Your identity isn't fixed. You have the ability to change your identity and shift out of the identity that is no longer helping you achieve your goals.

There are 5 key pieces that come into play when we talk about your identity. These pieces are your environment, your behaviors, your beliefs, your values, and your identifiers.

In order to change who you are, you might try to change starting at the bottom with our environment. This is the place I see people start all the time. In order to really make change, though, you have to change your identity- if you continue to refer to yourself as one thing or another, then you're not going to make lasting change. We have to start with changing our identity.

I believe that the key to changing your identity starts at the top. When you start with changing your identity, there's a few different things you need to do. The first thing you're going to do is start by writing down the things that the next level version of you identifies with. You write down these statements with "I am..." as if that version of yourself already exists. You want to name that person and continue to refer to her with that name. This time last year, the person I wanted to be was "six-figure Jess." 

The next step is identifying the values of the next level version of yourself- whatever you've named her. If your current values are not in line with the next level version of you, you will have to make changes and shifts. Again, you want to embody those values- what would look like for you?

After you've been able to shift your identifiers and your values, the next stop is shifting your beliefs. You have to be able to identify what you currently believe in order to shift them. So many things we view as absolutely truths are actually just beliefs that we hold. What does the next level version of you believe about yourself/ business/ success? Write these down as beliefs you already hold true.

From there, you will need to identify what are your next level self's behaviors. Does she journal? Does she workout everyday? How does she behave or react when things don't go her way? This will help form your daily actions so you can become that next level version of herself!

The final piece of the puzzle is figure out what your next level self's environment looks like and making those necessary changes. It makes a huge difference when you do this in the opposite direction than most do- where changing the environment is the last step instead of the first. Your environment includes not only the physical environment, but also who you choose to surround yourself with. One of my most important things I changed about my environment was hiring a cleaner who comes to clean our house every other week. This is something I knew 6 figure Jess would do. Surround yourself with people who embody the person you want to be.

These 5 core pieces of your identity are so important for making actual, lasting change. Once you've identified all of these different elements of your next level self, you can start to take action on each of these different elements. 

I want to leave you with this important thought- when you start to see yourself sliding back, please don't throw everything out or punish/beat yourself up over it. Acknowledge it and recorrect. This is how we make change.