When to Fake It Till You Make It (and When You Shouldn't)

We all have heard that we should never try to fake it until we make it. But is it applicable to all situations? Maybe not! Sometimes “faking it” can actually help you in winning the game.

But it is a matter of knowledge to differentiate between the situations when you should fake it and when you shouldn’t.

Surviving in this competitive world is a tough task, and for proving your worth, you need to fake things sometimes.

Here is an in-depth overview of when to fake it, till you make it (and when you shouldn't).

1. Fake It: When it is all about confidence :

We all have to go through certain situations where it is an extreme test of our self-confidence.  No matter how many achievements one has accomplished, there is still a stream of fear in his mind, which is pulling him back to his comfort zone.

Let us illustrate this by taking an example. 

How many of you shiver a lot when you are asked to deliver a presentation or to lead the conference in front of the expert panel? Most of you will raise your hand. No matter how much confident we are, there are situations when we feel fear. Despite having the entire material ready for the presentation we still feel unprepared and de-motivated.

Reading the tactics of leading a conference will help you but up to some extent.

In this situation, you should consider faking it! You have the right know-how of everything all you need is some courage, and that can be attained if you pretend it.

Faking it will not only help you in delivering the best presentation also you will get rid of the fear of delivering presentations, and you will never feel the need for faking it all over again.

2. Don’t Fake It: When it is all about knowledge :

So you have come across the perks of faking it. But make sure that you are faking it in the right situations. There are certain times when faking it will push you towards a pothole which is hard to avoid.

Don’t ever fake it when it is all about knowledge.

There are various circumstances and opportunities in our life which we never want to miss, and in the urge to bag the opportunities we consider faking it, and in the end, we are left with guilt.

In situations when you believe that you don’t have the right knowledge try to step back and don’t show that you are the right person for the responsibility. Whenever you take responsibility, you are taking accountability for everything.  You have to answer all the questions, on why you are not able to accomplish the task when you have promised that you can do it.

Faking it at the wrong time will never help you, and don’t fake it when you do not know what to do.

3. How to differentiate between situations when to fake it and when shouldn’t? 

If you have the right knowledge of “when to fake it till you make it and when you shouldn’t”, then you will be able to triumph the most significant tasks in your life.

Try to differentiate the situations from the core and analyze whether you can make it. If you feel that you are the right person for this task and others are underestimating you then faking it is the right thing. Because deep inside you know that you have the confidence, you have the zeal and you have the passion to achieve the goals.

In situations when you don’t know anything and what can be the circumstances then don’t ever try to fake it. You also know that you are not the fit person for the job, and you are still taking responsibility. In these cases, you should understand that faking it will never work.

Keeping in mind the aforementioned things will assist you in differentiating between the situations. 

Wrap Up :

Faking it sometimes turns fruitful and rewards the person with great opportunities. Also when you accomplish something more people start believing you and the need to faking anything, banishes.
Whenever you are faking something try to keep it to yourself and do not reveal it to anyone. Revealing these things will never benefit you in any way and there may be chances that you will not be trusted by the people again.

Always fake it in the right way and motivate yourself that you can do it.