Many of you might know “Sheryl Sandberg” COO of Facebook and founder of LeanIn.org. After spending more than 19 years in technological field she has confessed that she feels like an imposter at times. In her book ‘Lean In’ she wrote that,

‘Every time I took a test, I was sure that it had gone badly. And every time I didn’t embarrass myself or even excelled- I believed that I had fooled everyone yet again.’

This distrust in your own accomplishment and skills is known as Imposter Syndrome. Especially the women who are in STEM field, who are trying their best to compete in this male dominated field, she gets planted the seed in her head saying that ‘you’re only here just because you are a female’. This seed gets rooted inside our mind and we externalize our success and we are left with a fear of being exposed.

I vividly remember in my Engineering exam preparation classes, most of my female friends skipped the classes or skipped the whole engineering field before getting into it. The only thing they did was asked a simple question related to math and the teacher replied saying, ‘If you don’t even understand the basic concept, then you’ll not be able to join engineering.’ This very statement made them feel like a imposter sitting around the people who had basic concept and can grasp every word the teacher says.

How to identify you have Imposter Syndrome?

• Doubting your skills and abilities.
• Fear of not being able to live up to the expectations.
• Denial of the praise and accomplishment.
• Over preparation because of fear of being exposed.

What can we do to shatter our Imposter Syndrome?

• Realize you are making the difference.
• Become consciously aware of the conversation on your head when you feel like a imposter.
• Step back from that thought and look at the situation from border perspective.
• Develop a habit to forgive yourself while making a mistake and learn from it.
• Lastly ACKNOWLEDGE YOURSELF.

Imposter Syndrome has a way you feel to discredit your accomplishment and skill. But let’s take a step back and recognize and remember those moments in your life where you made a smallest accomplishment and let’s celebrate it.

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

It feels just like yesterday when I was reconsidering about my admission as I was the only female selected for the study. Though it felt like a challenge at times but when someone points out how I’m stomping the stereotypes by my every action in this “Engineering world” it makes me feel proud of myself. Whenever I share my story, I’m always being asked how do you do it? How you got that confidence?

TBH I don’t have it in me but I look upon so many female role models (who even don’t know me), they push me to go further in any situation. To share you all one of the recent event, I had to defend my thesis in front of all my professors and teachers, as I’m not a much of a speaker myself.. it felt like a nightmare to even think about my thesis defense. Coincidentally, as I was scrolling down my YouTube recommendations, I stumbled upon AOC’s (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) speech. She is fierce, bold and sweet persona (I love her so much). I binged watched all of her interviews, speech also her Netflix movie just a day before my defense. and it motivated me as a women, women who have to stand up in the man’s world and to show them all that yes you belong here!! With every interview of her my fear for defense was decreasing. She helped me to overcome my fear. That just shows how a person unknown to you can influence and motivate you in your journey. And yes.. my defense went good 🤩 Choosing good role models is important.

In today’s world, we are just a click away from everything. It’s your choice if you want to get intimidated by people on the internet or to get inspired by their journey. 

Let’s create a skincare routine that you look forward to each morning and night 🧡

*Disclaimer: I’m not promoting any products*

Step 1 Cleanse

CLEANSE the sweat, dirt, excess oil and pollution from your skin (but don’t over do it). Start your day with a gentle gel or foaming cleanser which will leave your skin feeling fresh. I use the one from Bioderma, you can use anything you prefer (just remember your skin shouldn’t feel tight and dry after cleansing).

Step 2 Serum

As per your skin necessity and your age you can easily find serums that will help your skin. I have oily skin so Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% has helped alot with my oiliness and alternatively i use Vitamin C serum which helped to maintain glowing skin.

Step 3 Moisturize

It’s time to hydrate your skin with some moisturizer. Using a right moisturizer can reduce fine lines, wrinkles as well your oiliness (Believe me) so even if you’ve oily skin don’t skip this step. I’ve been using the one from Ordinary in morning and Johnson’s 24hr at night.

Step 4 Facial Oil (Optional)

Your skin do produce natural oils but if you want bright and glowy skin you can use facial oil. There are many types of facial oil but some that I like are Jojoba Oil, Rose-hip seed oil and 100% plant derived squalane. Rose-hip seed oil feels kind of heavy on my skin so i use it at nighttime.

Step 5 Sunscreen

Sun damage, pre-mature aging and skin cancer are some serious things that Sun UV rays can do to us. Don’t Skip Sunscreen everyone.

Once a week Exfoliate Step

Exfoliating basically means to remove out the dead cells from your skin. You can use physical exfoliate as well as chemical exfoliate. But i prefer chemical exfoliate than physical one. AHA BHA peeling solution is one of my favorite exfoliate. 

Acne Treatment Cream

*If you have severe acne than i will recommend visiting a dermatologist*

What I use:- Adapalene (at night) and Clindamycin (at day) for my acne as a spot treatment. (As per my dermatologist)

I hope this helped you to create your skincare routine. Just a kind reminder, Be consistent and you'll see the results 🧡

Why didn’t i read it sooner? If I can go back in time then i’d probably give this book to my 13 years old self. It’s not just a book, its a collection of her memories, her thoughts, her experience and it shows how her thinking changes in this short period of 2 years.

Summary

In 1942, with the Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, the Franks and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annexe” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and surprisingly humorous, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short. [Back Cover]

My Thoughts

• Paper has more patience than people.
• Feelings can’t be ignored, nomatter how unjust or ungrateful they seen.
• If only I can be myself, I’ll be satisfied .
• You can be lonely even when you’re love by many people since you’re still not anybody’s one and only.

Summary

My Thoughts

What shall I say, her life is full of inspiration, courage and hope. Just imagine how many times she may have failed before being able to actually write with her feet. But she did it, i don’t know how can someone have such a strong will and power to push themselves forward EVERYTIME. The most used phrase in this book was “ma nirantar aagadi badhirahe”, it just shows how many times she was being criticized, dehumanized for her choices which was just to read and write.