The James Bond Personality & Mindset - How You Need to Think to Become Like 007
In my last article, we covered the skillset that makes James Bond the most capable man in Hollywood. But that was only part one in a 3-part series.
In this article – part 2 – we’re going to look at who 007 is in more intimate detail – the personality traits and mindsets that make him who he is.
If you’ve ever wondered how you could build a James Bond personality of your own, this is the perfect place to start.
So with that in mind, let’s dive in and look at some of the different traits that make up our favourite super spy.
The James Bond Personality Traits
Fearlessness
Let’s start this article where the previous one finished – with James Bond’s seeming lack of fear.
Movie after movie, Bond is routinely thrust into the most fear-inducing situations imaginable, and barely reacts at all. Heights, bullets, torture, and even something a little more relatable for the common man – talking to beautiful women – all of them are everyday activities for 007, and so he engages in them with barely a care in the world.
Despite how unattainable this lack of fear might seem, the previous sentence holds the key. Repetition is the fear killer. The more you’re exposed to something, the less afraid it’ll make you.
With that in mind, the best way for you to develop courage is to regularly and deliberately expose yourself to the things that frighten you.
Psychologists call this practice Exposure Therapy. You start by exposing yourself to a small, watered-down piece of what frightens you and then gradually increase the exposure, much like slowly submerging yourself in a hot bath.
To provide an example, someone who has a fear of spiders could follow these steps, sticking with each until the fear level diminishes:
Looking at photos of spiders
Staying in the same room as a spider (healthy distance away)
Holding a spider
I’ve only included three steps to keep it simple but in reality, you could have many more, with tiny jumps in difficulty between each. The idea here is twofold:
First: The next level of difficulty never feels unobtainable or significantly more difficult than the previous.
And second: But you’re still able to see substantial results over time as long as you keep progressing upwards.
If you start employing Exposure Therapy in the ways outlined above, you should be able to whittle down most of your fears over time.
Confidence
Just like we mentioned above, one of the most immediately evident parts of James Bond’s personality is how he seems to be emotionally unaffected by just about everything.
On the flip side of his lack of fear is his extreme confidence. In a sense, they’re yin and yang. He’s unafraid because he’s confident he can handle the situation, and he’s confident he can handle the situation because he’s unafraid. It’s this combination that allows him to take risks and continually come out on top.
The prescription here is quite similar to above. Forget about the confidence hacks you see online – power poses and mantras might give you a temporary boost, but the real confidence comes from doing the work.
You become confident in your job, not by delivering a heartfelt speech to yourself in the bathroom mirror, but by putting hours into learning and practising your work-related tasks. Kobe Bryant was so confident because of the hours he spent on the court practising.
Intelligence
Although there’s seemingly nothing we can do to boost our IQ, there’s still plenty we can learn from Bond’s high levels of intelligence. In particular, let’s focus on how he collects and uses information.
Being able to effectively collect and use information is a massive advantage in almost every field you can think of. Which means you need to constantly find and absorb new information that’s relevant to your goals.
The last bit is key here. Bond doesn’t waste time reading about the Kardashian’s latest exploits. He focuses on information that’s directly relevant to his mission – You should do the same. Read books, listen to podcasts, and talk to experts in whatever fields you’re pursuing. Do this constantly and consistently, and watch the results flood in.
Independence
Although Bond is capable of working alongside others when necessary, he does his best work solo.
However, this lone wolf mentality only works for him because of how capable he is. He never needs anyone else’s help because he’s got the skills to manage everything himself.
To develop this in your own life, it once again comes back to building skills. Learn how to handle all the different aspects of your life effectively. Learn how to cook, change a tire, do some basic construction, and so on.
Of course, we also need to talk about the flipside here. Independence is romanticised in the modern world, but it’s not always a good thing. It’s very possible to prioritise independence, not out of the desire to be a more effective human, but out of a fear of getting too close to others.
It’s here that we touch on one of Bond’s flaws – his unresolved abandonment issues, stemming from the early death of his parents.
This is an important balance to keep in mind. You absolutely should spend time trying to become more capable and self-sufficient, but I don’t recommend retreating into a bubble the way Bond does.
It’s far better to try to develop self-sufficiency while also building a range of healthy relationships. Allow yourself to experience the best of both worlds.
Drive
Unlike most normal people, Bond doesn’t ever seem to struggle with a lack of motivation. On the contrary, he seems utterly driven to achieve his goals at all hours of the day.
This isn’t to say he doesn’t take breaks or have time off – we routinely see him enjoying the comforts of alcohol and beautiful women. But he only spends time on these things when the mission permits. When he has some kind of downtime.
The point I’m making is that we never see Bond battling with procrastination or trying to pull himself away from his phone.
Partly, this is the kind of perfection that can only exist within a fictional character – to be human is to be tempted by notifications and dopamine hits. But it’s definitely possible for us to craft our lives in a way that leads to more drive and less distraction.
With that in mind, here are a few simple ways you can start taking back some control immediately:
Make your phone less enticing by uninstalling apps, using grayscale to remove colour, and leaving it in a different room so that it’s less convenient to check.
Tackle the more difficult and less appealing tasks on your to-do list first thing in the morning when your motivation is at its highest. Save the more enjoyable tasks for later in the day. Being tired won’t matter as much if you’re looking forward to the activity.
Practice pairing difficult tasks with some kind of reward. If you enjoy listening to podcasts or music, pairing that with your evening cardio can be a great way to make it seem more enticing.
And there you have it.
Hopefully, this article has given you a few nuggets to help you think and act more like Bond in your day-to-day life.
Of course, we’re not done yet. In the next article, we’ll talk about what not to copy – Bond’s character flaws, the elements that make him a more appealing character and a less effective role model.
Stay tuned.