Beyond New Year's Resolutions: Building Your 2025 Identity.

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says that true behaviour change is identity change.

How can you use this insight to approach your New Year's resolutions with a different lens?

Rather than write down, I want to start reading more consistently rather than set the intention to become a reader.

If you want to start walking three times a week, don't focus on your walking behaviour but rather take on the identity of a healthy person.

When you can build your goals around who you would like to become at the end of 2025, you don't rely on willpower anymore because this is based on behaviour alone.

When it's linked to identity, it's an expression of who you are, and it doesn't have an expiry or end date.

Question your story.

What's the story you tell yourself when you think about how you would like to end 2025?

The story you tell yourself dictates how you will show up to your new goals.

If you tell yourself that you've tried to change, but it never works, then anything you write down feels empty and hopeless.

If you want to change your identity, change the story first.

Think of an area of your life where you are successful, where you don't need willpower or motivation to drive you towards the right actions.

Success leaves clues—what are you doing in this area to achieve the results? Are you planning ahead, blocking out time for this activity, or seeking external advice or guidance?

Now, you can apply these same principles to your new goal and use these past wins as evidence that you are the kind of person who can achieve success.

How to build your identity.

Identity change is not about changing who you are intrinsically or trying to fix yourself; it is about deciding who you want to be to become the best version of yourself this coming year.

Block out time to journal using these three prompts that were created by Zig Ziglar and popularised by many personal development experts:

·       Everything I want to be.

·       Everything I want to do.

·       Everything I want to have.

Everything I want to be: Create a way of being in alignment with your goal.

There are two ways to approach this:

The first is to define which traits you want to integrate into your identity. For example, I want to be more compassionate, enthusiastic, energetic, empathetic, inspiring, wise, intuitive, trusting, joyful, etc.

If you're not sure where to start, think about the people you admire most and what traits stand out for you. Which of these would you like to integrate into your leadership style?

When I think about this exercise, the word that shows up for me is present.

My younger self would question why the trait of presence. The current version of me knows how important this is; it's all well to be zen on the meditation mat, but true growth is being able to stay present in the moments where I am triggered the most and respond as my higher self rather than my triggered autopilot self.

Spend some time thinking about the traits you would love to own and emulate.

The second way to approach this step is to imagine you get to the place you are dreaming about—the job title, the environment, the salary, the body, the quality of the relationships you desire, everything! Now, from that place, how would you feel? How would you approach your day? Think about the level of calm, gratitude, excitement, and contentment you feel for what you have created—now bring that to your day.

If you're thinking, "How can I feel like that when I'm dealing with all these stressful things now?" That's exactly the point—you can't wait for things to be "perfect" to allow yourself to feel good.

Being is the energy you bring to your tasks, your projects and your relationships.

Everything I want to do: your way of being will propel you into action.

Now, from this place of being, what do you want to do? You can do this as a bullet point list and write down everything you would like to achieve in 2025. It can be clients you want to work with, projects you want to be involved in, certifications you want to achieve, trips you would like to do, or bucket list activities you would want to tick off.

Don't hold back, and have fun with this.

Don't worry about the how; focus on what would excite you and energise you. What would you love to tell people you achieved in December 2025?

There is no limit on how much you can write; the objective of this prompt is to remind you of the things you want to achieve and create for yourself.

It brings intent and alignment into your actions.

When faced with decisions, you can pause and ask yourself: If I say yes to this, am I living in alignment with my desired identity? If I say no, am I moving closer to my goals?

Decisions are choice architecture. When you make choices based on your desired identity, you will find this easier and no longer need willpower.

Everything I want to do: the results of your action will bring you to your goal.

When you decide to get up instead of hitting snooze or tackle the presentation instead of procrastinating, you will begin to achieve your goals.

This last journaling prompt is about everything you want to have. This can include physical possessions, a certain salary, or an area where you would like to live.

More importantly, consider these true gifts from an article by Matthew Garrun:

·       Time

·       Health

·       A quiet mind

·       Slow mornings

·       Ability to travel

·       Rest without guilt

·       A good night's sleep

·       Calm and "boring" days

·       Meaningful conversations

·       Home-cooked meals

·       People you love

·       People who love you back

I would also add things like navigating the day without constant worrying, less anxiety, me-time without guilt, laughter, fun and unhurried days.

Final thoughts.

New Year's resolutions don't work because they focus on behaviour in isolation. This Be-Do-Have philosophy is powerful because it focuses on identity and mindset first rather than waiting for external circumstances to change.

It implies that transformation starts from within, through our choices about who we want to be, rather than being dependent on what we currently have.

As you enter 2025, let your core identity guide every choice. When your decisions flow from who you truly are—or who you're committed to becoming—you naturally align your daily actions with your deepest aspirations.

You're no longer simply reacting to life's circumstances; you're consciously crafting your path, laying each brick with intention. By making choices through the lens of identity, you become both the architect and builder of your future, creating results that authentically reflect your vision and values.

Wishing you a happy new year,

Warm wishes,

Lori