Act As If

Jack Canfield's Success Principle #12

Today, Jack asserts that if we begin to act as if we have already achieved our goals, we will fast-forward ourselves into a new lifestyle. Joe and I are discovering that this entire process is making us feel unsettled, just as Jack said it would in a previous lesson.

We have experienced this uneasiness in the past, and we both recognize now that we quickly tipped the balance back in the favor of whatever was familiar. Resuming our routine was always easier than pushing ourselves into something that made us squirm.

We are determined to stay the course and plot out something better for ourselves this time. We believe that our new life is part of God's design, and fear has no place in it. Hebrews 13:6 reads, So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

(1) Start acting as if you are already where you want to be.
Jack tells about a bank teller who always wore a suit, even though the rest of the tellers wore a shirt and tie. In no time at all, the young man got promoted to branch manager. When Jack asked him how he advanced so quickly, the former teller told him that he decided early on that he would dress like the managers did. He saw himself as a manager, even though he was beginning as a teller.

The bank teller's clothes didn't make him a manager; his positive affirmations did. However, by putting on the manager-type attire, he was acting as if he already had the job. It worked!

We can act as if we have already reached our goals, provided we actually have goals. Have you finished writing your 101 goals, your index cards, and your Goals Book? Are you saying them aloud two to three times daily?

This is not easy work. I brought home magazines yesterday so that we could cut out new pictures for our Goals Book. Joe and I made our first Goals Book a year ago, and I realized yesterday that I have achieved almost every one in mine. I need to create much bigger dreams for the coming year.

(2) Learn that like attracts like.
If we want to attract people and opportunities to help us move closer to our goals, we must act as if we have already achieved them. By doing so, we create a vibration of energy--both mentally and emotionally--that quickly propels us along our dream path.

Jack decided that he wanted to be an international consultant. He ordered a passport, bought a clock with all time zones on it, paid to have business cards made up with the title, International Consultant, under his name, and acquired travel posters from the country he wanted to visit. Within the year, he was invited to speak at a seminar in that country.

As you can see, like attracts like. Are we attracting successful people with a positive attitude? Or are we attracting energy vampires who are draining us of all hope? If we find ourselves surrounded by dysfunctional people who are sucking the life out of us, remember that like attracts like.

(3) You can progress rapidly at a Millionaire's Cocktail Party.
Jack tells about a method he uses at his workshops to help people act as if they have already achieved their goals. He asks them to pretend that they are at a party, surrounded by the most successful people in the world. For a brief time, participants mingle and talk about their successes, as if they have already achieved them. He claims that this increases everyone's confidence and fast-forwards them to take action.

Joe was recently asked to speak at a black tie dinner (a millionaire's cocktail party). In the past, I would have declined going with him, but I decided to push aside my fears and act as if I belonged there. I put on an outfit that was at least ten years old, along with a fur that my grandmother gave me three decades ago. It was the best I could come up with.

Joe had been asked to wear his church uniform (which he has never owned), so we stopped to buy a clerical collar on the way to the gig. He felt as awkward as I did.

The invitation slung us into a completely new social circle, where beautifully dressed women were dripping with diamonds, and highly successful men discussed business. I immediately ran for the ladies' room, where fears threated to make me head straight back home. But I looked in the mirror and decided that there was no reason why I couldn't play a part for one evening.

We acted as if we belonged among these highly successful people. Throughout the evening, men and women stopped us to thank Joe for his prayers and his service to God. I was pleasantly surprised when the young man seated next to me admired my coat and asked what kind of fur it was.

At the end of the evening, Joe won a very low bid on a year of life coaching. We were stunned! He had been dreaming of hiring a life coach, but we couldn't afford it. This proved to us that if we simply start acting as if we belong in a better life, God sets the wheels in motion to make it happen. In other words, like attracts like.

(4) Start now.
Jack asks us to consider how we would think, act, talk, dress, manage money, eat, and travel if we had already achieved our goals. This is difficult if we don't have goals.

It's taking a lot of time and energy for Joe and me to come up with great goals, but I know it will be worth the effort in the long run. We truly believe that these principles work. God's spirit (which Jack calls vibrational energy) will spur us into action if we just pretend that we have already achieved our goals.

(5) Attend a Come As You Will Be party.
Jack once attended a Come As You Will Be party. Everyone was instructed to act how they would be five years down the road. For the entire evening, guests were asked to talk about their awards and accomplishments. Some people brought props, such as mock Oscar awards, magazine covers featuring their successes, large paychecks, and books they hoped to write. Within five years, every single person actually became what they had pretended to be that night.

When we begin to imagine our success, the subconscious mind plays that role until the dream is achieved. What are you imagining for your future?

Today's Challenge
Think about who you want to be in five years. Start today to act as if you have already become that successful person.