The Glaring Problem with Identity Shifting

"Identity Shifting" is a massive buzzword in coaching and personal development right now.

We're told that we can 'shift our identity' by replacing a limiting identity with an empowering one.

For example, we're told that you can overcome an identity like 'shy person' by taking on a new identity like 'assertive person', using affirmations, hypnosis or just 'acting like an assertive person' until the shift becomes permanent.

But there are two glaring problems with this approach:

Problem #1: All identities are inherently limiting

When we identify as a certain type of person, we lock ourselves into a limited idea of who we are and block ourselves from being anything else. This causes us to reject any experience that doesn't align with that label, generating problems in the process.

If I'm identified as "shy person," I will resist situations that require me to put myself out there, viewing them as problems:

• Talking to someone I want to get to know
• Being asked to do a presentation at work
• Dancing in a club with people watching
• Saying "no" when the situation calls for it

But if I force myself into a new identity of "assertive person" to try to fix those issues, I simply add a whole new set of problems:

• Dominating conversations instead of connecting
• Getting defensive when receiving feedback
• Constantly fighting for control in interactions
• Feeling anxious about maintaining the new persona

Plus, the constant, nagging feeling that I'm being inauthentic.

You might think, "So what? I'd rather have the second set of problems than the first!"

Which brings us to the second problem...

Problem #2: The original identity never actually gets cleared

If "shy person" is who you deeply believe you are, trying to become "assertive person" is like putting an "assertive costume" over the top of who you think you really are.

The deeper layer of "shy person" remains untouched underneath — ready to be triggered the second the right circumstances hit.

No amount of affirmations, hypnosis or 'acting as if' is going to clear that identity, because it's still who you think you really are.

Now, you're carrying all the problems of the original 'shy person' identity, plus all the problems of the new "assertive" one. And you've become less authentic, which takes you further away from the true goal of personal development: realizing who and what you really are, beyond any false identity.

How Mind Shifting does it differently

With Mind Shifting, we understand that all identities are limitations. So, instead of trying to force a new identity to counteract an old one, we simply clear the existing identity that is causing the problem. Once the old identity is gone, there's nothing left to counteract.

We do this using the following steps of the Identity Shifting method:

1. Define the problem into a concise problem statement.
2. Isolate the identity that's causing the problem using a targeted question that pulls the identity straight from the subconscious (instead of having to guess the identity, we work backward from the real-world problem).
3. Clear the identity using a specific sequence of questions that allow you to expand your awareness, realizing you were never that identity to begin with.
4. Ensure the identity is completely gone by bringing up potential trigger situations to flush out and clear any remaining remnants of it.
5. Verify that the problem the identity was causing has now gone (which is only possible because we clearly defined the problem in Step 1).

Returning to our 'shy person' example: by clearing the identity of 'shy person' instead of trying to add a new identity on top of it, we are now able to simply be assertive when the situation calls for it — authentically, without a fake 'assertive person' costume. The 'shy person' barrier blocking our natural expression has been removed.

The deeper truth is that identities aren't real

An identity is simply a limited idea of who you are — and in the same way an idea of a table is obviously not the table itself — your limited idea of who you are is not the same thing as who you actually are.

By mistaking yourself for a limited idea, you simply block yourself from being all that you are.

So whether you perceive an identity to be negative or positive, I hope this understanding of what identities really are gives you the confidence to let it go, so you can realise you are so much more than that limitation.

When Identity Shifting is done right, you clear false identities one at a time, enabling you to become more authentically yourself with each shift, without adding another identity that takes you further away from that goal.