identity trumps goals

 Earlier this week I finished reading James Clear’s excellent Atomic Habits. There are lots of good tips and ideas in this book, but I think the overarching idea he has is that you have to reframe your behavior away from pursuing goals and towards pursuing identities. Identities trump goals. By that, what I (and he) mean is instead of setting a goal of losing 25 pounds (me), I should create an identity of being a healthy person. Then, when I am tempted to get the double cheeseburger with extra large fries and of course I’ll take the 24 ounce beer, I would ask myself, “Is this what a healthy person eats?” to which the obvious answer is no. From p. 39 of the book he talks about creating new identities:

New identities require new evidence. If you keep casting the same votes you’ve always cast, you’re going to get the same results you’ve always had. If nothing changes, nothing is going to change. It is a simple two-step process:

  1. Decide the type of person you want to be.

  2. Prove it to yourself with small wins.

Most of the rest of the book involves tips and tricks to help you develop these better-you identities. It’s a light, fun read. My wife read it with me and we talked about how she does a lot of them already. (She’s much smarter than me, and makes me a better person. This is a short-cut habit - marry someone smarter than you!) 

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