“Faith.” That is the word of the season. Faith is a curious creature. The weight of this word feels monumental. It asks us to confront our most hidden fears. 

Why do we believe? Why do we place our hearts in the hands of the unseen, trusting in the intangible, holding a promise that holds no guarantees?

Ever had a girl crush? Or know someone in your life that always seems to attract high-value friendships, opportunities, and romantic relationships simply by doing nothing but be herself? Maybe it’s in the way she makes eye contact when she speaks, or the way she intentionally pauses before she breaks out into an irresistible smile that oozes feminine appeal. Or she is unapologetically herself, not shying away from expressing what she believes at the expense of fearing being rejected.

A lot of the times when we think about self-doubt, we blame the sole culprit to the internal dialogue we have in our heads. We question our ability to do things, to rise up to an opportunity where we can level up and shy away when we are confronted with the first signs of growing pains. We don’t realize that a lot of the self-doubt we experience can stem from the people we surround ourselves with. Sometimes a comment here or there from a trusted loved one — confidante, a can derail our progress rapidly because of their own scarcity mindset.

Getting attached to a set of belief systems keeps you locked in that reality and all of your thoughts, emotions and actions are going to be equal to that inner reality. So being as if is about identifying. The current identity you have is something that you’ve built based on your identification over what we call the past. If you have decided in your past, “This is who I am. This is the kind of person I am. This is the kind of way I show up in the world,” you have the ability to rewrite the narrative and shift the story to match what ultimate lifestyle you would like to achieve. There is the major difference between being as if and faking it till you make it. It’s with the realization that that’s not who you are.

A large part of being a high-value person is your willingness to express the sacred values you believe in for the world to see. It’s one thing to have an understanding of your convictions, but without having the courage to apply them externally, people don’t know that you have an inner light you’d like to shine. When your thoughts, behavior, actions match in complete alignment with your personal value system, your radar for attracting people, opportunities, lifestyle changes to reinforce your standards becomes an automatic consequence of your shift.

Imagine lying on a warm, sandy beach. The sun is slowly heating your bare skin. A breeze tickles the hairs along your body. The rhythmic crashing of waves against the sandy shore lets your mind drift into a playful place. Your breathing slows, and you can feel the tiny grains of sand around your feet. A pulsing of energy radiates along your skin. You become aware of every tendril of heat wrapping around your body, every delicate puff of wind, the salt air entering your nose, and how your breath matches the rhythm of breaking waves. Do your senses feel alive?