Doubt is not pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd. — Voltaire
I remember walking through hospital doors on my first day as an RN, convinced my incompetence would literally kill people. I felt like an imposter because I was one. I didn’t know what I didn’t know—and certainly would have made me dangerous. That doubt kept me hypervigilant, asking questions, relying on others’ expertise, triple-checking everything. It wasn’t pathology, it was clarity.
The truth is, when you’re new at something, you ought to feel like a novice, an amateur. You haven’t embodied the knowledge yet. Your skills are theoretical, not instinctive. That discomfort is your nervous system accurately registering reality. That moment of doubt—that flutter of “am I qualified for this?”—is often the most honest insight.
Imposter syndrome isn’t the enemy of growth—delusional confidence is. At least imposters know they need to learn something. The truly dangerous people are those who confuse inexperience with expertise and charge forward with unearned conviction. Doubt is the tax we pay for self-awareness. Pay it gladly.
Wellbeing Resources
New Zealand’s former Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern on pushing through Doubt
Time Magazine’s Top Photos of 2025
Captures an array of beautiful and disturbing events through powerful photography that documents humanity’s triumphs, tragedies, and transformative moments across the globe. CLICK HERE
The Confidence Trap
Ryan Holiday, whose entire bibliography on Stoicism I’ve worked through, reframes imposter syndrome as the natural discomfort of expansion—evidence you’re evolving, not evidence you’re failing.
Be Aware of Manipulation
Researchers and designers created this site to call out the manipulation tactics hiding in plain sight. See real examples of dark patterns: subscriptions that won’t let you leave, costs that appear at checkout, endless nagging notifications, and deliberately confusing language. Arm yourself against the digital con artists. Hall of Shame
30 Truths from 30 Years in Medicine
My favorites?
# 14 The most important attribute of a 21st century Physician (insert any occupation) is flexibility.
#39 Every “non-adherent” patient has a story that explains their actions
Stay Well, Eileen
