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Keep Your Identity Small
Keep Your Identity Small
Small Identity. Big Life.
Each year, Berkshire Hathaway has an annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska where Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger answer questions from shareholders. It lasts hours, not minutes. This year Warren Buffet was asked how you can live your best life. He said, “You should write your obituary and then try to figure out how to live up to it. It’s not that complicated.”
I agree.
There is a big reason that my most requested tool in my personal development arsenal is my Life Planning System complete with Future Self Prompts and Eulogy/Obituary Resume. It really forces you to write your obituary and then to design backwards from there to live up to it. In most all cases a change in identity is needed for the growth necessary to live up to your obituary. Even more so, it is probably not just one change, but many changes over time. Thus, holding on to an identity that is no longer serving you is the problem.
The tighter you cling to an identity the harder it is to grow beyond it.
By underinvesting in our identities, they remain small and are less of an anchor. With a small identity, we can have a big life. Big identities keep us anchored to the past and lead to essentially zero personal growth.
An identity can get big simply be adding more “things” to it. In fact, the more labels you have for yourself, the harder your life will be. For instance, if you label yourself a baker, entrepreneur, triathlete, author, investor, and pilot, how would it be possible for you to master any of these in your early or mid career? Maybe over the course of a lifetime you could, because you kept your identity small and switched to a new future self and goal — then you could claim mastery in all areas and a very rich life.
An identity can also get big by making one thing an unnecessarily big part of your life and holding on tight even if it isn’t working or serving you anymore. For instance being known as the person for X, Y, or Z feels nice, but holding on to it is also keeping you from moving forward.
What I say often to entrepreneurs and friends is that you must give up to go up. For a big lifetime, keep your identity small.
Time To Follow Warren’s Advice
If you haven’t already done so grab my Life Planning System here and get to work on it today. The instructions and some explanations are included in the PowerPoint which I highly encourage you to personal and make work for yourself. If you need help or want to reflect on it, please feel free to book a FREE meeting with me.
Take a Nature Pill
“Studies continue to back up what we all feel: That going for a hike, a trail run, or a paddle around the lake makes us feel better. Even sitting outside in a grassy park seems to improve our mental health. But a recent Finnish study found that being in nature may actually improve our physical health as well.” Learn more here: https://www.trailrunnermag.com/training/nature-pill-for-health
Your Personality Is Not Set in Stone.
Paul Graham said: Keep your identity small. Learn more on how to shift yourself for the better.
Never Stop Learning . . .
Even If You Are an Expert
“It's extremely important to be obsessive about understanding everything you possibly can about your craft.
Consider it an obligation. Hold yourself accountable. Keep learning over time. Study the history and know the pioneers.”— Bill Gurley
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