How I overcame impostor syndrome and became happier at Caltech :))
Just one opinion. Feel free to debate. Let's keep this positive and constructive. Also, I cant speak for other students, so take this with a grain of salt.
Hi, I’m Chi, junior CS major at Caltech from Vietnam
I am also a daughter, a sister, a matcha addict, and someone who wants to leave the world a bit better when I leave. I don’t know everything, but I am eager to learn, and would like to inspire other girls with big dreams to reach their potential.
I am fortunate to have many mentors who have guided me throughout my professional career and personal growth, and would like to pay it forward. I really liked listening to podcasts and reading blog posts, and hopefully one day I can proudly tell my grandchildren I have lived a happy life and made positive impact on others as well :)
I will try to post once a week. So far, I think I will be most helpful for high school and early college students seeking advice on learning CS, managing personal finances, or just need a little safe space to rest before tackling the bigger challenges of life.
So, what’s my secret?
I like to play the game of infinite time. I like to believe I am the lucky one, and any challenges I face are little obstacles in a game that I can overcome with time and experience. It was hard at first. I guess the hardest part to building any good behavior is starting it, but if we focus on just one step at a time and making ourselves 0.01% better than yesterday, how far can we go in 10 years? I really like the idea of compounding. True, I still slack off and find excuses at time, its human nature, and I do have a lot of privileges. Let’s admit it, the world is not created equal. Yet, I do believe in free will and personal choice. As I continue to work on myself, I have found people who I can relate to and associate myself with people I admire and respect. I guess having an open mind and an optimistic outlook towards life has helped me endure the harder periods, because isn’t everything all temporary and fleeting? We are here for only a limited period of time. Why waste time comparing yourself to others when you definitely have your unique strengths and unique ways of contributing to the world? Why sabotage other’s successes when you can choose to celebrate and enjoy the combined happiness of friendship and kindness? Sure, you can choose to blow away someone’s hopes and dreams, but does that make your life any better? Does it make you any happier to take advantage of others?
Anyways, just some thoughts. I recognize there may be differences in culture and perspectives. Perhaps your definition of success outweighs my definition of peace and happiness. In that case, I wish you the best and hope that perhaps we can all try to balance between taking good care of ourselves, and once we can do that, perhaps look out for each other :)