Liquid eyeliner can sense fear. This is a truth widely acknowledged by young adults around the world. Few inanimate objects provoke such intimidation as the slim black tube that looms at the bottom of your makeup bag. The thought of gliding the felt pen in a straight line is daunting—never mind replicating the angle on the other side.
Despite a seemingly infinite number of attempts, for me, achieving a perfect wing always involved mistakes, makeup wipes, and mental breakdowns. No matter how cautious and precise my approach was, a single hesitation, a small doubt, or a simple sign of panic would lend itself to a crooked wing, a shaky line, or a smeared mess. Liquid eyeliner can sense fear.
After countless hours spent agonizing over angles and uneven lines, the perfect wing, I have found, results most consistently from approaching the task calmly and with confidence. This is because feeling assured of our abilities leaves less room for hesitation or frustration, and thus, error. Confidence fosters success. However, developing true confidence is not the only route to achieving a goal. I mastered the art of liquid eyeliner by manufacturing confidence. In other words, I pretended like I knew what I was doing.
By acting with the self-assurance of a seasoned makeup artist, I convinced myself there was no reason to be intimidated by such a simple task. With this new mindset, I took a deep breath and did my best to show the liquid liner who was boss. My mind cleared, my hand steadied, and my wing took form. But the battle wasn’t won yet. There was still the other side. Despite my reservations, I didn’t let my thoughts turn negative. I continued on with the nonchalance of a professional. Lo and behold, I had done the impossible—my wings were perfect.
This idea of “manufactured” confidence is something I’ve implemented into my everyday life. Sometimes to accomplish a task you need to get out of your head and simply trust yourself to get the job done. You can truly be your own worst enemy, so it’s important to step back and recognize the limits you may be imposing on yourself so that you can triumph.
Now, of course, this is not a guaranteed way to accomplish your goals. You can’t simply will something to happen without putting in the work. However, the right mentality paired with substantial effort often yields desired results. I lost the battle with eyeliner every morning that I picked up the felt pen with a doubt-filled mind and a pit in my stomach. Thinking about the difficulty of the task at hand deterred me, hindering my abilities. But as soon as I allowed myself to act without fear of messing up, I was able to accomplish my goal. When you act with confidence, be it true or manufactured, you give yourself more room to succeed.