We all have them. The little mantras we utter to ourselves over and over again, the phrases that remind us to persevere in times of difficulty. When the work seems to be piling up in endless amounts, or when you’re just feeling emotionally wrecked, the person you have to rely on is yourself. Though I’m a firm believer that going through obstacles with a helping hand is the way to travel through life, I am not naive. I understand that I’m going to be the only person who knows exactly who I am and how I feel. That’s why I’ve fully embraced the philosophy of “fake it till you make it” in my life.
Now, putting your trust in a mantra that is based on being inherently dishonest seems like a giant leap of faith. No one wants to be disingenuous—or at least, no one wants to be perceived that way. But sometimes, you gotta be a little fake in order to reach your true potential.
Unlocking this potential comes with forcing yourself to go through life changes. Change will always precipitate the feeling of uncertainty, and it’s something I’ve experienced frequently. I definitely felt scared when I transferred high schools, and I can’t even begin to describe the nerves I had on my move-in day to BU. Here’s the thing: everyone feels the same concoction of emotions. People just forget that we feel similarly because our senses are warped by how we see our friends handling their lives: if their social media accounts are blowing up, they must be completely adjusted, right?
For me, I made the decision to embrace the chaos that came with college. I won’t say I’ve been fake in my personality, but in certain situations, you just have to fake your excitement. There have been multiple days when I’ve wanted to sit on my ass and do nothing but Netflix, but I came to Boston to push myself—to explore the world beyond my suburban Pennsylvania town. I’ve had so many people tell me how “outgoing” I am, or how I seem to be completely at ease in college. It’s hard for me to grasp how they see this when, internally, I know I’m freaking out whenever I’m trying something new. But it’s important that you do what scares you—if I holed up in my dorm, I wouldn’t have any experiences at all. The good comes with the bad.
Not every day is going to be perfect, but if you slap on a smile, get ready for the day, and force yourself to take on the world, you’re certainly going to have more good days than bad. This is the very reason while I’ll always be faking it til I make it, because one day, I’m going to make it. And that day is going to be legendary.