Act As If Your Hero Is Watching

We all have our moments...

Where we lack self-discipline and negotiate with ourselves about a commitment we make...

Where we feel the urge to cut corners even though we know there are consequences to it...

When we lose self-control in conversations, in our choices, and in our emotions that lead that’s out of integrity with who we want to be.

There’s nothing wrong with you, or me, or anyone who goes through this. It’s in our human nature where psychologically the unconscious mind is trying to convince us to conserve energy and stay comfortable, and it’s a constant battle to override it.

However, something that's really effective at overcoming those forces is having other people watch you. It’s called “the audience effect”. It works because it taps into our unconscious mind’s desire to be accepted and seen positively within a group, and causes us to show up with more discipline and conviction than we otherwise would by ourselves.

But I want to take that a step further. Rather than the observer being someone random, imagine that your hero was watching. The person whose opinion you care a lot about, whose respect you want to earn, and who can tell the difference between you applying yourself and going through the motions.

When you bring that person’s perspective to mind, it illuminates the path forward. You’re less willing to convince yourself of doing anything that’s less than your best, because your heroes demand excellence. It injects clarity and awareness for what you need to do, and helps you muster up the motivation required to follow through on it.

This is especially helpful in a moment of laziness, uncertainty, or distraction. When you catch yourself doing something out of alignment, the thought of what your hero would say in that moment will drive you to change. You notice that you’re mindlessly scrolling social media and get back on schedule. You’re procrastinating a workout, so you get right to it. You pull yourself out of a research rabbit hole and get back to work on the project.

You can use this technique by simply asking yourself “What would my hero be thinking about me and my choices in this moment?” the next time you’re off-track. Even though it’s fake, it adds a perspective that works better than you think it would.

That is, as long as you pick the right heroes whose values match yours, and who appreciate that holistically healthy, successful, present, impactful life you see for yourself.