Act As If

I had the immense pleasure of being interviewed yesterday by my friend, Brenda Vander Zaden, for her Postpartum Body Series project.  I had the best time talking about how much stronger I feel within my body after giving birth to my son – you can watch the Facebook Live HERE if you’d like!

The other thing we talked about is the concept of Acting As If and I thought it was perfect for this week’s blog post.  

Acting As If is an old theatre concept that is used when embodying a character in a play or movie and something I studied for years as a young actor, but it has also been insanely useful in my everyday life.

First, ask yourself: Who do you want to be?

For example, I want to be a professional writer.  Great!  How does a professional writer act?  What things do I have to do? What beliefs do I need to have? Once you have the answers, you just have to Act As If you are already that person, doing and believing things they would.

Sound simple? It is, in theory, but it can be difficult at first.  Keep at it though, it gets easier, I promise. 

To follow the example, and one straight out of my own life, a professional writer believes her books will find their ideal audience, she schedules writing days and times and follows through with her plan, and she shows up on social media as a professional giving helpful advice and showcasing her books.

Now, you have a plan! Think these things, do these things, and soon enough – you are that person! It’s a little like fake it until you make it, but I feel like this is more genuine, more active. 

You can use this for anything…I use it in my day job when I need to do something I’m scared about, like having an interview or talking with clients. I use it as a mother and I think – what would a calm and peaceful mother do in this situation?  It’s pretty amazing what things come to mind almost immediately when you think like this.

Have you ever used this concept? Do you think you might going forward in some area of your life? Let me know in the comments below!