Time: this page will probably take about two-and-a-half minutes to read.Do you remember a time when you tried, tried really hard, to make a change in your life? Maybe you were trying to learn a new skill, or change your lifestyle. Maybe you were trying to get more exercise, or maybe you were trying to fit into a new profession. Do you remember the advice people gave you? If you were trying to lose weight, people would say, "Just don't eat as much"? Or if you wanted to get better at public speaking, or improve your sales skills, people would tell you, "Just do it. Don't let it bother you"? Or, if you were feeling depressed, would people say, "Try to stop feeling so bad"? Now, tell me the truth: wasn't that some of the most worthless advice you ever got? How could you possibly use that? If you want to change your life, is that really your only choice? To pretend that the change has already happened, until it sticks? I call that kind of advice: "Fake It 'Till You Make It"...or, in other words, take something that feels impossible, or at least completely unnatural, and pretend that it's the easiest, most natural thing in the world for you to be doing, and hope that, eventually, it will become as easy as you're pretending it is. And, hopefully, the strain of pretending won't ruin your life. Why is this so hard to do? Well, for one thing, it's completely unnatural, and irrational, to boot. According to the "Just Fake It" school, you are supposed to use your "will power" to overcome your normal habits, until your habits have changed. What's wrong with that is, it goes against the entire design of your brain and body. After all, for the most part, habits are extremely good to have around. Once you learn to drive, it's basically a habit. Walking down the street without falling over is a habit, one you worked years to perfect. Does it make sense to mess with your "walking" or your "driving" habits? And, even if it was a good idea to fight against a habit, your conscious mind has very little chance of succeeding against your body and all your non-conscious mental processes put together. "Fake It 'Till You Make It" is a painful, often harmful way to change your life, because your brain just isn't set up to work like that. But, unfortunately, if anybody knew of a better way to change your habits, they would tell you. "Fake it" may be the only choice you have. Except, I think I have a shortcut.
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