How Your Habits Influence Your Identity
“You are the average of the 5 habits you repeat the most.”
-James Clear
I invite you to begin to think of your habits.
The things you do. How you move. How you speak to yourself and to others. How you think. Your thought patterns.
They’re all habits.
You have spent time and shown up consistently to instill them as a habit. You’ve done it so often they are now automatic. These habits frequently live in your subconscious programming which means:
-They don’t take as much energy (they’re a frequently walked and deforested path)
-You are naturally inclined to take these paths that you’ve practiced.
-You do them without very much conscious choice or awareness
When we take the time to look at our habits, we are able to get a glimpse of how we are showing up in the world.
Your habits also show you where your values lie. Why are you doing that thing you’re doing?
What feeling does it bring you?
Think of one of your habits in particular.
A common habit example amongst the majority is checking your phone.
What does checking your phone bring you?
Connection? Business? Convenience? Community? Creativity? Entertainment?
This is part of the motivation that originally started the habit. Your values.
Do you enjoy meeting this value with that habit? Are there other ways to meet this value?
Is there a habit you want to change?
The Process
Change is inevitable, but we are creatures of comfort zone & habit.
That means change can feel difficult.
Sustainable change can seem out of grasp when we have a plate overloaded with responsibilities.
Being pulled in every direction.
Continuously “putting out fires” and reacting to life.
There’s a different way to live.
You can choose differently.
You can choose to create your life rather than react to it.
Do your top 5 habits line up with what you want in life? Are they supportive of your goals?
Sometimes we are so caught up in the day to day grind, that we forget why we’re doing what we’re doing.
When you start to investigate your motivations/values, you can see which activities are serving your true goals and which activities are just keeping you busy.
Your habits typically change because of a shift in your values and what you are prioritizing.
As these change, your identity shifts with it.
It's a process of experimentation and will be unique to your own journey.
(If you are curious about diving into creating sustainable change in your life and showing up for life the way you want to, book a Chemistry call with me and we'll explore our alignment.)