Imposter Syndrome vs. Truth

A Soulful Sunday Reflection

There’s this voice in the back of my head that shows up at the worst times.

It whispers things like:

“Who do you think you are?”

“You’re not really good enough.”

“You just got lucky.”

“They’re going to figure out you have no idea what you’re doing.”

Sound familiar?

This voice has followed me through almost every phase of my life—from the moment I made my first knife sheath, to launching Legacy Leather Co., to managing high-stakes projects at work, to parenting, teaching, and even trying to show up for the people I love.

It doesn’t care if I’ve put in the hours. Doesn’t care about the miles I’ve walked, the hands-on time, the failures I've learned from. It just wants me to feel like I’m one misstep away from being found out.

This, my friends, is imposter syndrome.

And it’s brutal.

In the shop…

I’ve been at this craft for years, but I still find myself second-guessing designs, re-cutting leather, hovering over stitching lines wondering if I’m "good enough." I’ll pour 20 hours into a piece and then obsess over a single missed tool mark that no one else will ever see.

And when someone tells me, “Man, this is incredible,” there’s this moment where I smile and thank them… but in the back of my mind, I’m wondering if I tricked them somehow. Like I snuck something past them.

At work…

I manage teams. I make decisions that impact people’s careers. I lead. But that voice still creeps in:

“Are you sure you're qualified to do this?”

“Maybe someone else would’ve done it better.”

"Any minute now, they'll realize you have no idea what you're doing."

And you know what? I do know what I’m doing. I’ve put in the work. But that doesn’t always quiet the noise.

As a husband, a father, a friend…

There are moments where I look around at the amazing people in my life and think,

“Do I deserve this? Am I showing up the way they need me to?”

I carry the weight of wanting to do it all— have a professional life working at a top firm, run a business, support a family, teach, create, connect—and when I fall short (because of course I do, I’m human), that voice gets louder.

But here’s the truth...

Imposter syndrome doesn’t show up because you’re unqualified. It shows up because you care.

You care about doing it right. You care about showing up for people. You care about the quality of your work. You’re not trying to skate by. You’re trying to live with purpose.

That voice isn’t proof that you’re a fraud—it’s proof that you have standards, and you’re striving to meet them. And yeah, that striving can make us vulnerable. But it also makes us real.

So if you're in a season where you're doubting yourself, I see you.

Whether you're in the shop, the boardroom, the classroom, or just trying to keep your head above water in life—you're not an imposter.

You're a work in progress.

You're doing the best you can.

You're learning, and evolving, and growing.

Here’s your Sunday reminder:

You are not an accident.

You are not a fluke.

You are not faking it.

You are climbing your mountain one solid step at a time.

And your people? They see the heart in what you do—even when you don’t.