Do you have high expectations of having a productive day? You have a plan to create new and positive habits that lead to an ideal version of yourself. The reality turns out to be much less than perfect. You get tired of trying and give up.
I have an idea that may help: Acting out your ideal day script.
What if instead of trying to become your ideal self, you became – just for one day – someone else? Stay with me on this one. What if you became an actor for one day and acted out your ideal day as if it were a script?
We need new approaches to problems when it comes to human behavior. Mostly because what works for one person doesn’t always work for another. And I’m always looking for new ways to help clients turn aspirations into reality.
PRESUMPTIONS
- By temporarily suspending reality, we can let go of our long-held beliefs about ourselves – many of which may be outdated.
- A twist on the adage: fake it ’til you make it. Through experiencing the actions we aspire, we can change our identity of ourselves.
- This approach is fun and different. Sometimes we need to loosen up to allow change to happen and break through an old obstacle.
Ready to try it?
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS
1. Write the script. Describe your perfect day. I know you have one floating around in your head. It’s the day when you get up early, exercise, have a healthy breakfast, and crank out your best work before your 2nd cup of coffee. Yeah, that one. Go ahead and write it out. Make sure to cover an entire day from the time you open your eyes in the morning until you close them at night.
2. Take that script and act it out. How would Daniel Craig or Jada Pinkett Smith act out your script? If it helps you to have a secret identity for the day, so be it. Follow the script. No improvising. Trust the scriptwriter (you) to make you look good!
CHALLENGE: Try it. Tonight before you go to bed, write out a description of what your character will do in the morning. Then, when you get up, read it and follow the script to the letter and see what happens.
3. Review and re-write. Just as a director may review the work of the day, you’ll do the same. How well did you follow the script? What was easy to do? What failed beautifully? Are there any scenes you want to re-do tomorrow? Would you change the script?
The objective of this exercise is to help you experience what it’s like to live in your ideal world. Through this effort, you’ll begin to remove the obstacles to turning your aspirations into reality.
Note: This exercise is a result of applying the creative problem-solving approach.
