Change Your Identity Before Changing Your Habits with Lucia Knight
A Joy At Work Experiment: Change Your Identity Before Changing Your Habits
Most people try to change their habits first, but what if the key to transformation was changing who you believe you are? In this episode, I explore why identity shifts come before habit change—and how embracing this approach can unlock real, lasting progress in your work and life.
Most attempts at change fail because we start in the wrong place. We set a goal, we try to build habits, and then we hope for transformation. But according to James Clear’s Atomic Habits, real change happens when we shift our identity first—when we become the type of person who naturally does those things.
I experienced this firsthand. For years, I struggled to swim longer distances, doubting my endurance. Then, one swim lesson changed everything—not just my technique, but how I saw myself. I walked out of that lesson not just as someone who wanted to swim longer, but as an endurance swimmer in training. That identity shift changed my actions immediately.
Your Joy at Work Experiment: Shift Your Identity
1️⃣ Choose one of your most important work or life goals.
2️⃣ Ask yourself: What kind of person achieves this goal?
3️⃣ Identify small, consistent actions that reinforce this identity.
4️⃣ Celebrate mini wins—each one strengthens your belief that you are that person.
Shifting your identity doesn’t happen overnight, but each tiny action proves it to yourself. And once you believe it, your habits naturally follow.
Next Steps:
If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my Life Satisfaction Assessment. It's a 30-minute program where I guide you through a deep dive into 10 areas of your life to assess what's bringing you joy and what's bringing you down. I call it Derailed and it's a fabulous place to begin a joy-at-work redesign.
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entity change before habit change
Lucia Knight: You're busy, yeah? There's never enough time to focus on your future work happiness, but if you don't focus on it, things just stay the same, don't they? In these short episodes, I want to give you some tiny ideas, some mini experiments to try out this week to either dial down a pain point for you at work or dial up your potential for joy at work.
Let's dive in.
[00:00:30] Introduction: Why Most Habit Changes Fail
Lucia Knight: James Clear's book, Atomic Habits, had a profound impact on my life. One idea in particular completely changed the way I think about personal growth and the reasons why most attempts at change fail. Why? Because we often start in the wrong place.
[00:00:50] The Traditional Approach vs. The Identity-First Approach
Lucia Knight: When we set out to improve ourselves, we usually follow this pattern.
1. Set a goal. Lose 5 kilos, run a marathon, change careers. 2. We then build habits. Stop eating chocolate. Follow a marathon plan. Search for new job ideas. 3. We then hope for transformation, that we'll become a slim person, a marathon finisher, or a successful career changer.
But James Clear flips this on its head, arguing that change is truly effective and sustainable only when we start with identity first. Instead of focusing on what you want to achieve, focus on who you want to become.
The two steps in this approach are, number one, decide the type of person you want to become. Two, prove it to yourself with small, consistent wins. Here's an example.
[00:01:53] Personal Story: How a Swim Lesson Transformed My Identity
Lucia Knight: I've been trying for years to swim longer distances, and I started with a big goal about five years ago to swim one mile in the Serpentine Lake in central London, which I did. And then I did a decent amount of fair weather swimming and halted at my longest ever swim in one day, which was two kilometers.
I was exhausted that day. And frankly, a bit deflated, thinking I'd never be able to swim more than that. Them recently, I booked one swimming lesson with a South African swim coach. Let's call him Graham, because that's his name. This was one of the weirdest experiences in my life. He got into the swimming pool with me.
He followed me up and down the pool like we were on an odd indoor snorkeling mission together. I showed him my standard swimming technique and we stopped after every length and he coached me to try some new techniques. By the end of the hour long lesson I was a different person. I just knew I would be able to swim the 6k tidal swim that I'd had my eye on for years but hadn't been sure I could do it, until the end of my first swim lesson in 41 years.
This might sound strange, but I just know I have the potential to be a 70 plus year old endurance swimmer. I now know that those swim track holidays all over the world that I'd been secretly, compulsively watching on Instagram were possible for me. And I could spy a future where I would be working overseas in all sorts of locations as my husband cycles the length and breadth of new countries while I would be doing gorgeous long swims.
I could almost see my new future friends who might also be interested in long distance swimming in new and exciting places.
Now, that's an identity shift in just one hour. How about that? So that swim lesson was about a month ago now, and that's a decent amount of time to see what proof there is that my identity shift has turned into practical change.
So what small wins have I had that proves this new identity shift is working for me? Well, I've been swimming at least twice a week since then. Following the training plan that Graham the Great has sent me, I've bought and use new swim paddles. I practice holding my breath for longer periods of time without panicking.
I've signed up to that 6K tidal swim called the Bantham Swoosh in Devon. I'm researching summer sea swims on the south coast of England. I share my enthusiasm about Graham's teaching prowess to anyone who mentions swimming within earshot. My Instagram feed is filling up with swimming videos and island to island swims in gorgeous sunny spots globally.
And I have a list of new swimming spots locally on my phone that I add to every time someone mentions a good one.
In one hour, I became an endurance swimmer with no judgment about what I'm capable of right now today, and nothing but excitement about what I might be capable of in the future. I feel very motivated to practice and very motivated to continue to prove my new identity with mini wins.
[00:05:57] Your Joy at Work Experiment: Identity Before Habit
Lucia Knight: Here's your joy at work experiment this week.
Choose one of your most important work or life goals. Now ask yourself, what kind of person would I need to become to achieve this goal? What small consistent actions can I take to reinforce that identity? And how can I celebrate these wins to keep my momentum moving? Shifting your identity doesn't happen overnight, but each tiny win strengthens the belief that you are that kind of person.
And once you believe it, your habits will follow.
If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my Life Satisfaction Assessment. It's a 30 minute program where I guide you through a deep dive into 10 areas of your life to assess what's bringing you joy and what's bringing you down. I call it D Railed. It's a fabulous place to begin a joy at work redesign.
