F is for FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT

Hi Everyone,

What does Fake It Till You Make It mean? It's that moment when you have almost reach that place you have only dreamed about, but for some reason, you can't move. That is the juncture when you suck in a breath and  “LOOK  confident and you’ll BE confident!” 

Look confident and you'll be confident, fake it till you make it ... Simple words that carry such a strong message. How I wish they were mine. I learned this valuable life lesson from my sweet daughter. She wrote the post below and I couldn't be prouder for raising an amazing young woman. I hope you enjoy reading Megan's post and it gives you the power to extend your arm out just a little further to reach your dream. 

From Megan…

So there I was standing in front of a congregation I didn’t know at a church I’d never been to before. The people were looking at me expectantly- for I was as unfamiliar to them as they were of me. There was a mic in front of my face, and a piano a bit below me on the other side of an old wooden banister. The lector across the altar had finished all the necessary introductions and pre-mass announcements. Now it was my turn-- to sing.

And boy, was I trembling in my one inch heels.

My accompanist, Sarah, looked up at me with impatience and confusion in her eyes at my hesitation. I looked down at my stand but was unable to find what I was looking for in the music notes on the page before me. So I glanced out at the congregation. I found my answer sitting in the second pew. Mrs. Donna, my second mom, had driven me to my first cantoring job and her smile sent me the confidence I needed.

I took a deep breath and stood up straight, thinking of the mantra I learned in pep band.

“How are your feet?

TOGETHER!

Stomach?

IN!

Chest?

OUT!

Shoulders?

BACK!

Elbows?

FROZEN!

Chin?

UP!

Eyes?

WITH PRIDE!

“Eyes with pride. Alright. I can do that,” I thought to myself.

I looked back to Mrs. Donna and her smile reminded me to turn my lips up in a happy grin.

“LOOK  confident and you’ll BE confident.”

I finally spoke into the mic and announced the opening hymn. Sarah played. I sang. And the rest is history.

After that first time, I returned to that church almost every week (and sometimes twice a week) until I graduated from high school. The experience thought me far too many lessons to delve into now, so I will focus on only one. It’s one of the most valuable lessons I have learned in my short 21 years of life

- Fake It Til You Make It- 

I am often told, “Megan, you look so confident singing up there!” or “You walk on stage holding your clarinet as if you own the stage!” 

My participants and supervisors in my job as an outdoor educator give me 10s out of 5 on my evaluations for confidence. What they don’t know is that on the inside, I’m still just that 15-year-old girl trembling in her one inch heels who learned how to...

Fake It Til You Make It!

~~~ 

The only thing I have to add to Megan's post is you can't fake something if you haven't put in the work first.  Megan may have been shaking in her shoes, but she was standing on the altar because she had put hours into developing her voice and practicing. She was ready to be standing in front of that crowd. Her confidence came from knowing she was prepared. 

Reaching for the dream that's just beyond your touch takes hard work. As my father use to say, "Hard work won't kill you. It will just make you stronger."

That's a different post...

Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow.

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!