Dress – Lincoln did not put much care into his appearance, as he believed himself to be quite ugly. He was often rumpled and availed himself of every opportunity to take his jacket off and roll up his sleeves.  While you are Lincoln, dress in an average and inconspicuous fashion. Don’t worry about ironing or matching.  Overall you want to be comfortable.  However,  Lincoln’s stove pipe hat was iconic, even for the times, and you choose an item like a hat, scarf or gloves to wear that is unique to you.

Posture – Being quite tall and slender (possibly suffering from Marfan’s syndrome), Lincoln tended to be stooped. His long legs and arms often didn’t quite fit the furniture and he would need to spread his legs out.  During your time as Lincoln, take up as much room as you can when you sit or lie down.  If you can, walk with lengthy steps and hunch your shoulders to imitate someone very tall needing to bend down.

Manner – Lincoln had a very folksy, engaging manner. Greet people warmly and with a joke, if you have one.

Speech – Be very plain spoken, but eloquent.  He was not an educated man so keep your words simple, but he did write amazing speeches that captured the emotion of the moment so ensure you express compassion and empathy.

Educate yourself – Lincoln had little formal education but read voraciously on a wide topic of interests.  Instead of apprenticing with a lawyer, he borrowed or bought the books he needed to get his license.  When he wanted to improve his math skills, he tracked down and read Euclid’s Geometry.  While you are Lincoln, follow a self-improvement plan to learn about a new topic of interest.  Either read the books, watch videos, or take online courses, but set an achievable goal for yourself to complete the material in a timely fashion.

Lean into your melancholy – Lincoln famously suffered from bouts of melancholy, which we would consider today to be depression.  He would lock himself away and read, write or think during these states, rather than try to snap himself out of it.  When you experience a low state while enacting Lincoln, lean into it and use these times as an opportunity to read, especially poetry or literature, listen to music, or to write.  Think of these episodes as your body telling you something is wrong and use these times to reflect and create.

Write exquisite letters – Lincoln’s letters to the families of fallen soldiers are honest and compassionate, and appeal to the best in human nature.  One of the most famous (and controversial) is the short but beautiful Bixby letter.

Executive Mansion,
Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.

Dear Madam,

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.

I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.

I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,
A. Lincoln.

Take some time to craft at least one letter to a loved one or person you admire expressing your feelings. Spend the time to make the letter short, simple, and compelling.

Examine your honesty and integrity – Almost everyone considers themselves to have integrity, but how often do we examine our words and actions with integrity in mind?  Review the communications and actions you made yesterday and rate them on an honesty scale.  Were you spinning the truth? Or trying to manipulate someone?  Take a moment before you speak or write during your time as Lincoln to examine the integrity of what you are doing.

Build your discipline – Although Lincoln wanted to be nominated for the Senate seat from Illinois, voting was close between him and another Whig candidate.  Realizing that the other Whig candidate would not bow out, Lincoln withdrew his own name from the race to make sure that a split ticket wouldn’t allow a pro-slavery candidate to win.  Lincoln would often delay his own desires and ambitions for the greater good. While you are Lincoln, adopt a healthy habit or break an unhealthy one. Being at the mercy of impulses and emotions prohibits a person from hearing and following their moral compass.  Use your time as Lincoln as the opportunity to make a long-desired change in your habits.  Some suggestions are to take a walk each day, take up strength training, give up junk food, or limit your screen time. Being in control of your impulses brings with it inner confidence, the kind of confidence Lincoln had in himself.

Assess your timing – Take some time to assess the readiness of your audience for the changes you want to enact. Are they ready to hear your vision?  Do they share your impetus to act now?  Take a poll or a readiness assessment if you can’t answer these questions.  Determine the messages and the incremental steps you can take to bring people around to your vision and share in your need for change.

Learn from rivals – When Lincoln was elected, he offered many of his rivals, with much different political opinions, seats in his cabinet (his team of rivals). Lincoln wanted to have diverse perspectives in his administration and learn all sides of the arguments.  While decision-making was often contentious, Lincoln did have the benefit of understanding his opposition and incorporating different viewpoints.  While you are Lincoln, seek out some people who have very different opinions on an issue(s) important to you, and ask them to explain viewpoint. Do this with the objective of learning and practice active listening.  Let your new understanding guide how you frame your own viewpoint.

Encourage open debate – Similar to above, when you meet with your team or associates, encourage them to speak their honest opinions.  If viewpoints are similar among the team, ask people to play the devil’s advocate or role play someone with an opposing view.  Your objective is to examine the issue from all sides, rationally, and not let prejudices or emotions lead you to an early conclusion.

Conduct ethics reviews – After every meeting and decision, examine the moral case behind your decisions and actions.  Does your decision work for the betterment of mankind? Also, determine the level of integrity and honesty brought to bear in making your decision. Was everyone being completely honest and candid?  Was a viewpoint excluded, intentionally or unintentionally?  Work on improving the integrity of your decision-making.

Fine tune your speeches – Lincoln’s speeches are among the best ever written- appealing to a higher purpose, full of empathy for suffering, short and yet, poignant.  Here is his Gettysburg address:

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of
that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives, that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate ~ we can not consecrate ~ we can not hallow, this ground. The brave men living and dead who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us ~ that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion ~ that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain ~ that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom ~ and that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

Also read his second inaugural address here.  Find an occasion to give a speech and use these as a guide to write an eloquent and pithy appeal to bring out the best in humanity.

 Learn and tell folksy and humble stories – In addition to giving memorable speeches, Lincoln was well-known as an animated storyteller.  He loved to regale his friends with various tales of his life, finding the humor in situations and often making himself out to be the fool.  Find an incident or two from your life where you were humbled and turn that into an amusing story.  Make a point to tell this story to your friends at your next outing.