“Act as if you are who you want to be until you become that version of yourself.”

Last week, we talked about “faking it until you make it.” Fake it until you make it is my little saying for acting in a way that is in line with who you want to become.

This week, I want to dive deeper into the three steps to this process:

Believe: You’ve got to find at least a small spark of faith to get you believing that what you want is possible. It doesn’t matter how far you are away from who you want to become. Someone has come back from greater odds. Find those stories of inspiration and believe that you can write your own success story. Your success will inspire others.

Try memorizing this scripture. You probably already know it.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13 (NKJV).

A couple of things about this scripture have hit me lately. First, Christ is not doing the work. He is strengthening me to do the work. There is work involved and I’m the one expected to do it. Expect work. Respect the process. Learn to enjoy the process and the accomplishing becomes automatic.

The second thing I’ve noticed about this scripture is the context. It is about being content in all circumstances. Even though I may be a very long way from where I want to be, I can praise God where I am at. I can find things to be happy about it. I can find joy in present circumstances while striving to improve those circumstances.

Act: This is the “act as if” part. This is doing the things that people who you admire did to get where they are. I believed enough to light the spark and get me into action. The, I start “acting as if” and build up some small wins.

Small wins are key. Set your initial goals so small that you could trip and fall over the finish line to claim a victory. Waited an extra five minutes before your next cigarette? Congratulations! Only ate two donuts when you know you could have downed four? You da’ man!

Create small wins to build your belief that you can make this happen. Make the smallest win a habit and then “stack” your next level of accomplishment on top of that already successful habit.

Expect failure. If you are not failing, you have set the bar too low. Failing is an opportunity to learn, to grow, to change. If my goal is so small that I can accomplish it without trying, the effort is not making me a better version of me.

Push until you fail. Learn. Push again. Create some wins. Stack up those small wins until the action becomes a habit. Then, raise the bar.

Become: This is the fun part. This is the outcome that we see in any others we admire. The problem is we never get to see the work that got them there! This is the mountain top. It is a time of celebration. But you are not becoming a better you on the mountain top.

We only improve on the journey. So, pick your next (higher) mountain and start walking.

I’ll close with one story I love about work ethic. Tiger Woods has his issues, but boy is he fun to watch. It is amazing what he can do. Tiger has natural skills, but his crazy work ethic from a very young age is what made him the greatest so early in his career.

There is an old American Express commercial featuring Tiger about “rainy days” that gives a great peek into Tiger’s work ethic. It starts with video of it raining outside, showing the inside of Tiger’s house with a fire going. Tiger’s voice is in the background saying that he loves rainy days because they are his time to be home, relax, be a fan.

Then the video switches to Tiger out in the rain hitting golf ball after golf ball. Tiger’s voice ends the commercial with this line — “The problem is there are no rainy days. My life is about never settling.”

If we want to be exceptional, we must learn to love the process (the work). The victory is not coming any other way.

If you’d like some great resources to help you on your journey, you can find them on our resources page at www.valuesdrivenresults.com or call me at (229) 244-1559.

Curt Fowler is president of Fowler & Company and director at Fowler, Holley, Rambo & Stalvey. He is dedicated to helping leaders create and achieve a compelling vision for their organizations.

Curt is a syndicated business writer, keynote speaker and business advisor. He has an MBA in strategy and entrepreneurship from the Kellogg School, is a CPA, and a pretty good guy as defined by his wife and four children.

Jason Smith is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1257.