Recently, I was reading Adam Grant’s new book in which he also explored this topic, defining impostor’s syndrome as “I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s only a matter of time until everyone finds out.” He compared that idea with a growth mindset: “I don’t know what I’m doing yet. It’s only a matter of time until I figure it out.”
Love that reframe as it turns the focus from performance to learning, from caring what others think of you to having the confidence that you can improve. If this interests you, check out MEA alum Eduardo Briceno’s new book, “The Performance Paradox.”
Where in your life could you cure your impostor’s syndrome with this healthy reframe for how you define success—learning and improving without a care about how it looks or what others think?
-Chip
P.S. I’m honored that the Next Big Idea Club, the literary site started by Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain and Dan Pink, has chosen “Learning to Love Midlife” as one of their coveted “Must-Read” books for January.
