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As if the prospect of being in the same movie as Tim Berners-Lee wasn't enough, later on that day I had dinner with Ethan Marcotte, the creator of Responsive Web Design and author of the book by the same name (yeah, that guy!).
From Pittsburgh, I flew to Charleston, SC to keynote at Giant Conference. There, I got to share the stage with people whose work I have admired for years like Scott Berkun, thought leader and author of "The Myths of Innovation" and other fantastic books. Scott was the opening keynote on the day that I was the closing keynote, and I was honored to be able to give his talk numerous call-backs in my own.
 Just the other weekend, I taught at the acclaimed Antioch Writers' Workshop run by Antioch University alongside Dr. Nikki Giovanni (!!!), world-renowned poet, activist and educator.
It’s wild that this is my life! And yes, my inner fangirl practically screamed herself hoarse on each occasion. But I’ve got to be honest with you: through all of this, my inner critic showed up in the guise of Impostor Syndrome. Yep, my inner critic still makes appearances — but they are less frequent, and she's not as vociferous as she used to be. A few years ago, I would have been paralyzed by her toe-curling barrage. This time, however, I recognized those all-too-familiar messages and instead told my inner critic to zip it.
To determine that you're dealing with Impostor Syndrome, listen for phrases like “There must be a mistake — I don't compare with those other amazing people!†Or, “Fooled them, let's just hope they don't find out that I'm not all that.†Once you recognize what's going on, you have got to manage your inner critic and keep moving. And it does get easier over time (I promise!).
One trick to disarm the inner critic to remember what I call The Impostor Syndrome Paradox. It turns out that talented people are the ones who feel that they will be found out as a fraud. This means that if you're feeling like an impostor, then you are actually uniquely qualified. Let that really sink in: you will only experience impostor syndrome when you are competent and skilled (re-read this as many times as necessary).
During both Nikki Giovanni's keynote and writing workshop the next morning, my main takeaway from her is best summarized by her saying, "I trust myself. I like myself. I don't pick on myself. I think this is important. What I do is what I have to offer, and so I offer it."
My goal for you is that you recognize you do something no one else does and be strong with that knowledge. The world needs you and your talent, so offer it!
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