Shifting Your Identity to the Person You Want to Become

Why is it that sometimes when we're attempting to implement a new habit or lifestyle change into our routine, there seems to be resistance to it? Now when I first started as a trainer in 2020, I didn't think I could be where I am now without believing and visualizing who I wanted to become.

So in that case, what if we shifted the perspective from forcing habits and saying things like "I'm trying to be healthy & live an active lifestyle" into "I am evolving into a person who values their health."

Here's another example, if your goal is to get stronger, instead of saying, “I’m trying to work out more,” tell yourself, “I am someone who prioritizes strength and movement.”

Doesn't that sound more impactful to you?

The power that these phrases hold can truly change the way you think, act, and make decisions.

Guidelines on Identity Shift:

• Create a vision board. Imagination is one thing but our generation is very forgetful. Mental notes never work. When's the last time you made a mental note and remembered it later? Exactly. Instead, what I'd recommend is to create a physical vision board. This vision board is a collage of pictures that align to the person you are becoming, role models you look up to, and quotes/phrases that resonate with you. Once that's made, place it somewhere you can see it everyday. Importantly, this helps you stay on track of the person you are envisioning yourself to be, if you ever get sidetracked or distracted.
• Verbal daily affirmations. I know you may have heard this before or you may be writing these in a journal already. However, there is a major difference from writing it out and actually saying it aloud. First, I'd suggest to write out what you're attempting to manifest. Then say it and say it again. Repeat every single morning for the next 7 days and see what a difference it makes.
• "Birds of a feather flock together." This old saying's meaning provides us that individuals who share similar interests, experiences, backgrounds, beliefs, and personalities typically tend to be around each other most often. In that case, if you're a person that would like to start running or consistently go to the gym to ultimately improve their overall health, being with people that live and breathe by these actions will help you become just like them.
• Cultivate orthogonal networks. To define orthogonal, it's a mathematical term that basically means "not repeating" or perpendicular to the set of things currently being considered. I want you to understand that you don't necessarily need to cut out people in your life that don't align with this new identity of yours but to expand your network. Your orthogonal network.
• To do just that, I want you to think of your current group of close friends that you f*ck with heavy. You all have a lot of things in common and always align to the things that you might say or do. Now, picture another friend that's completely off from those traits. You're not entirely besties but they have values and ideas that you agree with and are willing to accept. This will help a ton on expanding who you are becoming and now you have range.

Takeaways

Understand that It's not about disciplining ourselves but it's more of who we are becoming and to lean into that identity. When we accept that, adopting all these habits will stick and things can fall into place more easily.

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