You're There for a Reason (Even If You Don't Know What It Is Yet)

I was on a work call recently where I got hit with one of those moments that stops you in your tracks. Four people on the screen. Two potential partners. My teammate leading the conversation. Me, sitting there thinking, what the hell am I doing here?

“I was sitting on the call... and I got this really weird feeling. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what I’m going to add to this conversation. I don’t think I should be here.”

That’s imposter syndrome in real time.

I was by far the youngest person on the call. Everyone else looked and sounded older, more experienced, more confident. I caught myself nodding and mumbling things like “yeah, uh-huh” just to prove I was paying attention.

“I nodded and I was like, yeah, uh-huh, uh-huh... I don’t know why I felt like I should do that, but I did.”

The more I did that, the smaller I felt.

The Moment That Shifted Everything

Then, right near the end of the call, something flipped.

“I thought to myself, you’re here, you’ve made it. You’re in the position, you’re on the call. You were actively filling one of the four Zoom boxes and you were hired for a reason.”

That sentence changed everything for me.

I realized that even if I didn’t fully understand why I was there, somebody else did. Someone made the choice to include me. The only thing left to decide was what I was going to do with that opportunity.

Speaking Up Anyway

“I made the comment. I decided to go with the fact that I’m here for a reason... Whether they are more skilled than me or have years of experience on me, I’m still with them in the room.”

It wasn’t the most groundbreaking thing ever said in a meeting. But it was mine.

The point wasn’t to impress anyone. The point was to stop letting fear decide how much space I take up.

Why Imposter Syndrome Hits Hard

Imposter syndrome convinces you that you tricked everyone into thinking you belong somewhere you don’t. You start believing your seat at the table was a mistake and that if you open your mouth, everyone will finally realize it.

But logically, that makes no sense.
Do you really think multiple people like hiring managers, teammates, and leaders all made the same mistake at once?

No. They saw something real in you.

“If you decide that you’re not good enough to be there, then your wish will come true. Your thought will soon become your reality.”

That line still hits me. Because when you tell yourself you don’t belong, you start acting like you don’t.

The Perspective Flip

Later, I realized something else. Maybe everyone else on that call felt the same thing.

“Is everybody experiencing imposter syndrome? Does everybody wonder if what they say will be valuable? Maybe they do and maybe they don’t.”

I’ll never know what they were thinking, but that shift helped me stop comparing. Because once you realize everyone’s just trying to add value, you stop treating your voice like it’s optional.

Take the Swing

The line that stuck with me most came at the end of the episode, when I wrote it down for myself to read every time I start overthinking.

“Why let the fear of striking out deter you from swinging? You’re already at the plate. You can take the swing, or you can say the thing.”

That’s it. That’s the whole point.

You don’t control how people react to what you say. You just control whether you say it.

The Truth About Belonging

You’re not in that room by accident. You didn’t get lucky. You got invited. You earned it. You were trusted to add something.

Even if that reason isn’t obvious to you yet, it’s real.

So next time imposter syndrome hits, remind yourself of this.
You’re there for a reason.

Now the only question is what you’re going to do with it.