Brand or behaviour?

It's hard to imagine, but our very own Janet was a shy kid.

Everyone said it.?

It’s a familiar story, right?

Many of us have been branded. Sometimes, we brand ourselves: perfectionist, control freak, risk averse. Occasionally (often?) we adopt these labels as shields, or badges of honour.?

Consider how often you’ve heard someone boast in an interview that they’re a “workaholic,” as if it’s the key to success.

At The Difference Lab, we’ve seen this phenomenon repeatedly. When our participants are encouraged to experiment with subtraction – to focus on the mission-critical by subtracting the marginal – resistance is often rooted in these very labels.

Here’s the key, though: Labels are not our destiny. And it’s vital to distinguish them from our identity.?

Saying “I’m a…” isn’t just a description, it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. These terms can become intertwined with our identity, seemingly immutable. But they don’t have to be.?

Instead, think of them as behaviours or habits. They can be broken, reshaped, and transformed.

We’re all capable of growth and learning. Seeing these traits as behaviours – not intrinsic parts of our identity – is a crucial first step to change.

It won’t happen overnight. As Janet can attest, she's been that shy introvert, who, with time, learned to step onstage, present confidently, and connect with new faces.?

What labels have you accepted about yourself? Redefining them may unlock opportunities for you.

?BITE-SIZED INSPIRATION

???? NO COFFEE?: No way! A morning cup of coffee – or two – is part of life for many of us. But if you're looking to switch it up, Pocket has you covered.?

???? LEAFY GREENS: At their worst, salads can be boring and tasteless. But SELF offers tips on how to make a salad you're actually excited to eat. Yay!

???? THE SECRET: It turns out, there's lots toddlers can teach us a lot about the secret to wellness and happiness. More on that here.?

SUBTRACTION STORIES

“I’m just not staying late.”?

?It was that easy. And the participant in The Difference Lab actually didn’t.?

?As a result of being in the program, they realized that staying late was a default position. It was a “supposed to” they practiced for so long that it became routine.?

?You will never “finish” your to-do lists. Give yourself a break. Leave work with enough time to allow yourself to do things that really matter to you.?

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

If you dream of giving Steve Jobs-level presentations one day (his keynotes often helped spike Apple's stocks, after all) here's the secret to nailing it: rehearsal.

“Most people don’t realize that what looked spontaneous was rehearsed over and over and over,” former Apple John Sculley told the Harvard Business Review.

No, it's not a very sexy secret, but it worked. So, to nail your next presentation, take a lesson from the master?— and check out this article from the Review.?

Thanks for reading!?

Janet & Amy

P.S. Want to make The Difference in someone else? Share this newsletter with them!

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