If you can change your mind, you can change your life. — William James
Sometimes life gets in the way of what we want, sometimes we are so focused on getting somewhere, we forget who we really are and what we are passionate about, how we do our ‘thing’ and why. It’s like we become unconsciously competent at being something that everyone else expects. No one is to blame, it just happens. BUT, like everything in life you can make a choice to change what isn’t working. You might be terrified, I get that, but why would you chose to live a life of quiet desperation instead of one that makes you smile every day.
Imagine you were asked to talk to camera about you, your life, business or the place that you work, what would you say that might make your eyes sparkle?
If you are getting up each day and steeling yourself against the screaming critters who live in your head, then it is time to work on your mindset. I call this mindset:
fake it until you make it
Imagine if you will, a calm swan gliding on the lake, outwardly showing beauty and grace, whilst beneath the water its little legs are paddling like mad. The more you practice it, the better at it you will get and guess what, you will believe it. Remember, what we think, we become.
Your mindset has a huge impact on your life and personal brand.
Your mindset may be fixed with certain beliefs about life and your ability. I want you to challenge that fixed system, take a hammer to it and shatter it. That’s what ‘fake it till you make it’ does, it overrides your current belief system until eventually it becomes a new way of thinking and new habits which support you.
Learning to fake it isn’t easy, I know that. I am not telling you that by plastering a big fat false smile on your face and speaking words that do not touch your heart is the way, nor will it will happen overnight, but I do promise you that it works. If you need convincing watch this amazing TED Talk from Amy Cuddy:
If every day you visualise and imagine what you truly believe in, it will radiate around you and like a true smile, reach your eyes and beam out. People will want to buy from you, employers will want to hire and promote you and you will feel really connected to your brand and energy.
Can you get into that feeling now?
Really ‘fake it until you make it’ means act as if. Act as if it were true.
If you pretend you are confident, you will trick your mind into believing that it is true, that you are and so you will be. In your business you need to find customers and so you need to paint a picture, it needs to be authentic and connected to your values. More urgently, you need to create your brand before someone else does.
Why would you want to fake it?
All of this makes sense when you consider what we put ourselves through in the name of business (and life).
Underlying the premise of ‘fake it till you make it’, are two things: believe it on the inside and show it off on the outside. These two things create an authentic believable personal brand.
Branding is not just marketing tosh, it plays a serious role in the success of brand you and your life. The brand is you and you are the brand.
Inside out
On the inside we simply want to form good habits, so that those habits become an intrinsic part of us. Forming good habits is about creating conditions for something to thrive. Humans want and need to be programmed, which is what conditioning is. We are evolving, learning, and experiencing creatures. Our life is about learning how to make the best conditions for us to experience life.
When we create the best conditions on the inside, we are setting ourselves up for success. Words like can’t and fail are no longer in your vocabulary.
On the outside
On the outside, this is what others see and sense as a result or your mindset. These are the physical attributes of a personal brand. Your personal brand exists in the minds of others in the way they perceive, think, and feel about you. It’s important to remember that your personal brand is not only what you think it is but it’s also what others perceive it to be. Why would you want to leave that to fate? Your job is to be in control of others perception.
One of my tricks – the circle of confidence
Before you go into your next meeting or give a presentation, throw a circle on the ground. Now imagine throwing into it everything you need. Then all you have to do is step into the circle, let the great qualities wash over you and go on your way. This is one of my quickest confidence boosting tricks I know.