Laura Chapman Writes

If I’ve learned anything in my thirty plus years of parenting, supporting one daughter through her pageantry years, moving nine times, accepting jobs I had no idea how to do and especially when facing uncomfortable unexpected situations; faking it is completely acceptable.  In fact, faking it is often the only choice we have.

This is not the same thing as living by blind faith and desparately hoping for clarity, although faith certainly has a place.

Faking it takes a lot of effort, research, courage and finally a series of trial and error attempts until a goal is reached, an obstacle overcome or a task mastered. In fact, sometimes self confidence can be defined as nothing more than pretending to know what we’re doing until we figure it out and then suddenly realizing (often by surprise) that we are now completely competent and ready to take the next step.

As a result, that step, even when still uncertain, is a little easier; even if it requires faking it again.

Not to be confused with fakers who should be avoided at all cost, faking it can be a legitimate tool when it seems like our tool box is empty.

Of course, it never was, but sometimes we just have to fake it a bit to figure that out.