Failure isnot anoptionI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI qualify thingsby saying:"This may notbe right, but..."I remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skillsto live up to mycredentialsI should feellucky that Igot thisaward/jobEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingIf I can doit, anyonecanDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI hold backwhen workingwith a groupor teamI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceFailure isnot anoptionI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI qualify thingsby saying:"This may notbe right, but..."I remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skillsto live up to mycredentialsI should feellucky that Igot thisaward/jobEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingIf I can doit, anyonecanDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI hold backwhen workingwith a groupor teamI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformance

Impostor Syndrome Bingo - Call List

(Print) Use this randomly generated list as your call list when playing the game. There is no need to say the BINGO column name. Place some kind of mark (like an X, a checkmark, a dot, tally mark, etc) on each cell as you announce it, to keep track. You can also cut out each item, place them in a bag and pull words from the bag.


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  1. Failure is not an option
  2. I don't tell anyone I feel like an impostor
  3. I qualify things by saying: "This may not be right, but..."
  4. I remind others of how much I don't know so they don't expect too much
  5. It was a fluke. I can only be this good once
  6. I should just "get it" like everyone around me
  7. I assume when people are complementing that they are being nice
  8. I try to be really personable and friendly so people won't notice or mind if I'm not that good.
  9. I look really good on paper but I don't really have the skills to live up to my credentials
  10. I should feel lucky that I got this award/job
  11. Eventually people will realize that I'm not that smart
  12. I succeeded because I had a lot of help
  13. Don't challenge yourself for fear that you might look bad if you don't know something
  14. If I can do it, anyone can
  15. Do not let people see you working too hard
  16. I apologize for mistakes or for not knowing something
  17. I hold back when working with a group or team
  18. I was probably chosen/hired/admitted because of some kind of mistake
  19. I should be able to do most things by myself
  20. I assume I will fall short so I won't be disappointed when I do
  21. Never let on that you do not know how to do something
  22. I only won/accomplished because there wasn't that much competition
  23. I always share credit with others even if I did most of the work
  24. I panic before a test or presentation or performance