Impostor

Do you deserve to be where you are in life? Do you feel like you have worked hard for what you have, and that it is not all based on luck and knowing people?

If you answered “no” to either of these questions, then you are experiencing “impostor syndrome.”

“Impostor Syndrome” is the feeling or belief that you are not good enough or worthy enough for the things that you are currently experiencing. Yesterday, I sat down to talk to somebody, and mentioned that I felt like I wasn’t smart enough to be here. I am doing this amazing internship, which is really prestigious, and I am really happy to have it, but I feel like I am simply not good enough for it sometimes. 

Except that I am a senior in college at one of the best universities in my state with above a 3.5 GPA. And I have a really well built resume. And I know a ton about public policy in relation to the person I am interning for. So why do I not feel good enough? I don’t say all this to brag, but rather to show that I am someone who deserves this. 

I deserve to be happy. I deserve to be proud of myself. Society sort of locks us in this box where we have to be negative and sad all the time because of all the stuff that is going on in the world. 

The truth is that it is okay to be sad. It is okay to feel down sometimes and to feel like your life is going nowhere and that you are doing nothing. But if things are going well and you are genuinely happy, be happy! Shout it from the roof tops, hug your friends, love yourself. 

You are doing amazing things. And I am so proud of you!

And guess what? I am doing amazing things. And I am so proud of myself too.