As I entered into my graduating year, there came a lot of mixed emotions about my future. Most days I’m incredibly excited to start my career. Internship applications are being sent and the opportunity to land my dream job has never been more achievable; however, these moments of confidence dance with flashes of self-doubt and insecurity. I keep telling myself that everything is fine, and I’m doing exactly what I need to be doing. But nevertheless, this doubt persists. Could this be my first existential crisis? No, not yet, but rather it may just be the stark realization that I have no idea what I’m doing.
“Fake it until you make it.” We’ve all heard that a million times. Whether you’re getting into a new relationship or simply getting through the day, the expression is used for everything. It’s been overused to the point where it doesn’t have quite the sting, but “fake it until you make it” has never been more relevant. Excitement and anxiety are natural complements, so how do people seem so calm all the time?
Well, most of the time they’re not, at least not on the inside. Right after college, my brother went straight into commercial real estate. He didn’t just get his toes wet, oh no, he jumped right in. Yesterday he was falling asleep in class and today he’s chatting with his client on a multi-million-dollar deal. I had no idea he was even capable of that. I asked him the other day what he did to prepare and – I’m sure you know where I’m going with this – he said, “I just acted like I knew what I was doing until I actually did.” Sounds great, but could it really be that simple?
Well, yes. Act confident and you are confident. If you’re ever feeling incapable about your abilities, you can find comfort in that your classmates are probably feeling the same way.
I remember back in high school, I would look at people my age and think I’d have it all figured out then. But here I am, all grown up and no better off than I was 5 years ago. Knowing this, I might assume that no matter what point I am in life, I am always going to have my doubts. Just as I do right now, I probably will again when I’m promoted and every time after that too. With each forward step comes a bit of uncertainty. It’s inevitable. It makes us question our abilities, and we start to wonder how we even made it this far in the first place. Surely there must be others more capable than myself. I think, “how did I even make it here?” “Why me?”
But why anybody else? It’s you because you’re the best at what you’re doing right here, right now. There could be a million others that are better, but they’re not here, you are. Don’t let that pesky feeling of doubt make you feel any less exceptional than what you actually are. Take your moments of genius with pride and your moments of incompetence with a grain of salt. When times get tough, remember that you can always fake it. Fake it all the way to chief executive officer (CEO) if you have to. “Fake it until you make it.” When you stop and look around, you’ll notice we’re all doing the same.
