Access Point: Who Are You Becoming?

"Work is about doing and self is about being. Pay attention to who you are becoming, and what you do will evolve." — James McPartland

All behavior, especially when we are at work is an "identity performance" – an act in which we strive to keep a particular narrative going. We are walking, talking expressions of our deepest convictions. Recognizing that we become what we think about, we come to find that we can only see as far as our self-talk will take us and only act as far as our self-talk will back us.

Paying close attention to who we tell ourselves we are or are not provides an intuitive understanding between who I am and who I want others to think I am. The process of deconstructing our current identity can raise the awareness that we have become emotionally attached to imaginary things. What are you explaining, justifying, or defending about your life? What we protect influences how we form our identity and thus live our lives.

Crafting our new identity, one that we can live into each and every day, is simply a matter of practicing on a new playfield. After all, we are playing the game of life, and life is one elongated practice session. While work is about doing and self is about being, we can begin to change who we are by changing what we do.

Stepping into a new identity amplifies the paradox of small improvements. If change is important to you, if your "why" is strong enough, any step is actually a big step. Getting out of your head requires action, and it is far easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting.

Don't feel the need to get it perfect right away. Just get it going.