The Art of Faking It

In life, the most professional perplexity you will encounter will the most important tool you will master. There will be times you don’t think your boss’s jokes are funny, your work is worthwhile, or the day just isn’t going great for you. Sorry sis, but you have to make it work.

I used to work as a Program Manager, where I was responsible for 4-6 high school students. My interns always produced some great work, but whenever I tried to get them engaged it never worked. They gave minimal to no responses when my coworkers talked to them and you could tell they were only there to get paid. I never wanted to blame it on them being at that awkward age where nothing interests them because that’s just an excuse to me. And quite frankly, I could care less. I come to work weeks before they arrive just to plan everything out for them and I try my hardest to make sure the projects are engaging. I used to be an intern so I know what was fun and what was just busy work. My interns became so laid back and careless that they didn’t even try to pretend to be engaged. I would say direct it directly when I noticed, which was all the time, but they still weren’t understanding what I was saying to them. I tried countless times to explain to them that even if something doesn’t directly address or benefit them they still have to make it seem as if they care. In the workplace, in school and in life we all have to fake it at some point.

I really only like to speak on things that I know a lot about. I’ve been in many situations where this particular skill has come in handy. I went to a private high school and there were so many assemblies and masses that I wa forced to be at. Now, I am not Catholic and I was not used to sitting through a mass service. However, I learned very quickly that if I sat through it, be patient and be quiet, it would be over soon. I’ve also been at work and had to sit in on meetings about departments I didn’t even work under. My manager wanted me to go so I had to go. I could have said no and sat at my desk, but I went and I took notes and I was able to learn a few things.

“Faking it” is probably, no definitely the most important lesson I have ever learned. It translates in every aspect of your life and really determines how far you’ll be able to get. If you find yourself reading this and thinking I’m lying, I will gladly give you my top 3 reasons you should fake it.

  1. You never know who is watching-some people don’t care about being nice or likeable, but trust me it plays a major role. The more people see you are able to adjust and adapt, the more willing they are to work with you or give you a new opportunity you didn’t have before. Let me paint this picture for you: you’re in the midst of raising the funds to start your business but you just aren’t having any success. Your professor is giving extra credit for students who attend a special workshop on campus tonight. He doesn’t tell you that the company who is presenting is looking for business students to award a scholarship. In the first scenario, you go, sit for 15 minutes, sign the registration, and leave. In scenario 2, you go, stay for the entire program, ask questions, get the presenters business card afterwards, sign the registration, and leave. Of the two scenarios, which would give you the better chance of receiving the funding that you need?

In the first scenario, the person is only concerned with receiving extra credit for a class they’ll more than likely have to retake anyway because they need these extra points too bad. The second scenario shows a person who genuinely shows an interest in the topic of the program and is eager to learn more. Just because you don’t know every single detail of the event, you still want to go and be present because you could reap so many benefits if you do. And if you don’t, then I mean you’re just dumb.

  1. There is a reward!- both tangible and intangible. If it’s a job, you get a paycheck. If it’s school, you get a degree or a passing grade. Just like all college students, I have been forced to take classes that I dreaded. When I say I had zero interest in the course, I literally mean none. But I went to class and I built a relationship with those professors and I showed effort. I made sure they knew me by name, even if I didn’t always submit work on time or come to class every session. Not only did I receive passing grades, but I am now able to go to them and request a letter of recommendation for an internship because they know my work ethic and my potential. You can build relationships that last a lifetime.
  1. It’s polite, duh- You literally never know how many people are behind something. I’ll give another example, not school or work related. Let’s say you decide to have a party and you invite a bunch of people. You promote as much as you can. You tell everyone there will be free food and there is no cover charge to get in. You want everyone to come, have a good time and party with you. Well, the day of your party everyone comes out, eats your food, and leaves. You would be pissed if they didn’t dance, mingle, you know party. What’s a party when nobody is engaging and interacting? My point exactly. You don’t know who was behind the planning of the event and what it took to get everything in place. Acting like you care can make that much of a difference. As I contnue to build my brand, I realize that the business relationships I’m building are contingent on how well I can work with these people. Same thing goes with people who want to work with me. I don’t want to share my time and talents with people who couldn’t give a f..nvm. You get the point.

Our world is all about interpretation. We have to be mindful of the way others may feel about our words and actions. This not only affects them, but it ultimately affects us. People don’t want to be associated with a bum or someone who can’t pull it together for a few hours. And because they don’t want to be around you, they don’t want to hire you, or invest in your business, or support your campaign. By mastering the art of faking it, we are really taking control of our future. I mean, does it really hurt to suck it up for that small amount of time, seriously?

Unscripted is turning 1!!

April 2018 will make 1 full year since I started my blog, Unscripted. I have o many things in store for the month of April to celebrate! More details to come as it gets closer, but from today, March 1 until March 25th, I will be collecting survey responses. The survey will be used in one of the big 1-year surprises! Make sure you get your responses in before the deadline. Who knows, maybe you’ll be featured in an upcoming blog..

Survey link: Click here.

There will be many more surprises to come! Feel free to share this link with others as well. The more responses, the better the study.

What are you afraid of?

