Our World of Unhappy Imposters
Childhood for me included bright orange popsicles and embarrassing elbow and knee pads. There seemed to be loud, pretty colors everywhere I looked and safety nets to catch me wherever I went. Life felt more fun with each new day and looked full of summer roses.
As a child, even the bad days and bullies at school cannot break the optimist inside of you. Even after this bliss begins to fade around fifth grade or so, we put our faith in the idea that life ahead will surely bring us happiness.
In elementary school, teachers ask what dreams children have for themselves. Everyone wants to reach for the stars – be the president or the next big pop star to sweep the globe. With middle and high school, the goals become smaller and more plausible. Everyone must switch from optimism to realism, swap out their hope of lounging in the Oval Office for getting into law school.
At 13, high schoolers looked like the peak of intelligence and responsibility. Then in high school, college students were the model of maturity and hard work. As an undergrad, I am now looking at my professors and the professionals in the field I hope to join in a year. This phenomenon of expecting those on the next rung of the ladder to have the answers continues occurring at every stage.
It poses the question: is imposter syndrome everywhere and in everyone? All of us doubt at one point or another if we have earned the space we take up. It seems that everyone loses the child version of themselves who once believed they’d deserve a world tour dedicated to their talent. As we grow up, we lose the rose-colored glasses we’d wear when we dreamed about adulthood and come to terms with the difficulties and doubts we face.
A study found that adults 30 years and older report more unhappiness than younger people. The possible reasons for this included individualism, technology and social media and the increasing income gaps. Most people experience these factors working or living in today’s society. Such difficulties make it feel impossible to hold onto childhood optimism while navigating financial struggles or social independence.
Mottos like “fake it til you make it” come in handy for pushing imposter syndrome to the side, but for longer-term solutions, people might need to shake the impulse to plan out their future so meticulously. The dreams we create as kids end up letting us down as we grow up; learning to let go of extreme standards may relieve the stress of losing the rosy worldview of childhood.
If there were a perfect fix to this loss of optimism, I would love to write it here and have an inspiring note to end on, but instead, I will share my plan. Moving forward, I will try to show more gratitude for where my life is at and not hold on so tightly to dreams just out of reach in order to enjoy the now a little more, if possible.
Sources:
Cover photo courtesy of Pinterest
https://www.orchidrecoverycenter.com/blog/study-shows-adults-become-sadder-with-age-not-happier/