The Surprising Idea You Can Use To Overcome Self Doubt, Negativity, and Insecurity with Todd Herman
In this episode we discuss a proven way of overcoming the self-doubt, negativity, and insecurity that hold you back and we show you how to ultimately become your best self using a unique and unlikely strategy. We look at legends from pro athletes to MLK and uncover how they used the same exact strategy to get into the zone when it counts. We discuss all this and much more with our guest Todd Herman.
Todd Herman is a high-performance coach and author of, 'The Alter Ego Effect: The Power of Secret Identities to Transform Your Life'. He is the creator of the 90 Day Year a performance system which is designed to create results for business owners, fast. He has worked with Olympic athletes, Entrepreneurs, and Leaders including members of the Spanish Royal Family. He's been featured on the Today Show, The Good Life Project, Inc Magazine and more.
Nature is the ultimate litmus test of whether or not an idea has credence and truth
If something doesn’t exist in nature - we need to look at it and understand it
Balance does not exist in nature - but equilibrium does
Based on what evidence do you need to have balance in your life?
What is the alternative to finding balance in your life? What should you seek instead?
If you want to achieve big things, if you want to explore your capabilities, you have to throw yourself out of balance, you have to push past your comfort zone, to achieve big goals
In order to achieve big goals, you have to give up focus on other areas of your life to do it
On a farm there is no idea of work life balance
Integration is far more important than balance - how do we actually integrate things into our lives?
How do you move beyond the idea of work-life balance and move into integration?
What is an alter-ego?
An alter-ego can be an internal trusted friend. Bring an ally inside your mind.
How do you get into the zone? How do you get into flow states?
An alter ego ALLOWS you to have permission to achieve
How to leverage the science of "Enclothed Cognition” to transform yourself and create a powerful alter ego that can help you achieve anything
The power of artifacts and totems
There are so many ideas that have been spread in the personal development world for so long that are false ideas, they aren’t rooted in science
The alter-ego taps into your creative imagination - is let’s you harness the power of this to make yourself more powerful and effective
How do you deal with resistance? Personal trauma? Self Doubt? Imposter Syndrome?
How legends like pro athletes and Martin Luther King would use physical props to tap into their alter egos
Stepping into your “distinguished self”
How to harness the power of intention using physical triggers and tools to create
The idea that you are one single self is completely flawed. Life is about context. You are different people in different contexts.
“Multiple Self Theory” and how it’s changing psychology
You don’t build an alter-ego for your entire life. You build specific alter egos for specific contexts and opportunities.
To meet force with force does not help when dealing with difficult people. All it does is prolong the tantrum and create problems. Be like Mr. Rogers.
Don’t fight against yourself, leverage the way you naturally behave and turn that to your advantage.
“Willpower is a terrible tool” to create change.
Resistance comes from the unconscious and is extraordinarily powerful. Willpower comes from the frontal lobe. It’s like a mouse fighting an elephant.
“Bo Jackson never played a down of football in his life”
It’s not pretending who you want to be, its “activating” who you want to be.
What happens when you get stuck in a “trapped approach"
At your core, you have unlimited possibility - you have to decide and choose WHO you are and WHO is gonna show up to get the results you want.
If something is getting in the way of you doing what you want to do or know you can do - THAT’S being inauthentic
Every single person - even you - has already done this - you’ve already use this idea. You just have to tap back into it.
Playing with ideas is not a bad thing.
What’s the critical difference between being childish and child-like? And why does that matter?
This is about remembering something that’s already inside of you.
Homework: Define what “field of play” it makes the most sense for you to use an Alter Ego in. Start with - what area of life are you most frustrated with?
Homework: What are the traits you most want to bring into that field of play? Is there anyone or anything that already embodies that? A fictional character? A real person? A historical figure? Is there someone that you’re really drawn to? Your mind is constantly telling stories - if you tap into an existing story that’s already been written - you harness the power of it. Ask yourself - how can you ACTIVATE that?
Thank you so much for listening!
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Show Notes, Links, & Research
[Personal Site] Todd Herman
[Book] The Alter Ego Effect: The Power of Secret Identities to Transform Your Life by Todd Herman
[Article] One Self or Many Selves? by Gregg Henriques Ph.D.
[Article] A Multiple Self Theory of the Mind by David Lester
[Journal Article] Enclothed cognition by Hajo Adam and Adam D.Galinsky