When habit becomes identity
I recently watched a Masterclass by James Clear about building sustainable habits. He particularly focused on what exactly motivation is and how to keep maintaining it. It is quite easy to build motivation in the beginning of a process but it is really hard to maintain it long-term. Unless we have the right approach. So here is what he shared:
“the ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity.”
So the idea that completely transformed my perception about habits is that changing my internal conversation about them can make it more likely to stick with them. Instead of tying it to end result, I followed James’s advice and started tying it to my identity. This re-framing does one important thing: I include the actual process in the picture. If we don’t like the process, it is highly unlikely we will not stick to the habit long-term.
So instead of: “I am going to exercise because I want to have a flat tummy.” I say: “I am going to exercise because I am a person who believes that this is my way of saying Thank You to my body for serving me well.” This turned exercising from a “have to do” thing to stay healthy to an opportunity to connect with my body and spirit.
Idea source: James Clear
