The Identity You Choose

I hate running.

Or at least, that's what I told myself for decades.

It was part of my identity - as unmovable as a mountain and just as heavy.

"I'm not a runner" was filed away in the same mental cabinet as "I'm not creative" or "I'm not good at technology" - those comfortable excuses we wrap around ourselves like a security blanket.

When I left my mortgage business a few years ago I was coming off years of stress and burnout. I was tired, I was overweight, and I had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life.

One day during that time my naturally athletic husband came to me and said, we should sign up for the Gold Coast half marathon in July. (which was 5 months away)

I laughed really hard and said, “no way - I only run if someone is chasing me”.

We all have these little mantras we tell ourselves, don’t we.

These identity labels we wear like armour:

"I'm not a runner."

"I'm not an entrepreneur."

"I'm not tech-savvy."

"I'm not good with money."

"I'm too old to start over."

But here's the thing about these identities: they’re made up.

Completely. Every single part of them.

Every limitation we accept is just a choice we’ve made so many times that it feels like truth.

Something shifted in me that week.

Looking at myself in the mirror - tired, unhealthy, and clinging to old identities...

I realized something powerful: Maybe this impossible challenge was exactly what I needed.

Not just for my body, but for my mind. For my overall sense of what is possible.

So I started.

And it was hard.

Every. Single. Day.

At first I could barely run for 5 minutes without gasping for air. The idea of running for over 2 hours seemed as impossible as flying to the moon.

But I kept going. One foot in front of the other. Day after day.

2 hours and 35 minutes. That's how long it took me to finish that half marathon.

From "I'm not a runner" to running 13.1 miles / 21.1 kms in five months.

Here's what I want you to understand: Your past identity is not your destiny.

The version of you who worked that 9-5, who played it safe, who "wasn't good at sales" or "wasn't tech-savvy" - that person is just a collection of stories you've been telling yourself.

Stories that served you then but might be holding you back now.

Every successful business owner I know has had to become someone new.

The shy introvert who learned to command a room. The creative who mastered spreadsheets. The technophobe who built an online empire.

They didn't start as these people - they chose to become them.

The truth is, your business needs you to be whoever it needs you to be.

And you can be that person. Not because you're naturally gifted, but because you choose to be.

Think about the identity you've created around your business.

What labels have you accepted?

What limitations have become comfortable?

Most importantly, what would happen if you decided those limitations were just stories you've been telling yourself?

Here's what I want you to do today: Pick one thing you've labelled as "not for people like me."

One skill you've decided you can't master.

One aspect of business you've marked as "too difficult."

Now do it anyway.

Growth isn't on the other side of mastery - it's on the other side of avoidance.

Your current skillset is temporary.

Your current mindset is temporary.

Your current income is temporary.

Your current identity is temporary. 

The only permanent thing is your ability to choose who you become next.

Start choosing 💫

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