“I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” – Groucho Marx
In his acceptance speech for Best Director for Everything Everywhere All at Once last week for the 2023 Oscars, Daniel Kwan mentioned that his imposter syndrome was operating in that moment more than ever. Hey, I get it. Been there, know it well, own property in that country.
The imposter syndrome affects about 7 out of 10 people, even about 30% of overachievers suffer from this insecurity. Basically, it is the thought/feeling process that you do not deserve the award, success, achievement, and esteem in which you are held. Most imposter syndromers feel that they fall short of the competence, intelligence, creativity, talent, attributed to them. They constantly harbor the sense that at some point, people will wisen up and discover the truth about them: “…..they will find out I’m really not talented, I’m a fake, a loser, mediocre…” When they succeed, they honestly feel undeserving…with a baseline feeling that they have gotten away with something.
I could give you countless stories of other Oscar winning actors, producers, musicians, writers, executives, and more who panic about opening a letter, or returning a phone call, or going to a premiere, dreading: “Here’s the one where they will finally find out about me…..what a fraud I am!”
You have to laugh. Easy to do so when you hear this from another whom you admire. Hard to remember when you feel and think that way about yourself.
Many folks who suffer from this syndrome desperately want to be rid of it before taking action steps toward their dreams. It really doesn’t work that way. I have found that the antidote to the imposter syndrome is not to fight it. No! Embrace it. It keeps you humble, hungry and working to excel yourself. True imposters have no guilt or insecurity or remorse. If you care about your job, art, goal and work toward it for your own fulfillment and self-expression, and still feel like a fraud, take it as a sign that you have a strong value of authenticity. You are not a true imposter.
How refreshing it was to hear some like Daniel Kwan admit this in the moment. How freeing, utterly honest and vulnerable.
So, if an Oscar-winning director can operate in spite of the imposter syndrome, why can’t we?
