Some restaurants keep a photo of the local reviewer in the kitchen. The thinking is that if someone notices she’s in the building, everyone can up their game.

And some musicians wait eagerly for A&R person to be in the crowd. If they really kill it tonight, a record deal might ensue.

The most resilient approach, of course, is to act as if.

What if this is your most important post, or your last one? What if the email you’re sending is going to be forwarded to your boss? What if…

We can’t know for sure. But we can act as if it’s going to happen.