Role Models – a slightly different approach

Posted by John on Jul 27, 2011 in build self-confidence | 4 comments

The Purpose:

To help you to identify and rehearse undeveloped ability and explore your potential and build self-confidence.

The Process:

Do you have a role model? If not, then think of someone. They may be celebrities, or fictional characters; they need not even be alive. However they must be someone who has characteristics that you admire or wish you had. What are these qualities that you wish you had?

1. Imagine how your role model might behave on a fundamental level, for example how might they walk, stand or sit down. Try and emulate them.

2. Once you have established how they move and sit, think of a phrase that they might say. Take on the persona of your hero and if you are alone talk to them in the mirror. If you have someone else with you then have a chat with them (retaining the persona of your role model). In both cases use the words and expressions that you role model would use and behave as if you were really them.

3. Now reflect back and consider a situation in the past that didn’t go too well for you. This can be from work, home or any social situation. What was it about it that you remember about the negativity of the outcome? Play out the scene in your head.

4. If the situation were to arise again, what would you like the outcome to be? Then re run the situation, only this time act it out as your role model. Pay particular attention to the perspective they would have on the situation. How would they feel? Let this stimulate your reaction.

5. How positive was the outcome this time? How did it feel and how did you deal with it as your role model? Enjoy the warm feeling of success.

6. You then need to ask yourself whether you were actually ‘acting’ as your role model or if you were uncovering some hidden attributes to your own personality. Strange as it may have felt, it could just be simply because you were not used to behaving in this way.

Try this again for other situations you’ve found ‘yourself’ in that had a less than positive outcome for you. With practice, by assuming the qualities of your role model that you’d like to have, in time they will become the qualities that ‘you’ really do have.