As a child, I naively felt like I had the world in the palm of my hand. I thought I deserved to be first in every line, be treated with respect, and take opportunities given to me. As women age, we learn that seeking things for your self-interest is selfish and wrong. We are taught to put others first and to the proper extent. We should not believe that the world owes us anything. We learn to be successful and have a shot at our dream life. You must work hard and treat others how you want to be treated. Have you taken a second recently to ask if you are treating yourself the way you go out of your way to treat others?
Yes, so much goodness and beauty comes from following the golden rule. However, imposter syndrome may be an unintended result of this. We train ourselves to believe we are not worthy of the opportunities presented to us even if we did the work to get there. We are much more likely to recommend a colleague over ourselves and then get disappointed when we don’t grow. How can we grow if we never give ourselves the opportunity to?

Life is about taking chances, and yes, not all of them will work out, but it is comforting to know that you are in good company with the rest of humanity. However, putting yourself out there is a learning experience, and rejection is just as important of a lesson then acceptance, sometimes more so. However, when rejection takes place, do not take it so harshly. It is not a direct reflection of you. Perhaps your competition had more experience. Who really knows? You take what you can learn from the situation and be better for it next time. Life is a learning process; we should never stop learning and improving ourselves and the world. That is how we ultimately shape the inclusive, kind world we all want to live in. In the words of the wise Eleanor Roosevelt, “No one can make you feel inferior, without your consent.”