Do you channel an alter ego?
On Beyoncé's Sasha Fierce and others
The topic of an alter ego recently came to mind as I was nervously preparing for a big work event that felt very out of my comfort zone. There wasn’t someone then that I could channel, but it got me thinking about how emulating someone’s behavior in situations where your natural instincts fall short can be a way to get the results you want. Did you know that even Beyonce has an alter ego named Sasha Fierce used exclusively as her stage persona? “Beyoncé affirmed that her alter ego is strictly for the stage, with the editor describing Sasha Fierce as the singer's sensual, aggressive alter ego.”
For example if I’m doing a big public speaking engagement, maybe I want to channel Kamala Harris. Then it won’t be me -intimidated and nervous- up on that big stage, but a presidential candidate who has decades of public appearances under her belt and a calm, confident way of speaking.
If I’m trying to negotiate a salary, it might be Chris Voss of hostage negotiation fame.
When I’m interviewing for a job, I want to keep someone who’s a level above me in mind so I can channel their confidence. How would they respond to the question?
I’m currently training for a 10K and there’s a similar concept in running as well. It’s called speed runs and it’s where you run at different paces (your 5K pace—moderately fast, 10K pace— slower, 1 mile pace—much faster, etc.) for short periods of time. The theory is that you program both your mind and your body how to move at different speeds. That you are fully capable of ramping up and ramping down—that, as my guided training run says, there are many different runners inside of you.
Similarly, I believe we have many different personas within us as well. We certainly have a default one, but that doesn’t mean we can’t stretch in certain ways as the situation demands. If we do it enough, eventually we may even begin to build up that muscle in a way that feels more natural to us. And just because I’m channeling Kamala doesn’t mean that I become Kamala or a totally different person—it just means I’m me, but with a little something extra.
Share with someone who could use a little boost in the form of an alter ego and I’d love to hear for my own inspiration…do you have a Sasha Fierce? When do you deploy them?
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