Who does God say that IAM...right now?
The Split-Second Question that Will Transform Your Life
Now Only $47.00
The IAM Bracelet is an easy and proven way to develop your identity by creating tiny beliefs that bring remarkable results
We all want to become better people - stronger and healthier, more creative and more skilled, a better friend or family member. But even if we get really inspired and start doing things better, it's tough to actually stick to new behaviors. It's more likely that this time next year you'll be doing the same thing than performing a new habit with ease.
Why is that? And is there anything you can do to make change easier?
The three layers of behavior change
The first layer is changing your outcomes. This level is concerned with changing your results: losing weight, publishing a book, winning a championship. Most of the goals you set are associated with this level of change.
The second layer is changing your process. This level is concerned with changing your habits and systems: implementing a new routine at the gym, decluttering your desk for better workflow, developing a quiet time in the morning. Most of the habits you build are associated with this level.
The third and deepest layer is changing your identity. This level is concerned with changing your beliefs, assumptions and biases you hold are associated with who you believe that you are.
Outcomes are about what you get. Processes are about what you do. Identity is about what you believe. When it comes to building habits that last - when it comes to building a system of 1% daily improvements - the problem is not that one level is " better " or " worse " than another. All levels of change are useful in their own way. The problem is the direction of change.
Most people begin the process of changing their habits by focusing on what they want to achieve. This leads us to outcome-based habits The alternative is to build " who habits ". With this approach, we start by focusing on WHO we wish to become.
What direction are you trying to change from?
Many people begin process of changing their habits by focusing on what they want to achieve. This leads us to outcome based habits. The alternative is to build identity based habits. With this approach, we start by focusing on who we wish to become.
he more pride you have in a particular aspect of your identity, the more motivated you will be to maintain the habits associated with it.
True behavior change is identity change. You might start a habit because of motivation, but the only reason you’ll stick with one is that it becomes part of your identity.
Good habits can make rational sense, but if they conflict with your identity, you will fail to put them into action.
New identities require new evidence. If you keep casting the same votes you’ve always cast, you’re going to get the same results you’ve always had. If nothing changes, nothing is going to change. It is a simple two-step process:
- Decide the type of person you want to be.
- Prove it to yourself with small wins.
The focus should always be on becoming that type of person, not getting a particular outcome.
Why I Create The IAM Bracelet
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 Who Habits
Imagine how we typically set goals. We might start by saying " I want to lose weight" or " I want to get stronger". If you're lucky, someone might say "That's great, but you should be more specific".
So then you say "I want to lose 20 pounds" or "I want to squat 300 pounds".
These goals are centered around outcomes, not identity.
To understand what I mean, consider that there are three levels at which change can occur. You can image them like layers of an onion.
Make improvements on a daily basis
It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis. Too often, we convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action. Whether it is losing weight, building a business, writing a book, winning a championship, or achieving any other goal, we put pressure on ourselves to make some earth‐shattering improvement that everyone will talk about.
Meanwhile, improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable—sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run. The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. Here’s how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty‐seven times better by the time you’re done. Conversely, if you get 1 percent worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero. What starts as a small win or a minor setback accumulates into something much more.
Habits are the compound interest of self–improvement. The same way that money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them. They seem to make little difference on any given day and yet the impact they deliver over the months and years can be enormous. It is only when looking back two, five, or perhaps ten years later that the value of good habits and the cost of bad ones becomes strikingly apparent.
This can be a difficult concept to appreciate in daily life. We often dismiss small changes because they don’t seem to matter very much in the moment. If you save a little money now, you’re still not a millionaire. If you go to the gym three days in a row, you’re still out of shape. If you study Mandarin for an hour tonight, you still haven’t learned the language. We make a few changes, but the results never seem to come quickly and so we slide back into our previous routines.
Holy Noticing
The Bible, Your Brain, and the Mindful Space Between Moments
Does your life ever feel like one series of rushed moments after another? Do you want to feel more present and connected to those you love? Do you want to be able to listen without thinking the whole time of what you’re going to say next? Do you want to feel less distracted, less busy, and more whole?
Most of us spend our distracted lives longing to get to the next, better moment and fail to notice the present one. We lack space between one task and the next, one thought and the next, one email and the next. Social media, TV, work deadlines, and family stress steal our enjoyment and engagement in the moment.
Holy Noticing will teach you how to:
- become more aware of your thoughts, emotions, and environment
- recognize Christ’s presence in the moment
- reduce your stress by developing the ability to focus on God and people rather than tasks
Download The E-book by Charles Stone
