We ‘act as if’ all the time. We act as if we are hurt, mad, or happy, even when we are not. We act as if we don’t know someone when we want to avoid them. We act as if something is not happening so that we don’t have to face it. Sometimes we act as if to avoid hurting other people’s feelings. Usually, we just do it to show people what we want them to see. But, acting as if also helps us see ourselves in a different light. We can use this hack in a number of different ways. Following are 7 of them.
1. To Get Something Done, Use A Prop To Act As If
The right prop can help you get in the mood to do something you don’t want to do. It can also help you feel more confident while performing a particular task.
For example, if you need to clean the house, acting as if it is your current job to do can help you get up and start cleaning. You can put on something that represents a housekeeper to you, such as an apron or some gloves, which can motivate you to get moving and keep you moving.
For me, putting on blue light glasses helps me to get more work done. There’s something about glasses that symbolize productivity to me, but I don’t wear glasses, so blue light glasses are the next best thing for me. When I put them on, I act as if I’m a smart person who enjoys getting work done, and my behavior, thoughts, and emotions, follow suit rather quickly.
2. Act As if You Can’t Fail To Achieve Your Goals
This is a good hack when you want to go after your dreams but have a lot of fears and worries about what’s going to happen.
When you act as if you can’t fail, you do things that you might not otherwise do. You will put more effort into things. You will contact and engage with people you might otherwise be scared to engage with. You will put yourself out there in a way that you wouldn’t do if you believed you were going to fail.
Create some goals and some routes to get there and then act as if you can’t fail so that you get busy doing the work that will help you achieve the goals you want.
3. Act As If You Feel A Certain Way To Have The Day You Want
Have you taken the challenge to dictate how you will feel for a week? If not, you will want to. When you know how you want to feel, you will find that you easily act as if you feel that way.
For instance, if you are meeting up with family for the day, and you are worried that you are going to be miserable all day, choose a better feeling. Maybe all you can choose to feel is content. Or maybe you want to go above and beyond and feel happy! Either way, act as if you are feeling as you choose to feel. You know what it feels like to feel content or happy, so do things that are in line with that feeling and you will find yourself having the type of day with your family that you really want to have.
4. Act As If You Matter For Better Relationships
Are you feeling like you don’t matter in a relationship you are in? This is the ultimate hack to help you not only feel like you matter but also encourage the other person to treat you more like you matter. After all, we are treated how we teach people to treat us.
For instance, do you feel like you don’t matter at work? Are you being overlooked and even put down at work? It’s time to act as if you matter at work. Act like you do a good job and are a useful assist to the company. Act as if you know you are someone of value.
You will be amazed at how your coworkers and boss will look at you differently when you are acting as if you are important. And, if they don’t, your behavior will shift your thoughts and emotions and encourage you to say and do things that help them realize that you are an important asset.
5. Act As If You Enjoy Something
When it comes to hacks you need, this is it.
We all have to do something we don’t want to do occasionally – sometimes daily – and it’s very important to act as if you want to do it and enjoy doing it. If you don’t, you are going to be stuck in a vicious circle of complaining, procrastination, and negativity.
When you act as if you enjoy something, you turn the tables. You not only feel more motivated to do it, but you also do it better and you feel better about yourself while you are doing it.
For instance, if you are at a job you hate and you are trying to find another job, you have two choices. One, you can be miserable every day until you find another job or two, you can act as if you enjoy what you are doing so that you can spend your remaining days at your job being productive and feeling good. Consider that your boss will be more likely to give you a good reference if you seem like you enjoy the job you are doing and you do it well.
6. Act As If You Are Good At Something
One of the best ways to use this hack is to find someone else who is good at what you want to be good at, put yourself in their shoes to decide how they feel, think, and behave, and then act as if you are that person. This is the premise behind something called the Raikov Effect, and it’s a powerful way to improve your skills and become better at something you want to excel at.
In other words, if you want to be good at communicating. Find someone who is a good communicator that you admire and then step into their shoes. Try to imagine how they approach communicating, what they think about, and how they feel while communicating. Imagine as much as you can and then take on that persona and pretend like you have their skills.
You will find that your skills will improve simply from acting as if you already have the qualities of this other person. And, the more you learn and practice communication, the better you will become at it.
7. Act As If You Care
There are some things you just don’t care about it, but they matter. And it’s important to act as if you care so that you can put some focus and energy towards those things. If you act as if you care enough, you will eventually start to care, which is the real bonus of this hack.
For instance, you may not care about your friend’s problems, but a good friend cares about their friends and lends an ear or a hand when they can. The more you act as if you care by listening and helping, the closer you will become and the more you will care.
Sometimes you need to act as if you care for a friend, family member, or co-worker. But sometimes it’s a bigger issue. For example, an issue that can affect all of us is something you should care about. Having an interest in the problem and contributing to a solution is important for you and everyone that you do actually care about.
Don’t Use ‘Acting As If’ To Escape Reality
While you can use the act as if hack to improve your life and relationships drastically, it’s important not to use the hack to escape reality.
For instance, don’t act as if your choice in president won when he or she didn’t. That doesn’t do anything good for you or anyone else.
Moreover, don’t act as if global warming or a pandemic is not occurring because that just puts you and other people at risk.
And on a road trip, don’t act as if you are not tired when you are tired because that puts you and everyone on the road at risk.
Use the act as if hack to improve yourself, your relationships, and your outlook on reality.
