The Dark Side of LinkedIn — Imposter Syndrome, Toxic Productivity and Hustle Culture
A free-flow journal
I’ve observed — both through my own personal experience and through mentoring students, that it seems to be a rite of passage for you to begin your LinkedIn journey with this chronic feeling of “I haven’t done enough” and “I’m not enough, my peers are better than me”. One may experience this upon signing up onto LinkedIn, doubting whether their experiences are credible enough or whether it is a great source of identity capital. Consequently, LinkedIn may produce an environment of validation-seeking, conformity, and insecurity — one that jeopardizes our self-worth as a professional. In short, I’ll argue that LinkedIn has now amplified the ever-so-prevalent issue of social media comparison into the professional networking realm.
With this scarcity mindset of “I’m not enough” in mind, it overwhelms us to our core — leaving us either stagnant and stuck, or overdriven and anxious. When this becomes the place that we operate our professional lives from, we’re prone to experiencing the “imposter syndrome”, which is characterized by a “psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud”. The problem that lies with the imposter syndrome is that despite there being hardcore evidence to support your claims (i.e. your accomplishments and accolades), you still live with this subconscious (or conscious) belief that you are lying about your professional experience. But, you are NOT lying here, so you must learn to sit with the discomfort of the imposter syndrome, whether that is with yourself or with a credible professional.
It is, therefore, incumbent upon you to do the deep work of addressing those negative thoughts — as showing up in the world as your most authentic self (with your professional flaws and all), allows for you to adopt a healthy and wholesome growth mindset. Learn to accept yourself as you are, with all the skills and (in)experience that you possess — and believe that you are enough, regardless of whether you are currently “achieving” or not. Ditch the “contingency-worth” theory of self that tells you that your inherent worth is based upon circumstances that are outside of you. YOU ARE ENOUGH, always. Simultaneously, you are also allowed to face your shortcomings head-on, but this should be done with keenness to develop, grow and hope for a brighter future, rather than to live your life in the future. In short, there is a duality here, you can embrace the process whilst hoping to expand your life beyond your current circumstances. At the core of this embrace are the intrapersonal skills of patience and self-acceptance.
Remember, self-acceptance is NOT a synonym for complacency. In fact, self-acceptance is the necessary first step needed to establish compassion within your own self. Once you accept yourself for who you are, then you will be able to show up confidently within your personal and professional life. However, what often prevents us from embracing ourselves unconditionally is the feelings of shame that consumes us internally. This is primarily due to the fact that we have been socialised into a society that reinforces an “either-or” dichotomous worldview — e.g. we are either successes or failures. Thus, it is inevitable that you’ll develop a contingency-worth, scarcity mindset (i.e. this belief that you do not have enough, and that your worth is tied to your outcomes) as you haven’t allowed space for flexibility and new perspectives. Shame-based thinking is often rigid, so addressing shame is the best solution for healthy productivity.
Moreover, shame also plays a huge role in perpetuating cycles of “toxic productivity” and “hustle culture”, primarily due to the fact that we may feel the need to overcompensate for our perceived deficiencies. At the core of toxic productivity and hustling is the issue of perfectionism, Yes, perfectionism may have served you at times, and it may seem like a good solution, but this is merely beneficial for the short term. For the long-term, you may experience breakdowns and burnouts that regresses you more than it serves you, so be mindful of how you view yourself and your life. Remember, failure is a natural part of the growth cycle, so make room for it lest you fall out of balance.
In summary, congruence plays a key role in becoming the best candidate for your role, hence it is important to ensure that you come to this world from a place of honesty and authenticity. And believe me, you will not be exposed as a fraud unless you choose a life for yourself that is out of alignment with your core beliefs and values! So choose your life in a way that matches you, your idiosyncrasies, and your perks. You deserve to be accepted wherever you are, in this present moment — with all of your beauty and imperfection. You are human, so, as long as you are trying your best — allow yourself to show yourself the same grace that you extend so easily to others around you.
There is always space for you. Reclaim it. Own it.
