Two very powerful words ‘I am’
Henry Ford once said, ‘if you think you can or if you think you can’t, you’re right’, and he of course correct because whatever we say in our own life ultimately is the way things will be. Saying the words ‘I am’ has a powerful effect on your life and the way you live it. When looking at logical levels of change, your identity is at the top of the tree. Whoever you identify with will affect your beliefs, your capabilities, your behavior and finally your environment.
Levels of change:
1. Identity
2. Beliefs
3. Capabilities
4. Behavior
5. Environment
Depending on what you identify with, it can be good or bad.
Let’s say you want to start writing, until you start identifying yourself as ‘a writer’ as opposed to somebody who just writes, there will be in congruencies in your behavior, you will not really believe you are a writer. You may find you get stuck and are unable to move forward. You may even stop writing altogether, not quite believing you have what it takes to become a writer.
If you say you are ‘a writer’ then you will already believe it, you are already saying you have the capabilities to write, and your behavior will indicate this. While you don’t have to say you are a writer to write every day it won’t hurt, and there are many people who if they knew you were writing daily would call you a writer. You don’t necessarily need to have a book published to call yourself a writer. As long as you identify with being a writer your actions and beliefs will follow suit. If you say that you aren’t a writer than you may find you lack the self belief to take steps to get your work published.
While there is power in saying something positive ‘I am a writer, I am kind, I am successful in my job’ (the power comes from the way you actions and beliefs change as a result of what you say), the negatives can be just as powerful.
‘I am an idiot’, ‘I am a failure’, ‘I am lacking in confidence’, ‘I am lacking in ideas’, ‘I am lazy’. Can you think of any others you say to yourself?
1. Identity
2. Beliefs
3. Capabilities
4. Behavior
5. Environment
If you identity with ‘I am lazy’, what do you think will transpire in your life when you say that? Let’s say you want to start a business, great! You see the future, working for yourself, the money coming in, the feeling of satisfaction that you created your own destiny, you believe you can do it, and that you have the necessary capabilities, but wait, you have always seen yourself as somebody who is lazy, how are you going to make it all happen knowing you are lazy?
Of course you would like to run your own business but you’re lazy so it is equally important to sit around wasting hours not doing very much? After all isn’t that what being lazy is all about? Good luck with getting the business started lazy bones.
A slightly more useful identity would be of someone who is proactive in taking action. For example instead of ‘I am lazy’, say ‘I am pro-active in getting work done on a daily basis’.
See how your behavior and capabilities change when you say that?
You do realize you chose what to say to yourself, don’t you? If you aren’t getting or haven’t been getting the results you want for yourself maybe you need to change something? And perhaps you need to change what you say to yourself each day before you get out of bed? While you travel to work or while you are walking to the shops etc.
If you are happy with the way things are in your life, carry on doing what you are doing, if you’re not, then change what you do. Or at least understand that your life will not change until you do alter your behavior and for the purpose of this article in particular your identity.
Listen out for when you say ‘I am’, I am this or I am that. If it is not constructive, immediately change it.
Change ‘I am not confident’ into ‘I am confident of myself and my abilities to get things done and handle everything that comes my way’.
Instead of ‘I am a failure’, say ‘I am a success, I have achieved much in my life and I have what it takes to achieve a lot more’.
Unfortunately the mind will always dwell on the negative, it takes effort sometimes to be positive but the long term benefits will be there for all to see.
The images you make, the sounds you hear in your head have a direct impact on your productivity, and indeed your life, make sure you have all yours working for you rather than against you.
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