We’re not new to the concept of having an alter ego, from Clark Kent and Superman to Marshall Mathers and Eminem (and Slim Shady), David Bowie and Ziggy Stardust, Beyonce Knowles and Sascha Fierce, Peter Parker and Spiderman and…..okay you get the point. We know that people and characters have been taking on personas as a way to project a set of characteristics and personality traits that are not their norm. But you don’t have to be a Superhero or Superstar to make good use of a well thought out alter-ego. I recently had my alter-ego Blckbrd Fly immortalized by getting her drawn. I love it because it made her even more real in my mind.
You might think that it seems unnatural for a grown woman to be creating an alter-ego for herself. But it’s really not so weird if you take into consideration that we’re complex people with a a very rich inner world that can sometimes manifest itself into the outer world in a number of ways. What I mean by “inner world” is our thoughts and imagination, emotions and fantasies all of which help to shape our personality and behaviours. You already have many alter-egos within you at work which psychologist Carl Jung called archetypes. These archetypes may be triggered by specific thoughts or circumstances or by the actions or words of others. When you’re with your child your motherly archetype takes over, where you display loving and nurturing qualities. When someone cuts you off in traffic your bully archetype might emerge where your blood boils you turn red and you start yelling profanities and tailgating the person who cut you off. When you’re with your lover your sex goddess archetype takes center stage and you morph into a seductive temptress. When it’s your best friend’s birthday you become the party girl, wild and carefree.
So you see you already have many alter-egos living within you, you just haven’t named them and they aren’t intentional, they’ve simply developed based on your beliefs, your upbringing, your environment, whether you lean more to the extraverted side or the introverted side. But now is your chance to intentionally create another side of you that carries a purpose.
My alter-ego is named Blckbrd Fly and she possess the qualities that I want to develop. When I’m in a position where I feel skeptical of being able to follow through, or I feel like procrastinating, or I feel scared to take action on something I call on Blckbrd Fly to take over because she’s courageous, and driven, strong and determined. She’s also compassionate (which is great for when I’m being too hard on myself). Blckbrd Fly is patient and takes the path of mastery. I would describe Blckbrd Fly as a ninja/warrior archetype and in my imagery of her she has a set of symbolic wings. Over the top I know, but you can create your alter-ego however you want, there are no limits. Imagine your alter-ego as you would like, using any symbols that are meaningful to you.
Having an alter-ego can help you get into the right mindset for getting the things you want done. The alter-ego can help you distance yourself from the traits you deem as undesirable that you do out of habit that may be holding you back from achieving your goals. It no longer becomes about you trying to convince your procrastinating self to do something, it’s about embodying your alter-ego and drawing out the side of you who doesn’t procrastinate. Your alter-ego can make you feel empowered. And it’s just plain fun.
Creating an alter ego is easy.
- Figure out why you want an alter-ego: What powers (characteristics) do you need help drawing out?
- What is the image of your alter-ego? Think of the hair, the clothing, any piercings? Tattoos? It can look similar to you or nothing like you at all. You may be a woman but your alter-ego is a man and vice versa. Your alter-ego can even be an animal.
- What is your alter-ego’s name? Again it can be anything you want.
- Do you have a theme song or a phrase that can help you get into the frame of mind of your alter-ego when it’s time? I have several songs for this purpose. For Prince Andrew turning into He-Man it was raising his sword to the sky and saying: By the power of Greyskull I HAVE THE POWER! Have fun with this one!
- Lastly, you have to honour your alter-ego. When you call on him/her its time to ACT make the move on whatever you need to be doing within 5 seconds!
Our brains love stories. Stories bring dimension and a sense of richness to our lives and an alter-ego does just that. Remember, the best stories bring out emotions, so really connect with your alter-ego on an emotional level, so that when you call on him/her you feel inspired to act. You can do that by vividly thinking of yourself as your alter-ego when you play your theme song. Think of yourself as your alter-ego whenever you’re taking action on your goals and acknowledge it. Think of yourself as your alter-ego when you win at something. Think of yourself as your alter-ego when you’re proud of yourself for something.
Creating an alter-ego is not magic, you still have to put in the work, it’s simply a fun way to change your mindset when it’s time to take action. You can even name and personify the sides of you that aren’t so productive. Your I just want to Netflix and chill side is not bad, it’s just another ego that has gotten a lot of practice, so don’t be so hard on yourself. He or she just needs to be less dominant and that takes practice letting your bad ass alter-ego come out to play more often. You can also name and personifying the not so productive side of yourself and negotiate with your egos instead of trying to repress them.
For example I might throw on my theme song and tell Blckbrd Fly it’s time to do her thang by writing a blog post, do 2 hours of movement training and then coach a killer group training session and once she’s done all of that Raven Rest can come out to play to finish up those last few epsiodes of Bojack Horseman on Netflix. It’s just a gentler way to be with yourself rather than always feeling like you have no control over your actions because that’s “just the way you are” or always feeling like it’s a chore to do what you “should do” because you’re too lazy. Alter-egos are a way to reframe things so you aren’t living in resistance where everything is just plain hard.
Remember, you already possess the ability to be who you want it just takes practice and the right techniques to draw those traits out.
