Main Character Energy

How pretending you are the main character of the movie that is your life can unlock a power within.

Hi, I’m Reid! I write about my life experiences and how we can all live in brave new ways. Dare You is an entirely reader-supported publication. To receive weekly posts and support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the idea of “Main Character Energy.” To me, a person with main character energy doesn’t put anyone else on a pedestal. They strive to be the best version of themselves rather than aiming for perfection. The bar of their success is set by them alone, and not by societal standards. They march to the beat of their own drum and follow their heart. They look at challenges and setbacks as just thickening the plot of the movie that is their life. Everything happens FOR them rather than TOO them.  Uncertainty is embraced and used as a cannon to shoot them into their next chapter in the unknown. They recognize that in life, everything is perfectly imperfect, and thats what makes it interesting. By choosing to look at their life like it’s a movie, and themself as the main character, everything becomes brighter and even heartache becomes bearable.

Is one just born with main character energy, or can it be a conscious decision to cultivate the mindset that allows you to live life in that way? I think both! For me personally, there are times when I effortlessly feel this way about myself and my life. It feels like everything is in flow. And then there are other times when I feel completely and utterly hopeless, and I have to remind myself to snap back into alignment….easier said than done sometimes. Like last week, I was having a day… you know, A DAY. By 11a.m., I already felt stressed and defeated. I decided to get out of the house and grab some lunch. As I turned on my car and opened up Spotify to turn on some music, a new playlist popped up called “My life is a movie” which was compiled of all my most listened to songs. I pressed play and was immediately reminded of two things. One, I usually always feel more at home in myself when I’m listening to music on a regular basis. Lately, I’ve been choosing to listen to a podcast while I’m on a walk or in the car, which is fine because I love podcasts, but there is something about music that allows you to define different times in your life by a set of songs or an album. Music is a big tool in romanticizing your own life. And Two, the title of the playlist being “My life is a movie” was a great reminder that when I choose to look at my life as such, the frustrating and challenging times feel manageable because I know I’ve been in them before and always come out the other side to something wonderful. I felt a massive shift just driving in my car listening to music and refocusing my energy. Point being, sometimes it takes effort to step back into main character energy, but it is always available to you.

The truth is, when I sat down to write this essay yesterday, I was having trouble tapping in and getting into the flow that usually occurs when I write. After staring at a blank screen on my computer for almost an hour, I was frustrated.  Then I remembered that acting like you are the main character of your own movie is all about mindset. I realized I was having trouble tapping in because I myself was not in my own main character energy. I set my computer aside and decided to go for a walk. While I was walking, I began to think about the philosopher and mythologist Joseph Campbell’s work and his idea of “The hero’s journey.” The Hero’s Journey is an archetype and story template where the main character (our hero) sets out on an adventure and on his journey encounters great trials, challenges, and opportunities for growth that might feel painful at the time in order to complete the journey victorious. The Hero’s journey is at the center of many of the most prolific books and films but can also be applied to our own lives. Whenever it feels like we can’t seem to catch a break in life and are facing challenge after challenge, what if we were just in the thick of our hero’s journey and learning the lessons we need to become victorious?

By choosing to embrace The Hero’s Journey and radiate main character energy, we are tapping into a power within that allows us to push through whatever adversity we may face. At the end of the day, all we have is our own experience in life. Personally, I want to enjoy my life and not feel like I am constantly under the pressure to keep up with society’s standards of perfection. I want to follow my gut and live my truth, which might get me into some challenging situations at times, but aren’t the challenges the stuff that makes the movie of my life juicy?

How can you step into your main character energy today?

-Reid