How to Become Smart, Successful and Sociable Using The “Act As If Principle”

My mother was born severely cross-eyed and the doctors told her parents that she would be severely handicapped throughout her entire life and that she would have to be kept in a mental facility. Her parents had great faith and after several successful surgeries things were looking better for my mom. She still however wore thick glasses and was extremely shy, which caused her to have a difficult childhood.

One day, while walking past a seminar at college, my mom was intrigued by what the man was saying. His name was Don Black, and if she heard him right she could become cool, funny, attractive, pretty much anything she wanted simply by acting as a cool, funny, or attractive person would. He called it the “act as if principle” and it changed my mothers life.

She started out every day looking at herself in the mirror and she told herself, “You are cool. You are funny. You are smart.” She started to act like a smart person; she raised her hand in class more often, worked harder on her homework, and overall worked hard to be successful in college. She also smiled and said hi to everyone. The results were almost instantaneous, 3 guys proposed to her in the next few weeks and she ended up being the 2nd best law student in one of the best law schools in the nation. Her life changed drastically simply because she pretended to be something she wanted to be. Eventually the pretending turns into something real.

Merrilee Boyack

My mother is just one example of the individual power each person has. Doctors told her parents that she would be severely disabled but instead she is now a renowned public speaker, lawyer, city councilwoman, and author of several books for a prestigious publishing company. Each one of us is capable of achieving greatness, whether it be in college or in our work.

The “act as if” principle applies to everyone. It is a very personal and private thing, and requires a great amount of dedication and persistence. Maybe you want to be smarter but people don’t treat you that way. You may not have instantaneous results, but as you change your habits and attitudes an eventual change will be very noticeable, more so from other people’s perspectives. Believe in yourself, and work hard. Live the life you want to live. My mothers favorite quote comes from Ghandi, who said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

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About Parker Boyack

Parker is a student at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah studying advertising. He is an employee at mycollegesandcareers.com working with SEO and social media.

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