Imposter Syndrome (aka The Resistance)
‘Imposter Syndrome’ is a term for a feeling that nearly everyone feels at least once if not thousands of times in our lives. And yet, it is largely misunderstood. So, let’s talk about it.... Any time we do anything that feels important and risks failure, it shows up. When I create a class running order for one of my improv groups, for example, I feel like an imposter. Why? Because even though class usually goes really well, I still can't know for certain when I'm writing it out. It feels like a risk. If my classes weren't important to me then it wouldn't matter, but because my classes are incredibly important to me, the risk has stakes. And that's when the imposter feelings come out to play. Personally, I don’t care for the term ‘Imposter Syndrome.’ To me ‘syndrome’ makes it sound like a sickness or defect. But it’s neither. It’s a very natural part of being human. I prefer Stephen Pressfield’s term for it, ‘The Resistance.’ This name helps me see it as a universa