If you’ve watched a lot of motivational videos on YouTube and social media platforms, you’ve probably heard of the old saying, “fake it till you make it”. This saying revolves around imitating competence, confidence, and maintaining an optimistic view of life regardless of what you are going through. You can transform your life by faking good qualities and trying to include them in your life. These qualities can boost your productivity at work, transform your relationships and uplift your mood especially if you are going through a crisis. In short, dressing up for success takes different forms. While there’s some truth in this philosophy, it can only work to a certain extent.
Using this piece of advice, the right way
You can only “fake it till you make it” when you identify something within you that’s stopping you from achieving your potential. For instance, if you recognize that you are socially awkward, you can improve this by forcing yourself to initiate conversations with different people in the workplace. Behaving like the person you want to change how you think and feel. On the other hand, trying to prove your worth to others using status symbols such as clothing or a car can quickly backfire.
When you use surface materials to indicate your self-worth, you’ll end up focusing on your weaknesses. And this will attract failure and misery into your life. Think of faking to till you make it about changing or refining your behavior to become the best version of yourself and trusting that your emotions will follow. You should be more interested in changing yourself than trying to change how other people see you.
Best strategies for successful faking till you make it
Now that you understand this concept, here are a few strategies that you can use to transform your life almost immediately:
1. Smile
Research studies have found that forcing yourself to smile can uplift your mood. A study conducted by Psychological Science had more than 160 participants holding chopsticks in the mouth to force various facial expressions (a standard genuine smile that engages the mouth and eye muscles). After the participants practiced the correct facial expression, they were given various multitasking activities to complete such as tracing starts with their non-dominant hand while looking at its reflection on the mirror. The researchers discovered that subjects with standard smiles had a lower heart rate after performing the task. This symbolized that they were relaxed. Forcing yourself to smile will uplift your mood and transform your life for the better.
2. Strike a pose
According to a TED Talk that was published in 2012, striking a powerful posture can affect the chemistry of your body. In her study, Amy had her subjects adopt a powerful stance by lifting their heads and arms with their chests out. Other subjects were told to hunch over their back and cross their arms for around two minutes. The participants who maintained a powerful pose experience a decrease in stress and an increase in confidence and dominance. Our body language shows how we think and feel about our lives. You can change how you feel about yourself by simply striking a pose.
3. Pretend to have the answers
A study conducted back in 2012 found that pretending to know the correct answer can improve your ability to take tests. Psychologists divided their participants into two groups and asked them a few questions on a computer. The first group was told that the answers would flash for less than a second before the questions. The other group was told that the flashing screen would signal the next series of questions. The researchers found out that participants who thought they saw the answers got most of the questions right. They also discovered that an expectation to change in the environment triggers psychological changes which prepare an individual to face confrontations before the real threat comes to sight.
4. Dress for success
A research study conducted by Northwestern University found that wearing specific clothes linked to various positive qualities helps in improving an individual’s performance. The participants were told to wear lab coats and others painting coats while they performed a task to demonstrate that a coat can make a key difference in the end. Researchers found that participants who wore lab coats heightened their attention and achieved their set objectives. As a student, dressing up for success when writing Top British Essays will positively affect your outcome and performance. Therefore, always dress for the job that needs to get done.
5. Copy great leaders
Have you landed a job or got promoted to a position whose duties and responsibilities are out of your skillset? Studies show that the best way to achieve your objectives is by copying someone in your environment who possesses the skill set that you want to develop. When you see yourself as a work in progress, you’ll be encouraged to increase your capacity to learn new concepts. And you’ll be a great leader in the end. You can never be too experienced to fake till you learn it.
Conclusion
The advice “fake it till you make it” has lots of practical uses. You can incorporate it into your life to uplift your mood and boost your confidence. Fake it to transform your life instead of trying to get more people to like you. When you focus on yourself, your world will naturally change for the better.
Author Bio:
Jake S. Platt is 31. He has a master’s degree in marketing and currently started his way as a content writer. Wrote his first story at age 15, now he brings his decades of experience to inspire people to explore the world.
