Fake It ‘Til You Make It?
(If that’s your strategy for success, we NEED to talk!)
How many times have you had people tell you to just “fake it ‘til you make it”, or “act as if”? One? Ten? A hundred times?
Maybe you’ve even been the one saying this to other people…
Well-meaning personal growth professionals (as well as friends and family) have been doling out this advice for ages. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve heard it.
And, being the good, compliant client that I am, I followed their advice.
I “acted as if” and “faked it” for years.
Here’s the question you need to ask yourself as a personal growth professional: How’s that working for me? And, how’s it working for my clients?
Have your dreams come true?
Probably not – at least not to the level you would like.
Here’s why: When you’re faking it, you KNOW you’re faking it. And your constant awareness of “acting” or being “fake” actually takes you out of the energy and momentum of making the changes you need to make. You are being constantly reminded that you haven’t made it yet. That’s just the way the brain works.
I realized that the more I “acted as if”, the more I felt like an imposter. The more I felt like an imposter, the less I was able to produce the results I wanted.
If you ask your clients, many of them will tell you the same thing.
Perhaps you’ve noticed that feeling yourself.
What’s the solution?
There are probably many. And, knowing the quality of the personal growth professionals who visit this site, there are probably many solutions among us.
Here’s one I’ve found helpful for me and for my clients: Become a creature of habit.
Humans are naturally creatures of habits.
Behaviorists estimate that 90-95% of everything we do is actually habit – from the way we put on our shoes, to brushing our teeth (or not!), to the way we think about things and the attitude we have about them.
The difference between successful people and those who aren’t isn’t their desire for success. They can all have plenty of that.
The real difference is their habits – what they do habitually every day to move toward or away from their dreams.
When we’re honest with ourselves, we see the habits we have been using have led us to exactly where we are. When you make the shift to developing the habits of success, everything shifts. Everything – business, relationships, health, you name it.
Think about your habits – particularly your habits as a personal growth professional.
What are your success habits – the habits that move you toward success?
What habits do you have that hold you back?
(Notice how you answered these questions…Are you responding in the same old way? Maybe not even taking the time to respond? How ever you are responding to the act of answering these questions is just a habit.)
Take this opportunity to be honest with yourself and look at your habits.
The key to success is making your habits work FOR you rather than against you.
When your habits work for you, everything is more effortless – your attitudes, beliefs, and actions are all lined up together. For you to have the success you want – the effortless success you want –
What would you have to think about habitually?
What would you have to do habitually?
What would you have to believe habitually?
What would you have to focus on habitually?
What sort of attitude would you have to have habitually?
When you develop the habits of success, you don’t have to fake it or act as if anymore. Your habits will naturally, quickly, and effortlessly move you in the direction of your dreams. And you know what…when you develop positive, successful habits, your clients do, too. No faking.
