Change Your Identity, Change Your Life: The Power of Aligning Habits and Mindset
Changing your identity is a powerful way to achieve success in any area of your life. Whether you want to become a fitness enthusiast, a successful business person, or a better husband or father. The key to changing the way you think about yourself is to align your daily habits with the person you want to become.
One of the most effective ways to change your identity is to define the person you want to be. It can be difficult to search for the answer by looking within and telling yourself what you want to change. You are essentially exposing yourself to your flaws and that can be counter productive. Remember there are plenty of reasons to like who you are so be sure to point out what you DON’T want to change as well.
Still having difficulty? Try thinking about a person or people you admire or look up to. Could be a friend, parent, co-worker or even a celebrity. What is it that you admire about them? Chances are you admire them because they possess attributes that you would like to see in yourself.
Once you’ve established the ways you want your identity to change, the next step is to align your habits with that identity. Study the people you admire in order to determine what their habits might look like. Even better… ASK THEM! There is nothing wrong with being inspired by others. If one of the traits you admire about that person is their physical condition and you want to improve your own, then look at the habits of that person and incorporate them into your own life. If you change your habits you will inevitably become the version of yourself you aspire to be. You don’t have to ask The Rock if he works out, the proof is obvious. If you want to look like a person who works out regularly, this means setting aside time each day to exercise, planning your meals to support your fitness goals, and surrounding yourself with people who share your interest in fitness. Success leaves clues and the more people around you on the same journey or even ahead of you on theirs, the more you will learn about what it takes to become the person you want to be.
It's also important to note that, changing your identity is not only about changing habits, but also about developing the mindset of the person you want to be. If you want to be in great physical condition, it means developing discipline, perseverance, and a strong sense of self-motivation.
On this journey there will be setbacks, obstacles and failures along the way, but the only way you truly fail is when you quit. Remember that changing your identity is a gradual process and it takes time, but with consistency, patience and perseverance, you can achieve your goals.
Once you achieve your goals, there will be one more test to see if you truly have changed your identity. Many people can change their identity for a short period of time in order to achieve goals, but if you stop once you’ve achieved them, did you ever truly change your identity? Reaching goals should be a byproduct of your identity. They are results from the habits that make you who you are. The goals are not the objective, the habits are.
When your identity and habits are aligned, you are unstoppable. You become who you want to be because it is who you are.