Why not to 'fake it'!!!

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Aditi Baderdinni, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

“Fake it ’till you make it” is not a new expression. I’m sure most of us have heard it. The objective here is to fake confidence, so that eventually you will become confident. Most people occasionally struggle with feeling overwhelmed or underconfident, so the idea of pushing through those negative emotions seems logical.

If you are constantly pretending that you understand what you don’t, you’ll have fewer opportunities to learn. People won’t go out of their way to share their knowledge with you if they think you already know it all.

Instead of falsely nodding along when someone asks if you’re familiar of something you’ve never heard of, be honest. When you can comfortably admit that you don’t know about a certain subject but would like to learn more, people are often eager to share their knowledge with you.

If “Fake it till you make it” is not the best strategy, what is? 

Be yourself- But sustaining a false front for the long term isn’t in your best interest.  Instead of pretending to be confident when you are not, I suggest taking a moment to reflect on the skills and knowledge where you do have confidence. Be your genuine self, trustworthy, reliable and truthful.

Identify your strengths. If you’re lacking in confidence, the path ahead should include identifying your strengths so you can begin building on them.

Acknowledge your shortcomings- By acknowledging that you need to improve some skills, there is a bigger chance of you actually improving. You won’t lie to yourself. Don’t pretend, and don’t hide your incompetence. If you can’t do something, you should acknowledge the fact and figure out a way how to get the skills you lack.

Work hard- Work hard on the right things and get frequent feedback. Frequent and relevant feedback is critical for quick progress in building up your skills.

Imagine making a new friend or going on a date or interviewing for a job. Wouldn’t you rather the person be themselves—flaws and all—than pretend to be someone they’re not? This is why fake it ’til you make it doesn’t work: It masks who you really are—your true authentic self.

There are no shortcuts. If you are trying to shortcut hard work and learning. You are trying to cheat your way to the top. Hard work and being genuine and true to yourself is what it takes to get to the next level