Whenever you start something new, you pretend you know what your doing, right? But when the nurse puts your first baby into your arms at the hospital, do you suddenly become infused with all the knowledge of parenthood? Similarly, when you start a new job, do you immediately get promoted to supervisor? Of course not---for a long time, you simply act the part by pretending to know what you’re doing. You do the best you can, and slowly you begin to feel comfortable with your new role in life. Going through the motions changes your psychology and helps you feel more comfortable. As I said, you fake it ‘til you make it. You just show up, do your best, take responsibility, and the rest follows….

The same techniques can be used to help you enhance your mood, bring more joy into your life, and help you wear your party pants every single day!

For example, if you’re not feeling happy, fake it and see where that takes you. Paste a smile on your face, walk with your head held high, and force yourself to use body language that feigns enthusiasm and excitement. If you have to, skip, twirl, dance your way through the Gap… do anything you need to do to get your body out of a rut and into a place that feels like fun. You’ll find that before long, you’ll start to feel like you’re having fun!

Suppose you’re invited to a party and you’re really feeling down. You want nothing more than to crawl back in bed and sit in front of the TV with a piece of pizza. The last thing in the world you want to do is be out there talking to people. Perhaps what you usually do is either not show up---or you do show up, but with an attitude that makes it clear you really wanted to stay home. You don’t talk to anybody, sit down somewhere with a drink and stare out the window, or find some other way of staying unengaged.

But just this once, why not try forcing yourself to act as if you were one of those people who enjoy parties? Make believe it’s a Broadway play, and you’re the star: “Tonight! On this stage for the very first time, playing the role of someone who enjoys attending parties…”

What would someone who enjoys going to parties do? How would they stand? What would their body language be like? What would they hold in their hands? What would their face look like---would they smile? Would they look into other people’s eyes, or would they look away? Would they speak first? What would they say?

If you prepare for this night the way an actor prepares for a part, before long you’ll start feeling much more comfortable in the role. For some people, it might happen immediately; for others, it might rake many repeated tries. But playing the part over and over will make you feel much more comfortable. And it will help you convince yourself that you can play the part masterfully. You might even have some fun in the process!