Chapter 2 is the 2nd of 3 chapters in The Fundamentals.
Idea 1: Don’t change your habit. Change you.
Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.
The whole chapter is focused on this idea. YOU create and execute your HABITS which create RESULTS.
The problem is that it doesn’t work if we think about it back to front. If we start with the results we want to change, we naturally look at the habits that need to be created or changed.
But you haven’t changed. And you are going to keep executing the same habits.
If you change you, you can more naturally change the habit and get the new results you want.
The idea is that your identity has a lot of influence over your behavior. You’re a person who does or doesn’t do a particular thing.
You could be “a smoker who’s trying to quit”. That sounds like a person with a pack of cigarettes handy.
Or you could be “a non-smoker who’s trying to get back on the wagon”. The 2 people may do all the same things on any given day. But I think this 2nd person has a better chance in the long run.
Creating a new idea isn’t easy. It’s a ton of work. But the plan is simple.
- Decide the type of person you want to be.
- Prove it to yourself with small wins.
These ideas line up with Robert Cialdini. I believe it’s the Consistency section of Influence. It’s already on my reading list. I’ll update this when I re-read it.
This also makes me think of the Stoic idea that you only control inputs – not outcomes. If you consistently execute a semi-intelligent plan, you’ll get results eventually.
