Lying to the Government Turned out to Be My Positive Affirmation

I’ve traveled to 105 countries.

I say that partly to brag about it but also to illustrate that I have spent a lot of time traveling. And traveling involves going through immigration and crossing borders, which involves filling out a lot of forms and paperwork.

105 countries. Thousands of forms.

I hate filling out forms. I understand the need, but I find many of the questions they ask are of no use. The most pointless question is when they ask for my occupation. Should it matter if I am an engineer, a plumber, or an OnlyFans influencer? What do they do with this information? How does knowing what I do for a living impact border control?

The first time I filled out the form, I was nervous and told the truth—marketing executive. Nothing was done with that information. The government didn't call me up with a job offer, ask for my input into an advertising campaign or ask for a reference.

So the next time I wrote actor. And then professional footballer. Followed by writer. To be honest, while I would have liked to be an actor or a professional footballer, I would have LOVED to be a writer. So, from then on in, over the next ten years or so, I wrote writer as my occupation on every immigration form.

I wasn’t a writer, but I wanted to be one. So, I continued to put down writer on every single trip I went on.

What I didn't realize at the time was that I was inadvertently practicing a combination of journaling and positive affirmations. After many years of telling the Australian (and American and British and..) governments I was a writer, I finally became one.

Was it luck? Was it a coincidence? I like to think it’s due to the reasons below.

Section One: Planting the seeds of success

“Do not measure success by today’s harvest. Measure success by the seeds you plant today.” Robert Louis Stevenson

Before I became a real writer — as opposed to a guy who filled in writer as his occupation on government forms — I had done no research on personal development or growth.

Since becoming a writer, I have read many books and done a lot of research for articles. And the one thing that is mentioned in pretty much any development article is the power of positive affirmations. There are many benefits to positive affirmations, but what I was doing was subconsciously influencing my mind to believe that I could become a writer. Deep down, it was motivating me to achieve a goal.

Sheila Ohlsson Walker CFA, Ph.D., writes in Pschyoloday Today " thhe first step lies in taking big, bold ideas out of our minds and making them concrete by putting them onto paper. As the creative seeds sown by visualizing specific goals germinate across the integrated networks of our brains and bodies, a harmonious neurobiological synergy takes hold.”

Without even knowing it, I was planting the seeds of success in my mind.

Immigration Form Question For Reader:

What seeds are you planting for the future? Also, are you bringing seeds into the country?

Section Two: Writing down goals even works on disposable forms

Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, studied goal setting. The study found that you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down.

A study of multiple sclerosis patients was conducted by the University of Texas. Multiple sclerosis is a degenerative disease of the brain with debilitating symptoms. The study found that Multiple Sclerosis patients who set ambitious wellness goals had fewer, less severe symptoms than a control group. Goal-setting actually helped heal their brains.

Again, I was unintentionally writing down my goal. It wasn’t in a journal or even a piece of paper that I would keep. But nonetheless, it was a deep-held goal that was being written down.

Immigration Form Question For Reader:

Are you writing your goals down? If not, you are required to commence this today and report back within 3 weekdays. Not including public holidays.

Section 3: A dream is just a goal without a plan

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with one step.” Lao Tzu

Rita Watson MPH, writes in Psychology Today, that the first step in moving a dream to a goal is to “Step out of your dream and take positive action. Do something.” After so many years of calling myself a writer, I decided to make a plan.

I had some leave from work — usually I would travel for the whole time. This time I made the decision to start a writing course and then travel. With a few weeks of the course under my belt, I could find a new destination to immerse myself in and then write about it.

It was a simple plan but it was a step in the right direction. I realized that as time went by I needed to act or my dream would forever be a dream. In February 2020 I started my writing course. It was the first step in my 1000 miles.

Immigration Form Question For Reader:

What is your biggest dream? Outline one step you can take today to move that dream to a goal. Now write down two more. We want this to happen.

Section 4: The moral of the story

The right intentions, motivation, and purpose can help achieve your goal. By nurturing it and fostering it, in some form, it can grow. Obviously, it doesn’t have to be on an immigration form — though I would love to see everyone turning government forms into journals!

It can be in a more traditional format by using a journal or by taking a course, or connecting with someone.

There are many paths — I just took a very unusual one.

Immigration Form Question For Reader:

What action will you take after reading this? In addition to applauding this article, that is.

Footnote

To the government of every country I ever visited, I confess that I wasn’t a professional writer when I filled my immigration forms. However, a writer was lurking within me, waiting to be set free.

So I thank all of you for your bureaucratic forms. At the time, I believed they were pointless, but in reality, they were got me to where I am now.

Ash Jurberg

Occupation: Writer