This week in the Journal Garden, we’re building on our April theme, “Imagine,” to playfully inhabit alter egos in our writing. This alter ego is a version of yourself that you don't normally express — for example, your extroverted side if you consider yourself an introvert, your wild side if you lean methodical, or your boss mode if you tend to defer.
Your alter ego can be anyone that sounds interesting to you, as long as there is some key difference between the traits you assign to this character and those you normally associate with yourself. Consider:
What alternative version of yourself would be interesting to explore?
What would this person do, waking up in your circumstances?
What would motivate them?
What would they ignore?
You might find your alter ego in a younger you or in a prior setting. You could dream up a person you wish to be. Or you could invent your evil twin for this exercise. The idea is to make it interesting, so pick any concept that intrigues you.
Because I lean hermit in my current incarnation, I’ll be playing with an extroverted Elisabeth in my journal. I can start by drawing on my high school self, who lived for parties if you can believe it. I want to remember how it feels to love going out into the world and meeting people, because life is bringing some interesting chances to do that, and I want to embrace it.
What would be fun for you to explore? Who is your most intriguing alter ego?
What name would give this alternative version of you?
If you’re curious about what your alter ego has to say, jump in for your two-week free trial at journalgarden.mn.co. We bring together journaling prompts, tools, and live sessions to inspire more “Aha!” moments of clarity, peace, and joy.