Mindset Come First, The Rest Will Follow
I was watching Carl Kegley’s 5 best book recommendation on Youtube (side note: first time I watch him, liked the smooth, calm delivery. And he’s funny). One of his recommendations is Atomic Habits by James Clear. I haven’t read this yet, but Clear explains that most people wait until they have an accomplishment before allowing themselves to believe they have become whatever their goal is: writer, entrepreneur, runner. Name it.
Kegley draws a bullseye chart and shows how we work in from the outside. Set the goal, reach the goal, become that person, when, in Clear’s book, it’s totally the opposite.
To me, this ties in with mindset and manifesting in such a clear and obvious way. How can you manifest anything, including reinventing yourself, when you don’t believe it? The obvious objection is ‘Well how can I believe it if it hasn’t happened, or in this case, if I haven’t done it?’
Believe the Lie
This reminded me of a really funny Seinfeld episode where George advises Jerry on how to lie. His advice: believe the lie.
OK, I’m not saying you are lying to yourself, but there is the idea of programing your mind to accept that you are this person. The same way you set your mind to reach an objective: by believing it.
It ties in so closely with impostor syndrome, feeling like a fake, a fraud. I blogged on this, and it’s worth the read (if I do say so myself!). So often we confuse Impostor Syndrome and being humble, or being a team player.
Just start believing that you are that person, you are that title, you are that label. That’s how you present yourself. I hung on so long before saying I’m a writer. But I am writing, right? I blog. Is being published the only measure? If I have a small business am I less of an entrepreneur? Is there a magic profit number that allow me to now say I am the Founder and CEO of my business?
Once again that is looking to the outside for validation when all change starts on the inside. I’ve always said the mind is insanely powerful (which is much better than powerfully insane—OK it’s getting old, but it’s still funny).
How can we possibly create something if we don’t believe it first? That’s running a self-defeating program. Imagine trying to build the first airplane but thinking it would never work. We can’t rely on what’s going on on the outside, even if it’s our immediate environment, even if it concerns us.
Forget Seeing Is Believing
We think we have to accomplish something, and accomplish on a grand scale, before we can carry the title associated with it. We have to land a big acting role before being an actor, we have to make a lot of money before considering ourselves an entrepreneur, we have to publish a bestseller before being an author.
So whatever you want to be, start by conceiving of yourself in that role. Present yourself that way. Especially to your own self. It doesn’t matter if you’re a big artist or a little artist, you’re an artist. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling millions of dollars every year or if you’re making some spending money with your Etsy store, you’re still an entrepreneur. The first step is believing it yourself and believing in yourself. You may think It’s not true it. But as George Costanza says: “It’s only a lie if you believe it is.”
Seriously, believe it and once you have labeled yourself the universe will reflect it back to you. Start with becoming then the reality around you will respond and follow suit.
Photo by John Noonan on Unsplash
To thine own self be true
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