These 7 powerful psychological tools will help you reach your goals at a rapid pace. These are not strategies — they’re techniques. They work best when you already have a sense of direction or purpose. If you know where you’re going, these will show you how to get there — quicker, smarter, and with more clarity. Let’s dive into the first one.
1. Alter Ego
What is it?
The term comes from Latin and translates as “other self”. Initially, it was associated with the idea of friendship, although slowly it acquired the interpretation of a parallel personality.
The Alter Ego technique has been used by many sportsmen and artists. It means adopting the identity of someone else. Think of it as a persona you’ll use to achieve a particular goal. You are not an imposter trying to be someone you are not. You are just using the mask, the image of another person to bring out qualities you already possess.
Why should you use it?
The Alter Ego technique is a powerful confidence enhancer. It’s mostly useful when performing tasks like speaking in front of an audience, winning a game, teaching, and more. This method will inspire you to find inner strength in coping with difficult situations.
How to start using it?
Identify an area of your life where you have problems with confidence and overcoming fear. For example, create an alter ego of an ancient warrior — someone whose identity includes being in shape and training every day. This will help you build the habit of working out regularly. In that case, the alter ego serves you in finding the discipline in you — a virtue that you already possess. It won’t work if you are just copying somebody.
2. Self-Distancing
What is it?
This one is a bit more “spiritual.” Self-distancing means being able to observe yourself from a neutral perspective. The “me” is our ego. It’s our human identity with thoughts, emotions, roles, and labels. And the “I” is the observer of this identity.
Why should you use it?
It helps us to see reality as it is without the illusions of the self.
It urges us to wake up from our automatic behaviors and conditioned thinking. Most human suffering comes from attachments — to people, success, approval and possessions. Observing the “me” frees us from our addictions and attachments.
Self-Distancing can also remove programs that have been fed into our minds since birth. Those are:
religious and cultural beliefs mostly passed down through generations
subconscious affirmations that we or our parents have created for us
Example and Actionable Tip:
If you want to implement this in your everyday life, just do it. Observe yourself from a distance, understand your thoughts, emotions, desires, and attachments. Which of these are inherited and followed blindly?
The next time you argue with someone, just take a moment. Ask yourself why you react emotionally. You’ll be surprised by the relief and happiness that come after removing attachments.
One of the best teachers exploring this topic I’ve come across is Anthony De Mello. You can check his lecture “Awareness” on YouTube.
3. Long- and Short-Term Goals
There are two main groups of goals. Why do we need both of them in order to succeed?
Long-term goals that seem impossible — like building a multi-million dollar company.
Short-term goals — actionable steps that move you toward the high ones.
Long-term goals provide direction and purpose. Short-term goals provide motivation and momentum.
Here is how you implement them:
If you have a main goal in mind, like building a business, you should have a big stack of “whys” behind it. Without a stable foundation, you won’t be able to stay motivated.
Once you already have that, dissect the huge goal into achievable steps. Add specific daily tasks that align with your clear goals. That process will help you enter Flow state and add fuel to your inner motivation.
Your brain is wired to release dopamine after making small wins toward the right direction.
Let’s say you’ve never worked out before, and you want to build a strong, fit body. That’s your long-term goal — but you’re not going to walk into the gym and start deadlifting 200kg on day one.
Instead, start small. Go for a walk. On your first gym session, try one set on each machine. Get used to it.
These small wins will trigger dopamine and build momentum. They’ll reinforce a new identity of someone who works out regularly.
The ideas of using your brain chemistry to fuel your motivation and combining long- and short-term goals are represented beautifully in the book The Art of Impossible by Steven Kotler.
Long and short term planing is strongly connected to our next technique.
4. Flow State
What is it?
Flow is a state of mind in which you are fully immersed in an activity. Your brain is absolutely focused, distractions are ignored, and time seems to fly.
Why seek it?
The Flow state is great for learning or completing your tasks at a rapid pace. It is your Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning. The area of flow is where you would function best given the situation.
Conditions for Flow:
To enter Flow state, the thing you’re doing should be challenging enough to stretch your skills, but not overwhelming. It shouldn’t be too easy — otherwise, you’ll get bored. You have to find the right balance.
