Acting “As If”

Okay, so if you’ve been around the self-help block for a minute you have undoubtedly heard of the term “acting as if.” But, like many others, you probably are crazy confused as to what that actually means.

Well, on the surface it appears as though we are being asked to pretend like we already have what we want. Pretty simple, right? Unfortunately, however, this is often easier said than done. As such, if we only look at the obvious explanation, it is quite likely that eventually we will become disappointed with our results. That's because instead of truly believing in what we are doing,

we will feel like we are lying to ourselves and, as a result, any attempt at acting “as if” will become an act of disbelief, which actually defeats the entire purpose of the exercise.

However, when we look at the deeper meaning behind acting “as if” we will see that it is way more achievable than we think. Hence, acting “as if” does not mean that we need to spend beyond our means because we want to feel like a millionaire. It does not mean that we need to buy a two-million-dollar yacht with money that we don’t have. It does not mean that we need to go into debt in order to feel the part. And it does not mean that we need to run a marathon when we are feeling under the weather in order to convince ourselves that we are well. Instead, all that it means is simply putting ourselves into the proper mindset of what we desire to manifest the most.

Consequently, instead of spending money that we don’t have in order to try to feel rich, we can simply stop complaining about how expensive we find everything to be. Instead of buying something that we cannot currently afford, we can allow ourselves to dream about it without wasting our time doubting our ability to manifest it. Instead of running a marathon when we are not feeling well, we can believe in our full recovery and focus on things that make us feel good in the moment.

The trick is all about mastering our mindset and then making real world decisions based on where we want to be versus where we don’t. How would you feel if you already had what you wanted? How would you be thinking differently? How would you carry yourself? Would you be penny-pinching and complaining, or would you feel relaxed about money and let the little things go? Would you be criticizing others on how they choose to spend their money, or would you be focused on yourself and your personal goals? Would you be wallowing in self-pity over feeling like a failure, or would you be enthusiastic about living your life as you continue to believe in your success? How would you feel, think, and act if you were already the version of yourself that you've always wanted to be?

So, as you can see, acting “as if” starts with your mentality first rather than focusing just on physical action. It is simply about getting yourself into the right frame of mind (the one you would likely have once your desires have already manifested) instead of spending time on worry, fear, doubt, insecurity, uncertainty, or disappointment. It's about keeping your eyes on the prize while you create the belief and feeling around already achieving it.

Being a winner starts with feeling like one. And so, we each need to figure out what makes us feel like a winner and then act the part based on where we are now. So how can you use your current resources to feel yourself into the life you want to have? Be creative, this is supposed to be fun.

Remember, it is always about choice. We can choose to feel hopeless, or we can choose to feel optimistic. We can allow our present circumstances to defeat us, or we can believe in a better life and then feel ourselves into that state. Our minds are so powerful and often underestimated, but when we act “as if” with intention and practicality, that is when we end up truly mastering the manifesting process.

"If one advances confidently in the direction of (their) dreams, and endeavors to live the life which (they have) imagined, (they) will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau