In 2002, Jerry Seinfeld went on a stand up tour for the first time since his show ended.
His experience was documented in a movie called “Comedian”.
I watched it a while back and something he said has never left me:
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“It’s so fucking hard to get comfortable,” Jerry said. “It just comes and goes. There are just, like, just little glimpses, little moments where I feel really like myself and I feel comfortable. And then the rest of it I’m, like, in my father’s suit with these huge sleeves and legs and I’m thinking, ‘What am I wearing? What am I doing here?’”
Imposter Syndrome.
Clear-cut.
And just think, if Jerry Seinfeld can feel it after the profound success of his show, after all the accolades and fame and money, after all the validation…
If Jerry Seinfeld can feel overwhelmed or anxious or fraudulent, anyone can. I know I do…
I feel it often.
I feel it when I sit down to write and nothing happens, nothing comes out or nothing sounds right. So I just sit there and pick skin off my thumb and press “delete” until Beau wakes up and starts crying and gives me an excuse to stop trying. And that’s when I get up, at once relieved and disappointed, disjointed.
I think it’s a feeling everyone gets, even if they don’t outwardly show it. And “creative” people are especially susceptible, folks who connect things for a living, folks who work in copywriting and marketing, for example.
But I always sit back down and try again.
And that’s the secret, I think, that’s the trick.
So if you’re going through it now, don’t let up. What you’re feeling is very much normal. And you’re definitely not alone when you feel it.
Not at all.
Keep going.
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Hey there, thanks for reading. :)If you want more “micro” content, feel free to explore 100s of articles, interviews, courses, and series — all free. Enjoy!Eddie Shleyner
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