That’s just the way I am.
This kind of statement is a double edged sword. On one hand, it can be a magic wand of discipline that materializes your dreams into reality.
“I’ll figure it out, that’s just the way I am.”
“I wake up early, that’s just the way I am.”
“I always think it is worth being kind, that’s just the way I am.”
Your nervous system is listening, and the more you say it – and mean it – the more you will figure things out, wake up early, show up in all spaces and all circumstances with kindness.
But is it really just the way I am?
On the other hand, there are different fingers. Lol. I digress.
On the other hand, that same statement can be a total show stopper. Goodbye curiosity. Goodbye potential. Goodbye growth, discovery, and evolution.
“I can’t work on my car, I don’t understand mechanics. That’s just the way I am.”
“I always sleep in, that’s just the way I am.”
“I wasn’t trying to be rude, that’s just the way I am.”
Your nervous system is listening, and the more you say it…
To be honest, I am not a big fan of holding that phrase in either hand.
I like to think I wake up early because I choose to wake up early. If I need more rest, I will choose to sleep in. But the truth is, I – a fellow human being – am a creature of habit. I wake up early, not because of a choice I am making every morning, but because of the choice I made years ago to develop the habit of waking up early.
One tool I used to develop that habit was identifying as the kind of person that already has the habit I wanted to develop. I decided: I am the kind of person that wakes up early…it’s just the way I am.
Change is accessible to anyone who is willing to loosen their grip on their current identity. One way to do that is to start speaking about yourself differently.
Change the way you introduce yourself to others, and you will change the way you see the person in the mirror.
It doesn’t happen overnight, but with enough action, the evidence is undeniable.
I am living proof.
I will never stop evolving and growing.
That's just the way I am.