Identity-Based Habits
Behaviour changes most durably when it is framed as evidence of who you are; each repetition casts a vote for the identity, and the identity then sustains the behaviour.
An everyday example
'I am someone who reads the terms' produces more reading than 'I should read the terms'.
What it can cost you
Being handed an identity by a brand or group whose behaviours follow from it — 'people like us buy this'.
Warning signs
- A brand or group is telling me who I am.
- I am about to act in a way I would not describe as 'me'.
One thing to do
Choose the decision-maker identity you want in writing, and check purchases and commitments against it rather than against the moment.
Is this happening to you right now?
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