--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every time I get scared or feel like I'm…" description: "\"Every time I get scared or feel like I'm not going to be good enough at something, I say that mantra to myself. \"Pretend you're good at it.\"\" — Jenny L..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/jenny-lawson-3391_be-good_every-time-i-get-scared-or-feel-like-i-m_2207009.png" --- # Every time I get scared or feel like I'm not going to be… ![“Every time I get scared or feel like I'm not going to be good enough at something, I say that mantra to myself. "Pretend you're good at it."” quote by Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/jenny-lawson-3391_be-good_every-time-i-get-scared-or-feel-like-i-m_2207009.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/jenny-lawson-3391_be-good_every-time-i-get-scared-or-feel-like-i-m_2207009.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/jenny-lawson-3391_be-good_every-time-i-get-scared-or-feel-like-i-m_2207009.png) > “Every time I get scared or feel like I'm not going to be good enough at something, I say that mantra to myself. "Pretend you're good at it."” [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When self-doubt arises, the speaker uses a mantra to imagine competence, boosting confidence. **In simple terms:** Pretend you’re good, and you’ll feel better. Key Takeaway Use imagination to combat insecurity. Themes self‑esteem mindset resilience Mood encouraging optimistic Type self‑help psychological When to use this quote - public speaking - learning new skills - performance anxiety - creative projects - personal growth Key Concepts cognitive reframing self‑talk Questions to Reflect On - What evidence can you gather to support your confidence? - How can you turn the mantra into actionable steps? A Different Perspective Imagining competence may not replace actual skill development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-enough/) [Mantras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mantras/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Everyone was going to play their part honestly, and not try and pretend to be good or bad guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hopkins/everyone-was-going-to-play-their-part-honestly-and-not-try-and/) [Stephen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hopkins/) > [No, it's not that they're bad. It's that they're obliged to pretend they're good. They've been brought up to deceive and be cunning, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/no-it-s-not-that-they-re-bad-it-s-that-they-re-obliged-to-pretend/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [I tried to take advantage of the fact that I was not used to making a movie. 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Everyone else was marking the wine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/by-my-tenth-glass-of-wine-i-started-to-wonder-whether-there-was/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [It's interesting with my blog, because it feels to me less like a blog and more like a forum, because my readers are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/it-s-interesting-with-my-blog-because-it-feels-to-me-less-like-a-blog/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“Hey, Grandlibby?” I asked. “What’s a ‘turn-on’?” She paled visibly, looking mildly ill. “Well,” she said…struggling for words, “it’s…um…the things that make you happy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/hey-grandlibby-i-asked-what-s-a-turn-on-she-paled-visibly-looking/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“It would be hard to believe that a man had invented walls when most of them couldn’t even be bothered to close the bathroom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/it-would-be-hard-to-believe-that-a-man-had-invented-walls-when-most/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [A friend is someone who knows where all your bodies are buried. Because they're the ones who helped you put them there." And sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/a-friend-is-someone-who-knows-where-all-your-bodies-are-buried/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) [Explore all 132 Jenny Lawson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) ## More Be good quotes > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. 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Right now, however, the world is in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hany-abu-assad/most-of-us-want-to-live-in-harmony-and-peace-and-be-good-to-others/) [Hany Abu-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hany-abu-assad/) > [I've never had any desire to be good. I don't like goodness particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-ve-never-had-any-desire-to-be-good-i-don-t-like-goodness/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [To become a classical ballerina, you have to move to New York when you're 12 or 11 and that becomes your life. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/to-become-a-classical-ballerina-you-have-to-move-to-new-york-when-you/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [The producers felt that 24 would be good for the audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/the-producers-felt-that-24-would-be-good-for-the-audience-to-really/) [Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. 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