Who decides your legitimacy?

Simple short answer: nobody, only your actions’ results do.

I’ve met a lot of people over my now 20 years of experience, and a common discussion I have with them often revolves around legitimacy.
How they don’t feel comfortable and legitimate enough, not just to talk but also to try.

Most of the time people call that “the imposter syndrome”, and it is indeed. But what the conversation cuts short is what causes it.

Overall, it comes from how you perceive and care about what people think about you.
To break free, you first need to see how legitimacy actually works:

• What gives you credit?
• Why do others either not care or attack you?
• Why do YOU need their approval?

The root cause of them all is your actions’ results. They need to speak for themselves. And once they do, the need for others’ approval dissolves on its own.

You want to be a developer? Go ahead, be a developer and develop things!
You want to be a mechanic? Same thing, be a mechanic, buy old dusty cars and fix them, learn how in the process, and once done, jump on the next one.

Will you end up famous or recognized overnight? Absolutely not, some find their way at the speed of light, others strive for decades before.
But you won’t be able to find out which category you’re in if you do not move and instead stay paralyzed and uncertain about it.