When I started running, I could only motivate myself to train if I had an event coming up. I started at a 5K, and a few years later, I ran my first marathon. With a big goal in mind, I could build a plan, increase my mileage and make sure I was on track to succeed. It was a great way to stay motivated – until the event ended.
Sometime in the last two years, that shifted. I stopped thinking of myself as someone training for a run and thought of myself as a runner. By acting as if I was a runner for long enough, I eventually believed I was one.
"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." – William James
Goals are important. When we've got an outcome in mind, we push ourselves to grow and figure out the steps to get there. External drivers will only get us so far, however. At some point, we need to dig a bit deeper.
In Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about building identity-based habits. The idea is that when we focus on our behaviour, we create temporary change. But if we focus on our identity – who we are - we have a better shot at building lasting habits that change our behaviour for good.
Who we are is about so much more than what we do or achieve. It's about how we think, see, and act.
Our identity isn't static. It's a shifting, changing, complicated thing that belongs entirely to us. If we want to be someone new, sometimes we must act like we already are. Like my running, the identity shift will come.
If you were already the person you aim to be, what would you see, think, and do differently? How would you be acting?
And what's stopping you from doing that now?
This is true whether we're trying to change our direction at work or in our personal lives. It works for teams, too. When we shift from a short-term project focus to the big picture, we ask better questions, like: How do we work? What do we focus on? How do we want to be remembered? Most importantly, How would we act if that was already true?
What identity do you need to take on to build change that lasts?
How can you act as if?