I'm Not Supposed To Be Here: An Introspective on Fake It Until You Make It | Giovanni Hale

I joined the military when I was eighteen years old. I was from a small, poor community in southern Illinois, and I had just come out of the closet to my family two years before. I felt like an imposter from the day I stepped in the door of Bootcamp. I did not feel masculine enough, I did not feel intelligent enough, and I did not prepare my body for the physical needs of Bootcamp. So I was not even physically ready to tackle this new journey in my life. I had not even come to terms with my own sexuality, let alone start a new journey in the Navy.

There were times when we would have an inspection, and I was sure they could tell that I did not belong. This is just one of many ways that Fake It Until You Make It came into play for me; during this time, I would not raise my hand or volunteer for assignments until one day, while in the shower, I was singing my favorite song from back home. My navy squad leader overheard me singing. "Hale, what's that noise I hear out of the head (the navy term for a bathroom)?" Nothing sir, I quickly responded to advert his eye contact and ensure I flew under the radar. "You were singing in my shower, recruit?" he barked at me. "No sir, just felt happy, sir," I responded with this glee I could not explain, but I felt if I was going to defend myself, this was my moment. "Do it again," he lamented to get me to sing out loud. Amazing Grace burst from my mouth and resounded in a choral tone I had not heard since high school show choir. He walked away satisfied, and I was caught up in a moment of pride.

I continued to fake it until I made it with my singing, but that is for another blog post. Fake It Until You Make It! Remember you are here no matter your circumstances or how you feel about them because we all have the potential to make great things happen if we fail to get in our own way.

A Ted Talk that inspired me was Tim Ferriss and how he faked it until he made it. He thought of himself as a "guerilla marketer" who would go to unlikely places like bookstores in New York City with a bag full of books, set up shop at the end-of-aisle displays, hand out his cards for speaking gigs and workshops which were accompanied by flyers promoting what you could get from him--as well as about 50 business card samples from clients whose names I can’t recall but whom I now recognize; if they weren't on my list already, then those people became potential customers or acquaintances." Fake It Until You Make It! By working hard, we gain confidence even when we do not feel we are the right person for the job.

Fake it until you make it. It can seem like this phrase is a harsh reminder of the reality that we might not be good enough, but many successful people don't think they're entitled to their success either. Fake your way through hard work and persistence, even if you don’t feel deserving or capable at first. Fake it till you make it! This strategy has helped me in my career as well as personal life when I have felt overwhelmed by situations where I didn't know what to do next."

I want to inspire others who feel like they are not supposed to be here to feel encouraged to fake it until you make it. What matters most is showing up and taking action each day. Dont feel like you qualify for that job, but you have all the experience, but you happen to lack the degree. Apply and secure the interview despite your doubt.

I have found that my job success has not been a direct result of always being the smartest, but rather have learned to fake it till I made it and then making myself smarter by learning from others more skilled or knowledgeable than me. Fake iT! Fake your way into an opportunity where you can serve people with the skillset they need!"

It's okay if you don't feel like what you are doing is enough - because trust me, I've felt this way too many times in my life as well. We all start somewhere, and we change our lives one step at a time, so take those steps today!"

 In the classic self-help book, The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale said "We are all too ready to tell ourselves how hard it is and give up before we start." That's not very encouraging. But if you think about it in a different way--that quitting makes life harder for everyone around us who cares about us--it really isn't an option anymore. If your goal is to make something happen next year or even this week, then there’s no time like the present to fake it till you make it! When was the last time you faked until you achieved your goal?