It might sound like something out of a Hollywood script, but Main Character Syndrome is a very real phenomenon that affects a whole lot of people and in this post I want to ask you this..
Are you actually the main character in your story? Or do you just think you are…?
So what is Main Character Syndrome?
Main Character Syndrome (MCS) is the term that’s been given to those people (and we all know them, I bet as you’re reading this you can think of more than 1), that believe they are the protagonist of any situation they find themselves in. Every conversation, scenario & story somehow comes back to them like they’re the main character in a movie. They see themselves as the central figure in every scene.
And like being in a movie, they have this undeniable sense of optimism that it is somehow going to all work out in the end. But spoiler alert. It doesn’t. Life rarely works that way unless we MAKE IT work that way & here’s where the idea of Main Character Syndrome really resonated with me.
Actual Main Characters vs. Sidekicks
Have you seen that movie “Free Guy” with Ryan Reynolds where he thinks he’s the main character when in actuality, he’s actually just a background dude until the moment he decides to take the outcomes into his own hands?
That’s where someone actually becomes a main character. Have you ever noticed that many of people in your lives that have “main character energy” often seem to have some sort of grievance where things seem to always happen TO them & not FOR them? That’s because whilst they exude main character energy, they are actually just the sidekicks in their own stories. They don’t take control of their outcomes.
In the movie, he self-reflects, realises he has to make a change & does so, working towards his goals. He becomes the actual main character – no longer the random guy in the background.
Owning your Goals & Outcomes
For me, ensuring that you’re the main character in your story is closely tied to your goal setting & what actions you take to achieve your outcomes.
In a movie, every main character has to BECOME someone or something to achieve their goals. Peter Parker has to become Spiderman, Bruce Wayne has to become Batman. So ask yourself this question..
Who do I need to become to achieve my goals?
If as a recruiter you want to become a million $$ biller and you’ve never achieved that before, you are 100%, batsh*t CRAZY if you think you will become a million $$ biller by being the same person you are now. No. You have to become someone who operates like a million $$ biller, someone who has the habits & mentality of that person. You have to take control in order to produce the outcome that you want.
This could mean you have to…
- Become the recruiter that starts before everyone else to be the first to a candidate.
- Become the recruiter that’s super consistent with their marketing, advertising & sourcing routines.
- Become the recruiter who makes it their top priority to meet all their clients face to face & build incredible relationships.
- Become the recruiter who doesn’t stop resourcing a role until they have a minimum of 3 top-grade candidates for it (and then goes and finds those candidates 3x other options).
If you’re someone who wants to retire a millionaire, who do you need to become now to make that happen? The person that just keeps doing what they’re doing without a thought for the future? Or the person who invests, buys property & makes their money work for them?
In the movies things might just magically work out okay in the end but in real life, you have to create that ending. Who do you need to become to get the ending that you want?
