Most habit attempts start with a behaviour: run three times a week, write every morning, stop checking email at night. They fail because the behaviour has no anchor. Identity-based habits start one step earlier, with a decision about the kind of person you are choosing to become, and let the behaviours follow from that.
Outcome, process, identity
There are three layers to any change. The outcome is what you want, the process is what you do, and the identity is what you believe about yourself. Working from the outside in produces short bursts. Working from identity outward produces habits that survive a bad month.
The vote metaphor
Every action is a small vote for a type of person. You do not need a unanimous result. You need a majority over time. This reframes a missed day from a failure into a single vote lost, which is a much easier thing to recover from.
Choose the identity carefully
An identity that is too grand, such as an elite athlete, invites comparison and collapse. One that is specific and modest, such as someone who moves every day, is easy to cast votes for and hard to disprove.
Action Step
Write one sentence beginning ‘I am becoming the kind of person who…’. Keep it modest and specific. This sentence is the anchor for every habit in the course.