Curing Imposter Syndrome with the Dragon Warrior

Imposter syndrome is the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills and it is something that is very common in the professional world. I constantly meet work colleagues who confide in me and admit they feel clueless in all they do. During this time of unemployment, I reflected on my previous job and have to admit, I too feel like a fraud.

Straight out of college, I was placed in a consultant role at KPMG, a role which I did not feel I deserved. I attended client meetings and would find myself having long moments of silence due to a lack of confidence. It was role that was mainly business focused and therefore, you had to be a real extrovert to succeed. I thought I was capable of making professional conversation, but I felt outclassed and had no notion on what I could even contribute compared to my co-workers. I thought this would all change with a move to a more software engineer focused role. But once again, imposter syndrome reared its ugly head. I realized how much I needed to learn and found myself constantly Googling every problem.

However, I was relieved to hear that all these fears were common among the world of tech. Although imposter syndrome runs rampant, I have been told by many that no one truly knows what they are doing, they just know how to fake it. I reflected on ways to conquer imposter syndrome, from seeking therapy, to continuously learning, to trying to refrain from negative thoughts. But one of the big answers to my question was given to me by a very unlikely hero, Po from Kung Fu Panda.

I always believed we can learn many lessons from stories, but I don’t quite remember the last time I looked towards a movie for such a practical life lesson with immediate effect. The story of Po always inspired me, I mean, he arguably faced a situation that could cause imposter syndrome for anyone. An unremarkable Panda is chosen to be the Dragon Warrior and trains among some of the best martial artists in the country. Who wouldn’t be intimated by such a scenario? Yet that didn’t stop Po from continually training. His character goes against the societal norm of what a hero looks like, and that in itself is an inspiration. A big key to overcoming imposter syndrome is to believe in yourself no matter the circumstances, like how Po believed in himself despite being surrounded by peers who were much more experienced.