What would the bravest version of you do right now?

That's the question I've been pondering this week.

It’s come up a couple of times - first while listening to the latest High Performance podcast - a brilliant episode in their Habits series featuring Damian Hughes and Jason Fox., and then again while reading Visualise by Maya Raichoora (one of my favourite books of 2025 so far).

In both, they talked about something called The Batman Effect - a simple but powerful mindset technique that helps people show up with more confidence, clarity, and focus in moments that matter.

The idea comes from research led by psychologist Dr Rachel White. She found that when children imagined themselves as someone else (like Batman or Dora the Explorer), they stayed on task longer, managed their emotions better, and made more deliberate decisions. Further research shows it works for adults too.

The psychology behind it is called self-distancing.

By creating a bit of mental distance, thinking about what someone else would do, or what you would do in the third person, we can take the heat out of the moment and make clearer choices.

"What would Batman do?"

It’s not really about superheroes. It’s about perspective.

Instead of asking “Can I do this?”, you ask:

“What would Batman do?” or, if you aren't into the idea of superheroes, “What would the bravest version of me do right now?”

You’re not pretending. You’re giving yourself access to a mindset you already have, just one that’s braver, bolder, more grounded, or more focused.

Beyoncé created her alter ego Sasha Fierce to perform with confidence she didn’t always feel.

Adele followed suit with Sasha Carter, a blend of Beyoncé’s alter ego and country legend June Carter, to help her manage stage fright.

And me? I’ve got my own version that helps me switch up my mindset when I need to.

A version of me that’s clear, courageous, and ready to take action, even when it feels easier to delay or play small.

It’s often not about time. It’s about identity.

I see this play a lot in leadership sessions and in building my own business.

We put things off, not because we don’t care or aren’t ready, but because we don’t quite see ourselves as the kind of person who does that thing.

And that’s where mindset matters. That’s where questions like “What would the braver version of me do?” can help shift the moment.

Sometimes that version of me sends the proposal, or speaks up in the meeting, or has that difficult conversation, or stops over-preparing and just gets started.

A question worth sitting with

So that’s the question I’m sitting with this week and maybe it’s one you’ll find useful too:

What are you putting off… that the braver version of you would already have done?

And what would it look like to act from that place, even just a little more often?

I’d love to hear your thoughts Have you ever created a mindset or alter ego to help you move forward?

#BatmanEffect #MindsetShift #LeadershipDevelopment #GrowthConsulting #AlterEgo #SelfLeadership #Courage #HighPerformance