Own Your Everyday summary

Have you ever felt like you aren’t really who other people think you are? That if everyone just discovered what was really going on behind the scenes, they’d think you’re a total fraud? This anxiety is called imposter syndrome, and Jordan has struggled with it her whole adult life. 

Her career has been the result of just trying things out. As a college student, she started an Etsy store as an outlet for her crafting. When sales took off, she built up an online following by posting life-lessons and advice on social media. Soon, some of her Facebook posts were being shared thousands of times. But, even then, she felt the anxiety. In fact, she rarely showed a photo of herself, because she was worried that her followers would unfollow if they learned how young and inexperienced she really was.

Jordan’s college sweetheart, who later became her husband, was a football star. Matt dreamed of an NFL career, worked incredibly hard for it, and looked all set to be snapped up by a team. The couple planned their future life around the exciting opportunity. And when draft day arrived, Matt, Jordan, friends and family gathered to wait for calls from multiple teams. 

Well, the time came, but calls didn’t. After five minutes, fifteen minutes, forty-five minutes, the phone was still silent. It wasn’t meant to be. That night, the young couple tried to face up to the sharp sting of disappointment from their shattered dreams. It was the start of a few years of uncertainty about the shape of their lives. But while those years were frustrating, they were also full of lessons about what makes for a meaningful life, not just a comfortable one. 

So you’re scrolling through social media, seeing your friends showing off and celebrating milestones. And you start wondering, Why aren’t I launching a creative side hustle? Why aren’t I at a cool party surrounded by hundreds of friends? What am I doing with my life? 

That feeling is comparison-induced pressure, the sense of insecurity and angst that hits us when we see others who seem to have it all figured out. Too often, we get sucked into comparing ourselves – our looks, our status, or our success – to the people around us. Jordan herself does this all the time. At the gym, she stresses when the only treadmill that’s available is between two that are occupied. Jordan finds herself checking her neighbor’s speed. Just 6.8 miles an hour? Beatable, she thinks, sprinting away, until realizing that her neighbor has just cranked up to 7.5 without breaking a sweat. 

Living in the Information Age, we have apparently endless opportunities available to us. You could start an Etsy store from your garage. Or apply for grad school from home. You could do pretty much anything that interests you with just a bit of effort and a few clicks of a button. But, actually, this overwhelming number of opportunities is one of the biggest barriers to living a life of purpose, because it can make it much harder to make the right decisions. 

How can you know what you were put on Earth to achieve when you have a million options in front of you, and when there are so many easy, attractive distractions?

Have you ever felt under pressure to succeed? Do you sometimes see #GirlBoss or other inspirational social media posts and experience a kind of weird mixture of emotions, like feeling inspired and overwhelmed at the same time? 

If so, you’re certainly not alone. As a result of her job and profile, Jordan meets countless young women on campuses and at conferences all over the United States. And in conversations, a common theme emerges: pressure to succeed; pressure to be the absolute best version of themselves.