Day 6: Motivation is Bullshit. Here's What Actually Works
September Rentrée Series
🍂 Welcome to the September Rentrée! Every weekday this month, you'll get one bold, bite-sized piece to spark reflection, shift your habits, and help you design a life that feels good in real life.
1 month. 20 bold truths. A life-changing September.
In France, la rentrée (the return) is a national event. It's about fresh routines, new ideas, and intentional renewal. And that's exactly the energy we're bringing here!
Motivation is a terrible strategy for change.
There. I said it.
We've been sold this myth that we need to "feel motivated" before we can take action. That we need that spark, that fire, that magical burst of energy to finally start.
So we wait. We scroll through inspirational quotes. We watch one more YouTube video. We bookmark another article about morning routines.
Meanwhile, nothing changes.
Here's the truth bomb: You don't need motivation. You need to become the type of person who does the thing.
The Identity shift that changes everything
I used to think I needed motivation to exercise. I'd wait for that magical, perfect moment when I'd suddenly want to work out. Spoiler: it rarely came.
Then I stopped trying to "get motivated to exercise" and started telling myself: "I'm someone who moves my body daily."
Not "I should exercise."
Not "I need to work out."
Just: "This is who I am now."
The shift sounds tiny. But it rewired everything.
The science behind identity-based habits
Research shows that people who focus on identity ("I'm a reader") rather than outcomes ("I want to read more books") are far more likely to maintain new behaviours.
Here's why: Every action is a vote for the type of person you want to become.
When you say "I'm trying to quit smoking," you're still a smoker who's trying not to smoke.
When you say "I'm a non-smoker," the decision is already made. There's nothing to resist. It's just who you are.
James Clear calls this "identity-based habits”, and it's the difference between forcing yourself to do something and naturally doing it because it's who you are.
How to hack your identity (starting today)
Step 1: Pick your identity Not the goal. The person.
Not "lose weight" → "I'm someone who nourishes my body"
Not "save money" → "I'm financially intentional"
Not "be more organised" → "I'm someone who creates systems"
Step 2: Prove it with tiny wins You don't need to run a marathon to be a runner. You just need to put on your shoes and gently jog to the mailbox. That's it. You're a runner now!
Step 3: Stack the evidence Each tiny action is proof. "See? I'm the type of person who does this."
Your brain starts to believe it. Then protect it.
The beautiful paradox
You become who you are by pretending to be who you want to be.
It feels like lying at first. Your brain will protest: "But you're not a morning person!" "You hate vegetables!" "You're terrible with money!"
That's just your old identity fighting for survival.
But every time you act like the person you want to become, you're not faking it. You're practicing it. You're voting for it. You're becoming it.
Motivation waits for feelings. Identity creates them.
Do this today: Write "I'm someone who….." for one behaviour you want to change. Do the tiniest version of that behaviour today. Two minutes max. Then tell yourself: "See? This is who I am."
Ask yourself: Who would I need to become for my desired changes to feel inevitable rather than impossible? What's one tiny thing that person would do today that I can do right now?
The payoff: When you change your identity first, the behaviours follow naturally. No motivation required.
Stop waiting to feel ready. Start becoming who you already are, you just haven't met them yet.
With love,
Noemie
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