I, Fembot
Hello, world. Meet Fembot. No, sorry! I am not the kind of fembot from Austin Powers with the strategically-placed machine guns. I am a female endurance athlete/machine.
Or at least that’s how I like to imagine myself.
When it comes to striving to achieve a goal, I think it can be helpful to create in your head an idea of who you would like to be, to help visualize achievement of the goal. Therefore, when I became a triathlete, I created Fembot. In my head, Fembot can swim, bike, or run indefinitely. Fembot has an infinite power supply. Fembot is strong, and invincible. When I am racing or training and having a rough patch, thinking “I am Fembot” can keep me mentally in the game, so I can continue with confidence – not self-doubt.
An example of a situation where I have seen this concept employed with success is at throughth3wall.com. The blogger created the persona “IronWil” because she wanted to become an Ironwoman triathlete, and IronWil represented who she wanted to be. Yes, she had to log a lot of training miles, endure failures, and find her way. But I have no doubt that the creation of the idea of IronWil contributed to “Wil” becoming an ironwoman.
I’ve nicknamed one of my triathlete friends, “Sherpa.” The nickname was inspired by the book, Hyperfitness, by Sean Burch. Burch classifies athletes into three categories, Trekkers, Climbers, and Sherpas (novice, intermediate, and expert). (I would note that all three categories use positive labels, but Sherpa in particular evokes an image of someone who is extremely fit, and “hyperstrong,” to use Burch’s terminology.) “Sherpa” has been making major changes in her life to become more fit, eat more healthfully, and find serenity within. She is not a Sherpa yet – as Burch defines it – but a Sherpa is what she wants to be and where she is headed. I have the confidence that she will indeed climb her very own Everest.
