Are you someone that struggles with forming new habits? Do you start off on a role and then over time the habit slow slips away? I sure am but I found a hack that has allowed for me to see my habits through. I have changed my focus from outcome-based habits which I did not know I was always doing to identity-based habits. What is the difference you might ask? Well, take a listen and find out.
Are you someone that struggles with forming new habits? Do you start off on a role and then over time the habit slow slips away? I sure am but I found a hack that has allowed for me to see my habits through. I have changed my focus from outcome-based habits which I did not know I was always doing to identity-based habits. What is the difference you might ask? Well, take a listen and find out.
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Well, hello and welcome to make it a great day. The power of positivity. Riley. Come to you, lad and direct. I hope everyone has been making it a great week. Today's Thursday for me. When you listen to this, who knows what day it might be? But first and foremost, just wanna continue to think everyone for spending the time listening for spending the time rating and for spending the time giving great feedback to ensure that this podcast continues to evolve and just gets better. That's the key, right? Every day we want to get a little bit better. Today's podcast is gonna talk about the power of habits, but really about the power of identity based habits for those of you that may or may not have read, James clears book Atomic habits If you have not highly, highly recommended absolute great book. For those of you that have, there might be some similarities were talking about today. But when it really kind of dive in and really talk about what have it means to me and some of the things that I've been changing lately, that I've really seen some great results with but first and foremost as we always know, it's quote time and we won't stop with the quote. The quote is this. We all need a firm sense of identity. Christopher at Linson. We all need a firm sense of identity. Identity habits. How does that work? Well, I'm glad you asked. When we think about forming a habit and we go about it, I would say the biggest, most mistakes that are usually made around forming habits is we go too big. We try to create something that is so huge in our ecosystem that were kind of bound to fail, because over time it just starts to kind of get old or it's too hard and we give up. You don't usually take it and break it down, which we've talked about before. But I would also say that I think the vast majority of the habits of the things that we set forth for ourselves, our outcome based they're not identity based on what's the difference? Well, great example is this. I want to run a marathon so because I want to run a marathon, I'm going to start training in that marathon is in May. It's February right now, I've got an outcome. My outcome is I'm gonna start running so that I can get to that marathon and complete it. Okay, what's great? But what happens after the outcome? Quote unquote, the marathon is complete. I'm going to keep running. Or did you only do it simply for the fact that you had the marathon and then you're done? If you're wanting to be a runner, I would say that that's gonna be pretty difficult to keep that momentum going because you're outcome is completed. If you just wanted to do it because you just wanted to do that marathon and that's it, you're not gonna run again. But I think that's a perfect scenario. However, if you do want to be that runner and you want to keep that in your life, I would say that wouldn't be the best way to do it. I think what you would need to do instead is think about how you or your identity is around being a runner. Do you identify as a runner? Do you talk about that? And if you go about it like that, yes, there's a marathon that you might run, but you're not running for the marathon. You're running because you're a runner. You've simply put into your mind and started to prime yourself to think about the fact that I'm a runner. It's what I do. It's what I love, and that is what will keep it going. There is no outcome. There's no end date, identity based habits and how we create those habits. They just keep going there, Infinity over and over again. What does identity mean? Identities of distinguishing character or personality of an individual? It's what we identify ourselves, ass. Well, what's a habit we'll have. It is as settled tendency or usual, man your behavior. We'll think about that if the identity is a character, personality and the habit is the tendency in the usual manner of behavior that to kind of work really well together. And if you can truly ally in them together, you kind of hit on. I would say inertia, and so I'll give you a great jump for myself. I have worked really hard over the last two years to become more healthy. No, I haven't had an outcome of what I was trying to do. I knew for me I wanted to identify as being a healthy person because if I'm healthy, I believe that I'll be a better dad. I'll be a better husband and I'll be a better team member. So by doing so, I've really shifted my focus, not around specific outcomes like I'd done in the past where it was weight gain, Wanna drop pounds? We had a, you know, trip coming up and I wanted to look good for the summer. I had everything, usually in my mind, around the outcome, and then I'd get to it and then I just fall apart. So I started really slow, and I just made it simple. One of the first things that I knew I can control is working out. I like to work out. I like the way it makes me feel. And so I started to work out not because of the results I wanted, but because I love to work out, identified at somebody that just literally loves toe work out. It's something that is just 1000% in my brain. It's something that brings me joy every single day, and so because there was no outcome to it, I stopped caring about the outcome. and I just started caring more about my identity. So what is it that you want to do differently? What do you identify with and why is it important to you? How does it become something that's a personality or distinguishing character for yourself and then later, the habit in? So think about it. Don't think about outcomes. Think about identity. What do you identify us? Once you do that there is no end date, and I would guess that your habit will stick longer and have a bigger impact on your life. So think about identity versus outcome and just pick something. Keep it simple. Start small, and if identity is your guide, you will stick to it. I hope this has been informative. I love chatting with you. Remember, The power positivity is in your power. You always have the opportunity to make it a great day in Dr Identity habits forward and you will never see them go away.