“Imposter syndrome” is something I'm peripherally aware of in the same way I was peripherally aware of Kelly Clarkson whenever it was that she had her moment. It appears with such frequency that although it's not within my scope of interest, it somehow nudges its way into my field of view in the same way princess pop nudged its way into my ears: without consent.

Imposter syndrome suggests this: you pursue some ambition, and in that pursuit you feel like a fraud.

It's usually "influencers" who talk of this syndrome, promising to help others overcome it on their way to success—which is certain to happen after they buy the course, book, experience, consulting or whatever the influencer is selling.

Here's something to consider: If you feel like an imposter, there's a good chance it's because you are one.

Those telling you that this feeling is a problem of insecurity or perfectionism or some other hang-up to be disregarded are essentially persuading you to ignore your conscience, your gut feeling, your intuition, your deeper knowing, your inner daemon.

If the pursuit of your goals makes you feel like an imposter, you’re pursuing them in the wrong way—or you have the wrong goals. And there is nothing that will make an honest person feel like an imposter more than resorting to social media to turn himself into a caricature, a persona, a brand, a pretentious “expert” so that he might sell widgets of one kind or another—which is the formula many influencers sell.

Yes, it is not uncommon for the ambitious to feel like imposters at some point in their trajectory. We could just as well say that to become an influencer, to become famous, to become a figure, or to create a brand, you must become an imposter. We live in an image culture; image supersedes substance. Brand, persona, figure, imposter, pretense—they're all relatives of image.

Part of pursuing any goal involves checking to see whether your actions align with your values, with how you see yourself, with your ideas of who you'd like to become. I compare this to cracking a safe: you listen closely as you make moves. If the move doesn't click, you adjust and move another direction.

Imposter syndrome occurs because our values aren't always clear to us. We simply get the feeling that this isn't who we are or that this isn't how we'd like to go about things. Or, occasionally, our values are clear to us and we know we're posing.

Regardless, the worst thing you can do is bulldoze your way through this feeling because some influencer told you it's a hang-up to be ignored. “Fake it till you make it” is great advice for developing new skills, but it’s poor advice for overcoming the feeling of fraudulence. The best thing you can do is pause and go deeper into it.

What is the source of conflict? Why do you feel phony? What is the disconnect? Identify it, then identify another approach—one that doesn't make you feel like a fraud—that will allow you to progress.

Of course, we are all image-makers to some degree and, whether consciously or unconsciously, perform in ways to generate what we believe will be a favorable persona. But if you should think upon this subject further, you may conclude, as I have, that too many are already too engaged in manufacturing heady images of themselves and their lives so that they might increase their status.

If making an image of your life or your idea or your service or your skillset makes you uneasy, go the other direction. How can you engage your community (meaning the people in your neighborhood, not your IG account)? What hands-on work can you do? How can you get the word out without caricaturing yourself or your ideas? How can you convey your value without pretense?

The answers to those questions are what we need more of in the world.

God knows we don't need more social media influencers or people pretending to be important.