The Open Secrets to Building the Life You Want
The Two-Step Process to Changing Your Identity
Take this sentence as a prompt to take just 4 minutes to read this to the end. Even if you just skim through, as today’s episode hold
very important insights at this junction I’m saying Hello 👋. If you’re reading this on a Sunday evening, I sure hope you know tomorrow is Monday! 😆
Today we'll be picking up from where we left off. I began a series 4 episodes ago based on the book Atomic Habits, and I’m breaking it down into sizable chunks you and I can digest and implement.
Recapping Previous Episodes
So far we have discussed why atomic habits work and explained the importance of habits as the building blocks of our life. We also established that identity change is the most effective and long-term type of behavioral change.
I’ve written the series in such a way that you can read any part and it would make sense on its own, but reading all the episodes will give you the bigger picture. Check the resource section for the links.
The Two-Step Process to Changing Your Identity
Your identity emerges out of your habits. You are not born with preset beliefs. Every belief, including those about yourself, is learned and conditioned through experience.
Let me put it more precisely: your habits are how you embody your identity. When you make your bed each day, you embody the identity of an organized person. When you write each day, you embody the identity of a creative person.
My Personal Experience
When I was younger I didn't consider myself a writer. Even when I started to write, I never considered myself a writer. But I’ve been writing a newsletter for a year now and each time I put out an episode I reinforce that. I didn't start as one but I became that through my habits.
In this way, the process of building habits is actually the process of becoming yourself.
How Identity Change Actually Happens
We do not change by snapping our fingers and deciding to be someone entirely new. It just doesn't work that way. This might be a good time to chip in my background in biology and education and to stylishly inform you about my obsession with neuroscience!
The brain is not able to instantly build up neural pathways for habits and experiences. Instead, it takes time and repetition to build and keep these habit pathways. I kid you not, each new experience or information you create and reinforce literally creates new neural pathways and networks!
The gist of the information is that, each habit is like a suggestion: “Hey, maybe this is who I am.” , every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.
But as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.
Habits Lead to Identity Change
Putting this all together, you can see that habits are the path to changing your identity.
The most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do.
New identities require new evidence. If you keep casting the same votes every single time, you’re going to get the same results, You will keep getting the same results if nothing changes.
Two Steps to Change
All this we have talked about starts with a simple two step process:
Decide the type of person you want to be.
Prove it to yourself with small wins.
🪜Practical step
1️⃣ Close your eyes, Take Two slow deep beath to reset your Nervous System
2️⃣ As yourself “What kind of person do I want to become?
3️⃣ Take one deep breath
4️⃣ Open “notes app” on your Phone and Write down what comes to you.
Discovering Your New Identity
First, you need to decide who you want to be. This holds at any level—for us as 9-5ers, are you choosing to enjoy what you do or are you doing what you enjoy?
There is no right or wrong answer. If you can make yourself like what you do now, even if it is not your dream job/career, and you think it will pay off in the long run, then you should continue and go to the next point. But if you don’t see a future in it and would like to do something about it, you need to ask yourself some questions. What do you stand for? What are your principles and values? Who do you want to be?
If you're confused, here is an example guide: Think of the result you would like to achieve, e.g. "I want to switch to tech." Who is the type of person that could switch to tech? The answers to these questions is your starting point. Follow my friend
as he transitioned into tech from a different industry.Key Takeaways
There’s a lot to take in from this deep dive into identity change through habits. The core lesson is that incremental habit change compounds over time to transform who you are. Stick with small wins to build towards your ideal identity.
Next week we are going to finally talk about the four laws of behavioral change. This will act as a live wire for connecting your habits to your new identity.
Kindly leave your questions in the comments! Excited to have you on this journey, How did your week go, I’m interested in hearing all about it.
🪙RESOURCE SECTION
📽️Video of the Week: Runnin' Down a Dream: How to Succeed and Thrive in a Career You Love - Bill Gurley:
📕Book Recommendation :
Atomic Habit- James clear🐦 Follow me on the bird app 👉 Follow Me
🔗Links to Series:
#1
#2
#3
That was it for today. Have a great week and I'll see you next Sunday!
— Dave♦|TheGrowthProject
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