Atomic Habits - Chapter 2 - How your habits shape your identity (and vice versa)
- Three levels of change
- Outcome- vs identity-based habits - what vs who
- Quitting smoking
- "No thanks, I'm trying to quit"
- "No thanks, I'm not a smoker"
- Behind every system of actions are a system of beliefs.
- Behavior that is in-congruent with the self will not last.
- The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity.
- Difference between saying "I want this" vs "I am this"
- Internal pressure to maintain self-image and behave in a way that's consistent with beliefs.
- Progress requires unlearning. Becoming the best version of yourself requires constant editing of beliefs. Upgrade & expand identity.
- Two-step process to changing identity
- Not born with preset beliefs. Every belief conditioned through experience.
- Actions every day embody identity.
- Your identity is literally your "repeated beingness."
- Whatever your identity is right now, you only believe it because you have proof of it.
- Each time you write a page, you are a writer.
- Every time you choose to perform a bad habit, it's a vote for that identity.
- Two step process:
- Decide the type of person you want to be.
- Prove it to yourself with small wins.
- Shift focus from outcome to identity
- Feedback loops: Habits shape identity, identity shapes habit.
- The real reason habits matter
- Identity change is the North Star of habit change.
- Building better habits isn't about littering your day with lifehacks.