Get it? F-O-L-L-O-W-ing up. Sometimes I am so cheesy clever it hurts.
[Vistaprint is a sweet site where you can design and order 250 free business cards. All you pay for is shipping. The free cards have a somewhat limited variety of designs to choose from, but hey, it's free and if you are as clever as me (sarcasm alert) then you don't need fancy graphics or anything over the top to get someone's attention. And that makes for a good first impression. If you can't think of your own shameless cute puns and want to go for the fancy stuff, you can get out your wallet too. Just don't forget to try these coupons. You're welcome.]
We have all heard the phrase. What does it really mean to “fake it ’till you make it”?
Let me begin by explaining that when I initially graduated from college, I had absolutely no notion of what I was looking for career wise. I only knew that I needed money. I didn’t care where it came from as long as I no longer had to serve chips and salsa and the job title didn’t include the prefix “tele”. Although, I would imagine becoming a teleport-er might be a pretty fun position if it existed.
Luckily, it didn’t take me long to realize exactly what I wanted my career path to involve. My passion (wild right?). That passion being for writing/blogging, through which I also became fascinated with social media marketing. Boom. Success here I come, right? Well, there was just one problem. I had less faith in myself as a writer than I had in becoming the next Celine Dion.
First, I had to muster up some hope. Adding in a little determination and perseverance, I eventually emerged at a different mindset. That is where the whole fake it ’till you make it idea came in. The inspiration behind this adage is that it helps to manifest confidence. Confidence, in turn, produces positive results towards achieving goals. I got to thinking about some of the things that help people exude confidence. One of those things is credentials. I can tell everyone I meet that I am a writer, but the truth is that people like tangible stuff.
I hoard keep a lot of business cards. You never know who you might want or need to contact in the future. I keep them all safely jammed in my wallet so that I can access them at anytime. If only there were some sort of technology that could store all of these contacts for me. Anyway, upon opening my wallet one day in search of cash that is never there, I noticed my bulge of cards. I thought, “that’s exactly what I need to give myself some confidence” – aside from a fake Journalism or English diploma. While I do have a degree and experience in Marketing, I certainly do not have a specialized piece of paper that says I am a certified writing machine. That would be too convenient.
I remember when I was a sales and marketing intern for a start-up web company a few years back. During sales pitches, the flash and/or exchange of the business card meant you were the real deal and always helped me act a little smoother. So, who says that I can’t have a 3.5″x2″ piece of stock paper that includes the title of writer? After all, I do write, and this blog is proof of that. So, I began my mission to create my own business card. Funny the power such a small piece of paper can hold. The moment I gave out that first card, it all seemed possible.
Do you think faking it ’till you make it is legitimate advice worth taking? Why or why not?
Related articles
- Vistaprint (silverthoughts2.wordpress.com)
- How to Make Professional Business Cards (answers.com)
- In the Cards: 10 Memorable Business Cards and Tips for Designing Your Own (grasshopper.com)
Thanks for the tip, Becca!
You definitely have every right to call yourself a writer – I could not agree more! (I have only very recently discovered your blog, not too long before your comment on mine this morning, and lovelovelove what I’ve read. I’m having so much fun catching up!)
Business cards. HAH! I feel like such a rockstar when I hand out business cards (for the day job – but I should look into them for possible future writing gigs)! And yeah, “fake it ’til you make it” is a pretty awesome way to go. Self-fulfilling prophecy, I figure.
Thank you so very much Kim! So glad to have found your blog as well. Now go get yourself a badass card for your badass self ma’am!
You are so witty, you should be a writer for a magazine or do something involving comedy.
That means a lot to me Carolina! Thank you. That’s definitely the plan. I want to write period, but if I can incorporate my humor in there somewhere it would be ideal.
I love that you’re following your dream! So did you still like marketing, or did you change your mind about that?
Thanks. It is a scary thing to do, especially with all of the outside influences telling you to do otherwise. As far as Marketing goes, I’ll just say that I didn’t know what part of Marketing I liked until I was already working a job that had nothing to do with it. I’d love to score a job being responsible for social media marketing for a company that I truly believe in and support. Hopefully that would also include opportunities to write professional blog posts etc. But, I would also say I’d be just as happy simply writing a kick ass book or writing a regular column for an esteemed publication. Hope this answer isn’t too all over the place!
No I love your answer. I’ve felt the same way about journalism. There’s a lot of different directions you can go with writing, and if you love it, you could end up in a lot of different kinds or careers.
I think it’s a GREAT idea! As long as the faking it doesn’t get too complicated… then that gets… complicated…
Lovin’ the coupons and the site though!
Thanks Jillian! I certainly don’t condone taking it as far as stealing identities or writing hot checks
.
Your Mom writes hot checks…
My girlfriends and I use “fake it ’til you make it” (or fitymi when texting) as our mantra for anything we’re currently aiming for. Be it getting over a relationship, beginning a new hobby, or starting a new job, it helps us feel confident, just like you said. I’m not suggesting one go around pretending to be something they aren’t, ala Leo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can, but it doesn’t hurt to practice until you’re perfect!
I like the way you think. I am going to start doing this too!
Absolutely. No one ever starts out as an expert, so it is kind of a must!