Beyond Imposter Syndrome. 1 of 10

The Lie of “Should” — How One Word Creates Imposter Syndrome

You’re not stuck because you're not capable. You're not stuck because you're unqualified.
You're stuck because of one quiet, poisonous word: “should.”

You’ve said it to yourself more times than you can count:

• I should know more.
• I should be further along by now.
• I should understand this already.
• I should have figured this out.

Most people think imposter syndrome comes from insecurity or lack of confidence.
Wrong.
Imposter syndrome is born from the belief that you should already be what you're still in the process of becoming.

That belief does three things every single time:

✅ Paralyzes you — because you’re afraid of messing up

✅ Breeds perfectionism — because anything less than perfect feels like failure

✅ Creates shame — because you think you’re behind, broken, or pretending

And the worst part?
You don’t even hear it happening. “Should” hides under your thoughts like background noise you’ve stopped noticing.

🔄 ACTION FOR TODAY

Catch just one “I should…” thought and replace it with:

👉 “I’m learning to…”

Examples:
❌ “I should know this.”
✅ “I’m learning this now.”

❌ “I should be farther along.”
✅ “I’m learning at the pace I’m meant to.”

This one shift breaks the mental chokehold of perfection and opens the door to progress.

Shift and repeat!!!!

Next: the Fallacy of more Knowledge: Knowledge is NOT the Cure

Jack Stanley B.C.C.

Stanley Coaching LLC

Austin Texas and the English Speaking World

jack@stanleycoaching.com   phone +1512 269 8023