Insight #5
“To change your Life, shift your Identity”
Identity is:
Who we think we are…Who we feel we are…Who we say are…
It is the roles, situations, and objects we identify with…
It is what we believe we are capable of… and where we know we are going.
This Insight goes to the core of how you make change happen.
To make change happen you must go beyond the repetition of the relentlessly repeating patterns we talked about in Insight #3 – Your experience reflects past thinking and choices.
Anything short of shifting Identity has a high probability of recycling old experiences into new appearances.
People wonder and say, “ I keep doing this”, or “this keeps happening to me.”
Real transformation, and how well you are able to shift your situations and circumstances, will always be a function of how effectively you shift your sense of Identity.
Throughout DSM we are always looking at examples of people who are changing the world by changing themselves. People do great things, reach their goals, discover fulfillment and transform the world by not only doing courageous acts (Danger), but also by transforming themselves (Sex and Magic).
“To change your Life, shift your Identity”
How this Insight is used in DSM: Living Beyond the Forbidden and Taboo
Although it is critical to get to know your personal values and beliefs, many life coaching and personal development programs focus attention there…. then stop.
Shifting Identity goes beyond knowing your values or understanding your beliefs.
Identity Shifting starts with the recognition of where you place your “I AM” attention. That means how you identify with roles (“I AM a Mother”), circumstances (“I AM unemployed”), emotions (“I AM struggling”), competencies (“I AM talented”) and beliefs (“I AM successful and on my way to more success!”)…
The DSM model then works on establishing very real and very new ways of being YOU.
This can feel dangerous at times and takes courage and attention, especially when Identity statements take negative form such as “I AM a failure”, “I AM a slow learner” or “I AM a victim of…. (fill in the blank)”.
Shifting Identity takes cognitive work as well as the work of integrating your body, your feelings and your power to manifest what you want (Sex and Magic).
The truth is we are Identity-Shifting all the time, the key is to make these shifts consciously and with awareness. From here core shifts can happen quickly and very powerfully..
DSM is about taking charge of how you allow the power of Identity to occur in your life. Once understood, this knowledge of Identity will have a far-reaching impact on you and your world.
Next: Insight #6: Fear is an illusion created by you, for you.