When striving for self-improvement, the majority of individuals tend to overlook the concept of identity change. Instead, they simply focus on their desired outcome, such as wanting to achieve a slimmer physique, and believe that following a specific diet will lead them there.
They set goals and plan the necessary steps to reach them, without considering the underlying beliefs that shape their behaviours. They fail to recognize that their existing self-perception can undermine their efforts towards change. Every set of actions (behaviours & habits) is rooted in a set of beliefs.
Your behaviours are usually a reflection of your identity. What you do is an indication of the type of person you believe that you are—either consciously or nonconsciously (Nonconscious is a description of anything you are not consciously thinking about).
Many people go through life, following the customs associated with their identity without questioning them.
“I’m terrible with directions.”
“I’m not a morning person.”
“I cannot lose weight, I have tried everything”
. . and a thousand other variations
After telling yourself a particular story for years, it’s simple to fall into mental patterns and start believing them as truths. Eventually, you might start avoiding certain actions because they don’t align with your self-perception.
Becoming the best version of yourself requires you to continuously edit your beliefs, and to upgrade and expand your identity.
You are not born with preset beliefs. Every belief, including those about yourself, is learned and conditioned through experience. 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…
The more you repeat a behaviour, the more you reinforce the identity associated with that behaviour. Your identity is literally your “repeated beingness.” Whatever your identity is right now, you only believe it because you have proof of it.
The more evidence you have for a belief, the more strongly you will believe it.
This is why you cannot only focus on changing the “outside” (just following another diet) & not focusing on changing the inside- your beliefs, habits, and ultimately, your identity attached to those wrong habits.
Progress requires unlearning. This is a gradual transformation. We do not just become someone else overnight. We change bit by bit, day by day, habit by habit. We are continually undergoing microevolutions of the self.
Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.
This is one reason why meaningful change does not require radical change. Small habits can make a meaningful difference by providing evidence of a new identity.
Once you have a handle on the type of person you want to be, you can begin taking small steps to reinforce your desired identity.
The focus should always be on becoming that type of person, not getting a particular outcome.
xxx
Marijke Fitness
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