Failure isnot anoptionI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardIf I can doit, anyonecanI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.Never let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI don't seemyself astalentedtherefore Iam a fraudI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doFailure isnot anoptionI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardIf I can doit, anyonecanI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.Never let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI don't seemyself astalentedtherefore Iam a fraudI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I do

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