WEBVTT - Who you are, not what you do

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is that when you are learning a new skill,

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<v Speaker 1>you can motivate yourself to continue in a positive direction

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<v Speaker 1>by changing your language. The skill isn't something you do,

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<v Speaker 1>it is who you are. It makes a bigger difference

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<v Speaker 1>then you might think. Today's tip like another this week

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<v Speaker 1>comes from Whitney Johnson's new book Smart Growth. In this book,

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<v Speaker 1>Whitney explores how people learn and change and achieve their goals.

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<v Speaker 1>Learning any new skill can be challenging. You have to

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<v Speaker 1>keep working and practicing even when the rewards aren't readily apparent.

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<v Speaker 1>But fortunately, a very simple language change can help. Whitney

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<v Speaker 1>suggests that instead of saying you do the particular skill,

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<v Speaker 1>talk about it as part of your identity. So I run,

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<v Speaker 1>or I go for a run or anything along that

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<v Speaker 1>becomes I'm a runner. I cooked new stuff from my

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<v Speaker 1>family becomes I am a home chef. In another episode

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<v Speaker 1>this week, I talked about my daughter learning to play

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<v Speaker 1>the trumpet. She should tell people that she is a

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<v Speaker 1>trumpet player rather than that she plays the instrument. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>with some skills we might feel like a fraud announcing this.

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<v Speaker 1>At the beginning, a trumpet player should at least theoretically

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<v Speaker 1>play some notes, and as we discussed, it takes a

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<v Speaker 1>few months to get past the breathy phase and into

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<v Speaker 1>controlled notes and finally into recognizable tunes. Calling yourself a

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<v Speaker 1>trumpet player in this phase might seem like a stretch,

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<v Speaker 1>and yet the language matters. Whitney points to studies finding

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<v Speaker 1>that people who said I am a voter voted at

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<v Speaker 1>a rate that was eleven percentage points higher than people

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<v Speaker 1>who said I vote. Identities are powerful. When we identify

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<v Speaker 1>as something, we are more likely to adopt the behaviors

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<v Speaker 1>that are congruent with that identity. When something is just

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<v Speaker 1>something we do well, we could not do it. Since

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<v Speaker 1>pretty much everything comes down to sheer volume of time

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<v Speaker 1>spent practicing, the more we adopt the congruent behaviors, the

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<v Speaker 1>better off we will be. So try changing your language.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't just record a podcast. I am a podcaster.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't just write books. I am an author, I

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<v Speaker 1>am a singer, I am a runner. What identities would

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<v Speaker 1>you like to adopt? Try changing your language to who

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<v Speaker 1>you are, not just what you do and you might

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<v Speaker 1>be more likely to keep the identity that you are

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<v Speaker 1>trying on. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production

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<v Speaker 1>of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.