Hello Reader!

Let me share with you my story about how I beat Impostor Syndrom.

Simply explained, it’s the feeling when you feel like you don't deserve your own success or accomplishments.

Even if you have evidence of doing well, you still doubt yourself and worry that others will find out you're not as capable as you seem.

You might think it's all just luck or that you're fooling everyone.

I've had my fair share of impostor moments.

But one particular story stands out.

Let me take you back to the time when I landed a job at Patni Computer, a major software development company in India.

It was a BIG deal for me.

I had always dreamed of working at one of the top companies.

But little did I know, I was about to face some SERIOUS impostor syndrome.

So, I joined this project at Patni.

And let me tell you, it was PACKED with seriously talented folks!

Our project leader, Rajneesh Madan, was a programming genius with loads of experience under his belt.

Just talking to him made you realize how much he knew.

And the rest of the team? They were graduates from some of the top engineering colleges in India, like IIT.

I was just a newbie among these programming rockstars.

And boy, did I feel like a fraud.

They worked on the project for a few months when they hit a roadblock—performance issues.

The application they were working on was frustratingly slow.

It was unacceptable to the client.

That's when we decided to tackle it head-on and started a sub-project to optimize the performance.

And guess who got pulled into the project? Me, of all people!

Now, on my first day of the sub-project, I had no clue how I could contribute.

But I was determined to be there for my team and seize any chance to make a difference.

So, I started digging around. I tried my best to keep up.

And I stumbled upon this article from Microsoft.

It was all about a cool trick to enhance performance in ASP. NET applications by compressing the output from the server to the browser.

I wasn't even sure if this solution would fix our slowness issue

But I remembered something similar from my previous job.

I mustered up the courage and shared it with Rajneesh, our project leader.

I said, "Hey, I found something that might be relevant. Wanna check it out?"

To my surprise, Rajneesh was thrilled!

He saw the potential and declared it as the breakthrough we needed.

He even went around telling everyone about it, saying that I was the one who found the solution!

Can you imagine the feeling that I had at that moment? Truly incredible.

Suddenly, I had a place on the team!

People knew my name. It was a surreal feeling.

With the team's newfound enthusiasm, we embarked on a three-month journey to optimize the application.

We combed through the code. Identified areas that were slowing things down.

We optimized slow SQL queries. Streamlined lengthy methods. Consolidated multiple data calls into a single request.

It was like a performance-enhancing makeover for the application.

And you know what? Our hard work paid off!

The once sluggish application transformed into a speedy marvel.

Pages that used to take a painful minute to load now sprung to life in just under three seconds!

It was a remarkable turnaround.

And it gave me a huge boost of confidence.

Looking back, this experience taught me a few things:

1- It showed me that even the most accomplished people can feel like impostors at times.

It's a common struggle we all face.

2- It reinforced the importance of not giving up and staying true to yourself.

I didn't have all the answers, but I genuinely tried to help. And that made all the difference.

3- It taught me that difficult situations often hide incredible opportunities.

By sticking it out and genuinely striving to find a solution, I gained visibility and appreciation beyond what I could have imagined.

So, Reader, remember this story when you're feeling like an impostor.

You can contribute to any project, no matter how daunting it may seem.

Stay genuine. Keep trying. Never give up.

And who knows? You might just stumble upon the breakthrough that changes everything.

But if you still feel like you need someone to help you? Shoot me a DM on Twitter @VinodSharma10x.

I’ll try to help you as much as I can.

That’s a wrap!

Your friend,

Vinod.