Why ‘Fake It ’Til You Make It’ Is Terrible Advice

Being inauthentic is never the way

Rod T. Faulkner
4 min readOct 22, 2024
Image credit: Andrey_Popov via Shutterstock.com

Faking it, being inauthentic, is denying the reality of who we are and where we are in our lives in the present moment. It prevents us from seeking real solutions to our problems and asking for help when we need it.

I first heard the mantra “Fake It ’Til You Make It” from a church pulpit as a child.

I was brought up very religious and indoctrinated under the “prosperity gospel” theology of Christianity.

At that time in my life, part of my media diet was watching prominent televangelists on television.

A refrain common in their prosperity messaging is encouraging people to “fake it ‘til they make it.” The “it” being blessed by God with financial wealth and material possessions.

This messaging always disturbed me, and was a large part of the reason I later rejected organized religion in favor of pursuing a more personal spirituality.

However, the “fake it ’til you make it” mantra has also long been part of the mainstream.

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Rod T. Faulkner
Rod T. Faulkner

Written by Rod T. Faulkner

Proud Blerd. I write about sci-fi, fantasy, and other areas of interest. Founder of EYE ON SCI-FI Podcast. https://bio.site/eyeonscifi Chocolate lover.

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