The case against "Fake it 'til you make it"

5 September 2011

I was talking with another professional organizer, Aimee Krummenacher the other day and we were reflecting on how the catch phrase “fake it ‘til you make it” just doesn’t ring true for us.

We agreed that people respond to authenticity. Acting like you have experience or expertise that you don’t have may seem like a good idea when you’re first starting out. But I think it’s stressful. And it doesn’t really benefit anyone.

When you start out in a new field, it can be hard to be confident and recognize your value when you lack experience. I know I felt that conflict when I first started my organizing business, back in 2005. But I also recognized that I was not at my best when I was not being authentic. So I stopped trying to pretend I had more experience than I had and just went with honesty. At the very beginning, my organizing expertise was derived from my own experience or my experience helping friends. And that’s okay.

Of course, as time went on, I didn’t have to worry about faking experience. And certainly I’ve gained expertise through my education and training as well as experience working with clients.

Even now, sometimes I have to remind myself that it’s best to present myself as I am, not as I think people want me to be. That means:

I let people know I’m messy
I’m not shy about telling people about my part-time job at the International Institute
If I backslide on habits, I admit it
I tell folks how much I benefit from the help of other professional organizers
I admit that sometimes I don’t always follow my own advice.

I’m honest with clients in person and I feel free to chronicle my foibles here on my blog.

For me, there’s nothing worse then being inauthentic. If I’m presenting myself authentically a potential client may discover that I’m not the best organizer for her (or him). And that’s perfectly okay. It’s much better than their feeling deceived!

Tagged with: aimee krummenacher; authenticity

Comments

Sounds like my story too….

I’m glad you admitted it, truth definetly is being stress free

I’m still telling people I have 20 years of organizing experience……I’m only 22 years old…. haha jk :)

Moxie Girl Stress Relief Expert September 6, 2011 02:49 PM

Being honest always pays off better in the end! While some people will really do well faking it till it’s true, not everyone can do it so flawlessly or with good conscience. Thanks for sharing this!

Airtight Storage Containers September 11, 2011 08:57 PM