Fake it till you make it

Hello actives! Have you seen a fake life around you or have you lived one before. For me, I have lived fake life and is still seeing many around me today. Well, I did it not for fun but to flow with the vibes. Whatever the reasons it happens for, one key thing is peer influence.

Contrary to popular belief, there is a thin line separating doing whatever it takes from lying. I made the decision to construct my Twitter account early last month as a Web3 content writer and community builder. I've had it for about a year, but it's been dominated and disorganized because I don't use it for work.

I was aware that taking this step wouldn't be simple, but what good is life if you only do the simple things? If there is anyone left, that is. Now, when I was creating my account, which I'm still doing, I realized that some people on social media have a tendency to make claims about things they haven't accomplished or things they aren't in order to farm engagements. However, would this technique be sustainable over the long term?

I had a contact on WhatsApp who constantly talked about how much money he had made online. One day, as I was reading his status, he posted something that looked like a meme and said, "Name Five Persons You Can Call If You Need 200k Urgently." And lo, he named the five people. As soon as I saw it, I thought, "Yo, this guy has a network, he's connected," I looked at it and swung left to see other people's statuses. Two weeks later, as I was finishing supper, he called and asked if I could give him $1000 so he could get a ride home from school. He also said that he was stuck.

I initially thought he was lying and told him to stop the joke, but he persisted and said that was the main reason he called me to ask for assistance. He also said that he had already contacted his aunt with the request, but nothing had happened. Keep in mind that this was either late 2021 or early 2022. In my mind, he reminded me of someone who had posted about how much money he had made through affiliate marketing and other online revenue sources, and who even had five people he could call

He came off as quite convincing, and fortunately for him, I had $1,000 to spare. I sent it his way, and he expressed gratitude to God for supplying.

When school started again and we ran into each other, I was curious as to why he was financially stable online but not offline. He laughed and said, "Omo na strategy o," and when I asked how he did it, he responded, "Fake it till you make it." He explained that as an affiliate marketer trying to get people to buy some money-making courses through you, you need to Fake it that you're making enough money in order to convince them that the courses are worthwhile buying.

Relating to how I'm developing my Twitter account, the other day someone posted about how he earned $15k in two weeks as a content writer. Since I am also a content writer, I am immediately compelled to check out his Twitter timeline to learn more about his methods for earning such a sum. I believe he was pretending to be successful until he succeeds, but is that the best strategy? Instead, all I saw was motivation on motivation, with no strategy, insight, or educational content. He had only opened his Twitter account a month prior.

There are two schools of thought on the phrase "Fake it till you Make it," I discovered after reading some papers on the subject.

1) People who think that they can fake being something they are not until they are it.

2) Those who considered this idea to be about increasing confidence, pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, and picking up new skills.

Like Marla Tabaka suggested in her post How to fake it till you make it without telling a single lie, I would choose the latter.

Following are some dos and don'ts:

i) Consider what you would carry out if you were self-assured:

Consider a recent instance where you felt insufficient or disappointed in your actions, primarily as a result of a lack of confidence. Now consider how you would have behaved if you were the confident person you aspired to be. Make it a goal to go into a future circumstance with more assurance. At the following meeting, show more confidence, or at the following networking event, decide to approach three new people without second thoughts.

Similar to how exercise helps your muscles grow, these experiences will help your brain develop.

ii) Request that your brain command your body:

An awful day today? Smile. Researchers refer to this feedback loop as being created by facial expressions and body positioning. Because of this mechanism, the brain interprets and reacts to a smile and a confident posture in a way that starts the appropriate sequence of events.

iii) Keep your eye on the prize:

Spend some time contemplating or writing about your aspirations rather than dwelling on your discomfort. Your motivation to step beyond your comfort zone will be boosted by writing, reflecting, and speaking about your ideas and goals.

iv) Do the necessary work; don't just play the part:

Learn from the actions of the leaders you respect to determine how to react under various circumstances. Commit to things that provide learning experiences and challenge yourself with tasks to raise your skill level. Faking it till you make it does not mean faking knowledge that you never bother to gain.

v) Be wary of traps

Reiterate that you are telling the truth. You are putting yourself in an emotional situation to assume the role of a successful entrepreneur.

Remind yourself that you accomplished it and did not rely on lying to get where you are with every accomplishment, no matter how minor.

Do it for the proper reasons: People who pretend to be someone they are not—and most likely never will be—often do so in order to bolster their ego.

They are simple to identify since their activities are more prominent and manufactured. This idea is intended to increase confidence, not to feed the ego.

Avoid doing something if it doesn't feel genuine and true.

In conclusion, be honest about your experience and credentials. Instead, educate yourself on your skills, interests, and work ethics.

Thanks for your time 😚

Image credit: all pictures were taken from unsplash.com