Learn to pretend.

Hiya,

I’ve been seeing this quote all over my social media today, and I thought it was right to share my thoughts on it.

It says, “Pretend you’re winning and watch your delusion become reality.” I love that quote because I can relate to it. Sometimes, all you need is to imagine. There’s power in imagination—think you’re already there, and somehow you’ll find your way there. The Bible even says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” I’ve lost count of how many times this has worked for me.

Before this year, I had never written an exam twice. Not because I’m a scholar—I just know how to find my way around every exam I write, and at worst, the examiner gives me “Let my people go” (iykyk). But this year, I wrote the same exam five times. I passed on the fifth attempt, and it was a real tussle for me. I spent money and hours studying, researching, and practicing over and over, only to keep failing. I honestly got fed up at some point, but I’m not the type who gives up easily.

One thing that helped me through the repeated failures was imagining how I’d feel when I finally passed.

Sometimes, I’d be in my room all alone, shouting like I had just passed the exam. I practiced how I would jubilate and the things I’d do when I finally succeeded. Even though I was failing at the time, picturing myself winning became a booster that kept me going. On the days I was tired of trying again, I’d imagine how sweet the victory would be.

At some point, I even told myself that maybe the reason I kept failing was because I hadn’t yet mastered how I would jubilate when I won. Whenever I felt like giving up, I went back to picturing what victory would look like. Seeing the end goal clearly strengthened my resolve for the journey.

So if there’s something you really want and it’s not working out yet, don’t stop imagining the end. See yourself winning, even when you’re tired of trying. Hold on to that picture on the days you feel like giving up. Sometimes, that small act of imagining is what keeps you going long enough for things to finally work out.