Identity-based goals

What’s identity-based goals?

Got this cool idea from @thebrianto: Set identity-based goals instead of metric-based goals.

First start off with the identity you want to develop, “a detailed vision of who I want to be/embody”, then come up with the metrics.

Create a table (in Notion, for example) with the identities you want to develop, like “Wealthy Writer / Fit Forever / Connected Coach”. Create subsequent columns for “Traits” – to further describe the identity, and “Metrics” – to measure them by.

Why identity-first?

I’d always knew pivoting myself and shifting my identity had been crucial for learning anything new and difficult. Coding was the best example. My goal was to make a SaaS, a metric-based goal. I had a series of on-off seasons trying to learn coding, but could never make it stick. Then in my most recent effort at learning coding, I tried to shift my identity to become a developer, immersing myself in dev culture and lingo. That was the clincher that made coding stick. An identity-based goal, of being able to say that “I am a developer”.

But I never saw that I could flip goal-setting around and start from identity first! If this was the dealbreaker, perhaps we should all start here.

Switching my metric-based goals to identity-based goals

Here’s mine:

Identity goal: Wealthy Entrepreneur
Traits:

• Systems-focused (creates systems to replace myself)
• Ambitious, driven
• But balanced (locked time for family, health)
• Has consistent good habits
• Says no 90% of time
• Centered, calm
• Knows business business

Metric goal: $5k MRR (for next 3-5 years), $100k (>10 years)

—

Identity goal: Bold Marketer
Traits:

• Not slimey salesman but warm helping hand
• Shares everything I know freely
• Builds in public
• Keen sense of how to leverage a good opportunity for virality
• Authentic, human, vulnerable
• Makes friends like in real life at a party
• Talk like face-to-face

Metric goal: 1700 page views per day (1% conversion)

—

Identity goal: Developer Craftsman
Traits:

• Breaks things down well
• Asks questions well
• Helps others
• Learns new tech consistently – AI, serverless, web3

Metric goal: Create 1 × SaaS

—

Identity goal: Opportunistic Trickster
Traits:

• Has too much fun, oftentimes at the disapproval of others
• Takes nothing too seriously, even when others are serious
• Keen sense of asymmetric chances to win big
• Acts on asymmetry and actually wins
• Doing random is second nature

Metric goal: $100k one-off (completely random number plucked off the air, in the spirit of being a Trickster)

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Time to try them out. Onwards!