A few days after beginning classes at Harvard, I felt something that I later realized was common among my peers-- imposture syndrome. It took some time to realize that I belonged there alongside some of the most brilliant minds in the world-- even if I considered myself average and normal.

I tried to hide what I felt, and appear confident and in control. However, under the surface I "knew" I was a fraud. I now realize that I spent a lot of energy keeping a mask over my "real" identity (the imposture) because at the time I was afraid he was the 'real' me.

Of course the imposture was also not me, any more than my mask was. The real me, was one layer deeper-- my core values. Identifying our core values is perhaps some of the most important work we can do in our lives, but my observation is that few people are willing to do it. I hope this episode will convince a few more to give it a try.

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