"Fake it 'till you make it!" Healthy or Toxic?
- TEAM TANDA
- Jul 1, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 6, 2023
Full Transcript
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Hey, Team!
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Today we're going to be having
a little bit more of a discussion.
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Weekly reminder. Yes.
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So we would love to hear your thoughts
down in the comments
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straight off the bat
to hear your perspective on this. Taz,
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Take it away.
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All right.
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So you probably have heard of this,
but there's a quote that says, "fake it
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till you make it". Personally,
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I don't agree with this quote.
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I get elements of it.
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And I'll explain to you guys
what I do agree with and what I don't.
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But overall, if I had to choose,
do I agree or not, it would be a "no".
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What are you- . I 100% agree with it?
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You agree with it? Fake it
till you make it.
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I mean, I think fake it till you make it.
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Because when you're even faking it, you're
still putting yourself in a scenario.
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So that's training you to get used to.
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It's pushing yourself
outside of your comfort zone.
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So, for example, you're faking confidence
out in public.
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Right.
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You're like, OK, I got to stand tall.
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I got to walk.
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And all you do that is you practicing.
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You're not essentially faking it.
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You're practicing
but we say fake it till you make it.
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Got it. So, yes, I do believe in it.
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I think it would work because it's not...
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You're faking it till you make it because
you are doing you are you're practicing
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you know, so you're doing it. Yeah. Yeah.
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I think in that sense, I agree because
I'd rather someone have a crack at it.
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Yeah.
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And if that means they got to put it on a
little bit, which we all have to be fair.
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So what what were you talking about
since you don't agree with it?
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So the way that I saw it was more
so how others perceive you.
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So it's like in terms of this, right?
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We're on a trip with Red Bull.
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Like, I feel very grateful for this.
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This is quite emotional.
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For me because I would love
to stay at places like this, you know,
Have you heard of the saying “Fake it till you make it”?
How do you interpret it and what are your thoughts on it? Leave us a message in the comments!
When discussing this, it became clear that Taz had a very different interpretation of the saying to what I did. Taz thought of someone faking their success and happiness to fool people, whereas I thought of it as someone ‘faking’ their confidence as practice, until they truly become confident in themselves.
There is a lot of psychological evidence that suggests ‘faking it’ will help you to ‘make it’! Whenever we do an action over and over again, our brain builds stronger connections to reinforce the behaviour or belief. This works with affirmations and positive self talk too. For example, you might not believe you are beautiful, smart or healthy, but if you continue to tell yourself you are, you will eventually trick your mind into believing it!
When Taz & I started growing on TikTok we started to get approached by world wide brands who wanted to work with us. We certainly did not feel ready or skilful enough to work with these brands, but we took the opportunity anyway - WE FAKED IT!
Once we produced the content, we actually impressed ourselves with what we were capable of. The brands were impressed too! So eventually we started to believe we ARE READY and SKILLED ENOUGH to work with these global brands - WE MADE IT!
If we consider Taz’s interpretation though, I think she still does have a strong point. When it comes to authenticity and transparency, sometimes “faking it till you make it” can actually be harmful.
Consider this scenario….
You go for a job interview and to appear more capable for the position you exaggerate your experience and knowledge. You justify it by saying, once I get the job I’ll figure it out so it’s all good, I'm just “faking it till I make it”.
See, you might actually get the job, but your employer will quickly realise you’ve lied and now their foundation of trust with you has been broken.
We also see a lot of people “faking it” on social media appear happier, healthier or wealthier than they really are. Some example below:
Influencers Renting Private Jets for Travel Photos
Celebrities Photoshopping
Note from Taz:
“In saying this, I am open minded enough to reflect on the fact that people can do as they please, and if they want to present themselves a certain way publicly then who am I to judge? So many conflicting thoughts on this one!”
I guess it all comes down to the individual's intentions behind “faking” it until they make it. We want to remain true and authentic to ourselves and our reality whilst still pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones and people can do this in many different ways.
Let us know what you think down in the comments below.