10/23/24
Hello friends. Welcome to episode number 167 - Continuously Improve Your Life with Identity.
I just had a group coaching call with my Life coaching clients who are alumni. They’ve been through my program, and now we meet as a group twice a week for more teaching, more coaching, and accountability. It keeps them educated and on track. Because the tools I teach are applicable for a lifetime – for every area of your life and anything that you might come up against. And they have an entire toolbox full to set them up for success...and for freedom.
Anyway, it was so impactful, and the individual coaching was so powerful, that I thought I’d share the information with you, too.
The content of this episode is based on the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. Clear’s message and strategy is based on how habits compound over time and why making small improvements on a daily basis can lead to a significant difference in your life in the long-run - it’s the philosophy of continuous improvement.
The premise to this change is that searching for tiny margins of improvement in everything that you do will produce significant increase when you put them all together. Clear says, though, that “one percent isn't particularly notable in the moment. And sometimes it is not noticeable at all. But in the long run the difference of that tiny improvement can make over time is astounding.”
He says, “Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits. So, your net worth today is a lagging measure of your financial habits in the past. Your weight today is a lagging measure of your eating habits.”
So, good and bad habits compound. For example, your body composition now is a result of what you did three or four months ago…or didn’t do. That’s what you're seeing right now. Compounding interest for continuous improvement or cumulative decline.
But in the middle of the process, in the middle of incremental changes, we tend to get frustrated and impatient. It becomes difficult for us because we're in that microwave, we want it now, instant gratification culture.
Personally, I have just seen all of this at work in my life. One year ago, and one month, I started an online workout program that provided me a private coach and trainer that set my macros - that's carbs, fats and protein – that are specific based on my goal weight and my current weight and my goals to build muscle and get stronger. And she put together a regimented workout program that told me exactly what to do each day. Now, I've been working out all my life, so I knew it would take some time. So I thought, “OK, I'll give it six months.” At the six month mark I started seeing a difference, but not what I wanted. Then at the one year mark, I was…well, just mad. I was really mad because I've spent some really good money and a whole lot of time and I still am not where I want to be.
And I'm the macro queen. I am on my macros. Also, I've missed very, very few workouts. And the only time I really missed a stint is just recently when I had foot surgery. I'm thinking, how can anyone be more consistent than me? I just don't understand how I'm not getting the results that I want. And I’m frustrated.
James Clear calls this the “Valley of Disappointment” and you going to be there for a while. Then there's going to be this plateau of latent potential. That just means that you're making these changes, but you're not really seeing anything happen. That’s the plateau. Strength training or weightlifting takes several months before you actually see the results of what you've been doing. But you've just got to incrementally keep going. Because there’s potential, but it’s latent. It’s hidden. And then one day it's like, whoa, where did that bicep come from? Wow. Where did that definition in my legs come from? All of a sudden there's a breakthrough.
If you just hang on and you just still do the same thing and you're consistent, there's going to be a breakthrough. And you're going to see something that you've always wanted and it's going to happen. If we just continue to make those one percent changes and we stick with it and don't get frustrated, habits are compounding just like compounding interest with money.
So, in his book, Clear says there are three layers of behavior change, or three areas of focus to implement change. The first is to focus on the outcome or the goal. What you get. The second area is changing the processes. This is changing your habits and systems; it’s what you do to get the goal. The last layer or area of focus is identity. This is changing your beliefs, including, and especially your beliefs about yourself. It’s identifying who you wish to be.
And Clear says that concentrating on changing identity-based habits first will allow you to make the system or process changes necessary that will, inevitably, get you to your goal.
Now, I got really excited when I read this. Because, as my life coaching clients know as students of the brain, and as you probably know because I talk about this a lot on this podcast, what you believe is what is creating the results you have in your life.
So, if we start with the identity-based habits it associates your actions with who you believe yourself to be. Do you believe yourself to be an overcomer? Do you believe yourself to be resilient? Do you believe that you have a powerful God who is working on your behalf, fighting your battles? Then the brain gets on board with what you believe. That's what we know. We know with the Reticular Activating System that anything we believe, anything we think, our RAS is going to reinforce habits and actions and even support the tools we use to change the brain. That’s the very thing our mind is encouraging us to do.
