Replacing identity
Hitting a wall.
Often, when I try to make big changes in my life, I find myself constantly “hitting the wall”- that point in the journey when you feel you can’t go on any longer.
And each time it’s usually for the same reason:
I’m not willing to give up on my identity.
Here’s the thing. Our brain is wired to behave in ways that are consistent with our identity – with how we see ourselves.
When I went to study in Australia, for example, I didn’t feel very Australian.
I was speaking Hebrew with my roommates and haunting the same few humdrum university hangouts, always within the narrow world of other foreign students.
No matter how many times I tried to immerse myself in the culture, I always hit the wall so to speak.
My identity held me back – I saw myself as as a foreign student.
It was only when I decided to jump into the deep end, give up on my foreign student identity, and be Australian in every real sense, that I was able to transform.
Now, looking into the future, I’m wondering what identity shifts will I need to make for my big dreams.
Who do I need to become?
what do I need to believe about myself?
What behaviors do I need to let go of?
Identity. It may be the only thing standing between us and our dreams. .
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Previous share: Always a Student
* If you’re looking for more inspiration to help you on your personal development journey, you may want to check out my extensive list of SMART goals. This page is packed with thousands of different goal ideas that can help you set new aspirations and reach higher heights in your life. Personally, this page helped me to create my own 100 life goals list, which I pursued for over a decade.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an impact-driven creator at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 life goals around the globe. Tal's journey and recent book, The Art of Fully Living, inspired him to found Elevate Society.
