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title: embracing impostor syndrome
description: how i (and you) should deal with impostor syndrome
pubDate: Jul 10 2024
---

a common advice of dealing with impostor syndrome is to brush it off, telling yourself that you are not an impostor and that you are better than you think. while i am not denying that it is a good measure, i would argue that a better way to cope with it is to embrace it - you may not be as bad as you think, but you are also not as good as you can be, and you should strive to fill the gap, whether in knowledge, in abilities, or in experience. having impostor syndrome means that you are surrounding yourself with ppl that are equally knowledgable if not more, and that's a good thing. as the saying goes, if you are the smartest person in the room, find another room.

using twt has probably triggered the most severe impostor syndrome i have ever experienced. constantly seeing what other ppl are building have made me realized just how much there is still for me to learn and to experience. i would like to think i am a competent software engineer, but compared to what others are doing, my work is trivial in comparison. that gap in skills and in knowledge is what keeps pushing me to learn, to build, to be better at my craft, and to ultimately leave my comfort zone to pursue a different field of study. you may disagree with my impostor syndrome, but to a degree, i am, and there is no denying of it.

who needs self-discipline when smart people are disciplining myself all the time? will my impostor syndrome ever stop? only when i have learned all there is to learn.
