Alter egos - Another you for better?

The imagination and creativity are aspects that most experts have claimed sets humans and animals apart. We are able to conceptualise things that are not immediately in front of us and link arbitrary ideas to communicate an intention to each other. These ideas are the driving force for human progression over other species as we are able to think about the future and imagine possibilities that have not yet occurred.

This makes the mind a beautiful place, where it has the power to take us anywhere we want to go. Why can we do anything in our dreams? If we are able to see something in our mind’s eye then isn’t it possible to harness this image and develop its ideas into reality? Like how artists bring their ideas to life on canvas, it is possible to bring ideas of ourselves into reality and help activate desirable behaviours. Our imagination can form a concept of what we want to be, and although it can be abstract at the beginning, it forms a mental framework that can pave the path to achieving our goal. As ideas develop, it can encounter so many deterrents or perceived opportunities but if we have a strong framework it can help to filter out the unnecessary distractions. A concept of the “self” is a mental image of how we see ourselves, - this self image has been an accumulation of all the things that we’ve encountered in our lives.

We all have our own ideas about everything we encounter which acts as a mental compass to understand the world. These ideas can come from anywhere- our environment as we grow up, our friends, the things we see on social media, literally anywhere… From the day we have learned to understand what things are, it influences us to think a certain way – there is no way to avoid it. We use these preconceived notions as archetypes to understand ourselves and help to narrate our definition of who we are. Often it is detrimental to associate ourselves with a preset of characteristics that have been statistically identified to a specific group but it is how we express ourselves to others.

If we already have a mental image of what we are now, why can’t we shape another image of what we can become? Afterall, it is a concept and humans are apparently really good at making concepts become a reality.

Todd Herman, a performance coach for some of the world’s top athletes and successful business people talks about the idea of the alter ego, a state change that activates traits to achieve who we want to be. He coaches people to harness this power to help them become something they strive for. Often we have much self-doubt about our capabilities, so when the occasion arises we could be paralysed with anxiety because of our self perception. The idea is to channel another “being” when we feel discouraged about the current self not being able to fulfill the desired intent and supplement it with something that can. The Alter Ego is like a split personality, a fabricated personality that is both you and not you at the same time. Herman’s description is that the self is made up of many different identities and not just one all-encompassing self. Think of anyone you know - they could be a serious no-nonsense person at home, their mates might think of them as the life of the party or their boss could think they’re just a lazy worker, a dropkick. These are all different personalities of the same person, so if we already exhibit multiple personalities with our current relationships, why can’t we harness this ability and create behaviours that work more effectively for our benefit?

We hear stories of many successful people that use this approach to strengthen their resolve and encourage a demeanour that fits the situation. A mental image could be a person that we look up to, a person that we imagine ourselves to be or anything like an object or thing that inspires us.  A person could want to be strong, but how would one start to become strong? What are the miniscule steps that this person could take to shape themselves to become this and gain strength? What is strength? It could be mental strength to overcome hardship or it could be physical strength to become healthier. Regardless, this person will likely have an image of what it is they’re seeking, it could be pictures of body builders, athletes, a lion, a mountain, a rock anything that conjures up the word strong for them. This act of visualisation is the strongest guide and driving force a person could have to begin reflecting these ideas into themselves.  

Muhammad Ali’s famous words were “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”. These are mental images to visualise his fighting style such that he be as light and elegant as a butterfly with his movements and when he’s on the offensive, move as quickly and sharply as a bee. If you know what a butterfly and a bee is and looks like, then by thinking about this you can try to mimic these actions and truly understand what he wanted to communicate.

Bruce lee channelled water as an image to describe a growth mindset, -

“ Empty your mind; be formless, shapeless – like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

By imagining the way water flows and using its attributes as a metaphor, one can grasp his philosophies about life. A mental image about water is that is shapeless, it becomes whatever container it is held in, it could be a gentle trickle or it could be strong like ocean waves. It provides strong imagery that could be interpreted as a mental state that could be applied to our daily lives, such that we should be open minded, embrace what comes and adapt to it.

Desired attributes could come from anything, and a famous example of someone that has used an idea as an alter ego is Beyonce Knowles. She admitted that she had an alter ego personality called Sasha Fierce that helped her perform on stage. The world knows that Beyonce is a powerful singer and unrivalled performer now, however it has been the result of her many years of taking on the role of Sasha Fierce. She has described creating the alter ego to perform as someone else as she knew she was a shy person. And with her album release called I Am… Sasha Fierce, she has felt that she has become Sasha Fierce and no longer needs it as a alter ego as at one point, the two personalities have met and merged to become a better version of herself.

I think that most people find it easier to think about things that are not associated with themselves. Just like when we give advice to our friends - most of the time, we don’t really practice what we preach because we don’t think it applies to us. So, it is easier to think about another “person” doing those things that are scary and its not really “us”.  

What resonates with me about the idea of the Alter Ego, is that it is an example of transcending how the world has shaped us and gives us a practical tool to shape who we want to be. I’ve had an epiphany while writing this post, which is, that while this blog is an experiment – it actually is helping to channel the “business-savvy/entrepreneur” alter-ego because it has fostered new ideas that could be executed to drive forward the business. Whether it is successful or not, it has put me out of my comfort zone and helped to hone new capabilities that I believe could be assimilated into a better more developed version of myself. For now, I should probably give this new productive self a name.