Have you set any New Year’s Resolutions?
Have you broken them already?
There is something about New Year’s resolutions that doesn’t seem to stick. At the time of setting our intentions for the year, we are completely 100% all in, right? The excitement of a new year, new beginnings and fresh slate fuel our desire to be a better person.
Lose that weight. Change that job. Learn that skill. Travel more. Complain less. More of God, Bible and prayer. Cut out addictions, fear and worry.
How can we be successful this year…no…how can we make permanent changes so that we aren’t sitting here in January 2020 feeling sorry for ourselves?
At first I thought about setting Freedom Goals because I want to be free from weight and unhealthy eating issues, free from worry and free from fear. Free to worship. Free to be all that God has for me to be. But when I thought about these goals, they are still dealing with the surface. To gain permanent change something has to change from the inside out. I want more than freedom from a negative place – I want to BE free.
I recently picked up James Clear’s new book ” Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” from the library. He is a blogger who has written numerous articles on habits, thinking, lifelong learning just to name a few topics. Here is a link to some of his best articles. As I was reading his book I had an epiphany, an ‘aha’ moment (I love those! I live for them).
I don’t need to set Freedom Goals. What I need to change is my identity!
My actions, thoughts and words reflect what and who I identify with. If I am not happy with my actions, thoughts and words then I need to change who I think and believe I am.
Beliefs drive behaviour.
If I want to eat healthy food and live a healthy lifestyle, I need to identify with healthy people. What does a healthy person believe about themselves? What do they eat? What do they think and say? What are their actions that create health in their lives? I need to analyse my core beliefs about health and redefine my identity. Am I a chocoholic who can’t help herself when she walks past the confectionary aisle in the supermarket and her main food group is the chocolate? no freedom there – my identity is enslaved to something that may make me feel good for 30 minutes but has lasting effects. Or am I a woman who loves eating healthfully and feels the energy and vitality but also has the freedom to sprinkle times of indulgence without it affecting her health?
James Clear says “The key to building lasting habits is focusing on creating a new identity first. Your current behaviors are simply a reflection of your current identity. What you do now is a mirror image of the type of person you believe that you are (either consciously or subconsciously). To change your behavior for good, you need to start believing new things about yourself. You need to build identity-based habits.”
Goals are usually based on outcomes not identity. We want to save money, lose weight and read our Bibles more. Those are all outcomes. But what need to be our identity in order to naturally and permanently produce those outcomes?
James goes on to say how we create identity based habits:
1. Decide the type of person you want to be.What do you want to stand for? What are your principles and values? Who do you wish to become? If you want to become healthier or more spiritually aware ask yourself the question – Who is the type of person that could get outcome I want?
2. Prove it to yourself with small wins. Start doing the actions, thinking the thoughts that your new identity would do or think.
Action Step: I say, ask God what type of person He has designed for you to identify with. Ask Him to make it clear what you have been identifying with up to now that is not helping you to live the abundant free life. Ask Him to reveal what small actions and thoughts you can implement into your day that reflect the new identity.
Reply to this email and let me know what you would like to change this year! Let’s support each other.
Keep Leaning into God – Start 2019 Well
Rachel Larkin
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