The Hidden Advantage of Feeling Unqualified

Hey Beyonder! 👋

You know those moments when something big happens in your life, but it doesn't fully register until later? I had one of those experiences last week with my TEDx talk.

I honestly didn't realize TEDx was such a big deal.

The truth is, I prepared my speech right up until the deadline, working like a college student as if it was just another presentation. The slides literally got finished on the day of the event.

And now, looking back, I think there's something important hidden in that experience.

Sometimes, not fully grasping the magnitude of an opportunity can be a blessing.

The Reality of Recognition

When I walked into that college hall and saw everyone's reaction, it hit me. Students gave me gifts—a portrait, drawings, signatures. People were genuinely excited to see me.

Even now, it feels like a dream. I enter, meet everyone, and have trouble believing it's real.

There's this strange feeling that washes over me in those moments. A voice in my head asks: "Do I deserve all this?"

"They think I am someone special. If they knew that I finished those slides this morning, they'd realize I am a fraud."

Maybe you've felt it too - that moment when recognition comes and instead of celebrating, you question if you've earned it. We even have a name for it: impostor syndrome.

I often compensate for that feeling by working extra hard, trying to justify my place. Maybe you've felt that too—that need to prove you belong where life has placed you.

Growing Into Your Opportunities

But here's what I'm learning: Sometimes we grow into opportunities after we receive them, not before.

That TEDx talk taught me to show up before I feel ready. About putting in the work even when you don't fully grasp what's at stake.

Remember when we were kids how our parents used to buy us oversized clothes so that we could wear them a little longer? I think it is just like that. You wear it even if you feel it is oversized. And if you can carry it well, that becomes your style. 

And this lesson doesn't just apply to speaking events. I'm seeing it play out in different areas of my life, especially with TownScholar.

We've been going through this beautiful evolution lately. When we first started, everyone was doing a bit of everything—that chaotic startup energy where job titles are more like suggestions than actual boundaries.

But now? We're growing up. Establishing clear roles. Creating structure where there was once beautiful chaos.

Just this week, I saw several new team members posting about their positions on LinkedIn. That hit differently. I remember being the one making those "I'm starting a new position" posts. Now I'm creating those opportunities for others.

It's like seeing the circle complete itself in the most unexpected way.

Leadership Beyond Tasks

This evolution at TownScholar isn't just about organizational charts and role clarity. The real growth is happening in human connections.

Just last week, one of our chief editors— Udhaya, a guy who's actually four years older than me—confided that he was questioning his future in the entertainment industry. He wasn't sure if this was his path.

We sat down for what turned into a heart-to-heart conversation. I found myself in this strange position of reassuring someone with more life experience than me that he was exactly where he needed to be.

By the end of our talk, he looked at me and said something that stuck with me: "I have another reason to be here today."

After our talk, I texted Guhan, the Chief Operating Officer at TownScholar, "We have another reason to make it big" because Udhaya trusts us. That's when it hit me—great people make great organizations, not the other way around.

It's never about the systems or strategies alone. It's about creating an environment where talented people believe in something bigger than themselves. Where they feel seen, challenged, and valued.

And sometimes that means holding space for their doubts before showing them what's possible.

Knowledge Applied is Power

Then there's this other beautiful moment:

I asked one of our teammates to read "$100 Million Offers" by Alex Hormozi. She didn't just read it—she took detailed notes, created a thorough Notion document, and outlined how we could apply those principles to improve our agency.

I was very impressed. Not just by her initiative, but by the reminder that knowledge without application is just potential.

As the author Jim Rohn once said, "Knowledge uninvested in labor is wasted." She brought that quote to life.

I immediately ordered her the next book, "$100 Million Leads," excited to see what insights she'll uncover next.

What I'm Taking Away

These past few weeks have been a beautiful reminder of how life's best lessons often come when we're too busy living to notice them arriving.

Here's what I'm carrying forward:

• Those oversized opportunities that make you feel small? They're not mistakes—they're growth spaces. Just like those too-big clothes our parents bought us as kids, we're meant to grow into them, not shrink away.
  

• Impostor syndrome isn't a sign you're failing—it's evidence you're stretching. That voice saying "you don't deserve this" is just your old self protecting you from the vulnerability of growth.
  

• True leadership lives in the quiet moments between big decisions—in conversations where you see someone's potential hiding beneath their doubts.
  

• Creating structure matters, but what matters more is building spaces where people can bring their whole selves—doubts, ambitions, and brilliance included.
  

• Sometimes you need to grow beyond who you are to become who you're meant to be. And you don't have to have it all figured out before you start.

Your Challenge This Week

I want to give you something that requires a bit of courage but might just change your perspective entirely.

Find your "too big" opportunity.

Look around your life right now. What's that thing you've been invited into that feels just a bit beyond your current capabilities? The project that makes your stomach flutter when you think about it? The conversation you know needs to happen but feels too important to mess up?

That's where your growth is waiting.

This week, I challenge you to:

1. Identify that one opportunity that feels slightly oversized for you right now.

2. Instead of over-preparing or avoiding it, show up with what you have—even if your "slides" aren't finished until the morning of.

3. Watch what happens when you step into that space without the burden of feeling like you need to be perfect.

Remember, you don't need to be the finished product when the opportunity arrives. The opportunity itself is part of your becoming.

And if that voice starts whispering "Do I deserve this?" just smile and keep going. The fact that you're asking the question already tells me you're exactly where you need to be.

I'd love to hear what your "too big" opportunity is. Or maybe you've already faced one? What happened when you stepped into something that felt beyond you? Hit reply and let me know— I love to read your stories.

Growing alongside you,
Epaphra

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