Whatever you believe about yourself, your brain is going to prove it true over and over and over and over again. In the positive sense, it's going to be true. And in the negative sense, it's going to be true. The Bible even speaks to this. Proverbs 23, verse 7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”. You will see the results that supports whatever you believe to be true about yourself. This is why starting with your identity is crucial for successful change.
Here’s an example He gave in the book. He said, “Imagine two people resisting a cigarette when offered to smoke. The first person says, “No thanks, I'm trying to quit.” It sounds like a reasonable response, but this person still believes that they are a smoker who is trying to quit, a smoker who is trying to be something else. They're hoping their behavior will change while carrying out the same old beliefs. Now the second person just declines by saying “No thanks. I'm not a smoker.” It's a small difference, but this statement signals a shift in identity. Smoking was a part of their former life, not the current one. They are no longer identifying as someone who smokes.”
And then he goes on to say your behaviors today are usually a reflection of your identity. So, and listen carefully to this, “when your behavior and your identity are fully aligned, then you are no longer pursuing behavior change (or behavior modification), you're simply acting out of the type of person you already believe yourself to be.”
This is it, y’all. This is the holy grail to continuous improvement in your life, no matter what your end goal is. This is what I’ve just recently experienced. Yes, I’ve finally had a breakthrough – out of the plateau, revealed the hidden, and stepped into the potential. And I believe it happened when one day I wrote down, “This is my lifestyle. I meal prep, track my macros, work out three or four times a week, and get 10,000 plus steps in every day.” Instead of saying, “Oh, this is just what I'm doing for right now. This is a diet to lose some weight” I literally said, “This is who I am now. This is my lifestyle, and this is how I live. This is who I am and what I do.”
And the minute I said that it's like everything changed. My motivation changed; my desires changed. I think even my body composition changed. Well, I know it did because I checked my measurements. Breakthrough came because I identified myself as someone who eats healthy, stays on track with my macros, and works out regularly. This is who I am. My brain also supported all the systems and processes that get me to my goal. I got back into the gym at 5:30am. After surgery, I got out of the habit of getting up at 5 and into the gym by 5:30. Because, of course, surgery recovery was hard, and by the time I did get back in the gym, I was thinking, there's no way I could get back in at 5:30. Romans 8, verse 26 says that the Holy Spirit within you helps you in your weakness. Just when you think you can’t, the Holy Spirit tells you, you can. When I said, “This is my lifestyle. I am a person who goes to the gym at 5:30,” that’s exactly what happened. I started getting up at 5 again and was at the gym at 5:30. My brain supported my belief that I had the Lord’s help in getting me up and going, and then I was simply acting out of the type of person that I already believed myself to be.
Friend, what you believe about yourself is what you’ll get. That’s Identity-Based Habits. But that’s just step one. Next week, we’re going to get into the processes and I’m going to give you some tips of how to make those 1% incremental changes. In the meantime, spend a little bit of time exploring what you believe about yourself when it comes to what you want to be experiencing in your life. The Listener’s Guide for this week will help you work this out. The link is in the show notes. Friend, you can continuously improve your life, and the compounding effect will be astounding.
If you’d like to explore how Life Coaching would work for you, there’s a link in the show notes for a free 30-minute discovery call. I have a waitlist for next year, and there’s a spot with your name on it.
Have a wonderful week, friends. See you next Wednesday for the next episode of Another Beautiful Life.
SHOW NOTES:
The content of this episode is based on the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. Clear’s message and strategy is based on how habits compound over time and why making small improvements on a daily basis can lead to a significant difference in your life in the long-run - it’s the philosophy of continuous improvement.
Today, we focus on the Three Layers of Behavior Change and identify the one layer that will create breakthroughs that significantly improve your life and get you to the goal you want.
Are you wondering how Life Coaching works? Would you like a free, 30-minute session? Click this link to set up a Consult Call: https://calendly.com/triciazodylifecoach/30min
Get the free, printable guide here: https://www.triciazody.com/guide
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