Feeling Like a Fraud?

Me too.

Image created by the author.

I’ve been feeling like a fraud lately:

I logged into Medium recently and saw this:

99 notifications. And there were 99+ more after I cleared these.

That’s more than I’ve ever had on any platform ever.

I know my content is resonating with people, but it feels weird because I don’t know why it is.

I’m just writing about things I like.

I don’t feel I deserve 99 notifications, but at the same time, I know these feelings are pretty normal.

Here’s a thread Justin Welsh wrote about it on Twitter/X.

And here’s some of the advice he gives to get it under control:

Screenshot taken by the author.

Even Albert Einstein reportedly said:

“The exaggerated esteem in which my lifework is held makes me very ill at ease. I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler.”

Here’s an article I recently read from Lea Bardot who also talks about this feeling: