Words of Wisdom, 11-19-10

Sometimes, you just have to change.  You may have gotten yourself into bad habits that are making your life miserable.  Sometimes, you just see a chance to do better than you’re doing.  Sometimes, you just don’t have a choice—change or go down in flames.

So, how do you change?  Here’s one suggestion, act “as if.”  Change may be as simple as telling yourself you’re going to act as if you had self confidence.  Change may be as easy as acting as if you can master a foreign language.  Change may be acting as if you care about yourself and other people.

The characters in the Holiday Inn Express ads act as if they can do all sorts of things.  The point is not to convince yourself and other people that you are what you’re not, but to shake up the stereotypes you have of yourself and replace them with a better vision.

In school, there are lots of examples of how acting, “as if,” can help you succeed.  Doing homework, preparing for tests, or showing what you know in front of a class all give you chances to act as if you are confident in your abilities.  The funny thing is, the more you act, “as if,” the more likely you are to really become what you want to become.

Change doesn’t have to be scary if you act as if you’re welcoming it.