The Psychology Of 'Fake It Until You Make It'

A lot of people have an issue with the idea of “faking it until you make it”. They think that it’s inappropriate in the way that you’re suggesting something is true when it’s not.

While I agree with the ethics of that argument, I also see how improvement requires it. In order to do things you haven’t done before, or do it better than you’ve ever done it before, requires that you expand beyond your current reality.

Beyond that, ‘Fake it until you make it’ actually supports a core psychological framework called the Identity Behavior Feedback Loop. Basically, you can update your belief system by taking consistent action. You can literally build up a new identity over time through your behaviors.

This is supported by Aristotles quote “We are what we repeatedly do” and James Clear’s quote in ‘Atomic Habits’ “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”

But actions don’t happen on their own. We need to create the right environment so that we follow through on them consistently, overcoming our own self-sabotage and fears.

This is where ‘Fake it until you make it’ comes in. It causes you to act boldly and force your hand into taking uncomfortable actions that generate results and make it a reality.

It’s telling someone you already have a pitch deck prepared, and that you’ll send it tomorrow (fully knowing that you don’t), and it stretches you to get it done faster…

It’s showing up to an event that you don’t really belong at, and it exposes you to being ‘found out’, but at the same time exposes you to another level of opportunities…

Tapping into another corner of human psychology, people who have an issue with others ’faking it’ are just projecting their own insecurities of how they’d feel if they were called out for bending the truth. It comes from their own fears of how it could damage their reputation, relationships, or self-confidence. And I say that not to judge or say it’s wrong, but rather to help you understand where it comes from.

The way I see it - If you’re pursuing something that you care about, and you’re not harming anyone else along the way, then go for it! The world would be a better place if more of us fearlessly put ourselves out there for what we believe in.