The "it" in "Fake it till you make it"

Suppose we have two groups of people: one consists of people often willing to put in the effort to understand and practise when faced with a problem, and one that believes in "Fake it till you make it". Chances are those who often find success are those that belong to the intersection of a Venn diagram of the two groups.

In other words, if you don't find success in "Fake it till you make it", it's possible that you are faking the wrong thing.

The first "it" in "Fake it till you make it" describes what you are supposed to fake. At the time of writing, the first sentence of the "Fake it till you make it" Wikipedia entry says:

"Fake it till you make it" (or "Fake it until you make it") is an aphorism that suggests that by imitating confidence, competence, and an optimistic mindset, a person can realize those qualities in their real life and achieve the results they seek.

That first "it" doesn't just refer to some kind of action that you carry out: for example, it isn't speaking loudly about what you know at every opportunity you find, it isn't giving away an expansive possession of yours, it isn't putting on impeccable makeup and attiring the best in your wardrobe, and so on.

By performing those actions alone you are simply faking something and you're not faking "it" in the context of "Fake it till you make it": you are simply doing the "what" of "what, how, and why". You may "look good" for a while but will eventually appear fake.

Perhaps we ought to always consider the "why" and "how" when we are faking "it". And if the "why" and the "how" don't resonate with us? Perhaps it's better to not fake anything at all.

Writing the paragraph above reminded me of Simon Sinek's Golden Circle. Highly recommended!