Hello there.
Have you ever wondered why you achieve something great, only to fall right back into your old habits and patterns?
It’s likely because you’ve blurred the lines between an identity goal and a specific goal. And you're not to blame—the personal development world often blurs these lines, so I aim to simplify things for you!
What is an Identity Goal?
This is a goal centred around who you want to become. It's timeless and aligned with your values, meaning you are always aiming to improve.
Here are a couple of examples:
"I will be a person who is active and healthy so I can play with my children and be there for my family."
"I will be someone who is very knowledgeable and speaks well in front of people."
What is a Specific Goal?
This is a very specific thing you want to achieve, with a clear time and date for completion.
Here are a couple of examples:
"I will lose 5kg by December 2025."
"I will read one book per month for six months, starting September 2025 and ending February 2026."
"I will have the first draft of my book completed by February 2026, writing 5,000 words per week."
Do you see the difference?
Now, the difference is clear, but why is it crucial to have both types of goals?
Once you achieve that specific goal, what's next? You've completed your mission, so all the systems you built to achieve it will start to fade away, and your old habits will kick in. This is why it's so hard to maintain weight—once the goal is met, you stop the very habits that got you there. In your mind, it's a job done, mission complete!
I can speak from experience on this, as I struggled with my weight my entire life, always losing it only to put it back on. Then I discovered identity goals, which changed my approach forever.
Here’s how I use the Identity and Specific Goal system:
Identity Goal: To be a physically active and healthy man who is consistently there for his family.
Specific Goal: Lose 10kg in 6 months (with specific start and end dates).
Action Plan:
Run three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays).
Complete two weight training sessions a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays).
So let’s say you are me and six months later, you achieve the specific goal, I’m sure you will feel ecstatic and happy! But instead of spiralling back into old habits, you draw upon the motivation of your identity goal. If you want to be a physically active person who supports their family, you know you need to keep running and working out to fulfil that identity.
To keep the motivation and excitement going, you can change your specific goal. This is the key—specific goals are always adapted and changed, but your identity goal isn't.
One of the worst feelings as humans is letting ourselves down. By not fulfilling who we set out to become, we get the greatest kick in the teeth. This makes you far more likely to continue running and working out than if you were relying on specific goals alone.
This is why having both is imperative, and it may just be the reason you've consistently fallen back into old habits.
Now, how about it? Let's create your identity goal!
Download the document below if you didn’t already receive it in the welcome email, and I'll take you through a guided approach to creating identity goals designed for you.
Any feedback on the document and its impact (or not) is always welcome.
Until next week, enjoy my photo of the week and speak soon.
A wonderful time teaching communication to Thai students at English camp.
PS - Don’t forget to add me to your mail list so you don’t lose my emails in your junk! 😃
Bradley Hession
