One aspect of #impostersyndrome is not believing that you are as capable as you actually are.

Another more overlooked aspect is that for some reason, we believe we should be amazing right off the bat.

You’re in med school/training to LEARN.

Cut yourself some slack.

It is fine and good and normal to not be good at whatever it is you are learning. That is EXPECTED.

You shouldn’t feel like an imposter because you can’t do something you’ve never done before.

If you are working and improving and learning even a little bit every week, you are FINE.

Just keep some sort of forward motion and you will get there.

(wherever “there” is)

And if other people in your cohort are better than you at some (or even most) things, that is also FINE.

Not everyone can be the best at everything.

Keep your eyes on your own forward motion, and watch for YOUR thing to come along.

And when you’ve identified Your Thing, snatch it up and focus your heart and your efforts there.

Let other people be the best at their things, and you diligently continue on working at your things.

But don’t make your goal to be The Best.

Because The Best implies only a few and that’s setting yourself up for failure, and it’s just not necessary.

Make your goal to do meaningful, rewarding work that energizes you, and to do it well.

You won’t go wrong, and you won’t be disappointed.

And someday when you’re pretty good at Your Thing, don’t tell new people that they are also good at it or that they should be.

Talk to them about how you used to be bad at it, but you worked and you learned and eventually you were ok, and then better, and then pretty good.