TRUTH: You do what you do because of what you think of you.

I know that sounds like a silly Dr. Seuss saying but it makes so much sense once you learn about behavior change.

To create change we must study our self-identity and mindset.

Self-Identity is the primary reason we make decisions.

Like that song by The Who…..🎶 whoooo are you?…Who? Who?….Who Who? 🎶

If you try to change your behavior without changing your identity, you are pulling up a weed, not the root.

To get rid of a weed, you have to reach down to what is invisible beneath the surface. What we don’t “see” is our identity.

Most people fail at creating new habits or making a change in their life because they focus on what they should DO first. But they don’t sop and evaluate their WHO.

How can you apply this?

Instead of asking “what should I do?”

  • Workout
  • Eat more protien
  • Drink more water

Ask yourself “who do I need to become to make a healthy lifestyle stick?”

  • Someone who is consistent
  • Someone who takes time to prepares ahead
  • Someone who is surrounded by other healthy people
  • Someone who invests in healthy foods

These are all character traits that create your identity. When you align with that identity, you will do the correct actions.

I know this is some deeper stuff than what we normally talk about but it’s very important. And no other gym is talking about this stuff with their clients.

The second thing we have to look at is mindset. In her book, Mindset by Carol Dweck, she explains the difference between fixed and growth mindset.

  • Fixed: believe things will stay the same forever, give up easily, avoid discomfort and don’t believe they can learn new skills. They say things like “it’s too late for me.”
  • Growth: believe things will always change, embrace challenges, desire to learn, and believe they can learn new abilities. They say things like “I will figure this out.”

Our mindset is shaped by many things but we can change it if we are aware of how we speak to ourselves and others.

These two things have a MASSIVE impact on your long term success with health and fitness.

If you focus on the DO and have a fixed mindset, it’s a recipe for a failure on repeat. It will happen again and again and again.

If you focus on WHO and have a growth mindset, you will never fail because you never give up. Your identity and mindset grow over time.