As tempting as it is to think you just haven’t discovered the right tactic, hack, or scientific understanding to achieve your goals, sometimes it has less to do with the how and everything to do with the way you see yourself and your future.

Like many people, I’ve spent far too much of my life worrying about what other people think. It’s generally accepted that we should avoid that. I’ve also spent too much time worrying about things I can’t control. It’s generally accepted that we should avoid that too.

What’s questioned far less often is spending too much time and energy worrying about tactics. Tactics seem like the smart and analytical thing to do. But you know what actually gave me the best results? Seeing myself in the future state of what I want to achieve.

It may sound naive to people so based in a material world, but I think it’s only a matter of time before we accept that this is part of science too.

You can practice your future state in a variety of ways. Some people find success through vision boards or mind movies. Others meditate over how it feels to reach their desired state. To our brains, that’s just as real as having achieved what we want in the 3D world.

Sometimes people avoid this. They worry that “tricking” their minds means they won’t follow through with the actions needed to reach their goals. What’s more likely is that believing you’re in the future state makes you develop the habits needed to create and maintain your goal.

Let’s take a look at a couple examples:

Example 1

Amanda is overweight and wants to become fit. But she can’t achieve that by internalizing that she’s just an overweight person hoping to get in shape. She may find minimal success building exercise and food habits for a week or month, but she invariably ends up where she started. It’s not a matter of finding the right exercise or dietary tactics.

But what if Amanda focused on building an identity of herself as an active person? She could imagine how that feels physically and mentally, and what it would allow her experience. With enough repetition, she starts to believe she is that fit person. And once she believes she’s fit, she naturally, unconsciously, and almost effortlessly behaves in a way that supports that identity. Maybe she trades the social time she spends with her drinking buddies and joins an exercise group that makes it easier for her to socialize and get a workout in.

It wouldn’t have been easy for her to do in the past, but with her new identity, it comes easily.

Example 2

Ricardo works two jobs and still finds it challenging to make rent. He wants to live a life less focused on budgeting and spending as little as possible, but he can’t earn more money by internalizing that that’s just the way he is. Ricardo may find short-term success by finding a new side gig delivering food, but one unexpected expense puts him right back where he started. It’s not a matter of working harder or longer hours.

What if Ricardo focused on seeing himself as a wealthy and abundant person? He could imagine how that would feel, and what experiences would be possible for him and his family. With enough repetition, Ricardo sees himself as someone who never lacks money and always attracts the right opportunities to bring him more. Maybe instead of picking up another minimum wage shift, he spends the time learning a new skill that suits his personality and is highly in demand.

It wouldn’t have been easy for him to do in the past, but with his new identity, it‘s second nature.

Those are two simple examples, but you can apply this to anything. If you’re having trouble finding the right tactics, perhaps that’s not even the issue. You don’t always need to know how to do something, but you do need to convince yourself that your goal is possible and imagine yourself in that future state.

Action item: Journal about one thing you want to change in life. Question if it’s actually external circumstances holding you back or it’s how you perceive your identity.