Fake it till you make it! What do you think?

[awbarton222]

I posted this on another forum and got a lot of interesting responses. I wanted to see what you guys thought!

So I have been into personal development for about 2 years now. Since I have been my life has completely turned around for the better! When I first started I listened to different speakers then I do now...

One of the first things I heard in my journey was a great quote "Fake it till you make it!". This really clicked with me at the time, Idk why. I started doing everything I saw other successful people doing even when I was broke. I bought a watch, started dressing nice for work, cleaning my car and house, I constantly started talking about finances and money. Anyways things were going well.

As my journey continued about 6 months ago I read "The 7 habits of highly effective people" by stephen covey and it has again rejuvenated me. But Dr. Covey is much like the opposite of "Fake it till you make it". He expressed you can't fake it, everything in life is based around principles.

I started to think hard on this and I believe its true. I started to realize some of the people I use to listen to were not so focused on how to be...they were more into how to appear to others and the law of attarction.

Do you guys think some of the personal development coaches preach to much about personality ethics (how to appear to be) instead of the charther ethics (how to actually be)? Who do you like and dislike?

 

[Ron Bechdolt]

I think you can fake a lot of things and a small percentage of those people might do well, but most will not. Those that are not faking will have a higher percentage of success in the long run.

Good post!

 

[JWales]

I would love to fake it and make it, but i would much rather work through each and every detail and learn as i go through until i can do as i wish and not try and fake my way through.


Great post and concept though

 

[Laura61]

I just finished reading Stephen Covey's book myself, and I found it very interesting and pretty reasonable overall. Not enough attention is given to character or right principles anymore, partly because a lot of people don't like to admit there is wrong and there is right - they'd rather believe it's all relative and there are no hard lines in the sand so they can excuse their behavior.

"Fake it till you make it" can be a helpful approach in some situations, like yours, where you starting acting successful before you were (I don't mean going into debt to show off a lifestyle you can't really maintain, but stuff like you mentioned, keeping a clean house and appearance, taking care of yourself, etc).

Sometimes we need to "fake it" in order to establish a habit. For me, I had to "fake" enjoying exercise until I actually began enjoying it. So the principle has its place. But if faking has to do with misleading people, then it's not such a good idea.

 

[djbaxter]

I've been faking enjoying paying taxes for years. It's not working.

 

[JWales]

some things you just cant trick yourself to enjoy, im not old enough yet but i guess taxes is one of those things

 

[EmpyreAndrea]

I think you need a good combination between the two. The "fake it til you make it" attitude will help a person become motivated to do what they can to improve their situation. As you were saying before, if a person is going into debt, dressing well and maintaining a clean appearance will not only lift your spirits, but it will allow others to see that you are smart and professional, which could lead to a business opportunity which would get you out of debt. However, if you are spending money you do not have to maintain the facade, then it is only making the problem worse.

Its just the same in college when a student is taking a hard course. It is easy to fake it when you do not know the information when it comes to homework and class discussions, but if you do not know the material when it comes time to take the test, you're going to fail.

Combining the two will allow a person to have the right attitude when times are tough, but still have the motivation to fix the problem and bring yourself back to the top.

 

[Peoney]

The one reason why "fake it til you make it" will fail because humans have a conscience and after the facade we usually feel guilty about it which will lead you back to stress. It will take a strong determination to "fake it" before you can be successful in "faking it"

 

[djbaxter]

The one reason why "fake it til you make it" will fail because humans have a conscience and after the facade we usually feel guilty about it which will lead you back to stress. It will take a strong determination to "fake it" before you can be successful in "faking it"

What does guilt have to do with "fake it 'til you make it"?

 

[Social.Media.Expert]

I disagree faking it till you make it may never happen, and thats a depressing state of mind, good attitude is more important.

 

[jcorkern]

While I understand both sides, I happen to believe that the only way to real success is to become that person you are "faking".

It is based on a desire for change and improvement, not so much "faking it" as the term states, but I see the intention, but the phrase can be misleading.

You could change that phrase to "faith" if you wanted to and not be amiss.

Henry Ford stated:

"Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right."

Almost all holy books have a similar wording:

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

It is about a slow personal evolution to becoming a wiser person so that you fit and function properly in the environment that is conducive to the results you desire no matter what the goal.

Just my opinion.

 

[djbaxter]

Henry Ford stated:

"Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right."

That has been one of my favorite quotes for years.

 

[Sabrina Gage]

Fake it till you make it is a joke saying I guess, at least I never have this kind of experience. For most of people, one need to work hard and not fake things.

 

[talfighel]

You can't tell people that you are earning $10,000 online when you are only making $100 or so. That's just wrong to do.

When they say "fake it till you make it", for me it is all about your mindset and how you think about yourself. You can visualize yourself earning $10,000 per month online and think and act like you are already achieving your goal but you can not tell others that you are already doing it.

There is nothing wrong with the visualizing and thinking part of the process. Most authors and speakers in the self help niche will tell you to do that and you should.

Then when you start to believe it and "see" yourself as being the person who achieves this goal, you will need to come up with strategies on how to make it work. That is what most people don't get.

 

[nauert]

I've tried the fake it til ya' make it approach and I've found that karma works out best for me. I like to donate when I can. My niece is making little bracelets and selling them for a quarter a piece with some friends from school and they are donating the money to a children's hospital so I try to keep them busy.

I have a ton of bracelets. I guess that I could donate those also... keeps the kids busy and helps people at the same time. I've found that a lot of people are more inclined to helping me when I help them help someone else... it's great. I wish I'd started off with that attitude.

 

[ehodecker]

While I think there is tremendous power in visualization techniques, recently I have reverted back to the fundamentals. I simply became to concerned with what people thought, that I lost sight of what I was trying to build for myself.

I always will be a believer in surrounding yourself with talent, and people who aspire to greater things. I think it's true what they say; Take a look at 5 people around you that you spend the most time with, odds are that's the direction your life will take. (It wasn't put exactly like that... but close.)

This forum looks like it has tons of value to offer. Glad I found it. This is my first day poking around.

Thanks for the great post,
Eric