Many people out there who start a new role and are not confident that they’ll be able to succeed are often told to fake it till they make it.
The mantra, “fake it till you make it” helps people feel confident. The idea is simple: act like you belong, and eventually, you will. A quick internet search will bring up a lot of TED talks, articles, and speeches advocating this motto.
The truth is – acting like you know something doesn’t make it true, nor does it make you good at it.
Faking expertise and confidence can even lead to lost trust, missed opportunities for real growth, and even impostor syndrome.
This article shares how to increase your confidence in a new role, improve your portfolio and social proof to build your name in the industry, and get closer to your goals.
We all have heard successful business owners and mentors promoting the idea that looking at yourself in the mirror and reading the affirmations out loud can make a difference in how you feel about yourself. It’s no wonder that many of us believe that looking at ourselves in the mirror and saying, “I am a millionaire,” will help us become one.
But there’s an enormous problem with this idea. Studies show that the human brain can have 60,000 thoughts per day. What’s more surprising is that 90% of the thoughts are repetitive.
When you repeatedly affirm to yourself that you’re confident, deep down, you know it doesn’t align with the work you’re actually putting in. This creates a sense of misalignment.
This disconnect slowly eats away at your belief in your capabilities, and you start to feel like a fraud, knowing the external image you’re projecting doesn’t match the reality.
Sometimes we are handed an opportunity for which we don’t possess the skills and experience. However, we believe if we fake it, we will eventually step up and become deserving.
The problem is that instead of learning and growing, we tend to develop fake confidence and a hoax attitude. This leads to impostor syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is when people feel inadequacy and self-doubt, even when they are capable. People with impostor syndrome believe all their success came from luck, and not from their efforts and talent. They do not allow themselves to acknowledge their progress, and practice activities that lead to self-growth, like asking for help.
Imposter syndrome is a vicious cycle that again forces you to adopt the “fake it till you make it” mindset, acting overly confident and pretending to know more than you do. Instead of learning and growing, you mask your insecurities, which leads to anxiety and burnout.
People adapt to faking confidence to push themselves out of their comfort zone. They start to believe they belong in a space. This helps them take on challenges and figure them out on the go.
However, when faking becomes a habit, it damages self-esteem and confidence. Here’s how:
Real confidence arises from self-belief and expertise. When you’re pretending to have that expertise already, you miss out on genuine learning and growth opportunities that result in lasting confidence.
Doubt is an important factor that drives success. When you start a new role, the “what-ifs” start to flow in. What if you cannot accomplish your goals? What if you lack the skill set? What if you fail at meeting expectations?
There’s a one-word solution to overcome self-doubt – faith. Faith is when you believe in something, even if you can’t see it. It’s natural to be afraid to take the next step. The upside is that being afraid gives you the opportunity to have faith and do what’s needed.
If you fake it till you make it, you will not allow yourself to be afraid and actually take a meaningful step forward. Successful entrepreneurs are those who can envision the impact of their efforts and are brave enough to execute the work, regardless.
While faking it allows you to present yourself as an authority, it hinders your mindset with toxic positivity. Toxic positivity keeps you from embracing negative emotions and lets you portray only the better parts of your personality. While it might help you feel confident, it is not authentic.
Authentic positivity, which breeds self-awareness, resilience, and empathy, is the right approach to building a positive outlook. When you embrace challenges, address negative emotions, and align your thoughts with constructive criticism, is when you are truly authentic and can work with determination.
To develop a positive mindset through authenticity, you must embrace your true self, identify real vs. fake confidence, and maintain positive body language.
People embrace the good in themselves and deny the negative. To truly embrace yourself, you must first identify and accept all your traits, whether good or bad – that’s what defines us.
The next step is to be vulnerable. This involves accepting your flaws and imperfections and openly expressing your feelings, no matter how hard it seems.
Being vulnerable opens the opportunity to experience, which you otherwise deny when you don’t address the negative emotions. Vulnerability leads to better growth, creativity, and innovation.
Embracing your true self is crucial for your professional growth. Identifying the problems and being vulnerable allows you to focus on the areas where you lack and face the situation with a constructive mindset.
Sure, faking it makes you feel confident, but how far could a fake feeling take you? Fake confidence is all about pretending and lacking self-awareness. It derives from the need to hide insecurities and overcompensate for self-doubt.
On the other hand, real confidence comes from recognizing your weaknesses and utilizing your strengths. When we are authentic, we allow ourselves to learn from our mistakes and grow. We are receptive to honest feedback and apply it to self-improve.
Real confidence takes time to cultivate. You can only develop real confidence if you are self-aware, open to facing challenges, and work on your weaknesses.
A good leader openly admits not knowing something and accepts their lack. They seek help, which helps them gain their team’s trust and learn and grow. This authenticity boosts confidence in a way that fake confidence can never, as it is built on genuine effort and honesty.
Body language refers to how your body presents your feelings and attitude. People who are not self-aware do not consider maintaining positive body language, instead, they have no idea about it whatsoever.
On the contrary, maintaining positive body language is crucial to being authentic and having an optimistic mindset. For example, standing or sitting up straight, making eye contact, and smiling make you look approachable and self-assured.
It is also about being open and relaxed. Crossing your arms and looking down makes you look closed off and nervous, even if you don’t mean to be.
