I was recently sat chatting with an old friend and the question came up about what had changed in my life that enabled me to move forward quickly and successfully.
My answer wasn’t some elaborate strategy, nor was it luck, it wasn’t even due to hard work, it was mostly down to the alter ego I had created. This wasn’t me faking it until I made it, or was it a hoax, it was purely me creating a better version of myself, a version of who I really wanted to be and not one that blended in with society.
Now don’t get me wrong, you need plans, strategies and checkpoints to ensure you’re still on the right path, and also an element of hard work. But in the raw basic form, I just stopped being conditioned by my fears, by society and by the old version of me.
Think about it, Superman has an alter ego, I say Superman and not Clark Kent because Clark is the person Superman needed to be to fit into society, to be accepted. And I believe for you to be everything you desire you need to stop worrying about being accepted.
I created Jon Covey, a fearless warrior, an intelligent being, who runs multiple successful businesses, who lives life on his terms and who lives with purpose. Sure sometimes the old version of Jon comes out to play, but I swiftly put him back in his box, I learnt to pull strengths from others that inspired me, be that people I have met, people I admire or even past events that I felt inspired by.
Lots of research has been carried out about how athletes, artists and great leaders borrow their powers from others, and in turn, create an alter ego. Beyonce uses her alter ego ‘Sasha Fierce’ when she owns the stage, so the next time you find aspects of your life hard, scary or challenging, maybe its time you invoke your alter ego.
Heres a top tip to developing your own alter ego:
Start with a personal Analysis – find out what is missing from your skill banks, is it courage, strength, ability or something else. Make a list of everything you desire to be more of, and then create this character, this Alter Ego and then identify this character with a symbol or wearable.
Think superheroes, they often wear masks or capes, for some it maybe glasses, rings, jewellery or clothing. Find something that enables you to instantly transform into this person and then if required remove the item to return to the old version of you if required.
Identify what lights you up – What makes you feel invincible, what makes you feel pumped and excited, what gets your blood pumping and then anchor that emotion.
Give it a go, it works for me, and it works for so many others, so it can work for you.