80% of drivers think they’re above average– a statistical impossibility. Our overconfidence shows up everywhere. On a scale of 1 to 10, people most often rate themselves as a 7. Psychologists call this phenomenon illusory superiority.
Take our learning journey. People who encounter Carol Dweck‘s work are pretty sure they have a Growth Mindset. After all, they’re reading Carol Dweck’s work. They’re at least a 7, right? It’s those 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 people who need to learn her lessons…
For me, I’ve come to a realization: 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘂𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹.
Early in my career, when I was thrust into uncomfortable situations, I felt like an impostor. And when that impostor hijacked my thoughts, I retreated into a 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁, convinced I lacked the innate ability to succeed.
The truth: later in my career, I still felt like an impostor. But I learned to embrace the discomfort. Lean into it. I didn’t need to have the answers– I could be vulnerable with my team. We were in the deep end of the pool, and, together, we’d learn to swim. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁.
❌ 𝗙𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁: “It’s only a matter of time before I get figured out.”
✅ 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁: “It’s only a matter of time before we figure it out.”
Don’t let the impostor win. Embrace the uncomfortable; that’s where the real growth happens.
It’s only a matter of time. You’ll figure it out. After all, you’re above average!
<This post inspired by an Adam Grant quote>