029 Make Health Part of Your Identity

Some experts believe a person acts according to who he or she thinks he she is; people decide according to identity.

Bryan Tracy teaches, “you become what you think about most of the time.”

It follows that if something is misaligned with your identity you will seek realignment. If this is true, than getting a clear picture of what you want—who you want to be—and then making it authentically “you” will help bring about the changes and improvements in your life you (perhaps desperately) seek.

Freshman in college, I was tired of being the skinny kid. I wanted muscle.

Throughout his life my grandpa Bill Tanner Jr (PsychD) taught people to picture in their minds who they wanted to be then to act as if it was already true—over and over again—until it became reality.

So I found, printed, and posted on my dorm wall a picture of a muscular lifeguard guy I wanted to look like. I pictured myself looking like that guy every day that year then went to work lifting weights 2-3 times a week, playing intramural soccer, and running to build endurance.

I became more muscular. Now more than 20 years later, I sill am. I still make daily choices about what to eat and what not to eat. I move, am active, and exercise from this identity. I am a healthy person. I believe this to my core and it shows. I feel zero deprivation. This is no fad diet. My choices are based on what I most want for my life and who I feel I am.

When it comes to her fitness “firm and fit” is what my mom envisions for herself.

I know a family whose last name is Fitt. It may surprise you to learn they are all fit—dad has run a marathon yet is especially good at long-distance road biking, mom is a champion distance runner, and the kids excel at track and field. I believe their last name invites them to pattern their lives to be healthy. It’s part of their identity. Fitts are fit.

Start today to believe you are a healthy person. Ask yourself, “What would a healthy person do?” Today, right now, begin to make being a healthy person part of who you are—part of your identity.