Zen and the Art of Bullsh•t

"Fake it 'til you make it." We've all heard this term one time or another. The concept is simple and universal, and virtually every person I know embraces some iteration of the idea.  But I for one have always preferred my own version: "The best bridges are built in bullshit."

I'd developed that phrase in junior high, when playing a card game, accordingly titled "B.S." The game, essentially a pre-teen prerequisite to poker, hinges on being able to effectively obscure the true contents of your hand, whether or not you're actually lying to the other players. And it was a game which I soon found I was really really good at.

This is a tradition that runs in my blood. My mother, a Michigan alum, imparted this knowledge on me at a young age. She'd made it through the undergraduate pre-med program on the skin of her teeth, but managed to bluff her way into a meeting with the Dean of Admissions at the U of M Dental School by simply dressing nice, straightening her back, and strolling with poise through the front door of his office. Months later, she was accepted into the program, and years later, she owns her own successful practice. #TheMichiganDifference

So often in business we're taught that it's not what you know, but who you know. This is certainly true, but to succeed you've got to take it one step further and explore how you get to know those people. And the way to do that is to bullshit 'em. Let me clarify: B.S. is NOT a synonym to lying. It simply means that the more confidence you have in what you're saying, the more confidence the person you're saying it to will have in you.

Take this for example. In helping a colleague with his start-up, I had to contact an electronic producer with an inquiry about the copyright status of one of his tracks. I could've easily sent a "Hey man I dig your style you wanna let us use this song"-type email, but fortunately I stopped and thought twice about the professional etiquette we've studied in this course, and instead sent him a sharp, efficient and detailed email that enhanced my qualifications and the legitimacy of the start-up without over-describing them or unjustly building myself up. Lo and behold, he responded quickly, saying that he usually gets a lot of requests from artists who'd heard his music on SoundCloud, but they rarely sound qualified, and that he'd be happy to work with me... if I put him in contact with my lawyer.

The most important quality in B.S.ing is to not lose your footing easily, so I quickly grabbed my friend, a Polisci major with an Entrepreneurship minor who'd happened to draw up a few mock copyright documents for another club, and had him write up the contracts for which the producer was looking. We got the song, and the producer has collaborated with the start-up a number of additional times after the fact. There was no lying involved, only an embellishment of the truth. We've talked extensively in this class about making your own narrative. B.S.ing is simply adding a bit of embroidery to your story.

But B.S. does not just start and end with email etiquette. Faking it until you make it is a lifestyle. It's helped me achieve honors, win awards, procure jobs (my summer internship in fact, but that's another story...), and just all around experience life to the fullest. Wherever you are, be it in a classroom or on a beach in San Juan del Sur, you may be poised to meet someone who can help you reach your life goals. Don't be caught off guard. Always be prepared and always put your best foot forward. And the way to do this? The cardinal rule of B.S.: believe in what you're saying. Whether it's a universal truth or a bit of a stretch, believe yourself, and everyone else will be soon to follow.