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 ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ people who need to learn her lessons…
For me, I’ve come to a realization: ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ต ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐๐ป’๐ ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐. ๐๐’๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐บ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐’๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น.
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 ๐ณ๐ถ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฒ๐, 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. ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐’๐ ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ต ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฒ๐.
โ ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฒ๐: “It’s only a matter of time before I get figured out.”
โ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ต ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฒ๐: “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>