If Maya Angelou had it?

When I found out that Maya Angelou, the woman whose words are on my wall, suffered from Imposter Syndrome, I didn’t find it comforting. It made me feel helpless. If this woman, who by all accounts is one of the greatest writers of all time didn’t feel she was enough — well then — we are all damned.

I think of Imposter Syndrome as an annoying mosquito that constantly buzzes around feeding you thoughts and weaving stories in your ear about who you are, what you do, and how you do it. And typically these thoughts aren’t encouraging and congratulatory but deafening and diabolical. Thoughts like a mosquito seem to multiple even when you apply all the remedies known to man.

If I may, the mosquito analogy works for also explaining who suffers from Imposter Syndrome. Mosquitoes don’t discriminate when it comes to who they bite. Imposter Syndrome creeps in no matter who you are or what you’ve accomplished. We all can suffer from this feeling. Yes, even CEOs, Founders, Athletes, World Renowned Artists, attest to feeling like a fraud and this feeling sabotaging their confidence and in some cases ability to do the very thing that got them in the position in the first place (Entrepreneur).

Walking into a space you deserve to be in, or completing a job that you are qualified for (and feeling inadequate) isn’t a condition of the mind that should go unchecked. If we allow ourselves to tell these stories — for that is what they are, just stories — and those stories to become our beliefs, then it will be only a matter of time before those beliefs shape our identities and the values that we hold as human beings. Can we afford to let negative self-talk shape our future?

Perhaps Maya Angelou would say to me that if she had seen another woman — or another black woman — in the writing room, she wouldn’t have felt like an imposter. I can speak firsthand to the salve that is seeing someone like me in the same room. It does wonders in squashing the thoughts that creep in: that I’m not good enough, or will be found out. My reality is that I am good enough, and there’s nothing to catch me out on.

We will never know what Maya Angelou would say, but we all have a chance to ensure imposter syndrome isn’t something that will continue to manifest. There are many ways to ensure we don’t breed atmospheres where imposter syndrome can grow and fester. There is tons of research we can leverage now about the effects of imposter syndrome, especially in the workplace. Now, we can start talking about it and advocating for spaces where people can show up and be their best selves without feeling like a fraud.

If you’re interested in learning more, join Kevin and I for our new episode Imposter Syndrome on the Be.Human Podcast.