"I attacked it. I started building things - apps, tools, prototypes - with an AI model as my collaborator. No computer science degree. No coding boot camp. Just curiosity and stubbornness. And it worked. Not because I suddenly became technical, but because I refused to let the insecurity win. The big picture: I've always assumed my insecurities are actually superpowers if used right."
"I wrote a Finish Line column on this very topic in 2022. Since then, the science seems to confirm it: Insecurity might be exactly what we need. The new science of imposter syndrome is striking. MIT Sloan researcher Basima Tewfik ran a lab experiment and found that people experiencing imposter thoughts exerted 13% more effort than their peers when the pressure was on. When they felt overwhelmed, the self-doubt didn't crush them. It fueled them."
A nontechnical person built apps and prototypes with an AI collaborator by leaning into curiosity and refusing to let insecurity stop them. Imposter thoughts can motivate action: a lab experiment found people with those thoughts exerted 13% more effort under pressure. A global meta-analysis found 62% of high-achieving professionals experience imposter syndrome, framing it as a common trait rather than a flaw. Treating insecurity as a tool involves admitting gaps, asking persistent questions, and attacking weaknesses daily through hands-on practice and AI-assisted building instead of delegating or faking fluency.
Read at Axios
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