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Do You Need an Alter Ego?
Jun 11, 2019
Do you wish that you had an alter ego? A version of yourself that is separate and distinct that would allow you to act completely differently than your normal persona? Superman needed Clark Kent, right? And he's not the only one.
Beyoncé has stated publicly that her sensual, aggressive style on stage is actually her alter ego, Sasha Fierce. In "real life", she is nothing like that. According to Todd Herman, author of The Alter Ego Effect, even Martin Luther King Jr. only wore glasses so that he would appear more distinguished. Did Martin Luther King Jr have an alter ego?
One of the most common suggestions for writers is to develop rituals that are only used for writing so as to put you into your “writer’s mind”. I have to admit, ever since I bought my Apple MacBook, I feel more creative. In fact, there is evidence to show that not only do I feel more creative, I AM more creative. The brain is easily manipulated. Another study showed that kids could resist temptation when they were dressed up as their favorite, hard-working hero.
Fascinating, right?
Now, back to the original question. Do you wish that you had an alter-ego? Are there areas of your life where you know if you just showed up differently it would make all the difference? Maybe there is another area of your life where you already show up that way and it’s just a matter of translating the behavior to a different context?
Take a minute or two and really explore this idea. Start by taking an area of your life where you want to make change or improvement. Then ask yourself if a different version of you could pull that off.
How does it feel? Liberating? Empowering? Perhaps a bit intimidating?
Let me ask you this...Does it feel impossible?
No? Now, that's interesting!
If you can imagine an alter ego making all the difference, it means you believe you can do it. It means you already have the capabilities within you. You likely just need to give yourself permission to be that version of you.
I give you permission. You are now Batman. I look forward to seeing what you do with it.
In the video portion of this post, I’m going to explore what it means to have an alter ego. In doing so, we’ll explore the idea of authenticity as well as the moral and ethical concerns of creating an alter ego.
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Photocredit: https://pixabay.com/users/inspiredimages-57296/
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