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You can’t swing a dead cat in the personal development space and not hear someone tell you to “fake it till you make it.” (Sorry, not sorry, but I love that expression.)
I know that acting as if you already possess the qualities or mindset you desire will eventually help you embody them works. This approach can effectively build confidence and help you to take action in areas you might otherwise avoid. No arguments there.
The lessons you learn while failing (faking it) certainly can help you succeed (make it) down the road.
We preach this to every agent new to calling prospects or meeting clients at open houses. It is effective where it is effective.
But it will never work in the realm of being grateful.
You cannot say enough positive affirmations about those areas of life for which you currently don’t experience gratitude to leave you feeling grateful.
In fact, faking it and layering positive slogans on top of situations you hate make you feel worse. You wind up feeling more guilty or more of a fraud, which aids in a rapid decline of enthusiasm and experience of joy.
Just stop doing this immediately.
The illusion of forced positivity
The biggest issue with “faking it till you make it” in gratitude and affirmations is that it promotes a superficial approach to profound emotional states.
Repeating positive affirmations or attempting to force yourself to feel grateful without genuinely addressing your underlying emotions can lead to a hollow sense of well-being.
Certainly, every parent of siblings has gone through the phase of “Say you’re sorry to your sister.” Has that ever produced an iota of genuine remorse? It never did with my kids.
Using affirmations to cultivate feelings of happiness and gratitude is popular enough. The “affirmation…