“Act as if” is a powerful motivating statement that’s also a great tool to put into practice when you’re not in your best mode of being or doing. It’s a way to shift yourself into a positive mental state and to get yourself unstuck by affirming that good things are here for you now (which they are) or abundantly on their way to you, soon. “Act as if” can be helpful when your feelings are controlling you, dictating a negative mindset, and as a result, impacting your present moment in an unproductive way. You have the power to shift your feelings by acting yourself into a different emotional state, and thereby, charting a different course for your life.
Faith It Till You Make It
How it works is that you “act as if” the problem is already solved, or that you feel differently (when you don’t), so you can get on with your life when you’re experiencing low self-esteem, anxiety, or fear, or when you’re in a full-blown self-doubt spiral. And by switching up the mindset of failure, you instead set the stage for the reality you actually desire by programming your mind for what you DO want. This is not to be confused with burying your head in the sand and avoiding the realities of life, like hoping bills will get paid on their own, or that challenges will work themselves out without you (although sometimes they do, when you stop actively worrying or trying to control everything).
You shift a negative habitual thinking pattern, and project another beneficial outcome, and then “act as if” it’s already happening. You don’t lie to yourself, but you open up positive vibes toward the future, instead of buying into your current limited view, dictated by today’s feelings and circumstances. You disregard doubts and fears until your feelings have to catch up to this new reality you’re calling in. It’s the way of the supreme manifester.
Oftentimes we comfortably engage in self-sabotage through dysfunctional automatic thoughts when we are grappling with difficult situations. A thought like “No matter what I do, I won’t succeed” can be so debilitating when we‘re trying to accomplish something. The thought gets in the way of our actual ability to do the task well, and it then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. So here are a couple steps to turn things around in a jiffy when you start to believe the negative hype:
– Notice the automatic pessimistic thought as it arises, and stop it in its tracks before the flood of anxiety kicks into high gear around “I won’t succeed.”
– Replace it with the opposite thought, “I AM successful.”
– “Act as if” you know the positive outcome is assured and behave as you would when you are successful: dress accordingly, take actual steps toward moving the needle forward, and imagine your life from the place of knowing it’s imminent. This feeling-state of success is like a special mojo sauce that draws what you want to you like a magnet.
I’ll See It When I Believe It
It’s about believing in things that don’t currently exist and that there may not be much evidence for, in the present. When we tap into the faith in things not seen, not proven, and not guaranteed, we tap into infinite possibility direct from the quantum field. And by shifting a limiting mindset, replacing a negative thought about yourself or your circumstances with a positive one, you change the vibration, the frequency of who you are, and good starts to flow to you.
Act Yourself into Right Feeling
I recently took a spiritual course in which, for two weeks, we had to ask ourselves 10 times each morning, “How happy is (your name)?” Then we’d answer, “So happy!” We were encouraged to go big with the answer, spreading our arms wide with joy, like a child would. Some days were more challenging to muster the enthusiasm to begin, as it felt forced, self-conscious, and even silly, but by the 10th “So happy!” I tangibly felt a bubbling of genuine happiness from within, and a general sense of contentment and gratitude that stayed with me throughout my day. What I did was shift the feeling-tone within me, by claiming it, faking it at first, and then stepping into it, and as a result, I did feel happier. That’s “act as if” in action. Give it a try! Remember, you are a supremely creative human designing the quality of your life in all moments. You just put another tool in your Toolbox for Living: “act as if” and it will be. Go get it, girl.
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Ryan Haddon, ACC, CH, is a certified Life and Spiritual Coach, as well as a hypnotherapist. She works remotely with clients globally, helping them create their best life. You can follow her on IG @ryanhaddoncoach or visit her website www.ryanhaddon.com.
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