Skip to content

Comment on Ask HN: How'd you get past Impostor Syndrome?

Comments

This might not be the most delicate thing to say, but maybe you feel this way because it's true?

For every Zuckerberg there are 20 guys that were near him that think they're great programmers/investors/entrepreneurs, but really they were just lucky to be in the right place/time.

Try a controlled experiment. Do something on your own, so you know it's all you.

htpOP
  This might not be the most delicate thing to say, but
  maybe you feel this way because it's true?
A cold, hard slap from reality wouldn't be the worst thing to receive- it'd at least give me a point of reference to define my abilities.
  Try a controlled experiment. Do something on your own,
  so you know it's all you.
This is so bewilderingly straightforward I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner. Thanks.

>Try a controlled experiment. Do something on your own, so you know it's all you.

I don't think this is the best test... Zuckerberg leaned pretty hard on those investors. would facebook have gotten big if he had to pay for all the years they lost money out of pocket or consulting or something?

Bootstrapping is a rather different game than building a site with massive investor backing, and it requires very different skills.

Then if the controlled experiment shows you're capable, it could provide a perspective that Zuckerberg may be an imposter.

my point is that needing a team doesn't mean you are useless. do you grow your own food? did you design the integrated circuits that your computer is made from?

My point is that a well-constructed group can accomplish a lot more than a lone person; and being more effective in a group than alone does not mean that the individual members of that group are somehow worthless.

This is why I think the "what can you do by yourself" is a poor test of the ability of a person.

AboutSource Built by g1lg1l

Hackerly is an independent reader for Hacker News, built on the public HN API. Not affiliated with Y Combinator.