Hello and welcome to this week's Choosing Happy Podcast where we explore the tools, mindsets and practices that empower you to live a life of joy, purpose and fulfillment.

I'm your host, Heather Masters, and today we're diving into a transformative topic, a really powerful topic.

The power of identity.

Who are you at your core?

How does your sense of self shape your thoughts, actions and even your destiny?

In this episode we'll unpack the layers of identity, explore neuro linguistic programming, dive into Robert Diltz's logical levels of change, and examine how our strategies can lead to unexpected outcomes.

We'll also discuss why lasting change requires shifting identity level beliefs.

And we'll share a powerful exercise to spark a deep transformation.

So have your pen and notepad ready, grab a cozy drink or just settle in and let's get started in this week's Choosing Happy Podcast.

Hello and welcome to this week's Choosing Happy Podcast.

I'm Heather Masters and as you heard from the introduction, it's all about identity.

Identity is everything.

So let's start with looking at identity and all of its layers and the big question, what is identity?

Now identity is a story you tell yourself about who you are.

The answer to who am I?

And one of the powerful exercises, if you've ever been on a Jack Canfield training, is to ask that question over and over again.

Writing down the answers and going deeper and deeper.

It's better to do it with the partner and just answer the question who am I?

And then ask again, who am I?

And it's not just one thing, it's layered.

Like an onion was conscious and unconscious parts.

So here are some of the kind of structured layers of identity we have surface level identity, which is the external stuff.

Your name, your job, your roles, your labels.

If you like parent, friend, entrepreneur.

It's what you'd share in a quick intro if you were having a chat with someone.

The belief based identity is a deeper layer and that's tied to beliefs like I'm a creative person person or I'm not good with money.

These often operate unconsciously and drive your behavior.

Your core identity is the deepest layer and it's the essence of who you believe you are.

Like I'm worthy or for some I'm not enough or I'm powerful.

This level is often unconscious and shapes everything else.

So your identity is like a thermostat for your life.

If you see yourself as someone who always struggles, your brain filters reality reality to confirm that.

But if you shift to I am resilient, you'll Notice, opportunities and act and alignment with that identity.

And it's that I am and what follows that's really important.

Identity isn't just a thought, it's the blueprint for your reality.

How do we reshape our identity?

Neuro Linguistic programming or NLP offers powerful tools.

NLP views identity a story built through experiences, language and emotions.

And the good news is that the story is malleable.

By changing how we talk to ourselves, by how we hold ourselves, we can rewrite our identity.

For example, instead of saying I'm terrible at time management, NLP encourages to say something like I'm learning to manage my time effectively.

And this shifts your identity from fixed to growth oriented.

As I said earlier, it's really important.

What follows that I am?

Every time you use the words I am, you're programming your unconscious to believe that about you.

NLP also uses visualization and anchoring to reinforce new identities.

So imagine stepping into a confident, joyful version of yourself.

And by repeatedly connecting to that image and the emotion and the whole state experience, you start to embody it and reprogram your unconscious mind.

NLP bridges the conscious and unconscious, helping you become the person you want to be.

One really powerful model that comes under Neuro Linguistic programming is Robert Dilt's Logical Levels of Change.

And to understand how identity drives transformation, we're going to explore logical levels of change that maps how change happens.

So if you can picture a pyramid with six levels and at the bottom of the pyramid, the first layer at the bottom is environment.

And that refers to your surroundings, your home, your workplace, your community, even the environment of your office.

The energy, the setup of your office, behavior talks about your actions and your habits.

Capabilities are your skills and abilities, what you learn and what you can do, and beliefs and values are what you believe is true and what matters most to you.

And identity, who you believe you are and purpose is your connection to something bigger, your mission or or spiritual.

Beliefs.

And changes at lower levels like habits or environment are often temporary unless supported by shifts at the higher levels, especially identity.

For instance, if you want to exercise regularly, like a lot of us do, that's the behavior level.

But if at identity level you think of yourself as someone who's not athletic, then you're likely to quit.

If you think yourself as lazy, you're likely to quit.

And why?

Because your identity overrides your actions.

But if you shift your identity to someone who says I am someone who prioritises health or I am someone who easily works out every day, your behaviours, beliefs and environments align naturally.

Identity is the linchpin for lasting change.

