Shawn Ellis argues that hoping for change isn't enough; you have to embody the outcome as if it already exists. He walks through a mental exercise: pick an area of your life that feels stuck, imagine it wildly improved, then rehearse how you'd think, act, and move in that new reality. Repeat the question "How can it get even better than this?" until your body catches up to your mind.
Chapters
So when we say, "How can it get even better than this?" we're not talking about wishful thinking here. We're not talking about hoping that things are better, right? That's the important distinction here because we've all hoped that things were better. Like, I look at this situation, man, I wish that was better. I wish I had more money. I wish I had a different relationship. You know, I wish I was in a better job. I wish my career path was going differently. I wish we had a different president. You know, whatever it may be for you, like just hoping it's different. But that's not the same as actually embodying the difference. So not like, man, I hope I feel better, I hope I have more money, I hope I get the right relationship. But what if you were to live as if, to embody this possibility? Not only how can it get better than this, and then like wish, like you see it out there, like I see, I can see, believe me, I see how it can get better, but it's way out there. And all of a sudden I'm not living in the present, I'm living like my mind is in fantasyland but my body is still back here where I see everything that's lacking, everything that's missing. So my body is still bathed in this cocktail of stress hormones, like my mind is over there but my body is still here and then that's not what unleashes the power of possibility. What unleashes the power of possibility is when you can see it and embody it now. And here's all it takes, just like we talked about earlier. Consider what is an area of your life— maybe it's a particular circumstance, a particular situation— what is an area of your life that's not exactly what you want it to be? Or maybe it's an area that, you know, it's actually, it's pretty good, but you've just grown complacent. You've thought like, I don't think it can get any better than this. Whatever it is, consider that area and think, how can it get even better than this? And imagine, let your mind run wild. And you know, your tendency, we can only think within the realm of what we know. But see if you can push yourself to think even wilder, even crazier, even bigger ideas. And when you find something that feels good, when you find a possibility that feels good to you, then think about, imagine how that would feel if that were reality. And then think, okay, if that were my reality, how would I think think? How would I act? How would I sit? How would I walk? How would I talk? What would I read? What would I listen to? And allow that to permeate your life as you go through the day. Live in the reality of that possibility. Embody that possibility. Starting today, and then tomorrow, and then the next day. Just as it comes to your mind, remember, how can it get even better than this? Remember your possibility And then just think, how would I think? How would I act? What would I say? Where would I go? What would I listen to? What would I read? How would I walk? Embody that and unleash the power of possibility in your life. How can it get even better than this?
