Act as if...
By Holly Boyd

The idea of acting one way even if we don't feel like it isn't a new one. Yet when this ebook went on a special I thought it would be worth a shot.

Holly Boyd, a professional organizer, shares her belief that with purposeful placement we can live the life we want.



Here's the descritption I read when I decided this book was worth my time.

"Act as if..." the key to your happiness is NOT SECRET. If you want to attract prosperity and create life balance for yourself and your family, then here it is, are you ready? It''s not a secret because it is one of the oldest formulas in the world, and God has been trying to tell you this for years... it is Genesis 8:22: "As long as the earth remains.... seedtime and harvest shall not cease"! The author is a Christian Professional Organizer that uses this method to help others organize everything from closets to time and even your life! The first book in this new series "Act as if..." is easy to read and inspired by the Almighty - it''s not science - it''s God! And in this amazing book you will learn how to conquer the daily frustrations that will steal your good attitude, your time, your patience and will keep you from what is TRULY IMPORTANT. We deal with what your creator (not a new-age philosophy) says about YOU and Prosperity, Patience, Forgiveness, Anger, Responsibility, Character and much more.

I mean who wouldn't want these results, right?

And I must agree with the description in that this was an easy read - a quick and easy read. (I'm sure you know that is a big point with me!) I also appreciated her message that if we take the time to do the work the results will come, because I agree that for many issues in life we have to put in some serious elbow grease before we ever see the results.

Such statements like, "Act as if... you can change what you don't like"(95) and "Act as if... your marriage was for a lifetime"(150) are both sentiments I completely agree with. I mean if you don't set your mind on these positive views you could easily find yourself falling down the spiral towards a disaster in areas of your life where disaster just isn't an option.

I was impressed with Boyd's list of scriptures, and how she kept the list minimal. She did a great job of bringing some of the same verses back up, in order to fully discuss that God's word is alive and will speak to us every time we turn to it. A point I think can often get lost in this genre of books.

The biggest plus was that Boyd listed out all the scriptures she mentions at the very in of her book. This list allows for more study after you are done with the book and, I agree with Boyd, that the list is a great place to start with memorizing or an introduction to God's word.

There is one little issue I had with the concept of this book. I fear that this concept of acting as if, even when you don't feel like it, seems a little too close to promoting hypocritical behavior. There are many warnings in the scriptures about being around hypocrites, and none are that great...

There are some points when Boyd is discussing how acting as if is a very useful tool while parenting, and I would agree. It is hard to continue to smile and repeat the same instruction or reason for correction or whatever when you aren't see any results. But this is when the idea of planting the seed and continuing to care for it is our job and God is in charge of bringing the harvest. It is His timing that means we must continue to labor, even when we no longer feel like it. And when discussed in this light, I have no worries that Boyd's message could be hypocritical. I guess it is important to remember to use this concept as tool.

But as a whole a found this book as a great introductory step towards being the person you want to be. Just as long as you don't use this concept an excuse to take the second step for the act as if process. Boyd does mention, that first you act as if, and then the true feelings usually follow. I would venture to say that those feelings happen because you all God to step in and actually change you.

On top of the great list of scriptures, my main take away statement was... "Act as if... God is the center of your life, not what God has given you" (537) because I do agree that if you continually make the effort to put God in the center of your life, He will help you by diminishing your desires for anything else to fill His spot.

Reading List rating:





Have you read this book? What was your take? What are you thoughts about hypocritical behavior? Are there times when you have to behave hypocritically first and then authenticity follows?








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