Acting strategies can be used as tools to improve your work environment as well as your life.

If these strategies have enlightened Jim Carrey, in which you can read about below, they might be able to do the same for you. Give them a try and use what works for you!

Acting Strategies To Try At Work

1) Act “As If” 

The HuffPost has a good article on Acting “As If”. Click here to read it. The article looks at both sides of this exercise and discusses its benefits. Here is an encapsulating quote from the article:

“When we choose to live with a strong faith in things not seen, not proven, and not guaranteed – we tap into the power of the possible and we supersede the literal and predicable.”

Another good quote from article:

“The question for us to ask ourselves is, ‘What am I acting as if will happen in the most important areas of my life right now?’”

So what do you want to act “as if”? 

Think about specific qualities you admire and/or think about one of your role models or a leader in your industry. What would they do in this situation?

Then try it out! Don’t give up after 3 minutes, take time to really dwell in an “as if” situation.

This leads to something similar…

2) Create, then don’t leave your “Stage”

This is another type of method acting.

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.”
Shakespeare

Every day people are waking up and playing a role; some do it intentionally and some don’t.

The following strategy can be used in any occupation:

Let’s say that you are a pharmacist. In this exercise this is also your “acting role”. Try going into your job pretending that you are an actor, acting as a pharmacist. View everyone you see as fellow actors, acting out their roles! 

^This idea can be a trip but I love it.

Related to this strategy is the article about Jim Carrey when he used Method Acting in portraying Andy Kaufman. Check it out here.

Seeing others as fellow actors can help you understand that each “actor” has a role, they have tasks, they are focused on an end goal. This can help you understand peoples’ wants:

“One of the most important keys to acting is that every single person at every single moment of their life has an objective (a want) as well as an action to get what they want. In acting, if you can identify what your character wants at any given time, then you will add a vital element of truth and direction in your work. The same applies to life.”
Dominic Zhai

Knowing that each “actor” has an objective can help you react less and respond more. Reactions are quick and usually without thought whereas Responses are calm and calculated. Reactions are emotional and typically ego-based. Responses are reasonable.

“When egos act defensively (e.g. when we insist that the other person is “wrong”), our judgement becomes clouded. When we focus too much on defending ourselves, we become blocked in our own self-development.”
Dominic Zhai

One of the best qualities an actor can have is active listening. Active listening lets go of the ego to completely engage and focus on the present moment, open to all possibilities(trusting improv), which is where real Joy is experienced, and isn’t that what it’s about?

Joy is contagious. Try the first method to Act “As If” joyful wherever you are and observe the people in your surroundings become more joyful too!

“If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment.”
Carlos Santana

Actions become habits if repeated long enough, but remember that progress is the goal, not perfection. Every day won’t shine as you’d like but you can work on shining every day.

“Joy is increased by spreading it to others.” 
Robert Murray McCheyne

“Let your joy be in your journey—not in some distant goal.” 
Tim Cook

“There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.”
Kahlil Gibran