Believe in Yourself
Summary
A stranger offers unconventional career advice: publicly claim you're something before you actually are. Fake it till you make it, manifestation style. The rider suggests stealing your friend's guitar, snapping a bathroom selfie, and declaring yourself a musician on your profile picture. Kareem pushes back on the logic. What about lawyers? "I object. I'm a lawyer," the rider jokes, insisting trust follows the claim. The conversation veers into gay signaling online versus in person, with cigarettes apparently serving as the universal cool factor. It's part self-help hustle, part absurdist comedy, ending with light flirtation about armor and hitting on people.
Full Transcript
So what's your take: publicly promote yourself doing the thing that you want to do before you actually know how to do it? A little bit of an—if you want to play the guitar, steal your friend's guitar, take it into the bathroom, take a selfie, make it your profile picture. "What are you?" "I'm a musician." I used to be mostly just a singer, but now I can actually play my guitar.
Is it an Instagram bio? No. Actually, then you're not taking your own advice.
I know. Famous musician. But I think gay guys are especially good at appearing one way online and appearing a different way in life. I didn't think you were gay in real life.
There you go. How am I supposed to know if I want to be cool? I'm going to have a cigarette in my hand. That's how you know someone's gay. That's how you know someone's gay and cool.
So your point though is that you got to say that you're the thing before you are the thing in order to become the thing? In order to become—you're a manifestor.
Exactly. What if you want to be a lawyer? You just say you're one? Oh yeah. "I object. I'm a lawyer." I trust you.
Why do I have my armor around you? Because you're hitting on me.