the genius

overview

“The natural genius represents a person with imposter phenomenon that not only struggles with perfectionism but also sets out to achieve lofty goals on their first try. These individuals feel unworthy and shameful if they cannot easily complete a task or achieve a goal on their first go.

general tips

• To move past this, try viewing yourself as a work in progress. Accomplishing great things continuous learning, growing, and making mistakes--for everyone, even the most confident people.
• Rather than beating yourself up when you don't reach your impossibly high standards, identify specific, small, and changeable behaviors that you can improve over time.
• For example, if you want to have more impact at the office, it's much more productive to focus on going out of your comfort zone to practice your presentation skills than swearing off speaking up in meetings as something you're “just not good at.”

resources

• The Frustration Barrier – The Key Obstacle to Being Good at Anything
• 14 Tips To Help Perfectionists Get Out Of Their Own Way

quotes

"I have written 11 books, but each time I think, ‘uh oh, they're going to find out now. I've run a game on everybody, and they're going to find me out."