How I fight impostor syndrome by doing stuff I’m bad at

A theme has emerged for my mid-30s: I’m obsessed with doing stuff I’m bad at.

Weird, right? I’ve been labeled gifted and talented for pretty much my whole life. Toward the end of high school, my mom advised me to go to college for something I was “good at.” And that made sense. It seems wasteful for people with high aptitude not to pursue a field that aligns with their strengths.

But talent doesn’t guarantee success. In fact, it sometimes did the opposite for me.

Take music, for example. I...