Take On the World

Fake it Until You Make it

The mind is a powerful determinate of destiny. If something seems impossible, your thoughts can make that negativity a reality and push you away from your goal. Wouldn’t it be great if you could fake confidence just long enough to trick your heart and mind into believing you can accomplish something? Well, you can and you can’t. Here are the facts about “faking it.”

Think a Happy Thought

The idea of faking your success until you become successful is popular in the self-help arena, and for good reason. It is something that most of us can do. We all know how to smile at grandma as she pushes a plate of petrified fruitcake in our direction, and say, “Yes, please.” We understand that sometimes it is better to smile at our lover, and nod approvingly as they unveil their new neon-colored hairdo. You’re good at faking it when you need to, but as it turns out, it may not always be good for you.

Research shows that by forcing a smile, you can actually begin to feel happy. However, further studies suggest that a person must actually be thinking happy thoughts for this to work over the long run. Studies with customer complaint operators have concluded that faking happiness during an unhappy situation only causes more stress. An unhappy bus driver who tells themselves every day that things are great will end up depleting their positive energy and feeling even more depressed than before.

Faking vs. Becoming

Simply appearing one way does not change the person you are. In order to create change, you must first change who you are on the inside. Here’s how to do that:

Learn to be thankful for what you already have and not so focused on what you lack. Psychic Kelli ext. 5130 can help!

Interpret Fear as Enthusiasm

Fear and excitement are two very closely related feelings. Regardless of which you are experiencing, it is always better to weigh heavily on the side of enthusiasm. This is a good way to focus your adrenaline towards a positive outcome, rather than a negative. No matter how much you fake it, nothing positive will ever come from negative thinking.

Put Yourself in a Power Position

Studies show that the way you carry yourself can have an effect on your hormone levels. In other words, assuming a powerful stance can boost your testosterone. This can influence you to take bigger risks and improve your chances of being successful.

Failing Forward

Negative thinkers see anything in life that does not work out as failure. Positive thinkers try to learn from those mistakes and use that knowledge to develop a skill.

“Not everyone can envision a ‘light’ around themselves to block negative energy, but just about everyone has been to the dentist. When you need to block negative energy, do this: Think about what’s causing your stress and see how that makes you feel. Now, envision that lead apron you’ve put on in a dentist’s office as though you are wearing it now. Feel the weight of it on you, and think of that stressful thing again. It dampens the stressful feeling, right? Practice makes perfect here. Use this tip and soon you’ll have a quick tool to help defend yourself from negativity. I’ve used it for years.” –Psychic Donna ext. 9448

When Faking Becomes a Skill

There is a difference between telling co-workers you’re a good public speaker when you have no experience at all and telling yourself that you can fake it enough to write and deliver a successful speech. The first thought is deceitful to yourself and others, while the second is applauding a skill you’ve developed.

Fake it Until You Become it

Rather than wait for destiny to take notice of your actions, take note of the actions of others who exemplify who you wish to become. Then work on the changes you need to make in order to become what you admire in those people. In this scenario, you are not just creating an imaginary version of yourself; you are building are someone who already exists. For instance, let’s say you want to become a more compassionate person. You could either stand in front of a mirror and practice your sympathetic facial expressions or participate in a food drive.

Understand that Negative Comments are Not Always Directly Related to You

One day, your success will be challenged by a naysayer. This will be a test of what you have learned. You will need to see beyond the negativity and understand that there is power and freedom in truly believing in yourself (even if others do not). Remember that you are in control of who you are (and will become), so don’t let others interfere with your goals and happiness.

You can increase your chances of making it by learning how to boost your decisiveness, passion, goal orientation and boldness. In other words, you must first make the decision to believe, foster the passion to practice and harvest the boldness to follow the road towards becoming who you really want to be. 

“Remember, nothing changes until we change our approach.” – Psychic Maryanne ext. 9146