1-Sentence-Summary: The Alter Ego Effect offers a practical approach on how to construct and benefit from alter egos, or the little heroes inside you, so as to achieve your desired goals and build a successful life with the help of a few key role models that you can borrow some attributes from or even impersonate in times of need.
Read in: 4 minutes
Favorite quote from the author:
Beyoncé is one of the most successful singers of all time. But she is also a powerful businesswoman. How did she do it? Through Sasha Fierce, or her alter ego. She grew up in a Christian home, and her provocative dance moves and lyrics didn’t quite match the education she received. So she had to break free from her initial identity.
As such, she created a new character she impersonated in times of need. She was still Beyoncé, but her mindset grew stronger on stage when she felt like Sasha Fierce. This life hack is widely used by successful people all over the world. They sometimes feel like they lack certain attributes needed to do a job. So they just “borrow” them from their little heroes inside, or their alter egos.
The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Herman teaches you how to do just that. Here are my 3 favorite lessons from the book:
- Identify your alter ego by analyzing the dissatisfiers in your life and categorizing them.
- Trick your negative emotions into no longer being part of your identity.
- To create your alter ego, you must first define their identity.
If you want to learn how to build an alter ego of your own and face your fears and weaknesses, keep on reading, as we’ll uncover each lesson in detail!
Lesson 1: Use the five categories of change to improve your life and find your alter ego.
As we go through life, discomfort, pain, uncomfortable feelings, and many other challenges are likely to strike multiple times. Sometimes they may feel overwhelming, or impossible to get through, so what is there to do? Ask your alter ego! Your mind is an outstanding part of you. It is the most powerful tool you have at your disposal, so why not use it in your favour?
Creating an alter ego can enhance your silent attributes. These are the ones that are difficult for you to access on a day-to-day basis. If you don’t know your weaknesses well, or just find it hard to build this superhero persona right away, try identifying the areas in your life where you feel unhappy. Then, think about the changes you should make by filtering your thoughts through the five categories of change: stopping, starting, continuing, less of, and more of.
Let’s say you have a passion for dancing. You want to dance more, but you procrastinate a lot after you come home tired from your job. The change you ought to make can look like “I want to dance more.” Perfect! Your alter ego loves to dance, and they wouldn’t let anything interfere with their passion. Next time you want to awaken that spirit within, just use this psychological hack.
Lesson 2: Give your destructive emotions an alter ego and detach from it in difficult times.
Just like you can awaken silent talents within your alter ego, you can repress self-destructive behaviours and negative emotions in the same way. Start by attributing them to another character, and treat them like another person, different from you. You know this person well, but it is not you, and you want to get rid of them.
For example, maybe you have performance anxiety. You can take your fears, such as being too shy, or not being a good or charismatic public speaker. Then, associate them with a new person in your mind. Give them a different name, make them your enemy, and then make them look weaker, smaller, and easy to defeat.
Then, change the way you talk about yourself and to yourself. If you keep thinking that certain negative attributes or weaknesses are a part of who you are, that’s how they’ll stay. Instead, try setting the bar high for yourself and establish goals that motivate you to become better and improve your weaknesses.
Look for your “why”, and ask yourself how to accomplish it. This process will spark your emotional side. It will motivate you to change your attitude to align with your defined purpose. However, you must first look inside yourself and find what you really want to accomplish. You can then work on materializing it afterwards. Here is when your strong and ambitious alter ego comes in, as they are ready to face any challenge and reach any goal.
Lesson 3: Align the attributes of your alter ego with your goals, and then access this super persona when you need them.
As we discussed the importance of an alter ego in your life and how it can help you increase performance, it’s time to move on to a more practical approach – how to create it and define it according to your goals and purpose, and how to give it life.
By now, your “why” and your purpose should be clearly defined, so it’s time to decide what attributes your alter ego needs in order to achieve them. Determination, developing further skills, more consistency, are all good aspects to consider when building the character of your alter ego.
You can opt for impersonating a fantastic or real-life figure if you feel like it. If you’ve ever heard someone talk about their “inner Beyonce”, now you know better what that means. The main idea is to resonate emotionally with your alter ego and make it your go-to trick when you don’t feel like getting up in the morning, you feel disappointed, anxious, or overwhelmed by a job.
Ultimately, don’t overcomplicate it. Develop this inner superhero and empower it. For example, make it a habit that whenever you put your reading glasses on, you activate the smart and academic side of you, the one who learns fast and easy. That can be your alter ego, and that is who you are when you have those glasses on. Find whatever works best for you and exploit it.
The Alter Ego Effect Review
The Alter Ego Effect teaches you how to adopt a different mindset and get motivated by cooperating with an alter ego of your own. The author gives practical tips on how to overcome obstacles and become a top performer in your field. By implementing this psychological trick, you can awaken your hidden talents or certain skills that you are afraid to show or just don’t feel like it.
Who would I recommend our The Alter Ego Effect summary to?
The 35-year-old entrepreneur looking to improve their efficiency and problem-solving skills, the 23-year-old graduate looking to increase their confidence and performance to advance in their professional life, or the 45-year-old who finds it hard to communicate effectively and is looking to repair their relationships by becoming more outgoing and sociable through a mindset change.
Last Updated on May 19, 2023
