Fake it till you make it
I was listening to radio interview that featured an Australian singer and an American author. The conversation turned to the differences in the two cultures when in comes to confidence and success.
In short, there tended to be agreement that Australians tend to feel they don’t deserve their success (#the impostor syndrome), while Americans feel they are capable of and deserve success.
This seems to explain while a lot of people I work with don’t feel they have earned their success, if they have it, or can achieve business success when they are starting out.
For people to be successful in their field they need a strong belief in themselves that allows them to persist in the face of failure and to keep trying, no matter their level of fear.
Do successful business people have some type of internal drive that tells them that they can succeed, that they have the ability to handle whatever comes their way? Is this characteristic unique to them? No – it is something we can all learn.
I have always encouraged people to #fake it til you make it – because if you can imagine your success you will be taken on the path to success. But ‘faking it’ doesn’t mean being deceitful. Somewhere on the pendulum there is a nice place where we can be our authentic selves as well as demonstrating confidence in the place we want and deserve to be.
If you have enthusiasm and show joy in your products and services people will join the ride. While you want to be authentic and operate with integrity to art of ‘faking it’ is worthwhile for when you make it!
Keep smiling!