The impostor syndrome is more common than you think. You may have felt it without ever giving it a name.

Impostor syndrome is when you believe that you really can't do the things you are trusted with doing — that you are just faking your way through all your achievements. That leads to diminishing your own achievements.

"Great report at the meeting today, Marge." "Oh, I don't think it was very good. I wasn't sure what I was doing so I just pulled together some information." (Pro-Tip: Pulling together information and sharing it is a good working definition of a report.)

"Wow, that sauce was awesome, Brad! You're such a talented cook." "I just threw something together. I really don't know much about cooking. We are lucky this worked."

Unless you are walking around falsely telling someone that you are the heir to a great fortune or have an invention that will cure cancer and help people lose weight without diet and exercise, you aren't an impostor. (Note: If you have that invention, please message me.)

If you are doing it, take credit and responsibility. You may still be learning. Hopefully, we are all still learning. that's part of growing. Perfection isn't required and not being perfect doesn't mean you're a fake. It means you're human and your still in the struggle. And that's all anyone can ask for.