Prompt Images
The jig is up.
You’ve been outed.
Weighed, measured, sized up.
We finally figured it out.
You’ve been pulling one over on us this whole time.
Who are you even?
Just a fraud. A phony. A total and complete fake.
Who did you think you were kidding?
You live your life in a back-and-forth turmoil between not thinking you’re worthy of the things you have and wanting more of the same things. Thinking, It’ll be better once I have this next better accolade, or degree, or certification, and you’re totally blind to the incredible things you are doing right now, despite not having any of those ultimately meaningless cap-feathers.
You wake up everyday with that anxious feeling, like you’re on the clock. Like this whole time, you’ve been getting away with something. But it’s just a matter of time.
Today’s the day.
Today is definitely the day they call you out. Because you have no idea what you’re doing. Today is the day that two Will-Smith-Men-In-Black type men show up at your door and inform you that it is, in fact, all over. “You need to come with us,” they’ll demand expressionlessly. “We’ve found you out, we know what you’re up to, and we’re here to take you away from this dream because we know you’re faking it..”
And the feeling is so real that upon hearing this news, you think, “Fair enough. I’ve actually been bullshitting my whole life.”
You’re going to wait until you’re overqualified for that new job or promotion before you listen to or believe everyone else around you telling you to go for it.
You’re going to wait until Cupid himself comes down from the sky and sends his arrow through your chest before you believe you are worthy of love.
You’re going to wait until you finish the next Great American Novel, or at least take that creative writing class you’ve been thinking about for years, before you actually call yourself a “writer.”
You’re going to wait, wait, wait for some outside validation before you are happy about where you are.
Hey skippy, here’s a hint: It’s not coming from anywhere.
The catch-22 is that you deserve it already. All of it. So long as you think you do.
These feelings—the doubts, the question marks, the uncertainties—don’t go away. Ever.
And it’s a gift that they don’t go away if you know how to use them and channel them accordingly.
Use them to motivate you to work harder to figure things out because you think you are in over your head at your job.
(Hopefully, your coworkers are appreciative.)
Use them so you strive to be a better partner because you can’t believe that the person you’re with actually likes you.
(Hopefully, they feel the exact same way and do the same things.)
Use them to live passionately outside of (what you think are) your bounds because it constantly pushes you bounds outward further.
You’d be a fool if you thought you could conquer these feelings, but more of a fool if you wanted to conquer them. These feelings are a gift. So harness them, saddle up, and ride them into the next frontier.
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