And this model helps us see why quick fixes don't stick unless identity shifts and unless the higher levels shift.

So for instance, this is just an instance of walking those levels for environments.

You could be at work and be asked to take a training course.

So the behavior is, the action is.

You go on the training course, the capability is.

You spend your time on the training course learning those new skills, your beliefs and values.

If you still go on the training course and don't believe you can apply what you've learned, then you're unlikely to.

But if you do believe you can apply what you've learned, then you're going to do that.

And if identity you know you can apply what you've learned and you become a person that does that thing that you've learned, then that shifts everything as well.

And if you can take it one step further and align it with your purpose or something bigger, even if it is, you know, something aligned with, you want to be a world class project manager, that could be a purpose statement that aligns with your identity and the training.

So let's talk now about strategies.

Strategies are the patterns of thoughts and behaviors we use to navigate life.

And we all have strategies, often formed in childhood, that once served us well but can later produce negative results.

So using diltological levels, we can see how these strategies play out across our lives.

Imagine someone who avoids conflict, and I'm kind of one of those people and I'm very aware of it.

So as a child, this strategy might have kept you safe in a tense household or a tense environment.

They learned to stay quiet or withdraw, which is the behavior.

And they developed skills in reading emotions or de escalating tension, which is the capabilities.

They might believe that avoiding conflicts keeps them safe and value peace above all.

So that's their beliefs and values around the conflict.

And at identity level, they see themselves as a peacemaker or someone who doesn't rock the boat.

And this strategy was once positive, it created safety.

But as an adult, it might lead to negative outcomes like staying silent and important conversations or missing out on career opportunities.

The strategy is still rooted in their identity as a peacemaker, and it makes it hard to change.

Without addressing all of the levels and using Dilt's model, we can map this.

So in the environment, where does conflict avoidance show up?

Is it at work?

Is it at home?

Where does it still impact you behavior?

What do they do?

Do they stay quiet?

Do they agree to please others?

Do they withdraw their Capabilities?

What skills support this?

Is it emotional intelligence?

Is it diplomacy?

The beliefs and values?

What do they believe?

Is it that conflict is dangerous or harmony is essential?

And identity?

Who are they?

Are they the peacemaker?

And the purpose?

What's the bigger why I create calm for others?

If they're the peacemaker and to shift the strategy, they'd need to reframe their identity, perhaps to I'm someone who communicates authentically.

And this can ripple down changing the beliefs so that conflict can be constructive.

And behaviors like speaking up and even the environments surrounding themselves with supportive people can change that experience for them.

So by mapping your strategies across these levels, you can uncover why they're not working and how to align them with a new identity.

Why do beliefs and values need identity level change?

This brings us to why beliefs and values are so hard to change without addressing identity.

Beliefs like I'm not good enough are often tied to early experiences and anchored in your identity.

And if you try to change the belief without shifting the identity it's rooted in, it's like treating a symptom without addressing the cause.

And this is very true around our money beliefs.

So, for example, an affirmation like I am confident won't stick if your core identity is I'm unworthy and you're unaware of it and you you aren't addressing it.

Your unconscious mind rejects the affirmation because it conflicts with who you believe you are.

Lasting change requires aligning beliefs and values with a new identity, which we'll explore with the next act as if principle.

We're just going to move on to acting as if and reframing your identity Now.

One powerful way to shift your identity is to act as if you're already the person that you want to be.

And it isn't about fake it till you make it.

It's about embodying the behaviors, the mindset, and the energy of your desired identity.

For example, if you want to identify as a confident speaker, ask how would a confident speaker stand?

What would they say to themselves in their head?

How would they handle mistakes?

And start acting that way even in small moments.

And over time, these actions rewire your unconscious, making the new identity feel natural.

And this ties into reframing an NLP technique where you shift the meaning of an experience.

So, for instance, if you freeze during a presentation and think, I'm a terrible speaker, reframe it, change it, replace it with that was a learning moment and I'm growing as a speaker, reframing aligns your experiences with the identity that you're building and acting as if is like trying on a new outfit.

It might feel unfamiliar at first, but it's about practice.

And the more that you practice it, the more it becomes you.

So let's go into a powerful exercise for a deep identity shift.

Let's get practical with a powerful exercise.

I call this the timeline Walk visualization.

It takes 10 to 15 minutes, and it uses a physical movement to embody your new identity.

