It's safe to be in the middle of the pack. Anonymous. Not taking the responsibility of leading, or taking any blame. But when you're the last...in anything, you feel differently.

The last one running for the bus. The last one in line. The last one to arrive.

In this Science of Us article on the NY Mag site we can take a short quiz to see our level of Impostor-worry. Whether we feel like a fraud or just a general clod, let’s face it, we all face the fear in different circumstances.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to waltz into a room and give a five-minute impromptu speech? Wouldn’t it be amazing to do your first half-marathon and finish ahead of many other competitors who trained diligently?

I have a friend who is a wonderful singer and pianist, her downfall, she can’t dance! Who would have thought that someone who loves music, couldn't dance? When she and her husband went for dancing lessons, their teacher suggested practising in the bathtub, to tame her down a bit. It seems my friend took steps that were out of control.

And guess what, we can’t be good at everything. Think of the few people you might know that can squash every goal they meet. Not many, right?

We don’t want to be left behind, and we don’t want to stand out. Conundrum. A challenge many of us face each day, when do you push your focus to get ahead and when do you glide. None of us want to be “that person” who holds up the line, it’s embarrassing for us and annoying for others. Or so we believe.

In this current world of comparison culture (ie. the perfect Instagram Life) we are always at a disadvantage, we will fall short wherever we look. It is our responsibility to stand proud of who we are, what we have accomplished and continue to strive for our best possible version of ourselves. There will always be someone richer, taller, more attractive, and with a bigger house.

We have to support each other in giving up. Give up the habit of constantly looking over our shoulder for who is catching up and stop worrying about who’s waiting for us.

Our paths are different, and we each start with a variety of innate talents. All we need to do is celebrate what only You can give the world. It’s just that easy.

There might be someone else in front of you on the mountain biking path, doing higher lifts today. But who knows about tomorrow.

Now look at this photo again. Is it someone who didn’t get a Saturday night date? Or is it the first person up each morning?


Give up the habit of constantly looking over our shoulder to see who is catching up. (Click to Tweet)


In this current world of comparison culture, we are always at a disadvantage. (Click to Tweet)