Each quarter the team reads a book together and we recap it and chat action items at the end of the quarter.
I’m prepping for a recap meeting next week and picking out some of the big takeaways from the book, most of which I’ll turn into posts for you to ready because this quarter’s book might be one of my all-time favorites…
Atomic Habits, by James Clear.
As the name eludes to, it’s all about making small daily habit changes that have a lasting effect.
It’s been a game-changer.
In one of the first chapters, James talks about how we need to create “identity-based” habits.
If you’ve been following our message for a while you know we talk a lot about “Finding Your Why.”
In Atomic Habits, James’ essentially labels that as your identity and makes a strong argument for any change, any habit, requires a new identity.
It comes down to a simple two-step process:
Decide the type of person you want to be.
Prove it to yourself with small wins.
First, with any change, you must decide who you want to be?
What do you want to stand for?
Who do you wish to become?
Most people know the outcome or the result they’re looking for…
A lean stomach…
More money…
And that’s fine, but start there and work backward.
Ask yourself…
“Who is the type of person that could get the outcome I want?”
It’s not about the goal, it’s about the identity.
I have a goal of writing every day, I need to first choose to identify as a writer.
I have a goal of reading every day, I need to first choose to identify as a reader.
He uses two examples in the book…
Two people are trying to quit smoking, a hard habit to change.
They are each offered a cigarette…
Person one says, “No thanks, I’m trying to quit.”
A pretty common response.
Person two says, “No thanks, I’m not a smoker.”
See the difference.
They’ve internally chosen that they are not a smoker anymore.
That makes a big difference as we look to make any change.
In the other example, he shares a story of a friend who lost 100 pounds simply by asking herself…
“What would a healthy person do?”
All day long she would use that question as a guide…
Would a healthy person walk or take the bus?
Would a healthy persona order a burrito or a salad?
By constantly asking herself that question, she changed her identity over time to be a healthy person.
Your habits shape your identity, and your identity shapes your habits.
The focus should always be on becoming the type of person you want to be, not getting a particular outcome.
Change is hard.
But it all starts with habits.
Start working towards this two-step process for any area of your life and let me know how it goes.
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling