The Art of Faking It

Sometimes it feels like your to-do list is a mile long, everything is highly urgent, and there are way too many things on your plate.

Rather than throw your computer out the window, I’m going to share a strategy to help you remain calm and appear like you’ve got it together.

Because contrary to popular belief, we don’t need to be living perfect shiny lives all the time. Even Life Editors have bad days.

In today’s video, you’ll learn the art of faking it.

No, not that kind of faking it! What sort of business do you think I run? We’re talking about the old adage, “fake it ‘til you make it.”

The video transcript is below for your convenience.


Click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Video Transcript

Hey there! I’m Sage Grayson, and I help ambitious career women edit their habits, routines, and mindsets to balance their happiness at work and home. I’m a Life Editor…and so are you.

Today I’m going to explain how you can keep it together even when your life is feeling less-than-perfect.

Let’s go!

In about a week, me, my husband Chris, and our dog Skyla will be piling into our Honda Civic and driving clear across the country from San Francisco to our new home in Orlando, Florida.

We are thrilled to be moving but as you can imagine, it’s pretty stressful around here.

Like today. I’m desperately trying to schedule my blog posts and social media updates in advance, there are about 30 emails sitting in my inbox, I’ve got 3 client calls, and I’m leading a webinar for the Life Editing for Beginners group.

Oh yeah, and this morning Skyla was puking all over the couch.

Sigh.

So what was I supposed to do? Cancel my client calls? Maybe I’d do that if I were the one puking, but I love talking with my clients.

Maybe scream into a pillow? Punch the wall? Cry in the bathroom? Post some crazy rant on social media?

No way. When you are smack dab in the middle of a busy, overwhelming, stressful time, the only thing you can do is fake it.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, corporate professional, or a mom with kids, you have people who depend on you.

[Tweet “You’re a professional. When the world falls apart, you don’t.”]

It’s the old adage “fake it ‘til you make it.” The more you choose to act in a way that’s in alignment with how you want to feel, the more you’ll actually start to feel that way.

You could be faking that you have a 6-figure business, or are a senior manager, or that you’re Super Mom. Little by little, your brain to believe it.

As for me, I drank a glass of water, took a deep breath, and was able to be present and supportive during my client calls.

You know what? The more I pull myself together and fake it, the less crazed I feel. Fake it ‘til you make it really works.

Are you feeling a little less-than-perfect? Can you think of a persona that you would like to adopt as you fake it?

Remember, faking it ‘til you make it doesn’t mean you never allow yourself to feel out of control. It means you choose when to step up and be in control when it really counts.

If you like this video, please come on over to SageGrayson.com and sign up for my ezine. You’ll get weekly updates and sage advice that I only share in email.

Thanks for watching. I’ll see you soon!

Do you fake it?

In the comments below, share the situations when you need to fake it ‘til you make it.

This post focuses on Step 5 of the Life Editing Process, Make White Space for Personal Self-Care. For more about life editing and what it can do for you, click here.

8 Comments

  1. Leslie Cohen on January 27, 2015 at 3:42 am

    Thanks Sage!!! I really appreciated your video this morning!! “Fake it ’til you make it!” is an awesome saying to remember. I truly believe that positive breeds positive and that negative breeds more negative energy. One way I will apply this is to fake or shift my reply to the question co-workers may asking in passing such as how are you? In a time of overwhelm, I tend to forget the good things that are happening instead wasting several seconds on reflecting negatively. So I will shift to my gratitude and will reply that, “I am great with a smile!.” This will help me to fake it and make it. Thanks so much!!

    ~Leslie (I hope Skyla is feeling better.)



    • Sage Grayson on January 28, 2015 at 6:44 pm

      Thanks, Leslie! I’m glad you like my video. Yes, Skyla’s feeling much better–thanks for asking. 🙂



  2. Sue Nelson on January 26, 2015 at 9:06 pm

    I just love this saying! I can be whatever I want to be! Ha! Good luck on your move!



    • Sage Grayson on January 28, 2015 at 6:45 pm

      Thanks, Sue! 🙂



  3. Dana Thompson on January 26, 2015 at 6:05 pm

    I really needed to read this post today! Feeling overwhelmed and stressed out this past week and doing my best to fake that I’m not fighting some major anxiety. Trying to learn all I can about how to change my mindset and be positive even when I’m not feeling it. I find that very hard! These tips will definitely help! One of my favorite ways to fake it is to dress really nice even though you feel like putting on the easiest thing in the closet. This may seem trivial, but it’s all part of the fake it ’til you make it philosophy. If I’m dressed great, then maybe it will help me feel great too.



    • Sage Grayson on January 28, 2015 at 6:47 pm

      You’re welcome, Dana. Everyone gets overwhelmed…it only feels like it’s happening to us more than to other people! 🙂 I love your idea of dressing the part even if you don’t feel like it. Wearing makeup instantly makes me feel like I can handle a tough situation.



  4. Sarah @ Long Island Nerd on January 26, 2015 at 7:20 am

    Ahhh that is so cool that you are moving to Orlando! That is my goal as well for the near future! You are so right, faking it til you make it (in the right situations) is really useful and I’ve found that it helps me out a lot.

    Best of luck with the move!!



    • Sage Grayson on January 26, 2015 at 3:37 pm

      Thanks, Sarah! You gotta come visit me and show me where I can get the best vegan food. 🙂