A while back, I read a book on an army Colonel who took over a demoralized company during the Vietnam War. One of the first things he did as commander was to rename his company “Hardcore” and require the soldier to repeat the name constantly. The idea was that the troops assumed they were screw-ups. They didn’t see themselves as tough soldiers. He changed their identities while changing their habits and disciplines. The impact of changing how the troops saw themselves was enormous. They approached excellence with zeal because they were the “hardcore.” This is an interesting idea that can be applied to our daily lives. I experienced it in my own education. For many years, I was convinced that I was a poor student and would never do well in school. I had plenty of evidence to support this claim from my high school and college careers. Eventually, those things became excuses that kept me out of graduate school. When I finally went to seminary in my 30s, I decided that I was going to perform with excellence. I finished school with a 3.99 gpa. I didn’t become smarter. I simply made up my mind that I would be a good student, and I put in the work to become one. I studied and worked hard because I was a good student who got good grades. I made it my identity, and I lived it out. There are limits to this, but most people are more limited by their own faulty sense of identity than by their intelligence or DNA. I hear people say this all the time: “I could never exercise regularly.” “I haven’t read a book in years because I’m not a reader.” “I’m not a nice person so I act this way.” In reality, we decide who we are in many respects. Personally, I used to weigh well over 250 pounds, and I’d often say I couldn’t be fit because I’m not athletic. I started trying to be better by riding a bicycle around during my lunch break at work. I eventually started riding that bike to and from work. Now I feel weird taking days off from the gym, because I’m not the kind of person who skips workouts. The most important change I made was deciding “this is who I am” and then living as though it’s true. This is something that can be applied to almost any part of life. “I am the kind of man who loves and serves his wife.” “I am the kind of man who I want my kids to grow up to be like.” It’s important to note that saying it doesn’t make it true. However, making it a part of your identity goes a long way toward helping you achieve it. It helps you look at the world through different eyes. Knowing what kind of man I am trying to be helps me know what I need to study to gain new skills to achieve my goal. I regularly read books and articles on being a better husband and father because those things are a part of my identity. My identity helps me know what habits I need to develop and improve. It also gives me a reminder for when my motivation is trash. “I don’t skip morning workouts” is effective when I don’t feel like getting up before the sun rises. I don’t need to motivate myself into being who I am. The longer I work at this, the more implanted it becomes.
