<aside> <img src="/icons/light-bulb_blue.svg" alt="/icons/light-bulb_blue.svg" width="40px" /> You are a projection of the person that you've decided you are.

Read that again.

You have an image in your mind of who you are - your identity - and you live that identity in the real world.

"I'm always so hard on myself."

Of course you are, because you say it so frequently—either to people or to yourself—that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I used to tell myself that I was bad at exams, that I would make stupid mistakes, and at the time I was bad at exams and I did make stupid mistakes.

Until one day I decided to start saying that I crush exams and nothing gets past me.

At first I felt like I was lying to myself, but as I embodied that person each and every day it started to play out in the real world.

I got fcking good at exams.*

If only I knew this sooner I could have saved myself 2 sets of A-level re-takes, the heartache of dropping out of one university, and a foundation year at another.

My point is... you have a choice. The choice to decide who you are and the identity that you pin to yourself.

So let's get to work shifting this identity...

Grab a pen and paper and paint a picture of what your "best-self" looks like.

How would you spend your time?

Who would you spend your time with?

What would you wear?

How would you speak?

What would you eat?

What would the inside of your house look like?

etc. etc.

This must come from the perspective of your best-self in your eyes, not in the eyes of those around you.

This must also be who you WANT to be, not who you feel the NEED to be.

This shouldn't be an unrealistic "superhero" that you put on a pedestal...

This is the person that you aspire to be.

Now take a moment to think about WHY you want to be that person, because if you're planning on shifting your lifestyle accordingly you need to understand the benefits and what life will look like after.

This best-self is now your reference point, and you must embody them from this moment forward, using what you’ve written for reference and accountability.

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