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

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