APN69 - Acting As If

You're listening to Optimize with Bryan Johnson More Wisdom in Less Time this is a mini chapter from Brian's book A Philosopher's Notes. You can find it on Amazon.

Acting as if While we're on the subject, I've gotta say I've always had a bit of an allergy to the whole act as if fake it till you make it pom pom stuff felt more than a little sketchy inauthentic lame ola for me. But Wayne Dyer has a great way to approach the whole acting as if dealio that I really love. It goes something like Imagine aspects of your ideal self. Whether it's being an awesome parent or being in incredible physical shape, or being a great spouse, or being an uber creative artist or entrepreneur. Whatever it is for you. Now imagine you're facing a challenge in one of those domains and you're not quite feeling like doing the right thing. Could be your kids are being out of control and you're about to yell at them. Maybe you've put on some extra weight and your energy sucks, yet you don't feel like eating well or going to the gym like you said you would. Or maybe your spouse is annoying you and you're getting snappy. You're feeling overwhelmed professionally and are about to avoid doing what needs to be done as you get your procrastination on whatever. Alright now, as you're experiencing that challenge, take a moment and imagine your ideal self and think about how that version of you would show up in that situation. The rock star parent would probably take a deep breath, smile and apply that sweet parenting tip you just learned, right? The amazing spouse version of you would take a deep breath and try to see your love's perspective and settle down, while the uber radiantly alive version of you would head to the gym and have a great workout. And the creative genius version of you would realize fear is an inevitable part of any project and the greatest among us simply take the next step and do what needs to be done. Yeah, so there you go. Next time you're feeling your less than stellar self starting to run the show, pause for a moment, reflect on what your highest self would do and then act as if you already were that super cool version of you. Good times are guaranteed to ensue.

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