SELF-ESTEEM AND THE IMPOSTOR SYNDROME
“everyone is faking and broken. direction matters more than position.”
The Lesson
Impostor syndrome (feeling you're faking) and Dunning. Kruger (not knowing you're bad) aren't a spectrum. Most people have both on different topics. Key insights: It's universal. Every single person feels like an impostor sometimes. Basket case theory: once you get past the surface, every human is broken. You just don't see it until you know them well enough. Direction matters more than position. If you feel yourself improving, it won't bother you that you're not there yet. Stop respecting people as 'better.' Having met billionaires and presidents, they're just people with different luck and skills. Fake it until you make it is real. Everyone who made it was bluffing at first. The bluffing worked, gave them confidence, and became real.
Real-World Example
A founder feels like a fraud pitching to experienced investors. They apply the filters: these investors have impostor syndrome too (universal). Beneath their polished exteriors, they're basket cases (everyone is). The founder's skills are improving weekly (direction is right). These investors aren't better people, just different (stop respecting). Every successful founder was faking it at this stage (fake until make). The founder pitches with genuine confidence because they understand everyone is in the same boat.
Watch Scott explain this lesson
Watch Lesson on Locals →