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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Power to Change summary
Craig Groeschel
Mastering the Habits That Matter Most
16 mins
Table of Contents
The Power to Change
summarized in 6 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 6
Change starts by knowing your true self, future self, and calling
Since her early years, Amy had always thought of herself as an average student. She wasn’t the brightest kid in her high school class, and her report card confirmed it. This notion stayed with her until her sophomore year of college, when she met someone who told her she was actually the exact opposite. She was academically gifted – she just couldn’t see it.
At first, Amy brushed off the idea. She was far from being smart. In fact, she had always been average her entire life. But as time went on, Amy started to think she may really have potential. This newfound belief ignited a fire within her, and before she knew it, she was acing all of her classes and getting a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Amy is the perfect example of how self-perception has a powerful influence on your behavior. If you believe you’re average, you will act like an average Joe. If you believe you’re a bad parent, you will act like a bad parent. If you believe you’re a drunkard, you will act like a drunkard.
Both the Bible and psychology prove this to be true. Proverbs 23:7 says that you become what you think of yourself. Research, on the other hand, reports that the choices you make are largely based on how you identify yourself.
So, if you want to see changes in your life, you need to start by changing your self-perception. Only then will you change your behavior.
But how exactly can you transform your thinking? You can do this by knowing three things: your true self, your future self, and your calling.
Discovering your true self is no easy feat. Most of the time, you’ll identify with other people’s opinions of you, and the internal description you hear in your head. But only one being knows who your true self is: God.
In John 15:14, you are defined as a friend of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:20, you are God’s ambassador. In Deuteronomy 7:6, you are a cherished possession. You are not what others say you are. You are what God says you are. If none of these affirmations resonate with you, there are plenty of others in the Scripture. Find your Bible verse of choice, then read it repeatedly until you start to believe it as true.
Next, you must identify your future self – who you want to turn into. Think about what you aim to be in ten years. By defining that better version of yourself, you can start shaping your life today to get to it.
Finally, changing your self-perception requires knowing your calling. In 2 Timothy 1:9, you’ll find that your calling is to lead a holy life. This means serving Jesus in everything you do, and in the process, you’ll transform yourself to be more like him. That is your ultimate goal: to become and act like the Son of God.
Speaking of goals, let’s explore more about those now.
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What is The Power to Change about?
The Power to Change (2022) is a practical guide to creating not just positive changes in your life but ones that have a lasting effect. Backed by Bible teachings, it walks you through the strategies on how to work your way towards a changed you.
Who should read The Power to Change?
- Christians struggling to change their lives
- Anyone wanting to build or break a habit
- Those looking to improve themselves and reach their full potential
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