Flow is mostly entered during sports, writing, gaming, music, and other art forms. This is why gaming is so addictive. You are completing small tasks toward a bigger goal or you are matched with people around your level in multiplayer games.
Actionable Tip:
Find something you enjoy doing. Make it neither too easy nor too hard. Remove the distractions and do it during your peak time — preferably in the morning.
More on Flow can be found in the books of the guy whose name I cannot pronounce. There is a huge amount of research built on his work, exploring how the brain changes when entering a flow state.
5. Behavioral Experimentation
What is it?
Behavioral experimentation means trying new activities — activities that will put you in an uncomfortable position so you can face your fears. If you doubt yourself and think you can’t do something, you might as well just do it.
Why should you do it?
This method will motivate you to break out of your comfort zone. It will teach you more about yourself. It will help you build confidence and discover new opportunities. Experimentation is something with low risk and high reward. People won’t care if you fail at something. But the amount of experience it will give you is enormous
How to use it:
Identify a limiting belief or fear. Design a small, safe experiment to challenge that belief. Gather data (track your feelings, record results). Evaluate results and adjust your behavior.
Example and Actionable Tip:
If you are struggling with speaking in front of an audience, go ahead and start speaking in front of an audience. If the idea is too overwhelming, begin with small steps in that direction.I was always uncomfortable when I had to present something in school in front of my class. I signed up for a beginner acting class a couple of years ago. At the end of the course, I had to perform in front of a small crowd of strangers. After doing that, public speaking doesn’t seem so obscure to me anymore.
If you feel that you are stagnating and you aren’t happy with your current life, try something radical. Go abroad alone, move to another place. Start a new business and leave your job so you are forced to make it work.
6. Living in the Now
What is it?
Living in the Now means rejecting the concept of psychological time. Psychological time is our minds’ tendency to spend time thinking about the past or the future rather than living completely in the present. Most of our problems exist either in our past or in our relative future. We identify with the suffering created from past events or with the fear of events that haven’t occurred yet.
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.”
— The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Why is it important?
Understanding that we are used to living in anything but the present will break this cycle. And once we do, we’ll start living life instead of letting life live us. Surrendering to the present moment will allow peace, joy, and creativity to naturally arise.
The book dissects this whole concept along with rejecting the ego, consciousness, and stuff like that. Read it.
Become aware of the moment you are either sorry for missed opportunities or worried about the future. Instead of focusing on that, use your time now to create your desired reality.
Here is a challenge for you:
Set a 5-minute timer every day to focus on one thing. It can be your breath, a visual, or a mantra. Make it a habit. Gradually improve the skill of living in the now.
7. Using a Well-Known System
What is it?
This is not the same as blindly following a program. It’s about taking an established method, framework, or principle and applying it differently to make it your own.
Why should you use it?
You are using something that has been proven to work and implementing it through your own unique perspective.We humans don’t like chaos. Bringing a little bit of order — and adjusting it to our own needs — will only enhance our creativity.
“Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought”
You can’t stop using the things that have been proven to work. You can’t stop seeing what others see. But you can think through your own unique perspective. True originality means making subtle changes to known ideas.
For Example:
You can use the editing and speaking style of a YouTuber to create your own videos. You use the same system, but you talk about your favorite topics.
And the good thing is, you can always make adjustments so the system fits you better.
You don’t need to use all these techniques at once. Pick the ones that suit you best — and apply them with intention.
Start by asking yourself: What’s holding me back from becoming the person I aspire to be?
If it’s fear or low confidence, use the Alter Ego and Behavioral Experimentation tactics.
If you’re struggling with discipline or consistency, focus on long- and short-term goal setting, and adopt a proven system that fits your style.If it’s a lack of clarity or inner awareness, explore Self-Distancing and practice Living in the Now.
And once your vision is clear, enter Flow to skyrocket your results.
These 7 techniques are like tools in a personal growth toolbox. You don’t need to master them all at once.
Pick the one that speaks to you the most — and act. Real change happens through action.
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