James Clear

And the question that she sort of carried around with her as she was starting her weight loss journey is what would a healthy person do? And that's very much aligned or oriented with that identity piece. It's like, okay, would a healthy person take a cab or would they walk four blocks the next meeting? Would they order a salad and chicken at lunch or would they have a hamburger and fries?

And she could just kind of carry that question around with her to every context she was in and make a choice that she felt like aligned with the identity that she wanted to have rather than worrying necessarily about something specific like the number of macros she's getting or, you know, whatever. Now, I should say, I think it can work both ways.

And she could just kind of carry that question around with her to every context she was in and make a choice that she felt like aligned with the identity that she wanted to have rather than worrying necessarily about something specific like the number of macros she's getting or, you know, whatever. Now, I should say, I think it can work both ways.

Like I count my macros and it works really well for me. But I think that's partially because it aligns with the identity that I already have. And if you don't have that shift in internal story yet, it's hard for the behavior to follow suit. Imagine you went up to two people. You said, hey, would you like a cigarette? And the first person says, oh, no, thanks. I'm trying to quit.

Like I count my macros and it works really well for me. But I think that's partially because it aligns with the identity that I already have. And if you don't have that shift in internal story yet, it's hard for the behavior to follow suit. Imagine you went up to two people. You said, hey, would you like a cigarette? And the first person says, oh, no, thanks. I'm trying to quit.

And the second person says, oh, no, thanks. I'm not a smoker. Technically, they've done the same thing. They've both turned down the cigarette. But the second person kind of has signaled a shift in identity change. The first person is trying to be something they're not. No thanks, I'm trying to quit. And the second person is saying, I'm not a smoker. It's just not something that I do.

And the second person says, oh, no, thanks. I'm not a smoker. Technically, they've done the same thing. They've both turned down the cigarette. But the second person kind of has signaled a shift in identity change. The first person is trying to be something they're not. No thanks, I'm trying to quit. And the second person is saying, I'm not a smoker. It's just not something that I do.

I think once you get to that stage, that shift in identity, you're in a much more powerful place from a behavior change standpoint than Because you're not even really trying to change anymore. You're just acting in alignment with the type of person you see yourself to be. So we can talk about ways to do that, but that's kind of the quick version on identity versus outcome.

I think once you get to that stage, that shift in identity, you're in a much more powerful place from a behavior change standpoint than Because you're not even really trying to change anymore. You're just acting in alignment with the type of person you see yourself to be. So we can talk about ways to do that, but that's kind of the quick version on identity versus outcome.

Well, I think in this particular case, the primary difference is I had an internal story or have an internal story that I am a healthy person already. And so just doing things that are aligned with that, like counting macros, feels totally fine. Whereas for her at that early stage, she did not feel that way and did not genuinely believe that about herself.

Well, I think in this particular case, the primary difference is I had an internal story or have an internal story that I am a healthy person already. And so just doing things that are aligned with that, like counting macros, feels totally fine. Whereas for her at that early stage, she did not feel that way and did not genuinely believe that about herself.

It's possible to have an epiphany and to change cold turkey or to just flip a switch and suddenly start acting in a different way. I do think it's possible. I think sometimes people have experiences like that. Ironically, I think it rarely happens from some kind of bolts of lightning inside. I think one of the most common ways it happens is by reading books.

It's possible to have an epiphany and to change cold turkey or to just flip a switch and suddenly start acting in a different way. I do think it's possible. I think sometimes people have experiences like that. Ironically, I think it rarely happens from some kind of bolts of lightning inside. I think one of the most common ways it happens is by reading books.

I think people will sometimes read a book that really changes their worldview and they start to do things completely differently after that. You can imagine a bunch of nutrition examples like Somebody reads a book that convinces them that carbs are the devil and the grain is terrible.

I think people will sometimes read a book that really changes their worldview and they start to do things completely differently after that. You can imagine a bunch of nutrition examples like Somebody reads a book that convinces them that carbs are the devil and the grain is terrible.

All of a sudden the next day, like they want to throw out all the bread in the house and it's very quick switch has been flipped. So I do think it's possible. However, I don't think that changing through an epiphany is a very reliable way to change. And I don't know that it's something you can bank on or can plan around or strategize for. It might happen to you a couple times in your life.

All of a sudden the next day, like they want to throw out all the bread in the house and it's very quick switch has been flipped. So I do think it's possible. However, I don't think that changing through an epiphany is a very reliable way to change. And I don't know that it's something you can bank on or can plan around or strategize for. It might happen to you a couple times in your life.

I don't think that it's an efficient way to try to build a new habit. So if you can't change or hope to change through an epiphany, then what are your options if you want to change your identity? And I think the best avenue that you have is to cast votes with your actions. So in a sense, every action you take is like a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

I don't think that it's an efficient way to try to build a new habit. So if you can't change or hope to change through an epiphany, then what are your options if you want to change your identity? And I think the best avenue that you have is to cast votes with your actions. So in a sense, every action you take is like a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

So no, doing one pushup does not radically transform your body, but it does cast a vote for I'm the type of person who doesn't miss workouts. And no, writing one sentence may not finish the novel, but it does cast a vote for I'm a writer. I think this is like a meaningful difference between my approach or what I recommend and what you often hear.