GC:OPINION Imposter Syndrome
Very Well Health: www.verywellhealth.com
Listening to a podcast about the life of the late great Anthony Bourdain, it was interesting to hear the discussion recount how he struggled to rationalise the transition to becoming successful in both print and TV. Having come from running a kitchen, his daily life consisted of managing a group of line chefs, along with working the long hours and stressful environment that come with running a kitchen. With his initial success of the publication of his first book called Kitchen Confidential, and soon after his first major TV hit No Reservations, he felt it hard to rationalise the success he found in his new life. His biographer Laurie Woolever discussed he had problems separating the old Anthony Bourdain who would probably not like the new version who had found fame. He would feel he had become a parody of the celebrity chef which they all often laughed at in the heat of the kitchen. She went further, in saying that during a sell out book tour he always felt that the rug would be pulled from under his feet. and this would be his fifteen minutes of fame would soon end leading to the inevitable return to his life as a line cook.
GAME CHANGERS Issue #36
It took him a long time to get used to the idea of celebrity and all the wealth and trappings that came with this, including the more challenging aspects of intrusion into your private life which you can only imagine to be incredibly hard to adjust to after many decades of anonymity, After listening to the interview, it led me to think more about the phenomena known as impostor syndrome and how it gets into our head when we initially achieve some modicum of success in our lives. Moreover, if there is a reason for this, assess how to rationalise and manage it. Imposter syndrome can be loosely defined as doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud in the fortuitous situation that you have found yourself in. It disproportionately affects high-achieving people, who find it difficult to accept their accomplishments for one reason or another, with many questioning whether they’re deserving of accolades. Imposter syndrome, which is also known as perceived fraudulence involves feelings of self doubt and personal incompetence that can afflict you despite your education experience, and professional accomplishments.
