“We are never as put together as we seem, but we can always try to fake it til we make it”
A little shameless self-promotion, but in November of last year my personal mission statement was shared in a Forbes article (originally posted on my blog) alongside Oprah, Richard Branson and other successful CEOs (um…am I a CEO?!)…
Anyway, the point I’m getting at is that every time someone reaches out to me after seeing that article it surprises and humbles me. The other night I got in a conversation on Twitter with a guy who said my statement was his favorite and wanted to email me with some questions about life (REALLY?!). Of course I said yes and then I told him “We are never as put together as we seem, but we can always try to fake it til we make it.”
I thought I was being funny but he quoted me, making me realize the importance of this statement.
In a world of social media, it’s easy to fall into this comparison trap, looking at one person’s successes and totally looking over their failures or the struggles that it took to get there. While social media is an amazing thing, it’s also a hurdle that we have to over come.
This started what was supposed to be a Facebook post and I immediately realized I had too much to share, too much to comment and too much to say. Sometimes that happens. 😉
While I may seem put together, I don’t have it all figured out. I often feel like I’m walking through mud and waiting for someone to throw me a rope to pull me out. I’ve done a mud race before, I know sometimes those pits can suck you in!
I have trials and tribulations; I have sleepless nights and days when I have to force myself out of bed; I have moments when my boyfriend just puts his arms around me so I can cry; I have moments when he’s not around so I sit in my car parked outside my chiropractor and have a mini meltdown.
“We are never as put together as we seem, but we can always try to fake it til we make it.”
Moral of the story? Sometimes I have to fake it, too.
We all have dreams and goals and a reason to keep our eyes on the prize. Some people may seem like they have it all put together and figured out but I assure you they have their struggles too. I promise you we are only seeing a glimpse of their lives through the bubble that is social media.
Keep in mind this doesn’t mean we fake our way through things without asking for help or doing poor work because we don’t actually know how to do our jobs, it means some days we put a smile on our face even though we aren’t feeling 100% happy; it means some times we plan and plan and plan and when things don’t go as planned, we go with the flow as if that was always the plan; it means we allow ourselves to enjoy the journey and every thing that comes along with it.
Tell me this – what is something you’re working towards and how are you “faking it” to get there?
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Yes, a great quote. Social media really does skew how some people’s lives look. That said, putting on a positive face, regardless of how you feel can also be challenging and it can be a great attitude to have. I knew a man many years ago who, whenever asked how he was, said: “I’m t’riffic.” Regardless of how he felt. And people always smiled and walked away thinking what a lovely guy. I have to remind myself of him on days when things are not going well for me.
What a cool story and awesome guy! It’s true though, it can be really hard to put on that positive face if that isn’t how we’re feeling but they say a smile is contagious, so if we’re the ones smiling, even if we don’t feel like it at the time, who knows? We may catch that smile! 🙂
So true, we never know what’s going on behind closed doors. I am working towards making a full time income via my blog, but not there yet!
You and me both girl! We just have to keep making things happen and doing what we can and helping others and we’ll get there!
Love this! I have been thinking about this lately. So many bloggers, myself included, post only the perfect successes on their blog. I only post the recipes that turned out great and look picture perfect. Which is far from realistic. I decided I am going to start photographing all my flops, and failures and sharing my blogging bloopers just to prove the point that I’m not perfect, I screw things up all the time and just don’t usually blog about those things. I think its refreshing to hear others are in this same mindset and aren’t afraid to admit that we don’t have it all together. Thanks for your post! 🙂
Awesome! I’ve seen a few bloggers share some “fails” or “behind the scenes” kind of stuff and I always LOVE those posts because they do make you feel like you’re not the only one having those moments (even though we all know we’re not, it’s nice to see the proof).
“Fake it till you make it” is a motto my wife and I have lived for many years.
Awesome!
Wow, thats amazing! You go girl!
Thanks, Natalie!
we are DEF all faking it at some point in the day, our years, our lives. nothing wrong with it, just something that we all need to do to survive! congrats on being quoted by forbes and oprah! so cool! XOXOXO
Thanks!! It was definitely a HUGE moment for me!
I think everyone is faking it, we all put on a facade when dealing with the outside world. Congratulations on faking so successfully 🙂
To pick up on a point that Shelly made, there’s nothing like kids to make you realize that you don’t have a clue what you’re doing!
“Congratulations on faking so successfully” BAHAHA Thank you! 😉
congrats onto making it into Forbes!! you are your own CEO! How exciting 🙂
i feel like with my website im quite often playing ‘catch up,’ because i have soo many things i want to accomplish but dont always set the time aside to do them. i’ve stopped getting so worked up and concerned about it, and like you said, just keep faking it till i make it. i focus on what i can get done now and if i have the time to check another thing off my list – great! if not – no worries 🙂
You got it girl, just keep doing your thing!
I totally agree with that thought process! I kind of feel like i’m faking it til I make it with my blog. Acting like I know all the right ways to promote it and what to write about… but I’m totally winging it haha
All you can do is be YOU! I don’t have it all figured out either, the blogging world is a complicated beast. 😉
Awww yay for you & I totally agree. I always say I’m faking it until i make it too lol haha!! well make our dreams come true it just won’t be today & will take some time. Love this!
Wow! Well first of all, congratulations on being featured on Forbes (alongside all those amazing people at that!).
I hear everything you’re saying loud and clear. Social media can totally be a hurdle if you let the trickery get to ya! No one’s life is consistently amazing. Even if it was, wouldn’t that be exhausting? Like, can a homie get a rainy, melancholy day and some Sam Smith and tears? Haha.
My current struggle is trying to finish up this book I’m writing. With three kids (one teen, one tween, and one baby) I often have to choose between writing or an extra hour of sleep. Productivity is a toss up from day to day. Sometimes I rock it, and sometimes I don’t even shower.
Thanks, Shelly! It was a huge honor!
Good luck with the book you’re writing, while I don’t have kids, I totally get it! Somedays, a shower just isn’t going to happen. Plain and simple. 😉