Act As If is the tool you’ve been missing in your Law of Attraction toolkit.

A paradox of our reality is that we get what we want when we stop wanting it.

This could explain that annoying-but-extremely-prevalent phenomenon where whenever you stop chasing someone that you like, either physically or mentally (or both), they usually come running.

The method known as “Act As If” allows us to tap into this paradox and use it to our advantage.

Act As If is one of the most fun tools to facilitate action from the universe. You get to step into a  character that you love and pretend you are already experiencing your desired situation.

“Act as if! Act as if you’re a wealthy man, rich already, and then you’ll surely become rich. Act as if you have unmatched confidence and then people will surely have confidence in you. Act as if you have unmatched experience and then people will follow your advice. And act as if you are already a tremendous success, and as sure as I stand here today – you will become successful.” – Jordan Belfort, Wolf of Wall Street

However fun, “acting as if” is not just a game – it is a powerful tool that echoes the underlying principles of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Acting as if can help us work through unhealthy habits and patterns. It is extremely useful in changing thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes, and has even been used to treat depression and a number of other mental disorders.

Though the spiritual community may have only jumped on “Acting As If” when Abraham spoke of it through Esther Hicks, psychotherapists have been discussing the fundamentals of acting as if since the 20^th century.

And even earlier in history, Aristotle mused over the idea that in order to be a virtuous person, you must act as if you are a virtuous person.

Florence Scovell Shin, in her book The Game of Life And How To Play It talked about acting as if as early as the 1920s.

Acting as if is simply behaving, thinking, and feeling as if we already have something we want, or that something we want to happen is already occurring in our lives, or that we already know how to do something we really want to do.

Because this is such a powerful tool, I wanted to break it down for you into 4 steps.

4 Steps to Acting As If

1. Act the Part
   • Acting the part is the first step of utilizing this method. Whatever it is you are trying to attract – a career, a new house, a best friend, a partner, or a physical change – you have to physically behave as if you already have what it is you desire.
   • That means if you desire to be in the medical field, behave as someone in the medical field would behave.
   • Act accordingly. If you would like to be rich, act rich by spending happily and generously. This is something you might have to practice, especially if you are short on cash.
   • So many of us dread spending even a dollar, and we pay for things reluctantly and with regret. That is the quickest way to become even poorer.
   • To become rich, spend happily. Florence Scovel Shinn wrote: “Bills should be paid cheerfully, all money should be sent forth fearlessly and with a blessing.”
   • Enjoy what it is you are paying for. Even if it is a bill, you can act as if you are enjoying it – because whatever you are paying for is probably enriching your life in even a small way.
   • You must also be generous in your spending.
   • If you are acting as if you have your perfect partner, consider how you would behave if you had this person. Write down all the things you would do and think, and then adopt those behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs into your present life.
2. Speak the Part
   • Speaking the part is a lot about speaking what you desire into existence. It’s also about your reaction to everything.
   • Watch the way you speak about yourself and your life – if it doesn’t align with the reality you desire, you have to change it. And change it on the spot.
   • When you hear yourself saying, “I’m gaining weight,” or “There are no good men,” or “I can’t find a job,” immediately replace it with the opposite, such as “I’m feeling and looking healthy and fit.” “I meet great men everywhere I go!” and “I’m receiving job offers left and right.”
   • Also, take notice of how you react to things people say and to every day occurrences. Make sure to only speak and react in the way that you would speak and react once you have manifested your desire. That is how to act as if you already have it.
3. Look the Part
   • This is super important in acting as if, because if you look the way you want, you will raise your vibration and speed the creation process along even more.
   • Look the part is the equivalent of “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.”
   • Buy clothes for the profession you desire, and if possible, start dressing that way to school or to your current job.
   • If you can’t do that, start slowly purchasing items that you would wear once you have manifested whatever life it is that you want.
   • You could use look the part for everything, not just career choices. You could look and dress the part to create a brand for yourself or to feel a certain way.
   • Find clothes that fit the life you’re creating and make you feel amazing.
   • For my love affair with Parisienne culture and my desire to integrate their style into my own life, I chose to create a character that dresses in French-inspired brand Bisou Bisou. The video I found on their website encompassed the epitome of the cool, sexy, stylish French girl I desire to emulate.
4. Believe in the character. This is, of course, the most important step. You have got to believe in the character you are creating, fully.
   • You have to love that character, and you have to love yourself as you are now, because you are one and the same.
   • You are simply enhancing the traits that are already within you and bringing them out more, while gently and lovingly releasing habits that no longer serve you.
   • You are already complete and perfect the way that you are – but if it’s needed, we could always be happier with our careers, with our love lives, with our self-esteem, etc.
   • The thing is, you can act the part, speak the part, and look the part, but if you don’t believe that that part exists within you and is coming to fruition, you won’t fully get there.

With practice and in time, Acting as if is going to make you feel more confident and make your visualizations come to life. It is a fun path to nonresistance and belief for anyone who wants to take their creation to the next level.

Let go of the WANT and feeling of absence. Act as if you already have exactly what you want. Don’t resent others for having it, celebrate them for having the same taste or passion as you.

We are vibrational beings. We offer vibrational frequencies, and the universe responds to those frequencies. You can tell what’s coming by the way that you feel. If you are feeling the way you would feel once you already have what you want, you will be sure to get it.