Are you still struggling to implement good habits? Do this: Instead of focusing on what you want to achieve, focus on who you want to be as a person. This is the concept of identity-based habit.
When it comes to habits, there are two types of habits you need to understand:
- Outcome-based habits
- Identity-based habits
In James Clear’s best-selling book, Atomic Habits, he explains, with identity-based habits, the focus is on who you want to become. These types of habits are important for clearly identifying who it is you want to become in the future.
On the other hand, with outcome-based habits, the focus is on what you want to achieve. These types of habits are the weekly, daily, minute-by-minute habits that take you from where you are now to achieving whatever goal you have set for yourself.
Identity-based habits are the types of habits that aim to change your inner particles – your DNA, your beliefs, your personality. Not simply change the processes you do in your life.
With identity-based habits, you don’t start going to the gym because you want to lose weight. You boldly declare that, from now on, you’ll be a healthy person. The process looks like this:
- Your decide the type of person you want to be
- Then prove it to yourself with small wins
A person who pursues outcome-based habits is solely focused on the outcome of losing weight. For this to happen, they eat well and go to the gym. But when this goal is reached, they quickly return to their old ways of living.
You keep the habits until you reach the goal. Once the goal is reached, since you are the same you, you resume doing the things that led to gaining weight.
The idea of identity-based habits offers a simple framework to abandon your bad habits and adopt good ones. But with this disclaimer: Simple doesn’t mean easy! Once you understand the idea of identity-based habits. You will know what to do. But it will be hard to do. Change won’t happen overnight. Like everything meaningful in life, it requires work and persistence.
So, what’s the verdict in relation to identity-based habits vs outcome-based habits? We shouldn’t dismiss habits focused on outcomes.
Outcome-based habits are not bad per se. There is a chance that if you continue to exercise daily, you will convince yourself that you need to be a healthy person. If you regularly do something, this can shift your identity.
Something similar can happen when you start with outcome-based habits. You set a goal. You focus on reaching that goal, and along the way, you realize that you want to be a healthy person. You want to be a person who exercises regularly. Then, your identity shifts. And your outcome-based habits become identity-based habits.
For example, trying a new profession. You don’t know if you are good at sales. You don’t know if you’d enjoy it. You first need to try so you give yourself a chance to explore the profession.
In this regard, outcome-based habits can be quite helpful. You can set a goal to learn how to sell for 60 days. Once the two months is over, you can decide how to proceed… remain a salesperson, or not.
If the answer is yes, you can then focus on acquiring identity-based habits that will make you a great salesperson. If not, you can search for a different outlet. So think about the successful salesperson you want to become and focus on the actions that will get you there.
