W.I.N. Wednesday: Believe it until you achieve it.
I am not a fan of the philosophy of, “Fake it until you make it.” I think the concept can be helpful, but I believe the language is problematic. For many people “faking it” feels cheap and sleazy and creates cognitive dissonance. What if you embraced the philosophy “Believe it until you achieve it.” instead.
“Believe it until you achieve it.” is about believing in your ability to accomplish and achieve goals and effect changes if you are willing to put in the work. This is not believing you can be anything you want and have anything you want if you just put it out in the universe. This is about developing a Growth Mindset and believing that if you are willing to put in the effort you can learn, grow, and improve. It also requires coupling this belief with action. It requires focusing on effort and process and mastering the art of showing up.
“Believe it until you achieve it.” does not mean that you will be fearless and free of any doubt. We will all experience fear, anxiety, and doubt on our journey in the pursuit of excellence. The key is to acknowledge that the anxiety is a reminder the journey, task or goal is important to you and allow yourself to reflect on why it is important to you. It also affords you the opportunity to reflect on the reality that you have learned new information, acquired new skills and done hard things before.
It comes down to action, belief, and self-talk. The key is to combine the concept of Act As If, the philosophy “Believe it until you achieve it.”, and the art of mastering the internal dialogue with showing up every day with the commitment to small incremental improvement.
Many of the experts agree that it is easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than it is to think your way into a new way of acting. I put this to the test this morning. I really did not feel like working out. I accepted the reality that once I started my warmup my mindset would likely change, I acted, and my mindset did change. That action allowed me to remain consistent with my identity of being someone who is committed to my health and who works out first thing in the morning.
Mental preparation coach Brian Cain shares the following insights:
Confidence is a behavior, not a feeling.
Acting changes everything.
Always Behave Confident.
What’s Important Now? Take action. Believe it until you achieve it. Focus on effort and process. Master the internal dialogue. Keep showing up. Stay committed to the long game. Embrace the Struggle, Embrace the Suck, Look for the Learning, Look for the Good, Dare to Be Great.
Take care.
Brian Willis
www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com.
ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.
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