What you pretend to be makes a big difference not only in how others see you and treat you, but how you feel about YOURSELF. Is it ever wise to adapt an image just to please others? You don’t have to be fake or superficial, but sometimes we must (and do) present ourselves as being something we are not. “Fake it til you make it,” is the old recovery axiom. We will often live “up to” or “down to” the image we project of ourselves.

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