How you can change your identity

This week I had a fascinating conversation about identity. A client told me a story about how, years ago, he managed to totally shift what he believed about himself. Since his childhood days, he called himself 'shy' and 'introverted'. Avoiding eye contact was his norm. Until one day, when his life took a completely different direction. He had made the bold decision to push himself out in the world. He got a job that required him to approach potential clients face to face, looking them in the eyes, while asking a few scripted questions. He pushed himself completely outside of the comfort zone. At the beginning, it was tough. But then, it became easier, and easier with every passing day.

Can you imagine what happened after reading the same scrip a hundred times? He wasn't shy anymore! He had created a new identity for himself. He had formed new neural pathways, wiring a new identity in his brain. He had become the person that he wanted to be. Our personality is not set in stone. It is made of neurons that repeatedly fire together, until they wire together. If you want to change who you are, start by asking yourself, who do I want to be? This is where the creation process begins.