These small changes make a big impact on your confidence and self-image, even if you are unsure about it. This might seem like faking it, but it helps you create a genuine image of yourself, which is a significant part of building an overall positive personality.
Being confident isn’t about looking good in front of others – it’s about feeling good from within and being decisive according to your true nature, which opens paths to reflection and self-growth.
From faking it till you make it to truly owning your standing, we’ve seen how authenticity, real confidence, and body language can impact your outlook. Below, we explore the benefits that all that hard work leads to.
Many studies have shown that mental health has a direct relation to physical health. Whether you are going through a mental trauma or experiencing general symptoms like stress and anxiety, the effects will inevitably start reflecting on your physical health.
Confident people take a healthier approach to life that results in overall well-being. Since they are self-aware and accept their imperfections, they seek help in the form of stress management and therapy and opt for healthier lifestyle choices, such as exercise and proper nutrition.
When you build real confidence, your self-worth naturally grows stronger. Self-worth is about believing in yourself and knowing you deserve respect and happiness.
Realizing self-worth makes you confident about your abilities without needing external approval. Individuals who know their worth handle criticism and setbacks more easily. They set realistic goals and celebrate their accomplishments as they realize the work they’ve put into reaching a certain point.
Having self-worth contributes to your personal and professional life. You surround yourself with people who support you and have a productive influence. This helps create a healthier environment where relationships and interactions are built on mutual respect and understanding.
A confident person naturally becomes more positive. When you trust in your abilities and lead life with a head-on approach, you face challenges with a can-do spirit. Instead of dwelling and complaining about problems, being confident lets you be more solution-oriented.
Your attitude also affects the people around you. With a positive attitude, you are more likely to have leadership traits. You spread your confident energy and fearless approach to your colleagues, which is inspiring and encouraging.
We have all heard the saying, “The sky is the limit.” Confidence eliminates self-doubt, which helps soar your creativity and productivity, and success becomes inevitable. The more actionable steps and determination you put in, the greater the success will be.
Confident individuals set themselves on a path to greater success because they:
All of these qualities result in better decision-making, ultimately leading to one success after another.
The “fake it till you make it” motto mostly attracts newcomers who don’t have proven skills and social proof to validate their credibility. We know how not having the trust of their peers and any social standing shakes their confidence.
However, just as authenticity builds positivity, having social proof is a genuine way to show your capabilities and prove your credibility.
Social proof is also important because it helps you counteract all the downsides of faking it – imposter syndrome, low self-esteem, self-doubt, and fake confidence.
Here are four ways to get social proof to kick-start your career.
Volunteering for a non-profit organization is an excellent way to gain experience, credibility, and social proof. It’s easy to get and it has tremendous benefits.
There are no prerequisites to volunteer work, such as experience or a high skill set. You can dedicate your time and skill to a cause you care about, making a positive impact in the community and providing a platform to develop and showcase your abilities.
Working in a non-profit organization may give you the chance to work in diverse roles and help however you can. This presents an excellent opportunity to be creative and work in a team, which highly reflects your talent and commitment.
Lastly, non-profit organizations are often linked with prominent personalities, opening up chances for opportunities. Make your time count by building positive relationships that can later translate into valuable references and mentorships.
Approaching friends and family who can offer you work is another way to break into your career growth and gather social proof. There’s a high level of trust when working for people you personally know.
It creates a positive environment where you can experiment and take on responsibilities to showcase your abilities without the formal client expectations.
When working with friends and family, you can be honest about your challenges without the fear of judgment and set realistic expectations about your outcome. You can learn and grow by receiving constructive feedback and valuable recommendations.
People who support you will always be open to providing outstanding testimonials and reviews of your commitment and reliability, building robust social proof for future employers and clients.
Free trials are a win-win situation for both parties. When people see that you’re willing to let your work speak for itself, it builds trust and shows that you are confident.
Clients have nothing to lose, as free trials do not exhaust their resources. It’s a risk-free way to try your product or service and discover something that might help them.
As for you, free trials can help gain a positive review and even an employment opportunity for satisfactory service. These reviews also provide a genuine endorsement that boosts confidence to secure better opportunities.
Still, if your trial fails to meet the receiver’s expectations, you can seek their feedback to refine your work. This is a positive attitude trait that will help overcome any self-doubt.
Another great yet unconventional method to gain social proof is to use social platforms like podcasts to make yourself visible. Smaller podcasts welcome new voices and fresh perspectives, making them an ideal platform for a newcomer to gain recognition.
A smaller podcast is less intimidating than a big one, which would rather feel like a scripted and formal interview. Also, smaller podcasts have a more genuine audience that is actually interested in what you have to say.
Being on a podcast gives you an excellent chance to openly talk about your ideas, approach, and perspective. It gives you visibility and a chance to be heard.
Gathering social proof with volunteer and free work is great, but making yourself approachable through a podcast is a whole other way of inviting opportunities.
We get it. It’s hard to make your mark without any real expertise and experience. Even if you are capable, the fear of judgment and failure forces you to adopt the idea of faking it until you make it.
However, do you want your gains and successes to be short-lived and hollow? If not, the answer is clear: Don’t fake it till you make it – and it is easy to do so.
The start of your new role could be challenging, growth might seem slow, and success might look far-fetched. You should allow yourself time to learn, be authentic and true to yourself, and keep a positive outlook.
Being real is the only way forward. It will build you up for the most dire situations and brand an image that will speak for itself.
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