The Tribe of You

When you think about yourself, you think "I" right? You think of yourself as a singular, whole being. One person. One unit. One entity.

That's how most of us think about ourselves. In truth, though, each of us is not a single "I" but a whole tribe of archetypes that use the same body to express ourselves. You are not actually you. You are the Tribe of You. There are many of you.

Interesting to think about, isn't it? You can verify this in your own experience by thinking about a New Year's resolution. Suppose one of "you" made the resolution to lose weight. All is well and good until you encounter fresh hot donuts at work. Then another of "you" takes control of your body, smells that fresh donut scent, and without another thought eats one! Whoa! What just happened to your resolution?

Fifteen minutes later, the "you" that made the resolution bubbles to the surface and notices that you've eaten a donut. Then the "guilt and shame you" comes in and starts with the guilt trip. Are you seeing a pattern here?

Each "you" in the Tribe of You has a different agenda, and you will act according to many agendas during your day, depending on which "you" has control at the moment.

How can you get a grip on yourself so you can achieve your chosen goals without causing tribal warfare? The first step is to realize that most of the time you are not yourself. Here's a simple way to clarify this:

1. Choose a goal that one of "you" has set. It should be one that lasts for at least two weeks (and maybe one that you've had trouble achieving).

2. Observe your thoughts and actions very carefully during those two weeks. Every time one of "you" has thoughts or proposes actions that are contrary to that goal, say to yourself, "This is not I."

3. Briefly jot down the situation and thought or action.

4. At the end of two weeks, review your list. Notice how many different versions of "you" there are related to your goal.

You might be surprised how many of you are part of the Tribe of You. Does this shed light on why achieving certain goals is so difficult?


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How To Live Your Hero's Life

Do you have a personal hero you really look up to? Would you like to be more like that person in your own life? You can. At the very least, you can begin to develop the abilities and attributes that you love in your hero in your own life.

When we see someone whom we'd like to emulate, what we're seeing is that person's archetype. We all wear archetypes around all the time. Most of us have separate archetypes for work, home life, family time, and play time. Archetypes are energy programs that have specific behaviors, attitudes, ways of talking, and abilities.

If you'd like to emulate your hero's archetype, the good news is that it's not that difficult. Two of the easiest ways to bring that archetype into your life are to either appear or act like that archetype.

Look at your hero and note a couple of key characteristics about his or her appearance. Is there something about you hero's hair, mode of dress, makeup, or expressions that really jumps out at you? Bring those appearance characteristics into your own life. For instance, if you're hero always wears large chunky jewelry, try that on for size. Or if your hero is often casually dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, try that on. Practice their facial expressions in the mirror to get the feeling of them.

You can also bring your hero's actions or choices into your life. In any given situation, ask yourself, "What would my hero do or say in this situation?" Begin to speak and act like your hero. You might have to do some research to find out more about your hero before you can answer this question thoroughly.

Once you "key in" to your hero's actions or appearance, you will also bring all of your hero's other abilities and attributes into your life. In effect, you're "wearing" your hero around in your own life. It sounds a little wacky at first, but you'll see that it can be very effective.

One last thing...make sure you have a way to get back to yourself. Use a specific word, expression, appearance or action that is unique to your everyday persona as a way to "key in" to your own everyday personality. For instance, if you use the expression "Cool beans!" a lot, you can use this as a way to return to yourself. You want to wear your hero around at chosen times, but you still want to be able to be yourself as well!

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