Behaviour vs Interpretation: Why What You Do Matters Less Than How You Count It

Thought For The Week

The view we have of ourselves can shape the behaviours we repeat, and ultimately the results we get. I’ve written about this idea before.

Earlier this week I found myself thinking about it again.

I remembered a client I worked with a while back who trained with me at 7am every Monday and Tuesday morning for nearly three years. Despite that consistency, she would still say she wasn’t someone who exercised. She spoke about “people who go to the gym” as though they were different from her.

It reminded me that identity is not just built from what we do. It is built from how we interpret what we do.

In her mind, those hundreds of early morning workouts didn’t count as evidence.

When we hold a belief about ourselves for a long time, the brain becomes very good at protecting that story. It notices the evidence that supports it and overlooks the evidence that challenges it.

If we want different results, we need a shift in identity. But that shift depends on how we interpret our actions. We need to notice the old scripts that try to pull us back into the familiar story, and consciously count the evidence that points in a different direction.

Exercise Tip

You might finish a workout but still reinforce the old story. You might say: “I had to drag myself here today,” or “I’m still not someone who enjoys exercise.” The action happens, but the interpretation keeps the old identity intact.

A different interpretation might sound more like this: “I’m someone who shows up,” or “I’m someone who makes time for their health.”

Even if motivation was low. Even if the session wasn’t perfect.

Each workout then becomes a small piece of evidence. Evidence that you are someone who prioritises movement, someone who keeps commitments to themselves, someone capable of building a new pattern, and ultimately shaping a new identity.

While the workout still matters, the way you interpret that workout may matter even more.

Nutrition Tip

You make one decision that doesn’t align with how you’d ideally be eating, and it immediately reinforces the old story: “I have no willpower around food,” or “I can never stay on track.”

Again, the interpretation becomes more important than the behaviour. A single moment confirms the identity you already believe about yourself.

But the same situation can be interpreted differently.

You might acknowledge the many meals where you did make choices that supported your health. The times you cooked instead of ordering takeout. The times you paused before eating on autopilot. The times you stopped when you’d had enough.

Each of those moments is evidence too. Evidence that you are someone who is becoming more aware of how you eat, someone who is learning to take care of their body, someone capable of building a different relationship with food.

A helpful way to practise this is to keep a short list of these moments, either in a journal or on your phone. When you see that evidence written down, it becomes much harder to dismiss, and much easier to recognise the progress that is already happening.

Links & Resources

Book: In Atomic Habits, James Clear explains how lasting change happens when habits align with the identity you want to build, rather than just chasing outcomes.

Book: In Mindset, Carol Dweck explores how beliefs about ourselves influence our learning and behaviour.

Journals: Papier offer a great selection of journals and notebooks, perfect for jotting down your moments of evidence.

Inspirational Quote

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

Carl Jung