Why trying to change your habits is a lousy idea

This one shift changes everything. Mindvalley Daily ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Mindvalley](  Hi {NAME}, Today, I want to ask you a question… When you have food cravings, what do you do? Do you try to will yourself to not give in? Is there an internal struggle that goes on inside you? The reason I’m asking this is simple. When your cravings take over and you can’t stop yourself -- You just have to eat that donut, or that candy, or even that favorite creamy pasta dish… At that point, your relationship with food takes over, and you’re no longer in control. We’ve all fallen victim to something like this before… when you just “have to have it…” But why does this happen to us, {NAME}? And why is it so hard to overcome these cravings? Well, the answer is that most people try to change an aspect of their cravings by trying to change their behavior. And changing behavior is often out of our control. Our behaviors are often biologically programmed processes, or subconscious processes ingrained in us at a deep level. Instead, what you want to do is not change the process, but shift your identity. For example, two years ago, I would drink two glasses of red wine every night. It was partly because I enjoyed red wine, but it was also partly because work was crazy for me. And red wine, I believed, calmed my nerves. I also happened to believe that I needed red wine to sleep. [Both of these I now know are bunk] But how did I overcome my need for red wine? Drinking two glasses a day, everyday on average actually put me on the level of being borderline alcoholic. And today, I no longer feel the need to drink. And I consume only 30% of what I used to before. And I sleep better without any alcohol in my body. But what I did to shift this was not to attempt to change the habit… But to go through a shift in my identity. Let me go further and explain this concept to you using a beautiful diagram from the wonderful book Atomic Habits by James Clear. By the way, before we go into detail here, if you’re interested in really going deep in understanding how to remove cravings and how to transform your health, I recommend you attend today’s masterclass with Eric Edmeades. [Watch it here>](  [WildFit : The Evolution Of Health & Fitness](  [Watch the Masterclass](  Either way, read on below to understand how to change your identity so cravings disappear. To create behavior change, James Clear says there are 3 layers  [James Clear - 3 Layers of Behaviour Change](   The first layer is outcomes change. At this level, it’s essentially about results. Things like better skin, more physical endurance, higher levels of performance, etc. If you notice, most people’s goals fall here. The second layer is about changing your process. Here, you’re focused on habits and systems like your meditation practices, building seamless workflows, or decluttering your home, etc. Whether built or learned, your habits fall here. The third layer (and by far, the deepest) is identity change. What makes this level so much deeper than the others is that it’s about who you are fundamentally. It covers what you believe, including your self-worth, worldviews, mind fallacies and more. On this level lies your biases, beliefs, and assumptions. Working with identity change is also the deepest because if you’ll notice, this level contains the things we think and feel. Some of the things that govern us the most. So, they’re usually the most entrenched and require commitment to change. While many people begin their journey with what they want to accomplish (outcomes change), I knew I wanted to shift my core beliefs about health. What essentially happened was this: As a result of the WildFit process, which is NOT a diet -- although it changes what you eat -- I learned to take on a new identity. And that new identity was an identity where I was a super healthy being someone who loved the foods that were good for me, had no desire to eat what was bad for me, and loved my sense of: - Wellbeing - Health - Mental Clarity - How my body felt while eating healthy This identity shift was profound, because I was no longer forcing myself to eat healthy and that’s the distinction. Eating healthy was me. This is now my identity. I no longer needed to diet. I no longer needed to control cravings. I no longer needed to cut down on alcohol. Those were simply not me. I was a different person, with a different way of functioning in the world. It was as if someone had gone into my brain and reprogrammed the central algorhythm of how I functioned. This is an identity shift. And this is one of the most powerful ways transformation happens. If you want to go through your identity shift, [check out the Masterclass with Eric Edmeades>>]( Just the Masterclass alone will have a profound effect on you. Especially the part on understanding The Six Human Hungers. Because you will have an identity shift in how you relate to hunger (for example). However, you can go deeper if you enjoy the masterclass and enroll in our WildFit program. Which as you will see, we’ve done something really special with, so more people can enjoy the same incredible program.   [Watch the Masterclass](  Be Extraordinary,  [Vishen Lakhiani][Vishen Lakhiani signature]  Vishen Lakhiani Founder, Mindvalley, Author of [The Code of the Extraordinary Mind](. Follow The Real Me on [Facebook](.      [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( [VK](      Need help? 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