"You belong here"

I blinked. Did my coworker really just tell me that? I thanked them for the compliment but mentally brushed it off. Maybe they were just being nice. But I heard those 3 words again. And again. "You've earned your place in this team." "You deserve every bit of credit."

Like many other people, I continually struggle with impostor syndrome. I replay my failures from university (there were many!), even so far as dreaming about them and waking up in horror, thinking that I could not graduate because I skipped all my classes and exams. Gulp. Yes, I'm glad those days are behind. I still often wonder how things would be if I had forced myself to sit down and understand the material. I wonder how things would be if I had talked to people about what they were working on. If only I had asked questions until I completely understood concepts. On and on.

When my coworkers and manager reassured me that I was a valued member of the team, I felt more confident to ask questions, not being afraid of "looking dumb." I felt more comfortable sharing ideas, even if they were "dumb." My mentality shifted from, "Oh no, they know I am a fraud!" to "I'm learning really cool things and I'm so excited to learn from my talented, knowledgeable teammates!" This is probably subjective, but it seems to me that our team is insanely productive because people have cultivated an atmosphere of respect. People help each other, ask for advice, and work very hard to build something that is the right thing.