The 66th Edition

Who you believe you are shapes what you do.

The strongest force shaping our daily habits isn’t motivation or discipline – it’s identity. Who you believe yourself to be sets the stage for everything you do.

Something to Think About

Lasting change comes not from what you do, but from who you decide you are.

Something to Ask Yourself

Do I see myself as the type of person who does this, or am I just trying to force myself into action without changing who I am?

Article of the Week

Dive into why we do – or don’t – stick with exercise, pointing to consistency and habit as the real game changers. You’ll get insight into the psychological drivers behind exercise behaviour and practical tips for making activity a sustainable part of life. Expect to come away seeing exercise less as willpower and more as strategy.

Article of the Week

One of the things this mailing list is not delivering on is the track of the week… but I’ll keep adding to this playlist 🙂 A bit of Mac Miller this week.

Personal Lesson

When I first started running, it wasn’t so easy to build consistency. I didn’t yet see myself as a “runner.” Every time I went out, I sort of felt like I was borrowing habits that didn’t quite belong to me.

But over time, that changed. The more times I stepped out the door, the more I started to think “this is just what I do now”. The day I first referred to myself as a runner, it wasn’t about how fast I was or how many miles I logged. It was simply that running had become part of my identity. From that point, the friction disappeared and showing up felt a bit more natural, even on the hard days.

Actions driven by identity are sustainable in a way that actions driven by pure willpower rarely are. When you embody the identity, the action stops being as much of a chore and it becomes an expression of who you are.

Running – Life’s Metaphor

When you believe you’re a runner, the run stops being something you “should” do and starts being something you are. Life works the same way: the story you tell yourself about who you are will always pull your actions into alignment.

Final Thoughts

Many people struggle with fitness not because they lack motivation, but because they haven’t yet shifted their identity. They still see themselves as someone who doesn’t belong in the gym, or someone who isn’t “built” for running. And when your actions contradict who you believe you are, friction is inevitable.

But the good news is that identity is malleable. Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you want to become. Each run, or strength session, and each healthy choice aren’t just tasks on a list, they’re affirmations of identity.

The transition from “I’m trying to run” to “I am a runner” might feel subtle, but it changes everything. The same goes for any area of life. The habits stick when the identity shifts.

So next time you find yourself struggling with consistency, ask not “How do I do this?” but “Who do I want to be?” Because once you know the answer, the action follows.

Thanks again for reading and subscribing.

Run the runnable, and keep showing up for yourself!

Tommy 🙂