Have you ever looked at your achievements and thought, "I don't deserve to be here"? You're successful, respected, and doing great work - yet something inside keeps telling you that you're not enough. If this feels familiar, you're experiencing what many people know too well: imposter syndrome.

> the success paradox

Here's the thing about growth - the better you get, the more you might doubt yourself. Think about it: as your knowledge expands, so does your awareness of how much there is to learn. It's like learning to ride a bike - when you first start, the goal is simple: stay upright and keep pedaling. The process is straightforward - you learn, you struggle, you fall, until one day it becomes second nature.

But then something interesting happens. Once you master the basics, you might decide to join a cycling club or take up competitive racing. Suddenly, you're not just comparing yourself to casual riders anymore - you're looking at pros, studying their techniques, their training regimens. This is where imposter syndrome often kicks in. You become aware of what excellence looks like, and the gap between where you are and where you could be feels enormous.

In leadership, this dynamic is even more complex. Unlike cycling, where success is measurable and progress is clear, leadership challenges rarely have black-and-white answers. There's no simple "right" or "wrong" like there is with staying upright on a bike. Each situation is unique, each decision carries weight, and the learning never stops.

> the benefits of imposter syndrome

Imposter syndrome isn't fun. It keeps you up at night, makes you work harder than necessary, and has you constantly scanning rooms for approval. But it also keeps you sharp, hungry to learn, and attuned to others' needs.

The issue isn't the doubt itself - it's how you respond to it. Just as a cyclist might use the sight of more skilled riders as inspiration or discouragement, we choose how to channel our awareness of room for growth.

> validation

Work harder, achieve more, wait for recognition. Rinse and repeat. It feels like the right thing to do, but here's what nobody tells you - external validation is like a hungry ghost. The more you feed it, the hungrier it gets.

Think about your last achievement. Did the praise and recognition finally make you feel secure? Or did it just raise the bar for next time?

The real transformation begins when you realize external validation isn't enough anymore. This isn't a failure - it's growth calling you forward. It's like graduating from training wheels - scary at first, but necessary for true freedom.

> wake up

So how do you make this shift? Start by noticing:

• When do you seek validation?
• What stories do you tell yourself about your worth?
• Are you working for growth or approval?

The goal isn't to never doubt yourself. It's to trust yourself enough to keep going anyway. Like that Sunday cycling club member who looks at pro riders for inspiration rather than self-criticism, you can learn to use comparisons as fuel for growth rather than self-doubt.

Here's how you know you're on the right track: work starts giving you energy instead of draining it. You still push yourself, but it's different. You're in "beast mode" because you want to grow, not because you need to prove your worth. You look at experts in your field the way a dedicated cyclist looks at pros - as inspiration, not as evidence of your own inadequacy.

> what now?

You can't skip the awkward learning phase. But you can choose whether to judge it or embrace it.

As Isabeau Van den Bogaert (People Business Partner at Loop Earplugs) says it: 'The only way to excellence is through mediocrity.'

Next time you feel that familiar doubt, ask yourself: Am I stretching for others' approval, or my own growth? Your answer will tell you everything about which path you're on.

Because at the end of the day, freedom isn't about never doubting yourself. It's about knowing your worth regardless of what other do and what that inner voice says.

You're not an imposter. You're a human being on a growth journey. And sometimes, the very things that make you doubt yourself - your self-awareness, your drive for excellence, your ability to see room for improvement - are exactly what make you great at what you do.

The question is: are you ready to believe it?