One day while sitting outside my son’s school waiting for him to get out, a school bus pulled up and dropped off some high-school aged kids.
As they got out of the bus, they all dispersed heading their separate directions, but one girl in particular caught my eye...
I noticed the frown on her face as she got off the bus. She walked past all of the waiting parents without looking up and headed to a secluded bench in the corner of the lawn.
I sympathized with her; I remembered leaving high school and feeling that way A LOT.
But then she did something interesting…
She put down her backpack, got out her phone and headphones, and began rehearsing a dance routine.
As she hit the poses she stared straight forward at an imaginary crowd, smiling big and bright, even winking at times.
I sat there in awe at her transformation. One minute she’s a moody teen the next she’s Beyonce. What the hell just happened?
A book I’d been reading came to mind, and I realized exactly what had just happened… she had tapped into an alter ego.
An alter ego is essentially a part of our personality that may be small in comparison to other parts, but for whatever reason, at certain times we need it to be a much bigger part – so we create an alter ego to tap into it.
Beyonce is actually quite well known for having done this at the start of her career. As a shy and reserved young woman, she created Sasha Fierce as her alter ego to help her perform on stage. And she’s not alone…
Countless athletes and performers talk about how they’ve created an alter ego to allow them to fully embrace a part of themselves that is not a dominant part of who they are, but is necessary to get the job done.
Many of us do this instinctually, and once we realize it’s an actual method – and one that gets results – we can refine our process.
I share all of this with you because I often hear people tell me that they can’t do X, because they’re not ___ enough.
My thought is, if you’re ___ even just a little, that’s enough.
You can wear that little bit like a cape and become a version of yourself that you need to be to get the job done.
That young lady was not walking around like a superstar, she wasn’t radiating confidence, but somewhere in her she had a little bit. And when it came time to turn it on, it was just enough to pull it off.
Whatever it is that you want to do with your life - or even how you want to show up to your next meeting or family event – you don’t have to be the smartest, strongest, sexiest, most accomplished, or even most confident person in the room. You just need a little bit..
Find that little bit of ___ inside of you, then imagine yourself in the future where that little bit is a whole lot bigger. Think of how you’d dress, feel, act, and walk into a room as that future version of yourself.
Then, top it off with something externally that helps you embody your alter ego – a pair of glasses, high heels, a sport coat and tie, red lipstick, whatever helps you identify as that version of yourself.
When its show time, take a deep breath, envision that future version of yourself, put on your alter ego, and walk into that meeting, that dinner party, that date, that performance – whatever it is – and OWN it. 💪 ✨
Wishing you a wonderful week.
With love and gratitude,
Robin