My greatest fear in life is to not be happy. Happiness is contingent upon one’s willingness to overcome fear. For example, I want to graduate college with the highest honors(summa cum laude). I’m scared to reach that goal because that means I have to sacrifice so much time and dedicate so much energy to actually doing the work to earn the grade. I may procrastinate with taking the more difficult courses, or maybe even think about switching majors. Now think about this on a larger scale, life. Continue reading →

2017: The Year of Me

I don’t believe in New Years Resolutions because I think they’re so cliche and just open-ended promises that nobody upholds. This year I tried something different and made a list of goals I wanted to reach for myself, either in my personal life or in school or work. I’ll list the goals I set for myself below and tell y’all why 2017 was a good year for me. Continue reading →

#daddyprobz

Today, I’m getting REAL ok? Ok. In a recent post I touched on the topic of my father leaving. Now, for those that know me, my father didn’t “leave” physically but in every other aspect of the word, he left me. Please try to keep up as I walk yall through this mess of daddy issues I was blessed to have..*inserts rolling eyes emoji.. Continue reading →

Th1rteen R3asons Why (Not)

Have you ever witnessed something so powerful that it literally makes you cry uncontrollably? I’m about eight months late but I just watched the saddest, most captivating series I have ever seen. Thirteen Reasons Why is an original Netflix series, executively produced by Selena Gomez, that premiered back in March 2017. If you haven’t watched it already, I advise you to stop reading this and go watch. Once you are moved to tears you can come back and continue reading. For those of you who have seen the series, I am hoping you feel the same as I do. My heart broke as I watched each episode and by the last episode of the series I was in full blown tears. Continue reading →

I’m going abroad! Well not yet..

I have always dreamed of traveling the world and experiencing different cultures. I was accepted into the University of Nicosia in Cyprus for the Spring 2018 semester. I am a junior Finance student at the North Carolina A&T State University. I am an Aggie Honors Scholar and a member of EDGE (Finance Honors society). I am a member of the Charm City Aggies organization on campus where we participate in various community outreach events throughout the semester. Continue reading →

Out with the old..

It’s been soooo long since I’ve posted and I would like to apologize. The last few weeks of my life have been so hectic, all to say that now the storm is over. Well one storm is over, my life is never too calm for too long. Good news, I’m back in school and I moved into my apartment. I also just had a birthday last week so I’m a little more mature lol. But seriously, I wanted to write something super inspiring due to my recent defeat.
Continue reading →

The Wire

As a high school senior, I just knew my grades and my test scores would set me apart from some many other candidates when I got to college. They make it seem like it’s going to be a breeze, but they lied. I am entering my junior year of high school and it is getting more and more difficult to fund my education. I love my school and I’ve never been happier, however, I simply can’t afford it. I planned my entire junior and senior year in terms of what I wanted to accomplish and what I wanted to see happen for myself. Those dreams may not be so attainable for me at this point. Continue reading →

8 of Pentacles- Reversed

Recently, I decided to tap into the world of astrology and palmistry. I got a tarot card reading and it helped me realize so many things about myself. I’m going through a rough stage right now and I felt like I just didn’t know what to do. I normally am not one to believe in or even read my horoscope or anything like that but this time I wanted to give it a try. Continue reading →

Mixed Feelings

Of course I have to talk about this. Race is such a hot button issue that often times it gets difficult to even get through a conversation about it. Luckily for me, I have my own blog and I get to say whatever I want without being interrupted or talked over. Many people, if not all, should know by now that I am mixed. My mother is Italian and Irish and my father is fully Jamaican. Growing up, race was not talked about or as controversial as it has grown to become. I had a few instances where I noticed people acting odd towards me but as a child you don’t pay that kind of behavior any mind. However, the older I get the more I find myself needing to “check” some of the ignorance that exists among my peers, and sometimes elders. Continue reading →

Strategize, persevere, and dominate: A Guide to Finding Your Motivation

Okay, so I figured it was that time again when everyone could use a little motivation. I’ve found it increasing difficult to find that drive to do just about anything that I am supposed to do. I don’t even want to do the things I find fun anymore. These days I find myself either watching a bunch of reality show reruns or fighting my sleep to scroll through my Instagram feed. My life is sad, yes, I am aware. Continue reading →

#prayforBaltimore

Image result for pray for baltimore

Last night I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and I kept seeing posts about this one girl who died earlier that day. Her face was familiar to me because she was “IG famous” and she was on my explore page every single day. She was super young from what I understood-early 20s- but was very well-known throughout the city. Of course I had so many questions about what happened, was it even true, how did she die. I kept scrolling and clicking until I found answers to my questions. She had been shot and killed near her home. It didn’t end there. That wasn’t even half of the horrific story. Continue reading →

Heart/Mind

Time after time I find myself settling for what I know is less than I deserve. That is with everything- jobs, grades, friendships, and especially relationships. I don’t if it’s because of the extreme laziness I suffer from, of the lack of motivation but I am almost always just settling. I want to know why. I am really trying to excel in many facets of my life but I can’t do that if I don’t recognize and address my issues.

Ready? Because this is going to go from a cute little blog post to like my real life, every day, personal issues.. Continue reading →

“Never give them your power”

The other day I had a really bad day at work. I’ve been working at this nice restaurant for about 4 years now. It was my first real job ever and I’ve felt at home for the duration of my employment. I was hired to do one job but of course I ended up switching and learning many roles in the restaurant. Recently, I’ve felt unappreciated by the “new” management. I absolutely love working there and I love the owners and my manager. There are a few managers and employees, however, that can be disrespectful and just plain rude. Continue reading →

New year, new..

Yeah I know the cliché saying is played out and well cliché but I really mean it this year. I’m excited to allow myself to go through transformations, try new things, reach new goals. I’m excited to watch my friends grow. I’m getting older which means so are my friends. I get to see their growth as we begin to enter our careers and finish our last years of college.  Continue reading →

S.O.S

Let me first start off by saying I deeply apologize for the late post. Although this is not an excuse, my life has been crazy hectic this past week. I am preparing for finals week and currently in the process of packing everything I own to move yet again. Nonetheless, I wanted to keep the inspirational juices flowing.  Continue reading →