One Apple A Day #522 - it starts from you
In the book Atomic Habits, James Clear presents a concept called the "Three Layers Of Behaviour Change" to describe how we approach change. Going from the outside-in, the three layers are outcomes, processes and identity.
"Outcomes are about what you get. Processes are about what you do. Identity is about what you believe."
All levels are useful to create a change. What really makes a difference is where we start from; the direction of change.
The need for a change something in our life is usually triggered by the desire for different outcomes. We want to have something different, so we start a process to change what we have. This focus on the outcomes sparks one or more outcome-based interventions; projects aimed at changing what we have.
Some of us are wiser, and they understand that if they don't change how they do things they won't get different results. So they review their processes so they can generate better outcomes. Indeed, changing how we do things is more effective in creating the desired results but, as we know, when our behaviours (processes) are not in tune with our identity (beliefs), they are not sustainable on the long term.
"In fact, the word identity was originally derived from the Latin words essentitas, which means being, and identidem, which means repeatedly. Your identity is literally your repeated beingness."
Behind every action that we make there is a set of beliefs. The beliefs that define our identity. The reason why many change projects fail is that we focus only on the outcomes or the processes while bringing in the process the same beliefs that create the reality we want to change.
A sustainable change must start from our identity.