You Belong

Feeling out of place isn't the same as being out of place.

Last month, I sat in a meeting thinking: "How did I get here?" Not in the grateful way—in the panicked, they'll-figure-out-I'm-faking-it way. But I reminded myself why I was there. Twenty minutes later, I was refining their go-to-market strategy, and an hour later, my suggestions were in their Q4 plan.

Here's what nobody tells you about impostor syndrome: The people who seem to have it all figured out? They're wondering how long until someone discovers they don't. Those billionaires who seem to know everything? They still say "I don't know" in rooms full of people. Your mentor who makes everything look easy? They still check their work twice. That VP who seems so confident? She rehearses her all-hands three times.

The more you achieve, the louder that voice gets—each win feels like another chance to be exposed, each opportunity another reason to play it safe. But feeling out of place isn't the same as being out of place.

That voice might keep you grounded, but it shouldn't hold you back. Your accomplishments didn't happen by accident. That promotion wasn't a typo. The insight that changed your team's direction wasn't a lucky guess. You earned these moments—one decision, one solution, one contribution at a time.

That voice in your head isn't going away. No matter what that voice says, your contributions matter. Keep showing up.