Just Fake It



Just Fake It


Fake it 'till you make it. This catchy phrase has been roaming around my mind a lot lately, trying to find a place to sit. Backwards it would be something like "making it fake". That strikes me as odd, as does the combination of fake and make in general. Anything "fake" is normally considered cheap, a knock off of the original, like handbags sold on the street. It brings to mind something not made well, not real...a copy of the real deal.

We also say that someone who is not genuine or true to themselves is fake. But here the world is, telling us that if you want success, the secret is to fake it first. For example, I saw a video where Lady Gaga said she faked being an agent at the beginning of her career to get some gigs! And books like The Secret say that you have to visualize what you want before it comes to you.

Is "faking it" such a bad thing in those cases? To have confidence, to go after something, and believe so much that even if you're not there you soon will be? Actually, I think it's a positive tool for change. 

I'll stretch the saying even even further. Science has proven that your brain/body doesn't make much of a difference between pretending to feel something and actually feeling it. That's why my singing friends admonished me to stop thinking about songs/singing when I had laryngitis...my vocal chords still went into action, straining my voice even though I wasn't "actually" singing.

Obviously, what we want is a positive affect from our faking. Well, as I've said in a past post research shows that if you fake a smile long enough you'll start to feel better. Your brain takes cues from your body and visa versa.

On a similar note, I have noticed that standing straight makes me feel stronger. I correct my posture when my mood's down and lo and behold...I suddenly feel better! And this is the point I have been wanting to reach with this post. I truly feel the difference walking down the street with my shoulders back and my chest extending out into the world. This "I'm coming" posture makes me feel as if I am really moving in and into the world instead of caving into my thoughts.


It's all so fascinating! It's so crucial that we fake "well": that we feed our brains the right food for thought so it turns it into a movement or feeling that really helps.


Text: Kristen Mastromarchi


Image: <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/mohamed_hassan-5229782/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=6927977">Mohamed Hassan</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=6927977">Pixabay</a>

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