'Even though it was termed an acquisition, it was really an acqui-hire.' What the hell is the difference? Someone was interested enough in your company to buy

'Even though it was termed an acquisition, it was really an acqui-hire.' What the hell is the difference? Someone was interested enough in your company to buy it. This is a very superficial distinction and irrelevant. All of these voices telling you you should be crushing it are coming from within, and actually originate in some sort of arrogance/insecurity where you simultaneously believe you are amazing but are also not sure of it, and the only way to prove it to yourself for sure is to prove it to other people. I spent my 20s with a debilitating chronic neurological illness, to the point where I was totally unable to live up to what I originally thought my potential to be. Even though this used to be a source of great distress for me, I eventually learned to stop struggling. Instead of fighting it, I began to understand that on each and every day I'm only the person I am that day, and only have the capabilities that I have that day. I let myself off the hook, and things became a lot easier as a result. And if you think it's different for you because you don't have a neurological disease, you're wrong. You too only have to be the most amazing person you can be today. If you find that to be distinctly un-amazing, that's ok - you might be different tomorrow. Remember too there are those out there who are in a much worse position than you are. Keep perspective. It is easy to lose sight of that in the tech bubble where everyone is always crushing it 100% of the time. (They aren't, and you don't have to either.)