Act As If...

"Act as if everything you desire is already here…treat yourself as if you already are what you’d like to become.” –Wayne Dyer.

What does it mean to be a success? How is such a phenomenon measured?

Here is my definition:

To push just a little bit harder, to strive just a little bit longer, and to reach just a little bit farther than you first thought possible.

That's it. Every accomplishment seems daunting at first. Tying your shoes seemed impossible when your itsy-bitsy brain first contemplated the tangle of strings in your chubby little fingers. *grin*

Yet for the most part, we forget the secret of success and become overwhelmed by what we THINK we can't do. We're forgetting two very simple facts. We learn through visualization. We are motivated by our desires.

"If you want a quality, act as if you had it." –William James

Returning now to our toddler self with the daunting task of tying a shoe. How did this get accomplished? Someone showed us the magic method and we Pictured Our Success. Yup. We visualized the process. We put a picture in our head and mimicked the action. Even more, we had a burning desire to succeed. Nothing would deter us. We never even considered the idea of failure. Right?

Now (theoretically) we're all grown-up. We're struggling with queries and deadlines and synopsis and rewrites and plot points and Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh, My!

Sometimes the process is overwhelming and we're all tempted to give up. How DO people manage to tie their shoes without even thinking about it? The secret of success in our youth is the same secret today. Whether struggling to stand upright, wobble our way across the room, and tie our shoes, or write a chapter, send out queries, and meet our deadlines, we begin with desire.

"Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything." –Napoleon Hill

Not a wimpy-ass desire either. Your heart has to beat with the same kind of fervent passion that motivated you to get off your butt and toddle in the first place. Want it, feel it, breathe it!

I Am A Successful WRITER!

Desire and Visualization.

Visualization is more than mumbling a few affirmations. We're not tossing salt to ward off bad luck here. We're using the power of our minds to create reality.

"Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture... Do not build up obstacles in your imagination." –Norman Vincent Peale

This may seem like mumbo-jumbo but here's a fact. The most successful people in history have known and utilized this fact: What you Believe is What you Create.

And more… If you want to Be A Success, Act Like A Success.

Don't play the "if only" game. If only I had a contract (or an agent or a guaranteed path) THEN I would…

Nuh-uh. Don't go there. Act As If You Are A Success. That's the secret successful people have utilized for eons.

"Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action." –Napoleon Hill

Put your plan into action NOW. Why? Because You Are A Success. The sooner you act like a success, the sooner your reality will reflect this FACT.

So… this week, let's experiment. Let's spend the week approaching each of our goals with a new perspective. We write not because we hope to be or want to be but because We Are Successful.

We Are Successful Writers.

Say it with me: I Am A Successful Writer. My Life Reflects My Success. My Actions Reflect My Success. I Take Action BECAUSE I Am A Success.

"Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all." –Norman Vincent Peale

And one more:

"Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements." –Napoleon Hill

Let's set some goals!


Continue first round of SIDEKICKS edits. 65 pages last week!
Continue to flesh out WIP. Three chapters last week!
Weekly essay to post.

Now it's your turn. Any goals to share? How about personal experiences acting "as if"?

"Act as if. Moment to moment to moment. And, sooner than you think you won't be acting anymore." –Wayne Dyer

Have a fabulous and productive week! Go-go-GO!

Smiles to you,
--Chiron