Several years ago I told a friend of mine, "sometimes you gotta fake it til you make it"
His response was harsh. He hated the saying and I pushed back. We must have argued over it for a good hour after.
It wasn't until very recently that I got what he meant...
I was so confused about how he reacted; specifically towards the saying. What could the problem be with the saying?
He pressed me... "Has anything you've done been fake?"
He was insistent that simply the view of 'faking' work will hurt me in the long run. Even as a saying.
I never argued that our work should be faked, but that what's the point if you're not seen. At times what we do can feel superficial. Where sensationalism is rewarded, that we have to do what we can do make a name for ourselves.
Honestly, I thought "man get over it"
I think my strong stance came from the chip on my shoulder.
At the time, I was still trying to build Mintor (then IntroHero) and felt immense pressure to make it work. I was engaged, just moved to New Orleans, and laser focused on the startup.
I know now I was wrong.
I mixed confidence with integrity. I tried to make a terrible case that somehow we could fast track our success. I put output over outcomes.
Where in reality we can't fake the experiences, the learnings, or the motivation that drives us to do great work.
I saw him recently and told him he was right. He smiled.
I often look back at this conversation as a reminder of how quickly our point of view can change.
What you might feel so strongly about today might not be your truth tomorrow... and that's okay.
It's part of our growth.
Thank you Jim.
Your friendship all these years has meant a lot and your honesty has meant even more.