I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
A couple of years ago I had a short conversation with a colleague that went something like this:
Me: I sometimes feel like any minute now the whole world is going to figure me out. That I am a fraud, that I’m not qualified to do what I am doing, and they are going to finally realize what I’ve been trying to prove isn’t the truth.
Him: Are we talking about you, or me?
Up until tonight I’ve never encountered anyone other than that guy who was willing to admit they felt that way. Then I read the following:
When I read someplace that a lot of people found themselves haunted by the irrational thought that they were frauds, I recognized myself immediately-with the difference, of course, that I really was a fraud.
That comes from Peter Robinson, in his book, How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life.
It is really quite amazing to read that. Since I joined Ricochet I’ve asked myself how it is that these great men and women found themselves in a position to know so much about politics and history and the world. I realize reading Peter’s comment and reflecting on my own life that they are just like me: simply trying to get by in the world and doing the best they can and making sense out of life. They aren’t any greater than me. Peter goes on to say that working for Ronald Reagan made him realize that if the President could have simple, common views on important issues, then he could relax as a speechwriter and as a citizen. For me, reading how Peter learned this lesson from Reagan helps me to learn it as well.
So what do you say? How many frauds do we have on Ricochet?
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Comments:
Nov '10
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
Tommy De Seno: I was quoted today by NPR.
I'm feeling quite uneasy and vulnerable about being a fraud. · 4 minutes ago
Someone at NPR is reading Ricochet...so we are definitely all frauds...
Mar '11
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
I'm quite certain I'm a fraud... I just need to find out what I'm most fraudulent at...
May '10
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
KC Mulville: I've already admitted I'm an idiot. If I also admit I'm a fraud, well, then, I'll only be suited for government work.
By the way, Ken, be careful what you admit ... when I declared that I was an idiot, no one contradicted me. · 4 minutes ago
I read your post this morning and thoroughly enjoyed it. For an idiot you write very well!! So, I'll be the first to contradict your claim. :-)
May '10
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
Common psychological problem
May '10
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
I think a little bit of feeling like a fraud is really a healthy dose of humility. And I'm impressed by your self-confidence, Ken, to admit it.
May '10
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
OMG! You just made my day, EJ.
Oct '10
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
In light of this, well sure, sometimes I feel like a fraud.
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
Guilty as charged. My number one goal in life is to remain employable and I bore easily. The result: I am minimally qualified in a great many things, meaning I am usually the least-qualified person in the room. This gets my personal fraud-alarm chirping fairly frequently. But at least I get to sit in a lot of different rooms.
Apr '12
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
To the first question, I don't believe I have ever felt myself a fraud. I know what I know and what I don't know.
On the other hand, my wife feels this way. One of her jobs is editor of the journal of her professional society. They recently teamed with a major academic publisher. Her comment was, "They're going to find out I don't know what I'm doing, that I'm not really grown up." The truth is that she's probably one of the best and most conscientious editors there is.
katievs: Definitely plagued by fraud fears.
I do think it's a peculiarly modern psychic sickness. · 16 hours ago
I was going to cast doubt on the latter statement, but thinking about it, it may be relatively modern. Generally, I'm an advocate of the stability of human nature, but our society is also missing things that more "primitive" societies use to support the divide between childhood and adulthood. Rites of passage, in particular, are lacking today. When does one know one is an adult? When one graduates high school? College? Get a job? Any of these could be used, but are they?
Jun '10
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
I have long had the same feelings. I spent nearly 25 years in a large corporation, working my way several notches up the chain in the legal department and then in management before leaving after a disastrous merger. Each time I moved up a notch, my reaction was always the same: "This time they'll finally figure out how incompetent I really am."
In the course of all that I learned four things.
- First, that which you persist in doing becomes easier for you to do.
- Second, instead of trying to take you boss's job, make him or her look good--if you do that consistently you'll move up.
- Third, there is nothing more dangerous in a business (I think I could add the military and other ventures) than the overconfident (the one's who live in a world of naive optimism). They almost always crash on the rocks of hubris (or fall into the slough of despond).
- Finally, a corollary of no. 3, there is a big difference between a bold move that is based on facts and experience and a wild-eyed leap in the dark.
Edited on May 11, 2012 at 9:39pmMay '11
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
I am an authentic pessimist.
Edited on May 11, 2012 at 9:36pmJun '10
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
Anything for a Jungian?
May '11
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
Boy do I wish I could sit in some of those rooms.
Sep '10
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
Pseudonymous name? Check
Impersonating an animal? Check
Overly dramatic lighting effects? Check
Never reveal personal details? Check
Avatar created by EJHill to inflate gravitas? Check
Paranoid delusional about Podcast based sting operations? Check
Peak conversational moments during LiveChats? Check
Excessive expenditures at men's cosmetics counter? Check
I have to go make out a will....
Edited on May 11, 2012 at 9:50pmSep '10
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
How many frauds do we have on Ricochet?
Not as many as are in the Whitehouse. One guy I hear dates composite women.
Mar '11
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
KC Mulville: I've already admitted I'm an idiot. If I also admit I'm a fraud, well, then, I'll only be suited for government work.
By the way, Ken, be careful what you admit ... when I declared that I was an idiot, no one contradicted me. · 34 minutes ago
Sometimes, I fear that I'm too stupid to comprehend how incompetent I am. And sometimes, I fear that I'm not.
EDIT: And sometimes I forget which version of the word 'to' I need to use. Jeeze.
Edited on May 11, 2012 at 9:55pmAug '11
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
Everyday. You are not alone.
I constantly wonder how I got myself into the business world that I find myself. Me...the one who didn't take typing in high school (much less any business related class) because I wouldn't need it in my chosen career as a teacher. Nor did I take more than a basic math class. Who needs math? Brilliant planning on my part. Instead I work for a large corporation in a role that requires a lot of math. I simply do not have enough fingers and toes for this job. What's that line from some movie..."I was told there would be no math!"
But here I am nonetheless....and in a few more years I will take my leave and let others step in and figure it out day by day just like I have in my life. This too shall pass.
Edited on May 11, 2012 at 9:56pmMay '10
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
Oct '10
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
It strikes me that if the converse of this is true, Joe Biden never feels like a fraud. Now is that fair?
Dec '10
Re: I'm a Fraud, and I'm Proud of It
With what I do for a living I definitely feel like a fraud. There are times I look at the weight readout on my crane and see that there's about 170,000 pounds of explosives and unmentionables under my control, and I know that someone screwed up by letting me do this.