You’ve probably heard the saying “fake it till you make it” or “fight till you find it.” But may I offer a new phrase, “learn it till you earn it.”
The other day, somebody asked me to describe my job as a theater technician in one word, and at the time I didn’t know what to say, but after much thought I now finally know the perfect all-encompassing magical encyclopedic word: humbling. My job as a theater technician is humbling.
Every day I walk into work acting like I know what I’m doing, and thinking that things are going to go right and it’s going to be great. But somehow something always goes wrong, and I’m left sitting on my ass trying to fumble my way back to my feet. And then of course, the cycle repeats, and I walk into my next shift acting like I know what I’m doing, and thinking that things are going to go right and it’s going to be great because I figured out my mistakes from my last shift. But somehow, once again, something else always goes wrong, and I’m left sitting on my ass wondering how many more ways there are to fall. No matter how confident I act, I can always count on the proscenium stage to humble me and bring me back down.
All that being said, my beef with the saying “fake it till you make it” implies that you can just act confident and be successful. But where’s the growth in that? I encourage everybody, to instead of acting like you know your shit, have the courage to fall down and learn how to get back onto your feet. Don’t feel like you need to be perceived as the big awesome master of everything. Find the courage and humility to fall on your ass, raise your hand, and say that you don’t know how to do something so that somebody can teach you. Find the power, growth, and importance of learning every step that you take. There's no growth or transformation in faking it.
In much simpler words: If you were running a race and you fell down and broke your leg, but you still wanted to finish the race, one option would be to grab a wheelchair and wheel to the finish line. That would be faking it till you make it. Your other option would be to go through physical therapy rehab to regain the strength to walk on both feet and run to the finish line. That would be learning it till you earn it. Of course, you get to the finish line both ways. But which way will you choose to get there? Which way will make you better in the long run?
Learn more so that you can earn more.
