Choose Your Identity (Not a Resolution)
Goals change behavior temporarily. Identity changes everything.
Every January, we’re encouraged to make resolutions.
Lose 15 pounds.
Make more money.
Be more productive.
Finally “get it together.”
And every year, so many of those resolutions fade by February.
What if the problem isn’t your willpower or discipline—but the approach itself?
This year, instead of choosing a resolution, what if you chose your identity?
Identity Shapes Behavior
When you choose an identity, your actions begin to flow naturally from it.
If you see yourself as a successful person, you don’t need to force yourself to take aligned actions—you operate that way automatically.
If you identify as someone who is healthy, in their prime, grounded, loved and loving, or someone who gets what they want, your choices begin to reflect that identity without constant struggle.
Identity answers a deeper question than a resolution ever could:
“Who am I becoming?”
From “Doing” to “Being”
Resolutions focus on outcomes:
Losing X amount of pounds
Making more money
Fixing habits
Identity focuses on being:
I am someone who prioritizes my well-being
I am someone who values myself
I am someone who listens to my body and inner wisdom
When identity leads, behavior follows.
Instead of asking, “How do I lose weight?”
You might ask, “How does a healthy, vibrant person think and act?”
Instead of, “How do I make more money?”
You might ask, “How does a successful, empowered person make decisions?”
Let the Identity Be the Goal
When the identity becomes the goal, everything shifts.
You’re no longer chasing a number on the scale or a dollar amount in your bank account. You’re embodying a way of being. From that place, aligned choices feel more natural and less forced.
A person who identifies as healthy:
Nourishes their body without punishment
Moves in ways that feel supportive
Listens instead of pushing through exhaustion
A person who identifies as loved and loving:
Sets boundaries
Speaks kindly to themselves
Chooses relationships that feel nourishing
A person who identifies as someone who “gets what they want”:
Trusts their intuition
Takes aligned action
Doesn’t abandon themselves at the first obstacle
Supporting the Identity You’re Choosing
If part of your identity this year is becoming someone who truly prioritizes caring for themselves—mind, body, and spirit, having supportive structure can make all the difference.
That’s why we created our 21-Day Self-Care Course at Centered Health. It’s designed to gently help you embody self-care as a way of life, not another thing on your to-do list. Through daily practices and reflections, you’re supported in becoming the kind of person who naturally shows up for themselves with consistency, compassion, and awareness.
Self-care isn’t about adding more to your to-do list—it’s about becoming someone who knows they deserve to be cared for.
Results That Endure
Here’s the most important part:
Identity-based change lasts.
When you chase goals without shifting identity, results often feel temporary. But when you become the person who naturally creates those results, change becomes sustainable.
You’re not trying to be someone else.
You’re remembering who you already are beneath the conditioning, stress, and self-doubt.
A Gentle Invitation
As you move into this year, ask yourself:
Who am I choosing to be?
How would that version of me think, speak, and act today?
What is one small choice I can make that aligns with that identity?
No pressure. No perfection. Just intention and presence.
At Centered Health, we believe true healing and transformation happen when mind, body, and spirit are aligned. When you choose your identity first, the rest has a way of falling into place.
Because you don’t need to fix yourself.
You just need to become yourself—on purpose.
Have we met? I’m Andrea; acupuncturist, holistic healer and mind-body coach.
At Centered Health Healing Arts, our team is comprised of highly trained and experienced professionals dedicated to providing exceptional holistic care.
Recommended Reading
