Why You Should Not “Fake It Until You Make It”

There’s a popular belief that you should “fake it until you make it”.  This is often seen in the personal growth world. If you don’t feel happy, you are asked to put a smile on your face until you feel happy.  If you are in financial trouble, and want to be rich, you are to pretend like you are rich and follow rich/successful people until you become what you want.  However, this is not the most authentic route.

Why?

Because you are not being true to your authentic self.  Let say you wanted to be successful and you started reading books on success, following successful habits, doing the same things that your mentors do…. who are you being when you are doing this?  Everyone else but you.

You are being someone other than who you are.  Don’t get me wrong, there are lessons that you can learn from reading about others and skills that might work for you.  But not everything that someone does, will be right for you and your current situation. Success comes in many paths, you need to find one that is congruent with you.

Instead, why not try being authentically you and speak about your journey until you make it?  Want to run a successful business and you just started? Speak about your passion for what you do.  Speak about your skills, your personal story and how excited you are to bring your product/service to the world.  Talk about the difficulties, the ups and downs. When you are vulnerable and show people who you are, they will show up for you.  

Show how you get through struggles, how you push past your fears and how you stand up for yourself and others.  That’s what people will gravitate to. It requires more courage and vulnerability and it’s not fake.

Speak about your journey, not just the good parts but the parts that make you grow and you will achieve way more than you believe.

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