I went recently to a fancy dress party to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Originally, I wanted to go as Super Mario from the computer game of the same name. However, I tried on this costume in the fancy dress shop and, although it was bright, I didn’t feel comfortable – especially as I had to walk through London.
I hunted for a good thirty minutes to find the right costume and I found a replica of the jumpsuit from the film Top Gun. I tried it on and I was fairly pleased with what I saw in the mirror. This was to be my attire for the party.
This got me thinking, “Who would I be if I was Super Mario? Who would I be if I was Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell from Top Gun”? After all, they are two completely different characters and therefore will behave entirely differently. According to Mariowiki (a website dedicated to all the characters in the Super Mario Brothers’ computer games), Super Mario is likely to be a silent character without a distinct personality. Certainly Maverick is more extroverted and possibly more confident.
So ask yourself, “If you were to imagine yourself not necessarily as the character from a film or computer game but as the person you want to be, how would you be different to who you are now?” What would be different in your identity, beliefs, values, capabilities and behaviour? This is in-fact a technique developed by Robert Dilts, which I use to help my clients imagine the person he / she would be without his / her problem.
Visualiation is a powerful tool! Sports professionals often use visualisation techniques to help with their success in their sport. Indeed, musicians and other performers will do so too. The late actor Cary Grant was quoted as saying “I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me.” He epitomises the “fake it ‘till you make it” mentality. It is therefore possible to become the person you want to be through conscious effort.
I hope you can see the benefits of this technique, which is simple but effective, and in time maybe you too will become the person who you want to be. However, some people may have deep rooted limiting beliefs that require professional treatment. If this is you, then contact me to make an appointment or have a look at the other pages in my website to see how I can help you.
