Habits, Identity, and Self-Labeling

There's this chat making the rounds in the personal growth scene: our habits and identity are basically two sides of the same coin. Today, we're going to dig into this, pulling in some nuggets from James Clear's "Atomic Habits" and a cool conversation between Tim Ferriss and Derek Sivers.

Habits and Identity: The Dynamic Duo

In "Atomic Habits," Clear brings up this idea that our habits aren't just stuff we do on repeat. They're actually a reflection of our deepest beliefs about ourselves.

Take two people trying to quit smoking. They both get offered a cig; one says, "No thanks, I'm trying to quit," but the other says, "No thanks, I'm not a smoker." Both said no, but the second one's making a big claim about who they are, not just what they're doing.

Keepin' It Real with Habits

On Ferriss's podcast, Sivers dropped some wisdom. He pointed out that we can't call ourselves athletes if we've been desk-bound since high school, even if we were all-stars back then.

Being an 'athlete' isn't a one-and-done deal. It's something we have to keep proving with our habits. If you want to wear the athlete label, you've got to get off the couch and hit the pavement, the pool, the court, or the field—regularly.

Self-Labeling: A Word of Caution

Here's where we need to tread carefully: self-labeling. Labels can be powerful motivators, but they can also box us in. If you label yourself as something, make sure it's a label you want and it's based on your current actions, not just past glories or future dreams.

For instance, calling yourself a writer when you haven't penned anything since that one poem in high school might make you feel good, but it won't bring any words onto the page. On the other hand, if you make writing a regular habit—even just a few words each day—you're earning that label and reinforcing your identity as a writer.

If you want to be a [insert label] and that identity is expiring, you have the choice to either make action to keep it up, or let it expire.

• Are you a hard worker?
• Are you a good friend/spouse/parent?
• Are you grateful?

The Habit-Identity Feedback Loop

Here's the secret sauce: your habits shape your identity, and your identity shapes your habits. It's a feedback loop that keeps spinning.

You can kickstart this cycle by choosing small habits that align with the identity you aspire to. Clear calls these 'atomic' habits—they might not seem like much on their own, but add them up over time, and they can totally change how you see yourself and who you become.

Wrapping Up

To change your identity, you've got to change your habits. Choose actions that match who you want to be, and stick with them. Before you know it, you'll start to feel more like that person.

As you go about your week, take a moment to consider your habits. Do they align with the person you want to be? If not, what small shifts could you make today?

*Revised with GPT*