Infiltrator

To the woman who feels like an imposter,

I see you. I see you trying to contain your shine. Trying so desperately to blend in. Feeling like it’s just a matter of time until you’re exposed for the intruder you are. Sitting in a crowd is reduced to feeling as if everyone has some accreditation to be there. Surely everyone can tell you don’t have the qualifications, requirements, traits, background to be there. You put your mask on and attempt to melt into the group, surrendering yourself in the hopes of acceptance. Everyone has a VIP pass and yet somehow you’ve infiltrated the velvety red rope that separates the “us” from “them”. Looking around, everyone appears to have their life together; organized, presentable, eloquent…worthy. Suddenly you are exposed and raw; feeling every inadequacy and flaw as further proof that you don’t deserve to have that promotion, or job, or car, or degree, or business, or opportunity. You start to shrink, minimizing yourself in attempt of disguising your imposter status. But what if all those other people that you are elevating around you are really just confident imposters? When we remove the barriers we use to contain the traits and characteristics we feel are “too much”, our potential to succeed increases exponentially. What if the thing that makes you feel most like an imposter (your personality, age, gender, story) is the biggest asset you have to leverage? Our differences shouldn’t make us feel ashamed, forced to choose whether individual or group integrity is more beneficial. Stop hiding your light, it’s your superpower. As you live authentically, embracing each aspect of yourself, your tribe will come. Your light will attract those who can identify it. In the same way that the light spectrum has a plethora of frequencies unseen by the naked eye; your light will not illuminate everyone’s field of vision. But that’s ok. Just because we may not be able to see infrared light or ultraviolet light does that mean it doesn’t exist or effect us? No. So embrace your shine unapologetically. You are not an imposter. You have worked relentlessly to rise to the position you’re in. The power of your journey is that is uniquely yours. An imposter is defined as, someone who pretends to be someone else in an effort to deceive. The only time we truly are imposters is when we force ourselves to abandon our individuality in an effort to fit a certain job, corporate/work environment, school, relationship. Living courageously and confidently as yourself, is the only way to shed the cloak of imposter. Those times when you feel you don’t fit in, you have a choice, either allow the group identity to influence you or allow yourself to influence the group. Both choices require action, but only when we are able to maintain our sense of self are we truly rejecting the role of imposter. The reason women so often fall prey to imposter syndrome is because society has consistently been creating our narrative to be invalidated and less worthy. Don’t allow people who don’t know you to impose their story on you; write your own damn story. Find your voice, cultivate your passion, ignite the world with the light that is distinctly yours. Keep radiating your light. I see you. You are not an imposter.