Happy Saturday!
At the annual CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) convention in December, they had what they called ‘game changer’ moments. These mini sessions took place on the main stage, and featured select individuals within the Association who had two minutes to share their biggest ‘game changer.’
The one that stuck with me the most was actually from my speaker coach, the incredible Jane Atkinson.
Her game changer was simple, yet profound: “Act As If…”
Act as if you are already the speaker you want to be.
Invest in yourself as if you already had the money you wish to have in your bank account.
Make choices as if you already know they are going to work out.
The idea being you want to behave, ultimately, as if you are already the person you wish to become.
And magically, what you’ll begin to see is that you do, in fact, become that person.
I’ve worked with enough people to know when it comes to taking big, bold, brave action, they have never felt ready before they do the thing. And yet in every case, as soon as they did the thing, they realized they could do it!
When it comes to taking on something new, going after your big goals and dreams, being brave, sometimes you have to act as if you already are.
And chances are you’ll soon catch up with yourself!
It reminds me of the book The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund Stone and Benjamin Zander. Benjamin was the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, his wife a psychotherapist, and both were equally curious and confused as to why they continued to see such extremely talented music students (Benjamin also taught at the New England Conservatory of Music) appear all too consumed by the measurement of their performance, they were less willing to take creative risks and really experience the music. And so, they came up with the idea of ‘giving an A.’ They simply decided to give every student an ‘A’ at the beginning of the semester, hoping that would give them the freedom to try new ways of playing and to take more risks. The only condition was each student had to write a letter to the teacher dated a year later, as if they had already earned that A, explaining why they deserved this grade.
Giving yourself an ‘A’ eliminates the need to second guess, or to compare yourself to anyone else. Instead, in this case it focuses on how to chip away at the stone to reveal each person’s own mastery, self-expression, and true brilliance.
What if you were to give yourself an A in whatever area you choose – your work life, your finances, your communication, your business, your ability to say yes (or no!) – before you were ready?
Imagine what would happen if you were to act as if you had already earned an A in these areas.
How might you behave differently?
How might you feel differently?
In the coming weeks, I challenge you to act ‘as if…’ :
Act as if you already have an A.
Act as if you already have all of the answers.
Act as if you have already succeeded.
Act as if you already have the time, the money, the energy to do what you want to do.
Act as if you are already the person you wish to become.
And when you do, I’m wiling to bet you’ll begin to realize you were that person all along, and already had all you need.
It’s about trust, it’s about living into the possibility, it’s about being brave.
Let me know how you’re going to act as if this week… I look forward to hearing from you in the comments below.
Have a FAB week!
