“Bond. Gold Bond is my preferred foot powder. Oh, the picture? Yeah, I look like James Bond here.”
You are living from the identity you have chosen. If you don’t like your life (or an aspect of it), you may want to change your identity.
If life is a play, then your identity is the director – it tells you what to do and how to act. This doesn’t mean you’ve chosen your preferred identity. People will usually choose safer, easier identities than the one they really want. It’s easier and safer to be a cashier than it is to be James Bond, but a lot of men would love to be James Bond.
I’m going to share with you the easy way to change you identity. Oh, and wishing for a new identity doesn’t work. I’ve already tried that. Starting is simple…
Claim your new identity in the present tense.
Say, “I am a bodybuilder. I am a small business owner. I am a writer. I am a gymnast. I am Bond. James Bond.”
For the last one, it’s important for both sentences to be said… “Bond. James Bond.”
Can A Temporary Identity Badge Become Permanent?
Yes.
Naturally, we strive to live in accordance with our self-assigned identity. This little identity claim “trick” changes your identity temporarily in your mind long enough for you to start living in the new identity. I stress temporarily because if you say it but don’t live it over the coming days, you won’t believe yourself and you’ll get nothing out of it. But starting from scratch, saying and believing your new identity, you have a chance to make it real.
Once you’re living a new identity, you won’t need to pretend anymore because you’ve proven that you can BE that person. If you can live one day like a writer, musician, or James Bond, you can live your life like that. Life is merely a very long string of days.
Until it catches on, you’ll probably need to repeat your new identity…a lot. Several times per day. The reason we need this trick is that we might not ever give ourselves a chance otherwise. Repetition has a dramatic impact on the human brain.
Repetition is the reason why you might not have the identity you’d like to have. You’ve been telling yourself every morning that you’re someone else. Since our past is all we know for sure about ourselves, if we’ve never been James Bond for four decades, it’s difficult to convince ourselves that we can start now.
How To Perform An Identity Swap? Imagine
Don’t just say the words, “I am a bodybuilder.” Imagine yourself being that person. If you like the new version of you, go for it. Start acting like this new person. What does a bodybuilder eat for breakfast? RAW EGGS, BABY. When would a bodybuilder go to the gym? 5:30 AM and for three hours! Remember, you are a bodybuilder now!
[box style=”info”]Being a bodybuilder is less appealing to everyone now.[/box]The skill you’ll need to pull this off is imagination, which is one way children are better than adults. Imagine this new reality and suspend your disbelief. If you’re having trouble, watch Peter Pan for inspiration. Seriously. The ability to suspend disbelief is one of the more powerful personal development “weapons” we can use. If you know how to suspend your disbelief, you’ll be able to try new things, and trying new things brings new opportunities and abundant growth!
Think about it. Suspending disbelief makes the phrase “I can’t” disappear. Belief and “I can’t” are enemies. If you put them in the same room, the “I” in “I can’t” will turn black. Get it? A “black i” because belief punched it? I’m very sorry about that humor, unless you liked it, in which case I deserve excessive praise.
You are exactly who you believe you are. Not who you think you believe you are, but what your actions say you believe about yourself.
Why It Works
This works because it stomps the idea that “we are who we are and there’s nothing we can do about it.” Sure, maybe a tiger can’t change his stripes like you can’t change your DNA, but he can change what it means to be a tiger and you can change what you do with what you’ve got.
You are who you say you are, until proven otherwise.