Life is all about appearances. There’s nothing wrong with preparing for the kind of future you want for yourself. You may have to fake it to make it to the top.
A lot of people who are successful today faked it till they made it. Faking it till you make it is not about lying. It is about putting up appearances, at least in the meantime, before your success comes.
Here are 6 ways to fake it till you make it:
1. Believe in Yourself
Do not underestimate yourself. The fact that you don’t have money yet doesn’t mean you are nothing. You are something, you are somebody, and you matter.
Many successful people today were not successful yesterday. Their success happened in one day, and yours will, too. All it takes is one day. You have to believe it, because if you don’t, your faking it won’t be believable.
If you don’t believe in what you’re doing, what you’re selling, or what you’re trying to convey to people, how do you expect them to believe it?
Believe you have everything you need to become the rich man or rich woman you want to be. It’s all about the mindset. If you believe you have it in you, it will begin to radiate from within.
2. Set Specific Targets for Yourself
Don’t start without a well-mapped-out plan. Plan effectively because it’s not as easy as it seems. If you want to fake it, make sure you are believable and doing it right. Set timelines for yourself. What do you want to achieve within a particular time? In one month, in two months, in three months, where do you want to be? What do you expect to have achieved?
Doing that will motivate you to work harder toward what you want. It will help you hold yourself accountable. Don’t be like every other person just faking it in town, because if you do that, you will end up faking it for several years without any tangible results to show for it.
Hold yourself accountable. You are looking for results, and if those results aren’t coming, it means you are doing something wrong and need to change it. Set targets that lead to milestones. If your goal is to be up there in life and you just set out hoping to be up there all of a sudden, that is not going to happen. You will get discouraged. But if you set little milestones for yourself, you will begin to have little victories, and these victories will push you to go harder for the kind of life you desire.
3. Study the People Living the Life You Desire
Whatever it is you’re faking right now, people are living that reality. To pull this off successfully, you need to identify those people and study them. Study how they behave. Study what they do. Study what a day in their life looks like. That way, you will know exactly what to do.
You can’t just set out to fake a particular lifestyle when you have no clue what it’s about. You need to put in some work by studying. In this situation, find a mentor not by contacting them but by studying them from a distance.
How does that man behave? How does that woman behave? How do they live their lives? The whole point of having someone to mirror is to ensure that you are on the right track. If you do this all by yourself, you won’t know whether you’re getting it right or not.
Look for people within your space and niche, and get clues from them. If you study them closely and pay close attention, you’ll be just like them, at least in how you behave.
4. Act and Look the Part
After studying those people, you should have a clear sense of what they look like and how they behave. This is the time to put it into practice. Look the part. If you’re faking it, you need to look rich. There are different ways to look rich, which is why studying people in your niche matters. Don’t just spend money on random things. You might end up wasting your money.
If you don’t look the part, nobody will believe you. One benefit of looking the part is that when you show up, people will know someone has arrived. That is the idea.
You also need to act the part. Rich people behave a certain way. If you look fantastic but act otherwise, it will backfire. Act with grace, class, and carry yourself with confidence. Study how they walk, speak, and behave.
If you don’t act accordingly, it will show. You don’t want people to realize you’re just trying to fit in. Act like this is where you belong. When you do this correctly, people will believe you, and when your breakthrough comes, you will already be used to it.
5. Upgrade Your Social Network
Your net worth is as good as your social network. If your social network is zero, you are zero. If you want to be rich and successful, mingle with the rich and successful. Their lifestyle will begin to rub off on you. If you want to be famous, mingle with the famous.
Position yourself strategically. Go where they go: art exhibitions, events, and places where they gather. Look the part. Act the part. Talk with grace and class. Don’t overtalk.
Gradually, your social network will grow. People can call you whatever they want. It doesn’t matter. You’re not doing anything wrong. You’re only faking it, and there’s nothing wrong with that because you will make it eventually.
6. Begin to Live the Experience
Start doing the things the rich do, even on a smaller scale. The whole idea is to experience it. When you begin to live that experience, you will have more opportunities to mingle with the rich and understand how that lifestyle works. When you interact with them, you will be able to relate.
Take yourself to cool places. Even if it’s small, even if it’s to buy a bottle of water, experience it. The more you live that experience, the more you attract that lifestyle.
Faking it till you make it can help you achieve your dreams as long as you do not do anything illegal. It will no longer be a fantasy. It will become a reality. Life is for the living. If you want something, go for it. If you have to fake it till you make it, fake it properly.