Your sense of self influences your thoughts, emotions, and actions. At the same time, a sense of self refers to a person’s self as a product of their beliefs, ideas, and perceptions.

Your personality traits, likes and dislikes, moral code, and belief system combine to define your unique identity.

So, what is identity made up of? 

Ideas. 

Ideas you have about yourself.

Ideas you were taught.

Ideas you learned.

Ideas about what you are good at and what you are not.

Ideas about what’s right and what’s wrong.

These ideas come from events and experiences you’ve had. They also are influenced by our parents, teachers, religion, peer group, and more. 

And quite frankly some of these ideas aren’t necessarily true.

…or maybe they were true

…but are no longer true now.

This is important because behavior follows identity. 

So if you want to change your habits, you must first change your sense of self. 

And since your identity is a set of ideas, thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and perceptions, you have the power to create an identity that serves who you really are and who you want to become. 

For example: 

Maybe you used to be someone who ate unhealthy food… You can now become someone who eats healthy food.

Maybe you used to be someone that hates the gym… You can now be someone who loves going to the gym.

Maybe you were someone who used to feel insecure… You can now be someone who is confident.

Maybe you used to be bad at public speaking…you can now be someone who is a great public speaker.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, I invite you to strengthen your confidence by updating your identity.

Here’s a simple exercise:

1. Recognize the ideas you have about yourself that you want to let go of; the thoughts and beliefs that no longer serve who you are today or who you want to become. Make a list of what you want to let go of. 

2. Declare your future self. State your desire about how you want to be; the thoughts, emotions, and beliefs that support your future self. 

Fill in the blank: 

I used to be someone who______________ and now I am someone who is______________.

3. Describe the habits and behaviors of someone who embodies your new identity. What do they do? How do they act? How do they show up in the world and interact with others?

If your identity is a set of ideas, and ideas can change, then you can change, %FIRSTNAME%

If you are ready to stop feeling stuck and move forward with a sense of confidence, click here to access my Unbreakable Confidence Course.

Here’s an image from James Clear, author of, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones