Today I did something that scared the crap out of me.

I pressed “Post” on a collection of resume data that syndicated to my blog, my email list, and on to LinkedIn.

Why so scary?

A few years ago, I published what I thought was an informative take on an aspect of resume writing.

A specific group of people showed up in the comments publicly berating me.

That was mostly fine, but one of them was somebody I considered to be a friend.

They were a role model when I got started on LinkedIn. They had answered a lot of my questions and talked me through doubts.

Now, here they were in the comments calling me a fraud.

Since then, I’ve rarely posted about resumes – especially this specific topic. Instead, I’ve “stayed in my lane” with referrals, relationship building, etc.

In that time, I’ve gone from an audience of 100,000 to over 650,000+ today.

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I can’t shake the word “fraud” when I think of writing about that topic.

It’s funny because this thing — Imposter Syndrome — is something that people come to me for advice about. Yet, here I am suffering with the best of them.

Through these experiences, I’ve noticed that Imposter Syndrome shows up in three specific cases:

1. When we’re doing something brand new that we’ve never done before

2. When we’re doing something we’ve previously failed at (either in reality or through our own perception – like my story above)

3. When we’re doing something we know isn’t true to our authentic selves

The first two examples are a matter of stepping outside of our comfort zones. Doing the thing despite being afraid and realizing that succeeding was within us the whole time.

The third is hardest because we face the moral dilemma of choosing between what’s authentic to us and what isn’t — especially when what isn’t has some other enticing gain.

It eats away at us because we know that we chose the gain over being true to ourselves.

Have I found the secret formula for beating Imposter Syndrome?

Not even close.

It’s a constant and it’s part of the human experience.

Instead of trying to force it away or “beat it,” I listen to what my body is telling me when the Imposter starts to whisper in my ear.

Is this new and scary? Forge ahead.

Is this bringing up the past? Be kind to yourself and take small steps forward.

Is this scary because it’s not authentic? Pause and reflect.