Throughout life, we receive little morsels of wisdom. Sometimes it’s unsolicited advice from a stranger at a bar. We’re mentored by our co-workers and supervisors. Lessons from teachers give us the foundation to set out and achieve the goals attainable within our God-given potential. And we learn to live and love, laugh and cry from experiences with friends and family.
One of the most intriguing pieces of advice that I’ve received was, “Fake it ’til you feel it.” It’s a take on the slogan “Fake it ’till you make it,” which is commonly used as a means of treating depression or to help new members of Alcoholics Anonymous. According to David Brant, the phrase means “…take something that feels impossible, or at least completely unnatural, and pretend that it’s the easiest, most natural thing in the world for you to be doing, and hope that, eventually, it will become as easy as you’re pretending it is. And, hopefully, the strain of pretending won’t ruin your life.”
The word hopefully is key to the aforementioned statement. I’ve been told to lean on this theory for quite a few things. Enjoying work. Sticking to a diet. Religion. Becoming a fan of someone you hate. And I’ve tried it. Let’s look at the results:
Enjoying work? I mean, as much as someone can enjoy work, right? Mildly successful. Sticking to a diet? Not so much. Religion? I’m a lot better than I used to be on this one. Becoming a fan of someone that you hate. Turns out, that’s easier said than done.
But, I guess a 50/50 split isn’t horrible.
I think that I might try renewing my subscription to this life philosophy to see if I can yield better results. For the next 30 days, I’m going to “fake it ’til I feel it.” It’s worth a try, I guess. After all, life’s nothing more than a big work, anyways.
Did Elaine use this same theory on Seinfeld when she was having sex with Jerry?
I don’t really think its worth faking things in life. I mean - I’ve faked a lot of things on my way to becoming known as the “Nicest Person in the World,” but was it really worth it ? Now I can’t be mean to anyone to save my soul!
Left by Monica on June 14th, 2008