Some people swear by this phrase:
Fake it till you make it.
They say it like it’s a universal solution.
Like confidence is something you can borrow.
Like healing is something you can pretend your way through.
Not good enough for the job?
Fake it till you make it.
Not accepted in certain circles?
Fake it till you make it.
Still carrying trauma.
Still patching yourself together after heartbreak.
Still tired in ways sleep can’t fix.
Fake it till you make it.
I tried believing that once.
But the truth is—
it never worked for me.
Because there are things in life you simply cannot fake.
You can’t fake healing.
You can’t fake grief.
You can’t fake the kind of strength that comes from surviving something that almost broke you.
You can’t fake becoming a mother who keeps showing up, even when everything else feels uncertain.
You can’t fake waking up every day and choosing courage over collapse.
So somewhere along the way, I stopped trying to fake anything.
And I chose something else instead.
I chose faith.
Not the loud, performative kind.
Not the “everything is fine” kind.
But the quiet, stubborn kind.
The kind you hold onto when your plans fall apart.
When doors close without explanation.
When prayers feel unanswered.
When progress feels painfully slow.
Faith that says:
I don’t see the whole picture yet, but I trust that this isn’t the end.
Because here’s what I’ve learned:
Your skills will grow—but not on your timeline.
That job will come—but not always when you feel ready.
Those doors will open—but only after teaching you patience, humility, and resilience.
And your trauma?
Your heartaches?
They don’t disappear because you pretended long enough.
You have to weather them.
Sit with them.
Learn from them.
Carry them until they no longer carry you.
And still—
you keep believing.
Not because life is easy.
But because faith reminds you that ease was never the promise.
So don’t fake it.
Faith it.
Faith it when you’re tired.
Faith it when you doubt yourself.
Faith it when rejection feels personal.
Faith it when all you have is hope and a quiet prayer.
Because at the end of the road—
after all the closed doors, delays, and detours—
only God can open the ones meant for you.
Faith it till you make it.
And who knows?
You might arrive exactly where you’re meant to be—
without having to fake anything at all.
Ettenyl Writes 