Build an alter ego to unleash hidden reserves

By the time you’ve struggled through countless failures and outlasted every plate-loading, uphill sprint, it dawns on you: your own doubts have boxed you in more than any external obstacle. So you summon another you—call it your alter ego—someone unconquerable, hungry, relentless. You give it a name. In my case, I dubbed mine "Goggins," the grim-faced lab rat who refused to die. Then you list its qualities: unstoppable will, coiled like a spring; laser focus, never side-tracked; genuine hunger for suffering, turning pain into power. Next, you anchor that persona with a simple ritual—say, a rapid glance at your wristwatch and a whispered mantra. When you feel your old self teetering, gasping in the kill zone of self-pity or fear, you echo Goggins’s name and step into those traits. Suddenly, you find more oxygen, more muscle, more everything. It feels like you’re running on stolen adrenaline, and people wonder how you flipped the switch. Psychologists call this identity priming: when you invoke a powerful self-image, your mind and body rise to match it. It’s not magic, though it plays like it. It’s the art of recruiting your own hidden reserves.

Pick a name that captures your strongest self. List three traits you need—unshakeable resolve, pinpoint focus, raw drive. Link them to real moments when you shone. Create a pre-task ritual—an armband click or whispered cue—so your mind knows to shift gears. Next time you hit the wall, call on your persona. Watch your performance soar.