I succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workFailure isnot anoptionIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeIf I can doit, anyonecanI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."Eventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workFailure isnot anoptionIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeIf I can doit, anyonecanI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."Eventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuch

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