The Identity Habits Cycle: How Your Identity and Habits Influence Each Other

Have you ever struggled with a behavior for so long that it seemed like it was part of your genetic makeup? Have you ever thought or said “this is just the way that I am?”

If you have struggled with a habit for a long time, you might assume that your genetics are to blame. In reality, the problem might be the way that you see yourself. In this article, you will learn about something that I refer to as The Identity Habits Cycle. Your identity and habits influence each other- for better or for worse.

A Personal Example

Getting up early was a struggle for me earlier in my life. In high school, my father practically had to rip me out of bed each morning to get to school on time.

When I went away to college and no longer had someone to get me up, my morning struggles continued, and I started snoozing every day. That habit also continued after college when my professional career began. Each day, I would abuse the snooze button on my alarm clock and sleep too late. Then, I would scramble like a lunatic to try to get to work on time.

Some point along the way, I started telling myself and other people that I was “not a morning person.” It was a simple and obvious diagnosis. There were years of evidence to back up this belief about myself.

Each day that I snoozed and struggled to get out of bed, it reinforced my identity of not being a “morning person.” Each time that I told myself or someone else that I was “not a morning person,” it reinforced my habit of snoozing and sleeping late. I did not realize it at the time, but I was stuck in an Identity Habits Cycle that was getting stronger each day.

What is an Identity Habits Cycle?

An Identity Habits Cycle is my term for the connection between how you see yourself (your identity) and how you behave (your habits). To say it another way, your identity influences your habits, and your habits influence your identity.

Each time that you behave a certain way, you reinforce an identity consistent with that behavior. And, each time that you think about or describe yourself in a certain way, you increase the chances that your future behavior will be consistent with that identity.

An Identity Habits Cycle can work against you or for you. Let’s look at a few examples of negative Identity Habits Cycles first.

Examples of Negative Identity Habits Cycles

If you see yourself as someone who is “not a morning person,” then you will behave like someone who is not a morning person. You will snooze and sleep late more often.

If you see yourself as someone who “has a bad temper,” then you will behave like someone who has a bad temper. You will get angry at other people more often.

If you see yourself as someone who “always procrastinates,” then you will behave like someone who always procrastinates. You will keep pushing things off.

Examples of Positive Identity Habits Cycles

The good news is that your identity can also work in your favor. Let’s look at a few examples of positive Identity Habits Cycles:

If you see yourself as an “athlete,” then you will behave like someone who is an athlete. You will work out more often.

If you see yourself as a “strong public speaker,” then you will behave like someone who is strong public speaker. You will command more respect while speaking. 

If you see yourself as a “great business developer,” then you will behave like someone who is a great business developer. You will do more prospecting and close more deals.

Your identity influences your habits, and your habits influence your identity. For better or for worse, your cycles get stronger and stronger over time.

Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset

The concept of an Identity Habits Cycle is consistent with research conducted by Stanford University psychologist, Dr. Carol S. Dweck. For decades, she has studied the relationship between mindset and success.

The central theme of Dr. Dweck’s work is that you can have one of two mindsets. If you have a “fixed mindset,” you believe your abilities cannot be improved. If you have a “growth mindset,” you believe your abilities can be improved.

People with a fixed mindset avoid challenges (to avoid a potential failure). They view setbacks as evidence that they cannot succeed. On the other hand, people with a growth mindset pursue challenges (even though they might fail). They use setbacks as evidence that they should try a new approach or work harder to improve their results in the future.

As Dr. Dweck writes in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, “My research has shown that the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life. It can determine whether you become the person you want to be and whether you accomplish the things you value.”

Changing Your Mindset, Identity, and Habits

Most people have a growth mindset in certain areas and a fixed mindset in other areas. For example, you could have a growth mindset in regard to your ability to speak in public, while having a fixed mindset in regard to your ability to get up early.

Years ago, I changed my Identity Habits Cycle around snoozing and not seeing myself as a “morning person.” Now, I always get up on time and start the day strong. I have not snoozed in years, and my identity has also changed for the better.

Here are three steps that helped me break that cycle. No matter what you might want to change in your life, these steps can help you too:

(1) Replace a fixed mindset with a growth mindset.

If there is a habit that you have struggled with for a while, you probably also have a fixed/false belief about yourself that reinforces your struggles. That could include what you think you are or are not (i.e., “I’m not a morning person”), what you think you have or don’t have (i.e., “I have no self-control”), and what you think you cannot do (i.e., “I cannot stop procrastinating”).

What have you told yourself is permanent? Identify where you have a fixed mindset. Then, adopt a growth mindset instead, and believe that change is possible.

(2) Identify the real cause(s) of your behavior.

Don’t take the easy way out and blame your genetics for your behavior. Identify the real cause(s) of your habits. Why do you really act the way that you do?

For example, if you think that you are “not a morning person,” you might have years of evidence that support your belief, like I once did. However, there are probably other (non-genetic) factors at work. In my case, my problems in the morning were because my sleep environment was not ideal and my bedtime habits were not either. Once I made some changes in each of those areas, my sleep quality improved, and getting up on time became much easier.

(3) Create evidence that change is possible.

Believing that you can change is a good start, but it is not enough. You also have to prove it to yourself with your actions. Start small and easy by proving it to yourself one time.

Do not let yourself get overwhelmed by looking too far ahead. Behave your new way once. If you can do it one time, then you can do it again. Each time that you do, it will reinforce the new identity that you want to develop, which will make it easier to follow-through on the new behavior, and on and on.

Eventually, your new identity and new habits will replace the old ones. Your new Identity Habits Cycle will get stronger and stronger over time.

Summary and Final Thoughts

If you have struggled with a behavior for a long time, you might assume that your genetics are to blame. In reality, your identity could be the problem. Follow these three steps and you can change your identity and habits for the better:

1. Replace a fixed mindset with a growth mindset.
2. Identify the real cause(s) of your behavior.
3. Create evidence that change is possible.

Change is not easy, especially at first. However, it’s worth it, and it gets easier over time. Each time that you change an Identity Habits Cycle for the better, your confidence increases. You create more evidence for yourself that you can improve any behavior. That makes it easier to adopt a growth mindset about future changes and goals. Eventually you start to see yourself as “someone who can change or accomplish anything.” Then, you start behaving that way, too.