Who Do You Think You Are?

If you want to upgrade your self-care and boost your well-being, it’s the ultimate question.

We’ll come back to it in a moment.

Let’s first explore two other helpful ways to orient yourself on your wellness journey.

You could take a goal orientation. This is how most people start, and it’s generally a good way to start.

Ask yourself:

What do I want to achieve?

Thinking about having something you don’t currently have can be motivating. Maybe you want a lean body. Maybe you want optimal blood-sugar levels. Maybe you want to be able to do 10 pullups. Maybe you want to be able to hike mountains. Maybe you want to be living with a lot of energy. Maybe you want to be living with a lot of mental clarity.

With a goal orientation (also known as an outcome orientation), you’re focused on achieving something. It’s a focus on what you have.

You could take a habit orientation. This is an approach some people explore, and it’s generally a good approach to explore.

Ask yourself:

What habit do I want to form?

Thinking about something you’re not currently doing can be motivating. Maybe you want to be drinking 60 ounces of water a day. Maybe you want to be swimming for 45 minutes three times a week. Maybe you want to be going to bed at 10 p.m. every day. Maybe you want to be deeply resting every Sunday. Maybe you want to be doing two hours of focused writing three times a week as part of your work. Maybe you want to have a date night with your spouse every Friday.

With a habit orientation (also known as a behavior orientation and a process orientation), you’re focused on doing something. It’s a focus on what you do.

Both a goal/outcome orientation and a behavior/habit/process orientation are generally very helpful. All of my clients use them at some point on their wellness journeys.

And those who make the most progress with upgrading their self-care and boosting their well-being eventually go a little deeper.

Ask yourself:

Who do you think you are?

As you answer this question, you’ll begin taking an identity orientation.

This is how the deepest transformation happens.

It’s a focus on who you are.

When it comes to lasting behavior improvement and positive habit formation, this is when you’re cooking with fire.

Taking an identity orientation involves taking courageous steps to become a different kind of person. The kind of person who takes great care of yourself and lives with robust wellness.

Of course, becoming a different kind of person doesn’t mean completely abandoning yourself (your current self). Not at all. You get to keep all of the parts of yourself you want to keep. You get to let go of all of the parts of yourself that are no longer serving you. And you get to adopt new characteristics that help you live your best life.

A goal orientation is a focus on what you have.

A habit orientation is a focus on what you do.

An identity orientation is a focus on who you are.

Ask yourself:

Who do you think you are?

About Jason Gootman
Jason Gootman is a Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach as well as a certified nutritionist and certified exercise physiologist. Jason helps people reverse and prevent type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other ailments with evidence-based approaches to nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, holistic wellness, and, most importantly, lasting behavior improvement and positive habit formation. As part of this work, Jason often helps people lose weight and keep it off, in part by helping them overcome the common challenges of yo-yo dieting and emotional eating. Jason helps people go from knowing what to do and having good intentions to consistently taking great care of themselves in ways that help them add years to their lives and life to their years.