So you'll need to be in a room where you have a clear space where you can walk a few steps in a straight line.

And it's more powerful.

You can do it as a visualization, but it is much more powerful to do this physically.

So here's how it works.

You set up your timeline so you stand in a spot that represents the present moment for you.

And then imagine a line on the floor stretching forward to your future six months or a year from now, and backward to your past six months.

And take a moment to ground yourself with a few deep breaths, just visualizing the six months line and the line going backward into your past.

What we're going to do is visualize your future self.

We're going to look toward the future end of your timeline.

So that's the six months or a year from now.

And you're going to picture yourself then, fully embedded, embodying the identity that you want six months or a year from now.

It could be, I'm confident, I'm healthy, I'm purposeful, I'm abundant.

See yourself clearly.

What are you doing?

How do you move?

How do you speak?

What do you feel?

What do you see?

What do you hear?

What do you smell even?

What do you taste?

How's your energy feeling?

What are you intuitively connecting to?

What are the thoughts that are going through your head?

Then walk the timeline.

Slowly walk toward the future end of your timeline, imagining each step brings you closer to that version of you that you've just embodied.

And as you walk, you'll notice your physiology.

How you're holding yourself.

Is your posture open?

Is your head held high?

Are your shoulders relaxed?

Pay attention to your state.

Do you feel energized?

Calm?

Powerful?

Pay attention to all of that as you move forward.

And when you reach that future point, step into that version of yourself and fully embody their physiology.

Stand, move, and breathe as they would.

Feel the confidence.

Feel that joy or strength.

Feel that abundance, that thriving, that energy.

And notice how your body feels, what thoughts are running through your mind, and how the world responds to this version of you.

And just stay there for a moment and just imagine and see what they see, feel what they feel, hear what they hear, feel what they feel in terms of touch as well.

If they're touching something, what they smell, what they taste, what they're intuiting, what they're thinking, really embody yourself in that vision of your future self.

And as you feel this new identity, you can press your thumb and index finger together to create a physical anchor.

And you do this at the beginning of the visualization when you start to feel that feeling of empowerment.

And when it peaks, you just let it go.

And you can revisit the thoughts, the feelings, the stance, the physiology, and do it again two or three times so that you're building a strong anchor.

So as you step into the visualization and the emotion builds, press your thumb and index finger together and when it peaks and starts to get lower, let go.

As I say, you can do this two or three times and note the specific physiology, your posture, your breathing, your stance, and practice stepping into it to recall the state.

So you're not just using the fingers as an anchor, you're creating a whole physiological anchor as well for when you need it.

And once you've done that, talk to yourself in the future and ask them if there is anything that you need to know that will help you get to that version of yourself as quickly and as positively as possible.

And just intuit any of the feedback and then slowly walk back to the present spot, carrying the energy, the physiology, the lessons, the feedback, and that identity with you.

And know you can access this state anytime by using your anchor or adopting the same posture and physiology and breathing as you did in the exercise.

And try this exercise repeatedly.

Try it daily for a week and notice how your thoughts, actions and even strategies shift.

By physically walking the timeline and embodying the physiology, you're wiring this new identity into your body and your mind and your energy.

You can find a guided audio version of the Timeline walk visualization@choosinghappypodcast.com under the episodes resources and the link will be in the show notes.

So we've covered so much today.

Identity shapes your life, from your strategies to your deepest beliefs.

And by understanding its layers using NLP mapping strategies with Robert Dilt's logical levels and practicing tools like acting as if and embodying your new identity.

With the Timeline Walk Visualization, you can rewrite your story and become who you're meant to be.

Your challenge this week, try the Timeline Walk visualization and reflect on one strategy in your life.

How does it show up across the logical levels, and pay attention to how your physiology shifts during the exercise, and share your insights with us on social media using the hashtag choosing HappyPodcast.

We can't wait to hear from you, and thank you for joining me.

And if you've loved this episode, please rate and review the podcast.

It helps me reach more people and help them choose happy.

And until next time, keep Choosing Happy.

And remember, you're not just your story, you're its author.

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to this week's episode.

If you enjoyed it or think it would be valuable to others, please do share.

And if you really enjoyed it, please leave me a review.

It really helps the podcast.

All of the links are in the show notes, and I look forward to seeing you next week on the Choosing Happy podcast.