I still remember the moment I was asked to take on an SEO project and how quickly I let self doubt take over.
It started with a message from my husband asking whether I could handle an assigment his friend offered, along with the details of the work and the fee I would get if I agreed to join.
Though the substantial fee tempted me, I took a moment before making a call on the offer. To be honest, I doubted my ability to deliver the project’s expected results.
While I have experience establishing my own blog from scratch with SEO skills I gained through structured online learning, and once became the third champion of the SEO competition, I still felt like I wasn’t quite up to the task.
I was afraid of letting down the client by failing to achieve the set SEO goals. What if I failed? What if they regretted hiring me? And so many other what-ifs.
It wasn’t like I was totally clueless about what I could do for the tasks; in fact, I already had a roadmap for how to do it, but my fear of failure slowly overtook my confidence.
Long story short, I ended up turning the offer down.
I could tell that my husband was somewhat disappointed with my decision and tried to convince me that I truly am capable, that it was worth trying, and so on, but I had already made up my mind.
Do I regret turning it down because I felt unqualified? It’s either yes or no.
However, I started questioning myself after all this time: why didn’t I just go for it and fake it till I made it??
Rethinking the Meaning Behind ‘Fake It Till You Make It’
I first heard the phrase “fake it till you make it” in an American TV series. At the time, I thought it didn’t sound right to me because of the word ‘fake,’ as I associated it with cheating or something negative.
Later, I realized it actually comes down to the idea, that by displaying confidence, competence, and optimism, a person can gradually turn those traits into reality and achieve their goals.
In other words, it’s not about ‘cheating’ others, but ‘tricking’ yourself into becoming more confident. A form of self-affirmation.
Because when you truly believe in yourself, you’re more likely to do whatever it takes to succeed. In turn, people will start believing in you as well. It will become a positive cycle.
Read More: When I Found The Joy of Missing Out
How to Practice ‘Fake It Till You Make It‘ in Real Life
While the expression is a powerful self-affirmation that builds your confidence, “fake it till you make it” is not always the right approach.
Applying it mindlessly might backfire on you.
For instance, when you are asked to handle a technical task at your office for which you have no experience or knowledge.
Even if you desperately want to get a leg up and uplift your name among your co-workers and stay ahead of the pack, pretending you can do it won’t help.
On the contrary, it will put you into hot water by the time they find out that you were actually faking it.
My case would be a perfect situation to put it into practice. I should have faked it, because I was actually capable of doing it.
But over time, I realized that “faking it” doesn’t always mean pretending to be someone you’re not. Sometimes, it simply means allowing yourself to grow into someone you’re not fully yet.
So, what kind of situation can you fake it till you make it?
Say, you’re in a stage of learning something where you’re no longer a complete beginner, but you’re not a master of it yet either.
You’ve built the foundation, you understand the basics, but it still feels unfamiliar when you actually have to do it. In this phase, it’s easy to mistake discomfort for incapability, even when you’re actually capable.
This is where fake it till you make it can quietly come into play.
You’re not faking that you’ve mastered everything, but by allowing yourself to act as someone who is still learning, you’re already on your way to making it.
Because mastery doesn’t come from waiting until you feel ready; it comes from repeatedly doing the thing, even when it feels a little awkward at first.
And sometimes, it goes even further than that. It might also happen when you’re learning something brand new and still figuring things out as you go; you’re likely to face situations where you don’t have all the answers yet.
However, that’s exactly what makes it a moment for growth.
You’re not faking, you’re simply acknowledging that you don’t know it all, but you’re willing to make the most of what you know while staying open to learning what you don’t.
Final Thoughts
Looking back, I didn’t say no because I wasn’t capable. I said no because I didn’t believe I was.
And that’s the part that stayed with me.
Not the money I didn’t earn. Not the project I didn’t do. But the version of myself I didn’t allow to grow.
Maybe I wasn’t 100% ready. But I was ready enough to try.
If I had understood fake it till you make it the way I do now, I wouldn’t have seen it as pretending.
I would have seen it as permission, to start, to learn, and to grow into something I wasn’t fully yet.
So if you ever find yourself in that same position; hesitating, overthinking, and waiting until you feel completely prepared, maybe you don’t need more time.
Maybe you just need to take the leap.
