If you wanted to maintain the temperature of a room, you would set your thermostat.
If the temperature begins to heat up, your thermostat will cool the room. If the room gets too cold, your thermostat will heat things up.
Most people are familiar with how to set a thermostat for their house.
You may not be as familiar with the thermostat you’ve set for your life.
Your Identity Sets Your Internal Thermostat
Your identity is composed of the stories and beliefs you hold true about yourself.
Have you ever noticed how certain people seem to radiate success, confidence, and positivity? It’s not just luck or coincidence; it’s their internal thermostat at work.
Your identity, the core of who you are, sets the temperature for what you expect from yourself and what you believe you deserve.
Have you ever lost weight only to fall off track and put it back on?
Have you ever started saving money only to have something unexpected wipe out your savings?
Maybe you’ve started to develop some consistency with an exercise program only to inexplicably quit altogether?
It’s easy to write this off as coincidence or find another reason to explain this away. More likely this is your internal thermostat at work.
Just like a thermostat regulates the temperature of a room, your self-perception governs the limits of your achievements and happiness.
Here’s how you can turn up the heat on your internal thermostat.
Associate with People with a Higher Setting
The people you surround yourself with have a significant impact on your internal thermostat.
If you spend time with individuals who have a higher setting, you will naturally start to elevate your own settings. This phenomenon is often referred to as the “social thermostat.”
Your thermostat for a given area of your life will gravitate towards the setting of the people you spend time with.
In the book Atomic Habits, author James Clear states that when you want to improve an area of your life, one of the best things you can do is to join a community where your desired thermostat setting is the norm.
Want to be more consistent with your fitness? Joining a gym like No Limits Fitness where members and coaches expect one another to be consistent helps to adjust your thermostat setting.
Perform a quick audit of your social circle. Are the people around you lifting you up or holding you back?
You don’t need to start cutting everyone out of your life who doesn’t have similar goals. You can however, look for opportunities to upgrade your personal network.
Seek out mentors, join communities, and build relationships with those who inspire you. By associating with people who have a higher internal setting, you’ll find yourself reaching new heights you once thought were unattainable.
Shock Your System
Sometimes, a gentle nudge isn’t enough to reset your internal thermostat; you need to shock your system and give your settings a kick start.
This could come in the form of a short term challenge such as 75 Hard or a 30 day challenge. Many people have created their initial momentum with a short term fitness or nutrition challenge.
You may consider joining an organization such as Toastmasters to significantly upgrade your speaking skills. Or a nutrition challenge such as 45 Strong to help you build a new skill set with Intermittent Fasting.
These changes will likely make you uncomfortable, but they also offer tremendous growth opportunities. When you push your limits and step into the unknown, you break free from the constraints of your old identity.
If you have a growth mindset, you believe that you have the capacity to improve. With enough practice you can make progress and this will allow you to adjust your thermostat.
Growth often lies just outside your comfort zone, and sometimes the only way to get there is by shaking things up with a short term challenge.
Write a New Story…Or The Next Chapter
Your internal thermostat is set by the story you tell yourself about who you are and what you can achieve.
If that story is filled with limitations and doubts, it will be reflected in your life. To reset your thermostat, you need to write a new story—one where you are the hero who overcomes challenges and achieves greatness.
Begin by identifying the limiting beliefs that are holding you back. Once you recognize these mental barriers, actively work to replace them with empowering beliefs.
Visualization, affirmations, and journaling can be powerful tools in this process. Imagine the life you want to live and the person you want to become, and start telling yourself that story every day. Over time, this new narrative will rewire your internal thermostat and set you on a path to success.
Conclusion
In conclusion, your identity sets your internal thermostat, but you have the power to adjust it.
By associating with people who set high standards, shocking your system with bold moves, and writing a new, empowering story, you can elevate your self-perception and achieve greater success and happiness.
Take control of the direction of your life and set your thermostat.
