When it comes to improving yourself, there are few if any shortcuts. However, there is a method that can drastically shorten the time it would take you to become the person you want to be… by acting like you do.
Acting as if means that you adopt the mindset of what you want to be and allow (or encourage) your behaviors to continue. Skip the “what ifs” and go straight to the “what is.” If you practice enough, your acting like it won’t act anymore when you finally grow into your new role. Acting like they are forcing you to do things you normally wouldn’t do. You will create new normal standards throughout your life, higher standards than what you are experiencing now. Acting like you can’t fail will cause you to expand and experience things you wouldn’t have otherwise. Life will open up for you in many new ways.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 – 1832), the German philosopher, once wrote: “Before you can do anything, you must first be something.” Act like the person you want to become. Acting like it keeps you focused on what you want to become. It keeps you confident while diminishing doubts. Create and strengthen your belief and faith in yourself. In essence, act as if you are tricking your subconscious into accepting without question what you want to happen. To get better, you have to take steps outside of your comfort zone, which means you have to take some risks. Taking risks naturally brings thoughts of failure and instinctively your subconscious creates fears and doubts.
When you find yourself too scared to take action (i.e. networking at a trade show, introducing yourself to a stranger, writing a proposal, etc.) immediately stop thinking and act as if: you are the most confident you you have . ever been, and do what that me would do. If you feel fear building up, tell yourself “Stop!” and then go back to acting like your best self. Inventor Charles Kettering, who held more than 300 US patents during his lifetime, said it best: “Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.”
When you act as if, your subconscious begins to accept your behavior, thoughts, and feelings as natural and normal for you. This sets in motion the “Law of the normal standard” as established by Thomas Troward (1847 – 1916), who wrote that it is the activity of the mind by which man attracts into his life only what he considers normal for him, in place of that. that he vaguely hopes or wants. When you act as if, you create a new “normal” for yourself.
Someone once said: “People do not attract what they want, but what is.” In other words, only when you stop working on what you’re trying to get and start working on YOU, will you get what you want. Think about how basic this is. To attract attractive people, you must be attractive. To attract powerful people, you must be powerful. To attract committed people, you must be committed. Instead of working on those around you, you should work on yourself. What you are is what you attract.
We all know someone who works very hard, diligently, and makes sacrifices to try to create financial wealth. However, have they changed who they are? Until they start thinking and acting like someone rich, they will never attract the wealth they seek. The rich don’t think or act the way they do because they are rich. They are rich because they think and act that way.
How many people are dieting today who are unable to lose and not lose weight because they are still the same people who gained all that weight in the first place? Just like rich people, skinny people don’t think or act the way they do because they’re skinny. They are skinny because they think and act that way.
To get what you want, you need to change who you are. You change who you are by changing the way you think and act. The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) wrote: “It is easy to do a good deed, but it is not easy to get into the established habit of doing such deeds.” In other words, the first step in creating a new habit is to take action. Regarding self-improvement, this is a beautiful quote. It’s hard to form a habit, as we’ve all found out time and time again. However, acting at least as good is already a habit; even if it’s not, you’ll eventually make it a habit.
Act thin enough and one day you will attract thinness even though you are 100 pounds overweight today. Act like you are financially rich long enough and one day you will attract all the wealth you can imagine.
Imagine how different your life would be today if you acted as if:
· It was impossible to fail.
· You were not afraid.
What you did makes a difference (does)
· There is enough time in the day to do what I have to do (there is).
· Everything will be fine even if it seems that it is not.
They all love you and can’t live without you.
You are a blank paper on which no one has written anything.
What would happen if you acted like you only had 6 months to live? How much would you achieve in those 6 months? Would you travel to places you always wanted to travel to? Would you finally tell your family and friends how much they mean to you? Would you re-establish relationships that you have neglected? Would you mend broken relationships? Would you overcome those fears that have kept you from experiencing all that life has to offer? Would you begin to appreciate each day to the fullest and use it to its fullest potential? Why aren’t you doing all these things now?
Act like it’s a tool to help you convert. It’s a way of giving yourself permission to try out a new role and see if it fits. At the very least, it gives you time and space to experiment with your life and discover who you really are.