"What's the secret to your success?" is the wrong question

It's the wrong question because the mechanics of our greatest strengths are completely invisible to us.

The major secret to my success is probably (and I hope I can say this in a way that conveys self-awareness rather than arrogance!) that I'm really smart.

And I can offer exactly no insight on how to be really smart, for anyone that doesn't have that trait.

What I am useful to ask about is things I'm not good at. Public speaking. Selling. Productivity. Elite mindset. Philosophy of mind. Compassion. None of that stuff comes naturally to me, which makes me a much more useful person to ask about them.

Why? Because my insights in these domains have been actively learned rather than inherently known.

Sometimes I feel like asking me for productivity advice is like asking my mum for computer advice! And yet regularly people tell me that the insights they learned from me about how to get things done have dramatically shifted their lives. Still, the painful irony regularly leads to feelings of imposter syndrome.

"Who am I to be an authority on _?", we ask ourselves. "Why should anyone come to me for advice when I'm still trying to figure all this out for myself?"

Well, funnily enough, for precisely that reason: you're figuring it out. And if you're figuring it out (rather than just instinctively doing it), you can share what you've learned with others.

Your struggle is what makes you a great teacher. Your imposter syndrome is simply the price of entry to leading others successfully.

If you're a teacher, a leader, or anyone that people turn to for advice, celebrate your imposter syndrome. It's a sign that you're in the right place.