Building Identity-Based Habits

Creating lasting habits hinges on prioritising the development of a new identity. Your current actions merely mirror the person you perceive yourself to be, whether it's a conscious or subconscious belief.

Adopting new beliefs about yourself in relation to the new behaviours you want to master is becoming a novel way to change one's habits. It is more common, for example, for someone to undertake running (the action) in the hope of becoming a runner (the identity), rather than building the identity of the runner before beginning the actions of running.

For instance, consider the goal of losing weight. This objective revolves around performance and appearance. While performance and appearance goals can be helpful for propelling you forward in behaviours you already engage in, they may not be as effective when trying to initiate new behaviours. 

In such cases, an identity-based approach to goal setting proves far more beneficial.

The core of behaviour change and cultivating better habits lies within your identity. Your every action is driven by the fundamental belief that it aligns with who you are. Thus, altering your identity—the perception of the person you strive to be—can facilitate the process of changing your actions.

The difficulty in sticking to new habits often arises because we attempt to pursue performance or appearance-based goals without modifying our identity first. In essence, we frequently aim for results without first convincing ourselves that we embody the characteristics of the person we aspire to become. The optimal approach should be the reverse.

Using identity-based habits can be highly beneficial for improving mental health and overall well-being when striving to enhance our lives. Here's how:

Consistency and Sustainability

Identity-based habits focus on aligning your actions with your core beliefs and values. When your habits are rooted in your identity, you are more likely to stick with them over the long term. This consistency helps create a stable foundation for mental health improvements, as you are continuously reinforcing positive behaviours that are in harmony with who you truly are.

Reduced Cognative Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance occurs when there's a mismatch between our beliefs and actions. By adopting identity-based habits, you reduce cognitive dissonance because your actions now align with your self-perception. This coherence between beliefs and behaviour reduces internal conflicts, leading to improved mental clarity and emotional well-being.

Empowerment and Self-Efficacy

Identity-based habits instil a sense of empowerment. When you identify as someone who possesses certain positive traits or engages in healthy behaviours, you develop a strong self-concept. This self-concept enhances self-efficacy—the belief in your ability to achieve your goals. With higher self-efficacy, you're more likely to face life's challenges with resilience and optimism.

Positive Reinforcement Loop

Identity-based habits create a positive reinforcement loop. When you engage in behaviours that align with your desired identity, you experience a sense of achievement and fulfilment. This positive feeling reinforces the belief that you are becoming the person you aspire to be, further motivating you to continue those habits and reinforcing your mental well-being.

Reduced Stress and Anxiety

Building identity-based habits can help alleviate stress and anxiety. When you act in accordance with your true self, you experience greater authenticity and self-acceptance. This, in turn, lowers the pressure to conform to external standards and expectations, reducing feelings of inadequacy and anxiety related to societal norms.

Growth Mindset

An identity-based approach fosters a growth mindset. You recognise that your identity is not fixed, and you can evolve and improve over time. This mindset encourages a positive view of challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth, rather than as reflections of personal shortcomings.

Increased Self-Compassion

Embracing an identity-based approach involves being kinder to yourself and accepting that growth takes time. This self-compassion helps counter self-criticism and harsh judgments, leading to improved mental well-being and emotional resilience.

Identity-based habits are better for building mental health when striving to improve our lives because they foster consistency, reduce internal conflicts, empower us, reinforce positive behaviours, reduce stress and anxiety, promote a growth mindset, and encourage self-compassion. By aligning our habits with our identity, we create a stronger foundation for lasting positive change and mental wellbeing.

Identity-Based Habits Quickstart

Step 1: Name the performance or appearance goal you want to achieve. (NB: Wanting better mental health would be a performance goal).

Step 2: In one sentence, describe the type of person who would achieve your goal.

This is the new identity you want to take on.

Step 3: List 5 incredibly small steps you can take to become this person.

Commit to doing each step for 1-2 weeks straight before moving on to the next.

The goal is not to achieve results at first; the goal is to become the type of person who can achieve those things.

To understand this concept more deeply, consider that change can happen over three levels:  

Level One – Outcome-Focused Change

At this level, our focus is on achieving a given outcome, such as losing weight, increasing running speed, or earning more money (often without a strong plan for achieving the desired outcome). 

Most individuals establish their change goals at this level initially.

Level Two – Process-Focused Change

This level involves altering our processes - structures and systems. If wanting to lose weight, we might track meals. If wanting to improve our running, we might adjust our daily schedules to make time for more training. To improve our financial position, we might implement a savings plan. 

New habits are cultivated at this level.

Level Three – Identity-Focused Change

The deepest level of change revolves around reshaping our beliefs, perspectives, self-image, and judgments about ourselves and others. Many of our deeply ingrained beliefs and biases reside at this level. Rather than focus on a particular diet, we focus on becoming a better dieter. Rather than focus on running, we establish ourselves as a runner. Rather than focus on money, we focus on becoming a good saver.

Outcomes are about what we want to do. 

Processes are about how we will do it. 

Identity is about why we will do it.