Sharing wisdoms – Atomic Habits – part 2

Sources and all rights reserved to : Atomic Habits by James Clear

Chapter 2 :

• There are three kinds of change: what happens, how it happens, and who you become.
• First off, you need to change your outcomes. This level is all about changing your results: dropping pounds, getting your book out there, winning that championship. Most of the goals you set are linked to this level of change.
• Step two is all about changing how you do things. This level is all about changing up your habits and systems: starting a new gym routine, tidying up your desk for a better workflow, getting into meditation. Most of the habits you develop are tied to this level.
• The third layer is all about changing who you are. This level is all about changing your beliefs – how you see the world, how you see yourself, and how you judge others. All your beliefs and biases are tied to this level. Outcomes are all about what you get. Processes are all about what you do. It’s all about what you believe when it comes to identity. When it comes to building habits that last, it’s not about one level being better or worse. All kinds of change are helpful in their own way. It’s all about the direction things are heading. Most people start changing their habits by focusing on what they want. This brings us to habits based on results. Another option is to create habits based on who you are. First, we focus on who we want to be.
• The best way to change your habits is to think about who you want to become, not just what you want to achieve. People usually don’t even consider changing their identity when they try to improve. They just think, “I want to be skinny (outcome) and if I stick to this diet, then I’ll be skinny. They never change how they see themselves, and they don’t realize that their old self can ruin their new plans for change. Beliefs drive actions.
• Your habits define who you are. Every action counts towards the person you wanna be. When a habit becomes who you are, that’s true motivation. It’s like, I’m the kind of person who wants this. It’s totally different to say I’m the type of person who is like this. The prouder you are of who you are, the more motivated you’ll be to stick to your habits. If you’re happy with your hair, you’ll start doing all sorts of things to take care of it. When your pride is at stake, you’ll go all out to keep your habits.
• Changing who you are is the key to changing your behavior. You might start a habit because you’re motivated, but the only reason you’ll stick with it is if it becomes part of who you are. You can convince yourself to go to the gym or eat healthy a few times, but if you don’t shift your thinking, it’s gonna be tough to make lasting changes. Improvements are just temporary until they become part of your identity. Examples :
  • Don’t just read a book, become a reader.
  • The aim is to become a runner, not just run a marathon.
  • The goal is not to learn an instrument, the goal’s to become a musician.
• To become your best self, you gotta keep updating your beliefs and growing your identity.
• Your habits define who you are. You don’t come into this world with set beliefs. Every belief, even about yourself, is learned through experience. Your identity is basically who you are.
• But as you keep doing these things, you start seeing the proof and your self-image starts to shift. One-time experiences don’t stick around, but habits really shape who you are. Building habits is how you become who you really are.
• If you want to change who you are, start by changing what you do. You need new evidence for new identities. If you keep voting the same way, you’re gonna keep getting the same results. If things stay the same, nothing’s gonna change. It is a simple two-step process:
  • Figure out what kind of person you wanna be.
  • Show yourself by getting some small wins.
• The thing about habits is, they can change how you see yourself. Your identity isn’t fixed, you know. You can choose in every moment. You get to decide who you want to be by the habits you choose. And this is where we dive into the real reason why habits are so crucial.