Fake It Til You Make It

A friend sent me a message after reading my blog and noticed I had changed my character. He told me I seemed determined to succeed, and that I was utilizing the method of the book The Secret.

I also recognize this method being akin to American Heart Association’s mantra for quitting smoking, “Fake it til you make it,” as they instruct users to put something else in their mouth to ward off cravings, like a pen. It has its use in Alcoholics Anonymous as well… so I’m told. Not to mention, it is also one of the 8 methods of magic in Northern-Traditional Shamanism.

This friend asked me if I was ranting my true opinions, and if I was being genuine. I was disappointed, because most people that know me shouldn’t have to ask that question. I’m always authentic. I offer the unadulterated truth and tell people the way it is.

Yet, he brought up a good point. How do we tell if people are just saying or doing things for attention? How do we know if their success is genuine?

I think that intention gets us through this perceived dilemma. If we’re doing anything out of fear, it is bound to backfire on us eventually. When we create acts because we’re afraid of failure, embarrassment, humiliation, rejection, or abandonment, we’re always looking over our shoulder, keeping our fingers crossed that our act will “work,” i.e., get us the approval, respect, or love we are seeking.

Inevitably, however, we find that the world mirrors our true beliefs about ourselves anyway. If we’re not sincere, all that effort turns out to be a setup for frustration and eventual hopelessness.

“The secret”, or “Fake it till you make it” isn’t about putting on an act out of fear; it is about having the courage and perseverance to practice new, uncomfortable, yet empowering behaviors that are self-respectful and self-loving with the intention of becoming the person we want to be. “Faking it” in this way takes tremendous determination because we’re stretching beyond our comfort zone of thoughts and behaviors that have kept us safe but confined. This kind of change requires an act of faith, often of the leaping variety.

If we act out of fear, “fake it till you make it” becomes just another excuse for being inauthentic. Those that travel down this path find little success, and what they do find will never fulfill them.

Honestly though, if you're doing it right, you're not faking it; you're doing it. The method is just about tricking ourselves into being who we want to be. So technically, when we first change who we are into who we want to be, we're pathological liars. If you keep thinking you're faking it, then you'll fail.

 No matter what it is we're trying to accomplish, success will come as long as we accompany our actions with the intention of being our best self.

By Randall Thomas

Be sure to nominate The Model Citizen for publication. 

Model City had once thrived, owing its glory to the success of the Love Canal and the genius of Nikola Tesla. Now, it suffers from economic collapse. In a city laden with crime, wanton heroes emerge. A mysterious character begins to lead the blind, and a mountain of conspiracy clouds the minds of the righteous.

Burdened by conjecture and stricken with grief, William Howell somehow manages to climb the corporate ladder. The Model Citizen newspaper represents to him the true word of the people. It is up to him to determine its quality.

Read the first 5,000 words free, here:

The Model Citizen 

Thanks,

Joe