How to Be and Become the Thing You Intend
This topic is one of my favorites, a path changer, and I’m excited to share it with you.
I want to introduce you to a game I play with my clients. It’s an uncomfortable game at times, but it’s incredibly powerful and easy to implement. The name of the game is “Who Are You Being?” You simply create some curiosity, through a series of questions, as to who you are being. Here’s how it works:
- Morning Routine: What did you do this morning? What time did you wake up? Did you have breakfast? If so, what did you eat? Did you work out? Did you spend time with your family?
- Starting Your Day: What time did you get to work? Were you on time? What was the first thing you did when you arrived? How quickly did you check your email and react to messages (something)?
- Daily Intentions: Did you have any specific intentions for the day? How did you approach your tasks and interactions?
- Lunch Break: Did you take a lunch break? Who did you spend time with? What did you discuss during lunch? What did you do for yourself?
- Afternoon Activities: Who did you interact with in the afternoon? What tasks did you prioritize? How did you manage your time? How did you end your workday? What time did you leave?
- Evening Routine: How did you spend your time between work and home? Did you listen to anything during your commute? What time did you get home? Did you have dinner with your family? Was it at the table?
- Nighttime Activities: What did you do after dinner? Did you read or watch something? How long did you spend on these activities? What did you do before going to bed? What time did you go to bed?
This simple game gets into your daily details and can be a bit annoying, but it’s incredibly revealing. It helps create perspective on how you are being in your daily life.
The key point is that how you are being today is evidence of who you are becoming. The little things you do every day add up over time, and they shape your future self.
If you find yourself watching too much Netflix for hours on end, there’s a good chance you’ll become somewhat lazy. If you’re eating poorly, drinking excessively, and not working out, you’re likely on the path to becoming unhealthy. On the other hand, if you’re being productive, intentional, and grateful, these are clues that you’re becoming a positive and effective individual.
The power of this game lies in asking yourself, “What do I want to become?” and then imagining how that person acts every day. If you can start to be who you want to become, you may just become that thing.
Some examples:
- If you want to be promoted to partner, imagine being one! Or study the behaviors of the partner you want to be come.
- If you want to find another job in accounting, be a networker! See how others who network often schedule their days and who they meet with.
- If you want to improve a skill, find someone (or imagine them) who already has that skill and mirror their behaviors.
- If you want better balance in public accounting, find someone who does and learn from their example.
And that is one of my favorite games. Try it!
Thanks for reading and cheers!
Doug Slaybaugh
The CPA Coach
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