Imagining two people resisting cigarette. When offered a smoke, the first person says, “No thanks. I’m trying to quit.” The second person declines by saying, “No thanks. I’m not a smoker.”

 It’s a small difference, but this statement signals a shift in identity. Smoking was part of their fo...

Your identity emerges out of your habits. You are not born with preset beliefs. Every belief, including those about yourself, is learned and conditioned through experience.

More precisely, your habits are how you embody your identity. When you make your bed each day, you embody the identity...

It is concerned with changing your results: losing weight, publishing a book etc . 

Our first mistake is that we try to change the wrong thing.

To understand what I mean, consider that there are three levels at which change can occur.

THREE LAYERS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE 

1. The first layer is changing your outcomes.
2. The second layer is changing ...

This is one reason why meaningful change does not require radical change.

Small habits can make a meaningful difference by providing evidence of a new identity. And if a change is meaningful, it actually is big. That’s the paradox of making small improvements.

The mos...

For example, “Who is the type of person who could write a book?” It’s probably someone who is consistent and reliable. Now your focus shifts from writing a book (outcome-based) to being the type of person who is consistent and reliable (identity-based).

Your habits shape your id...

When your behavior and your identity are fully aligned, you are no longer pursuing behavior change. You are simply acting like the type of person you already believe yourself to be.

Identity change can be a powerful force for self-improvement.

The biggest barrier to p...

You may want better health, but if you continue to prioritize comfort over accomplishment, you’ll be drawn to relaxing rather than training.

You have a new goal and a new plan, but you haven’t changed who you are.

The ultimate form of intrinsic motiva...

The more pride you have in a particular aspect of your identity, the more motivated you will be to maintain the habits associated with it. 

If you’re proud of how your hair looks, you’ll develop all sorts of habits to care for and maintain it.

Improvements...

This level is concerned with changing your beliefs: your worldview, your self-image, your judgement about yourself and others. 

Outcomes are about what you get. Processes are about what you do. Identity is about what you believe.

Many people begin the process...

• Your identity emerges out of your habits. Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.
• Becoming the best version of yourself requires you to continuously edit your beliefs, and to upgrade and expand your identity.

It is concerned with changing your habits and systems: implementing a new routine at the gym, decluttering your desk for better workflow etc .