Act like what you want to be

I used to roll my eyes at people who started a new sport and immediately bought all the gear. Day one of running and they’re already showing up with top-of-the-line shoes, a smartwatch, wireless earbuds, and the most aerodynamic outfit money could buy. What a waste, I’d think. They haven’t even proven they like this yet.

I’ve changed my mind.

Buying the gear is a statement. Not to others, to yourself. It’s how some people say: I believe I can do this, and I’m going to.

That belief is the thing. The shoes are just a way of making it happening.

Most people don’t fail at new habits because they lack discipline. They fail because they never really believed they’d follow through. Buying the gear, keeping the journal, signing up for the race… these are ways of saying: I’m a runner now. Not someday. Now.

Act like what you want to be, and you start becoming it.