It’s Time For You To Be Your Own Hype Man

Being your own “hype man” means being unapologetic about what you want, cheering for yourself and creating the momentum you need to pursue your dream life.

His or her job is also to keep the momentum going during the show, especially during the down times like wardrobe or set changes. Hype men usually work the side of the stage the MC isn’t, yelling classic lines like “Throw ya hands in the air!”

These call and response strategies to get the crowd motivated first originated in Hip-Hop back in the ’80s by early hype men Creole and MC Cowboy from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

You may not be Cardi B., Nicki , or Missy, but pursuing your career, dreams and personal goals requires the same level of boldness, momentum and self-confidence that can only be described as HYPE!

This is about absorbing the “hype man” energy and incorporating it into your heart and routine. Think about it—if you don’t believe in yourself, how will anyone else?

Being your own hype man is about learning strategic ways to champion yourself and embodying the type of  self-love that will allow you to be confident in your own skin, your own voice and your own perspective.

Being your own hype man is about riding for yourself. It is about cheering yourself on and believing in your own abilities.

It is also about moving beyond the insecurities and doubts that are holding you back and preventing you from running towards everything you have ever wanted in life with reckless abandon!

Being your own hype man means not hating yourself, not dunking on your potential, being unapologetic and encouraging yourself to move forward — even when times are tough and the crowd gets quiet.

Ready to hype yourself up? Peep the list below!

Think of this as a qualifying round to becoming your own hype man. It requires that you pretend that you really are a badass.

Fake it till you make it is about pretending that you know that you are enough, worthy or that you deserve to be in the room or have a seat at the table.

Even if you feel terrible, ugly or utterly useless—find the courage to just pretend that you don’t and act accordingly.

Ask yourself: how would someone who believes they deserve (x, y, z) act and then behave as such. Approach this like a game, like playacting or trying out a costume. Simply embodying this role will help you explore your own confidence and potential.

If embodying the role and “faking it” just isn’t your jam you can attempt to find confidence and strength through positive affirmations.

This is because being your own hype man can happen through tons of different techniques—be visual, unorthodox and embrace creative ideas such as posters, signs, screensavers or mantras that acknowledge and affirm your own value. This comes out of the ‘seeing is believing’ concept.

One of the points made in the career book, The Memo is that in order to up level your career, it’s important to curate your circle. In the book, author Minda Harts calls it building out your “Top 8” or your career board of directors.

Take inventory of your circle. Are they hype enough? The fastest way to face plant your hype man mentality is to be around people who are not serving you.

People who are toxic, Debbie-downers, or those who do not want the best for themselves and by extension, do not want the best for you.

Being your own hype man is to cultivate friendships and mentorships with people who support you, people who see your potential and what you have to offer and therefore want to see you manifest that potential. If you don’t currently have people like that in your life or circle, seek them out.

Being your own hype man requires passion and energy. Identify what ignites you, what is interesting or meaningful to you (or at least doesn’t bore you out of your mind) and channel your hype in that direction.

For example, if you’re trying to be your own health and wellness hype man and torturing yourself into doing weight-lifting and sprints, find a different fitness activity that you actually enjoy or at least don’t hate.

This will make the actual task of hyping yourself towards your goal easier. It allows the hype man activity to be a fluid and organic process when your heart and mind are engaged.

This is the true mission of being your own hype man—to treat yourself as you would somebody you are attempting to help or mentor. Try to appraise yourself objectively. What feedback or advice would you give yourself? What moves would you instruct yourself to make?

Frequently answering these questions for yourself is a motivational practice that encourages you to be strategic, self-aware and personally encouraging.

Being your own hype man and treating yourself as someone you want to help can be as simple as switching up your perspective. Instead of labeling missteps, shortcomings or personal insecurities as failures—find ways to recognize the value in these experiences.

Landing a job and then realizing you dislike or are not good at the position is not actually a setback, because you discovered more about yourself and what you don’t want to do.

Approaching your life decisions from this standpoint is one way to be your own hype man; it prevents you from spiraling into negative thought patterns and forces you to re-frame weaknesses or failures as opportunities.

These tips and ideas are simply a jumping off point to finding and igniting you hype man stride. Experiment. Try incorporating these practices in your daily thought patterns and routines.

But do so with the full knowledge that all the HYPE—all the badassery, momentum and shine you need to succeed—cannot be found externally, but internally.

It already exists within you. Being your own hype man is about unleashing what is already inside you. How do you hype yourself up?

THIS PIECE WAS WRITTEN BY SADIE STEPHENS AND ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON SCORE.