00:00Link wants to get top grades in school, so he commits to building a habit of studying.
00:05And boy, is he motivated and ready to go hard.
00:08He starts grinding 8, 9, sometimes 10 hours a day.
00:11But a few days in, Link's motivation starts to slip.
00:15So he tries using a reward system, an episode of anime after every successful study session,
00:20or squatting up with boys for every completed assignment.
00:23But no matter how many tricks and hacks he tries, he still can't build a habit of studying consistently.
00:29And before you know it, he's gone a whole week without opening a single book.
00:33Habit Quest failed.
00:36So where did Link go wrong?
00:38It wasn't that he lost motivation.
00:40It wasn't that he didn't try hard enough.
00:42The problem was his goal.
00:44Link was focused on getting top grades.
00:46He was chasing an outcome.
00:48Outcomes are usually not under our control.
00:50You could be doing all the right things, but if the weather was off,
00:53or if your friends persuade you to play one more game, then you're finished.
00:57A better approach would be to dig deeper and figure out what kind of person is able to get top grades.
01:03What does this character do?
01:04What decisions does this character make?
01:06These are called identity-based habits.
01:08These are habits not based on reaching an outcome, but instead around building a character.
01:12The goal is not to get top grades.
01:14The goal is to become a person who studies every day.
01:17If we look at any story or video game, there's always an overarching quest.
01:21In Star Wars, Rey's quest is to save the galaxy from the evil Sith.
01:25Harry Potter's quest is to save the world from this guy.
01:29Sure, they each have a quest, but that quest doesn't decide whether or not they'll succeed.
01:33What's important is their transformation.
01:35Their identity changes.
01:37Rey becomes a Jedi.
01:39Harry becomes a wizard.
01:40And this new identity is the key to success.
01:43Think about it like this.
01:44Our motivation lies on a spectrum.
01:46One end of the spectrum depends on external factors.
01:48Getting rewards, like good grades, or avoiding punishments, like disappointing your Asian parents.
01:54The other end of the spectrum depends on internal factors, like your values.
01:58You do it because it's who you are.
02:00It's your identity.
02:01We want to move away from outcomes and towards identity on this spectrum.
02:05But all of this is still considered extrinsic motivation.
02:08The motivation comes from outside the habit itself.
02:12Remove that motivation and you no longer want to do the habit.
02:15The ultimate form is intrinsic motivation, where you're driven by the pure joy or love
02:20for the habit itself.
02:22If you actually love to study, you're able to tap into limitless motivation and you'll
02:26become unstoppable.
02:27But let's be real.
02:28If you're struggling to build a habit of studying every day, then chances are you probably don't
02:33love studying all that much.
02:35Most people don't.
02:36But that doesn't mean that you can't be open to the idea.
02:38When we build identity-based habits, those habits become part of our self-image.
02:43So if I pride myself on being a good student, even if I'm not a good student yet, then I'm
02:49more likely to choose the behaviors that align with being a good student.
02:52Every time I choose to act like a good student, like I go to class instead of sleeping in,
02:57or I put my phone away when I study, or exercise to keep my brain sharp, those decisions reinforce
03:02my identity that I'm a good student.
03:05And over time, all these small wins start to add up.
03:08I start to study more regularly, get better grades.
03:11I start to build up all this evidence that says, hey, maybe I am a good student after
03:16all.
03:16And this transformation moves me up the spectrum to the point where I actually start to enjoy
03:21the habit of studying.
03:23It becomes fun.
03:24And you know what they always say, you can't out-compete someone who's just having fun.
03:28But your character transformation can also happen in the reverse.
03:32When you keep telling yourself things like, I'm not a morning person, or I'm bad at math.
03:36When you constantly repeat this story to yourself, you start to believe it, even if it's not
03:41true.
03:41And over time, you'll subconsciously do things to avoid becoming a morning person or avoid
03:46studying math.
03:47So I had a high school teacher repeatedly tell me that I was a failure and that I would amount
03:52to nothing.
03:53For a long time, I internalized that.
03:54It affected how I saw myself, and I subconsciously acted in ways that would reinforce that identity.
04:00It took me years to reverse the cycle and climb out of that hole of self-defeat.
04:05Now I know that if I someday become a parent, how important it is to watch the narratives
04:10that I feed my kids.
04:11So the first step in building habits that last is not choosing an outcome to get, but
04:16choosing a character to become.
04:17The goal is not to get a million subscribers on YouTube.
04:20The goal is to become a character who consistently makes awesome videos that people want to watch.
04:26The goal is not to make a million dollars.
04:28The goal is to become a character who constantly builds products that solves people's problems.
04:33The goal is not to get straight A's.
04:35The goal is to become a character who studies a little bit every day.
04:38Don't even worry about the outcomes.
04:40Focus on the transformation.
04:42Because frankly, you're not going to see outcomes right away.
04:45Like, if you've never gotten straight A's in your entire life, then you're not all of
04:49a sudden going to get straight A's tomorrow.
04:50But don't even worry about it, okay?
04:52Focus on what you can control.
04:54Make the right decisions every day.
04:56And over time, your habits will compound and transform your identity.
05:00Now, if you don't know what character you're trying to become, here's an exercise we can
05:04do to figure that out.
05:05If you've been following this channel for a while, you might be familiar with the Feynman
05:09technique.
05:09You can check out this video here for a detailed walkthrough on how to use the Feynman technique
05:13to improve your grades.
05:15We can also use it to build our habits.
05:17The Feynman technique will help you discover the character you wish to become based on the
05:22habits you're currently thinking about.
05:23The way it works is by asking the most important question.
05:27Why?
05:27Why do you want to build a habit of studying?
05:30Because I want to get top grades.
05:31Why do you want to get top grades?
05:33Because I want a strong resume.
05:34Why do you want a strong resume?
05:35Because I want to get into medical school and become a doctor.
05:38Why do you want to become a doctor?
05:39Now, when you start getting into these more broad life questions, you start to see extrinsic
05:44motivation creeping into your story.
05:46If you want to become a doctor because your parents told you to or because you want to be
05:49rich or have the prestige, then that's chasing an outcome.
05:52On the other hand, if you want to become a doctor because you're genuinely curious about
05:56how the body works, or you enjoy learning, researching, and teaching about health, then
06:01you're more likely to build habits around it that stick.
06:04So now, I want you to take out a piece of paper or open a notes app on your phone and
06:08write down your own answers.
06:09We'll also build a free habit quest template eventually.
06:12We'll put it in the description when it's ready.
06:13But take some time to try this exercise because once you've found your deepest why, you can
06:18extrapolate better habits for your character and begin to build your habit systems.
06:23Take your time with this one.
06:24I've had a lot of students tell me that this single exercise has changed their life, or
06:28at least revealed to them what has been missing.
06:31After you're done, put your answers in the comments below.
06:33I'd love to read them and get to know you a little bit better.
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