I mentioned this to Mike Wells, the co-founder of Brojo, and his response surprised me and completely reframed my insecurity. He said, “It's good that you're worried, because a delusional person wouldn't be. It's good that you keep yourself safe by double-checking.”

Imposter Syndrome is really just the humble acknowledgment that you might be wrong; a tip of the hat to Socrates’ claim “the only thing we know for certain is we know nothing for certain”.

So Imposter Syndrome is helpful. It keeps you humble. Don’t panic about it.

In fact, if you don’t feel any self-doubt, maybe you should be suspicious about your arrogance!

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