7 ways your habits shape your identity

Introduction

What do you do when someone says, “I am who I am”? Are they simply stating a fact about themselves? Or is this a way of saying that they can't change — even though they might want to? When we take on new habits, we begin to see ourselves differently. What follows are seven ways your habits shape your identity:

1. Habits reshape your identity by transforming the brain.

Your habits shape your identity because they are a form of learning, which shapes how we see ourselves. Habits are also a form of memory, which is another way we can come to see ourselves as one-dimensional and unchangeable. The combination of these two factors means that our habits help us develop an implicit sense of who we are, even if that isn't an accurate way to describe us.

Habits can also shape the way you perceive others' identities because they influence how you interpret people's actions and words. When someone acts differently than their usual self or says something unexpected or offensive (like telling someone they look tired), it might be because their habitual self "showed up" instead of their actual self—or maybe there was no real change at all: They were just acting like themselves in a different context!

2. Changing habits changes your self-image.

What does it mean to be a person? What makes you, you?

It’s easy to think of yourself as an individual with a mind, body and personality separate from the world around you. But what if our brains are not only shaped by our experiences, but also create those experiences based on how we expect them to play out? A habit doesn’t just lead us down a path — it creates that path in our mind. As such, changing your habits changes your identity. “Your habits form the foundation for who you are and what your life will look like tomorrow, next week or next year," said [Jerry] Seinfeld in his book "Comedian."

3. Doing a habit can feel like “being” a habit.

The more you do a habit, the more you can feel like “being” that habit. For example, people who are workaholics often describe themselves as being absorbed in their work and feeling pulled toward it. They may even say things like “I am my job.”

Habits can also be addictive: People who have been hooked on drugs or alcohol often report that they had difficulty stopping even when they knew it was harming them, or else they couldn't find anything else that gave them the same pleasure as their drug of choice did.

Some habits are comforting: If you have a ritualized way of starting each morning—say, by making coffee and checking email—it may make you feel happy or comforted when you perform these actions because they're familiar to you. The same applies for going to bed at night; if every evening involves taking down your hair and brushing your teeth while wearing pajamas (like mine currently!), then performing those actions might remind you of other times when you did similar things in the past—and this could help reduce anxiety about what's coming next day!

Habits can be sources of pride: When we engage in behaviors that conform to social expectations about how men/women should act (for instance), we often receive praise from others for doing so—and this praise might come from within ourselves as well! This isn't always bad; some folks need external validation before accepting something about themselves (such as skill at cooking). But over time these affirmations become internalized and thus rewardable... possibly leading one into a trap where no amount will ever be enough."

4. Changing habits changes your view of the past.

Changing habits changes your view of the past. You can't change the past, but you can change your perspective on it. For example:

• If you're a smoker and quit smoking, one day will come when you remember how much smoke used to fill up your lungs and how many times you were around people who were smoking. At first it might seem like an unpleasant memory—but then as time goes by, that memory will fade away because there are no longer any cigarette fumes in your nostrils or secondhand smoke in the air around you. And instead of thinking about what could have been if you hadn't quit smoking, think about how good it feels being able to breathe freely again!

• In another example, imagine someone who is overweight has been exercising more often lately than they ever have before—and now they're more fit than ever! They've lost weight (and gained muscle), so their clothes fit better than they did before they began working out regularly; their energy levels are higher; and when they look in the mirror at themselves now vs then (or even just last week), they can see significant differences between their physical appearances both externally and internally due to their new-found dedication towards healthful living habits!

So while these examples may seem small compared with other types of identity changes that happen over longer periods of time (like turning from child into adult), what matters most here is that changing habits does indeed affect how we view ourselves both physically and mentally--even if only slightly at first--and this should be cause for celebration rather than discouragement when trying something new :)

5. Habits influence who you surround yourself with.

Your environment has a lot to do with the way you act, and it can influence your habits. If you want to change your habits, changing your environment is a good place to start.

Change Your Environment

If we're being honest, it's much easier said than done—but if you want to change your habits in any meaningful way, changing or challenging them takes time and effort. One of the best ways to do this is through environmental changes that will keep you on track:

• Remove temptation from your life by keeping unhealthy foods out of reach or filing any temptations away in drawers rather than leaving them on counters where they're visible. Otherwise, they'll be too tempting!

• Use reminders as triggers for when it's time for exercise (or time not to go too long without eating) by placing sticky notes or alarms all over the house—and don't forget about using technology like Google Calendar notifications so that reminders come right when needed most!

6. Habits can make you more conscientious or careless, studious or slothful, and so on.

By now you're probably thinking, “I've got to find a way to break these bad habits and replace them with good ones.” But the truth is that it's not as simple as that.

First of all, most people don't have enough willpower to make such dramatic changes in their lives. Second, even if they do manage to make those big changes, they tend to slip back into old habits eventually—often because they lack self-knowledge or accountability. For example: if your goal is to go on a diet and lose 50 pounds by next month's wedding anniversary (which is just two weeks away), chances are you won't succeed unless you know exactly how much food your body requires each day and exactly how many calories are in each bite of food so you can log them into an app like MyFitnessPal or Lose It!. This kind of self-knowledge takes time and effort; without it, there won't be any hope for change!

7. Habits change your sense of potential and future self.

Habits are a powerful way to change your sense of potential. They can help you believe that you have the ability to be different in the future than you are today. The more we practice having a new habit, the more likely we become that our actions will naturally flow from us in safe and comfortable ways.

When we create a habit, we say yes to being better than who we were before—and who knows? Maybe there’s even room for improvement!

As we learn to replace bad habits with good ones, we begin to see ourselves as capable of change

As we learn to replace bad habits with good ones, we begin to see ourselves as capable of change. This is how we build an identity that is centered in our ability to create the life that we want rather than the one that just happens to fall into our lap.

This can be a challenging process at times because it involves taking the time and energy necessary to make new habits stick. But if you're committed enough, you'll find yourself on the path towards a more fulfilling life—one where your actions match up with who you are as an individual and what matters most in your life.

If you’re feeling stuck in a rut, remember that you have the power to change your habits. You are not your habits—you are much more than that!