As I write, the world is still waiting to find out why Britney Spears shaved her head and let her long flowing locks fall to the salon floor. While I don't have any insight into Britney's reasoning for what is being viewed by the media as a troubling indication of her instability, I can comment on how something as simple a shaving ones head can serve as the much needed spark for lasting personal change.
Few things contribute to what we will accomplish in life, or not, as much as our identity. When someone has smoked for 30 years tells me, "I haven't smoked for 3 months now." I'll probe a little deeper, perhaps even asking "how much longer before you smoke again?" If they tell me, "Oh, I'm a non-smoker....I was a smoker for 30 years, but I'm a non-smoker now, so never, ever again!" then I know they have made the much needed identity shift that will all but guarantee their continued success. It's one thing to stop a behavior; it's an entirely different "animal" though when you change "who" you are, and how you perceive yourself.
Few things contribute to what we will accomplish in life, or not, as much as our identity. When someone has smoked for 30 years tells me, "I haven't smoked for 3 months now." I'll probe a little deeper, perhaps even asking "how much longer before you smoke again?" If they tell me, "Oh, I'm a non-smoker....I was a smoker for 30 years, but I'm a non-smoker now, so never, ever again!" then I know they have made the much needed identity shift that will all but guarantee their continued success. It's one thing to stop a behavior; it's an entirely different "animal" though when you change "who" you are, and how you perceive yourself.