Identity - The Most Powerful Force

You may be seeing the pattern here by now, but just to confirm, this blog is about Identity. The “I” in L.I.F.E. It’s a monumental category that helped me get through some pretty crazy times in my life. 

Tony Robbins said, “Identity is the most powerful force.” Identity is the unique set of characteristics that can be used to identify a person as themself and no one else. Think about that, and think about yourself. Everything about you is part of your makeup, your DNA, and your identity.

The cool part is that your behaviors are usually a reflection of your identity, and your identity has been getting worked on every day of your life. 

The truth about your identity is that you grow through what you go through. You are a result of your past experiences and present thinking.

The way you think about certain things today probably derives from some past experience(s).

At Geared 4 Life, we look at identity as a means to reflect on yourself and yourself as an individual. Identity at Geared 4 Life is all about you and what you do for yourself. 

This may include meditation for 5 mins every morning, your religion, self-talk throughout the day, and/or doing something fun for yourself.

As you can tell, it's a wide range of things because you, as a person, have a lot of different angles in life. It could even include your belief system around certain topics. 

Regardless of the topic or situation, you are constantly using your identity.

Even if you’re the type of person that spends your weekends on the couch, you still have an identity.

You still have thoughts, dreams, maybe a few goals, self-talk, habits, etc. You are still you, and you still make choices and have thoughts and habits. 

Now, how does Identity fit into Geared 4 Life? That’s an easy one, IT’S YOU! That’s right, you as an individual. So I asked you, “What are you doing for yourself?”

During my research, as I have mentioned before, a lot of highly successful people start out by sacrificing themselves personally. What do I mean by that…? 

I have seen highly successful people let go of the things they love in life or the things they should be doing. For example, one of the first things I see them sacrifice is their hobbies. They stop doing the things they love, like playing a sport or reading in their spare time.

The second thing they sacrifice is their diet and exercise. They travel a lot for work, so they justify a crappy diet by saying it’s just easier to get some fast food because I don’t have time to sit down and eat. 

Or, I’ll exercise tomorrow because my schedule is just too busy today. All of these things begin to compile.

Remember, steps and leaps.

You are taking steps; the direction in which you step is up to you. Are you stepping forward and making progress, or are you stepping backward? 

I would like for you to start thinking of a plan to add the things you love back into your life. How can you start doing something for yourself, even if it's just for one hour a week to start?

How can you start exercising on a regular basis? Five times a week would be great, but let's say you start out with a 20-minute workout three times a week. 

Again, five would be good, but three is better than zero.

Think about what this could do for you in a month or six months.

You start to see progress, you start following a diet, you like the progress you’re making, and before you know it, you’re working out five times a week, and you’re more active.

You find yourself doing more physical activities like flag football, soccer, or a number of other sports. 

Maybe you meet a new friend that turns you on to a new idea, sport, book, or music genre.

All of this won’t happen overnight, but you can start with one step now. I want you to really think of the benefits of making these simple changes. 

Is your health worth one hour of exercise a week to start? The answer is YES. Is your mental health worth two hours of a fun activity that helps you relax?

The answer is YES.

Anything you can do to positively change your life is worth your time. These are forward steps, and forward steps turn into big leaps, and that is always worth your time. 

In conclusion, I encourage you to make a subtle change in your life and find something you can do for yourself.

Track your progress and watch how your life changes.

But more importantly, notice how your identity changes. Saturdays are filled with couch surfing. Now when you sit down on the couch, something in the back of your mind is telling you to get up and do something positive and active. 

You all of a sudden start water over beer. You’re eating healthier than living on fast food. 

You’re playing sports again and taking the time to grow your life. THIS IS YOUR IDENTITY.

Grow it and step forward. And remember, Consistent small steps will eventually turn into revolutionary big leaps!