There are moments, quiet ones, loud ones, in-between ones, when you start to wonder if you’re really who people think you are.
You’ve achieved things, made progress, built something from nothing… and yet, somewhere in the corners of your mind, a voice whispers:
“You’re not good enough.”
“They’re going to find out you’re not as smart as they think.”
“This was just luck, wasn’t it?”
That voice?
It’s not truth.
It’s Imposter Syndrome! A sneaky, joy-stealing thief that shows up even in your brightest moments.
And I know that voice well, because for a long time, I heard it loud in my head.
I questioned myself more than anyone else ever did.
Even when people praised my work or celebrated what I’d built, I would smile politely… but deep down, I would downplay it. I’d think, “It’s not that big a deal,” or “They don’t really know how unsure I feel.”
It took time, a lot of it, to internalize and accept that I was actually that good. That my results weren’t flukes. That I had truly earned my place.
And slowly, as I began to own my achievements and appreciate how far I’d come, the imposter voice started to fade.
It didn’t disappear completely, because imposter syndrome is sneaky like that.
It still shows up sometimes, dressed as humility or caution.
But now, I know what it is.
And when it rears its ugly head, I look it square in the face and I push it down.
Let me break this down for you to digest:
Imposter syndrome doesn’t visit empty rooms.
It shows up when you’re doing something meaningful.
It shows up when you’re growing, leading, risking, and building.
It shows up when you’re stepping into more.
So if that voice has found you too, let me say this to your soul:
You are not a fraud.
You are not an accident.
You didn’t just “get lucky.”
You have done the work.
You’ve shown up on the days when you didn’t feel like it.
You’ve carried the pressure, made the calls, and built through the burnout.
So you belong in the room. Own it.
Even if you’re still becoming, even if you don’t have all the answers yet, you are not an imposter. You are a work in progress, with receipts.
This is how I have learned to manage it:
- I talk back to the voice. I don’t let it speak unchecked.
- I collect proof. I keep reminders of where I started, what I’ve overcome, and the people I’ve impacted.
- I stay surrounded. Community helps you see clearly when self-doubt clouds your view.
- I don’t shrink. Even when I feel shaky, I show up anyway.
The truth is: you may not feel qualified… but you don’t need to feel ready to be ready.
You don’t have to wait for permission to belong.
You already do.
So the next time that voice whispers, “Who do you think you are?”
Stand tall and say:
“I am someone who earned this. And I’m only getting started.”
Because you are.
Keep building one step at a time,
Unshaken. Unstoppable. Unfolding.
Dedo Kofi
God | Guts | Grace
