Identity Crisis
Last week, someone left me with an interesting tidbit of information. While discussing nutrition plans and goals, they mentioned that our identity drives our beliefs and actions. Change your identity, change your circumstances. I have been mulling this over for a few days, and I keep wondering if this is the reason for my stagnation. Am I spinning my wheels and forgoing progress because in my unconscious mind, I’m still not an active, healthy person?
Holding myself back
For a long time, my identity was centered around everything I was not or could not ever be. “I’m not a runner”…”I will never be ‘thin'”…”It’s hard for me to lose weight”…”I’m not an athlete, I barely get off the couch”. In the past two years, while I have made significant changes and progress, I have hit a plateau and have stayed there (consistently…which I guess is what I do đ). After the conversation, I realized my plateau might be my own fault. By not adjusting to a different identity, I’m continuing to struggle to make changes and fighting against my mind instead of deciding who I am now and making my new decisions part of my identity.
So, what exactly does this mean? It means, if I decide I am now a person who focuses on her health and wellness, I need to spell out exactly what this means and reinforce this daily until it is my new mindset.
What should my new identity be?
In short, I believe a person focused on health and wellness will make these decisions daily:
- Engage in 30+ minutes of movement
- Choose to eat healthy foods that fit into macro goals
- Sleep for at least 7 hours per night
- Read or listen to inspirational/educational content
- Prioritize recovery like foam rolling or stretching
- Drink ‘enough’ water. (What is classified as ‘enough’ can vary, but for me specifically: 100+ ounces, except while choosing to do 75 Hard, then 128 ounces)
A person who is focused on health will believe that these decisions will lead them to be strong and healthy. They will not be focused on a number on the scale, but by how they feel and how clothing fits. The unwanted ‘fluff’ will stop hanging around and muscles — which are there hidden under the layers of fat — will show up and show off. This person will be confident and learn to enjoy pictures for the memories they are instead of picking their flaws apart one by one in every image. She will set goals for improvement and meet and exceed those goals…then set new ones.
Putting it all together
All joking aside, I’m dedicating the next week to focusing on my identity. What do I tell myself? Is it true? What should I be telling myself? Being aware of my current patterns will be the first step to adjusting what isn’t working in order to improve my results.
I have a feeling this process will take longer than a week, but I’m going to take it a week at a time.
What is your identity? Is it serving you? If not, what will you do about it?
