I have always wondered why so many people have such a hard time permanently altering their financial position. Time and time again. I see improvements followed by declines. Or, no matter how much work people do on themselves, their struggles continue.

Over the years, I’ve come to understand that any major life change can be a threat to a person’s identity. If deep down inside, you do not perceive yourselves to be a prosperous person, then if you achieve a level of financial success, this would be a threat to your self concept.

This kind of threat causes behavior that is often called “self-sabotage.” I call it self-protection. Seemingly sabotaging behavior serves to protect your old, familiar identity. No matter how dysfunctional that identity might be, it’s the one you know.

This is the Identity Factor, a mechanism that kicks in any time you make a significant change. If you alter how you think, how your feel, and/or how you behave, your life is going to become unfamiliar and you will most likely become a bit disoriented.

If you’re moving in a positive direction, there’s a good chance that you’re going to find yourself making more money. Although this is a desired result, the increased inflow will feel unfamiliar and you are going to have to make unfamiliar decisions about how to handle the funds. The uncertainty of the outcomes can make you uncomfortable.

Although you might feel good about your increased income, within a few months you may find yourself moving back towards your old income level because of the Identity Factor.

I haven’t written about this much in these Tips because the Identity Factor is fairly complex. The idea is simple, but how it operates in your very complex subconscious is not. Yet understanding this concept can be the difference between your staying stuck forever or permanently creating a new financial position.

The Identity Factor is discussed at length in Build Your Money Muscles. If you already have the book, I suggest a re-read so you can gain a deeper understanding of the Identity Factor.

I did a teleclass a while back on this topic called Understanding the Identity Factor, and it’s now available on Prosperity Place.com at http://ProsperityPlace.com/catalog/cd_understandIF.html.  

Also, on October 1, the teleclass for the Peace of Mind & Prosperity Program (POMP) was all about the Identity Factor. This recording, plus Understanding the Identity Factor are available immediately when you join the POMP program. For more information visit http://ProsperityPlace.com/catalog/pomp.html

 

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