Dwelling on this big question for some time now with my colleagues at Interport Group: What is the best approach to building habits that last?

Imagine two people resisting a cigarette. When offered a smoke, the first person says, “No thanks. I’m trying to quit”. It sounds like a reasonable response, but this person believes they are a smoker who is trying to be something else. They are hoping their behavior will change while carrying around the same beliefs.

The second person declines by saying, “No thanks. I am not a smoker.” It’s a small difference, but this statement signals a shift a in identity. Smoking was part of their former life, not their current one. They no longer identify as someone who smokes.

According to James Clear, author of the New York Times Bestseller "Atomic Habits", the key to building lasting habits is to focus on creating a new identity first. Our current behaviors are simply a reflection of our current identity. What we do now is a mirror image of the type of person we believe that we are (either consciously or subconsciously). To change our behavior for good, we need to start believing new things about ourself. We need to build identity-based habits. Many people begin the process of changing their habits by focusing on what they want to achieve, which is ‘outcome-based habits’. With ‘identity-based habits’ we start by focusing on who we wish to become. So if we change our identity, then it’s easier to change our actions.

In the words of James Clear: “For most of my life, I didn’t consider myself a writer. If you were to ask any of my high school teachers or college professors, they would tell you I was an average writer at best: certainly not a standout. When I began my writing career, I published a new article every Monday and Thursday for the first few years. As the evidence grew, so did my identity as a writer. I didn’t start out as a writer. I became one through my habits.”

Today morning in our townhall, I told my colleagues that they are all leaders (not followers) and requested them to believe that they truly are. If they believe they are leaders (identity), they will act like one and eventually prove it to themselves!

Two-step approach for building “identity-based habits”:

1. Decide the type of person you want to be. 
2. Prove it to yourself with small wins.

Real life example: Want to become a better writer? 
Identity: Become the type of person who writes 1,000 words every day. 
Small win: Write one paragraph each day this week.

Conclusion: We have to become the type of person we want to be, and that starts with proving our new identity to ourself. If we are looking to make a change, then we should stop worrying about results and start worrying about our identity. Become the type of person who can achieve the things we want to achieve. Build identity-based habits first. The results will come later. #myreflections #atomichabits #startwithidentity