Awakening to Your I AM: Claim Your Identity Now

If everything looks fine on the outside but still feels unsettled, this conversation meets you at the root: identity. We explore why your life doesn’t shift when circumstances finally behave—it shifts when awareness does. With a clear, direct look at the two most powerful words in your vocabulary, I am, we unpack how self-concept quietly governs choices, emotions, and opportunities long before results show up.

We start by challenging the belief that life happens to us, then walk through a vivid story of a prince who can’t wear the crown until he accepts who he is. From there, we bridge the spiritual and the scientific. You’ll learn how the reticular activating system (RAS) in your brain filters reality to confirm your current identity, why neurons that fire together wire together, and how language patterns like I’m overwhelmed or I’m becoming train attention and behavior. The takeaway is practical: your mind is loyal to the state you rehearse, but you can choose a new state and build a new road—one small, repeated action at a time.

We guide you through four targeted journal prompts to surface your default assumptions, pick a present-tense identity, and translate it into three behaviors you can live tomorrow. You’ll see why sabotage is often just fidelity to an old self-concept, and how new agreements—statements like "I am disciplined" or "I am learning"—shift your lens so you start noticing and acting on opportunities that were always there. The goal isn’t to fix your life overnight; it’s to reclaim authorship over who you are being right now and let results follow.

If you’re ready to anchor this work more deeply, grab our free ebook, Standing in Your Own Authority, linked in the show notes. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a quick review to tell us: What I am are you choosing today?

 To book your free discovery coaching session today, please click here.

Download my free eBook " Unlock Your Inner Authority." 

Transcript

Life Happens From The Inside Out

The Prince And The Self-Concept

The Meaning Of I Am

Brain Science Behind Identity

Assumptions, Sabotage, And Choice

Guided Reflection And Journaling Prompts

Guard Your I Am And Next Steps

Free Resources And Closing

SPEAKER_01 0:48

Welcome to Transformative Living Radio, where we explore the power of intentional change for personal growth and fulfillment. I'm Andre Flax, your host and certified life and leadership coach. Now, before we go any further, let me say this clearly. If you're listening to this episode, chances are you're in a season where something feels uncertain. Maybe you're questioning your next move, or maybe life didn't turn out the way you thought it would by now. Or maybe on the outside everything looks fine, but inside, something feels unsettled. Now, this conversation isn't about fixing your life overnight, but it's about remembering who you are at the deepest level. Because here's the truth that most people never hear. Your life doesn't change when your circumstances change. Your life changes when your awareness changes. So today we're starting at the root of it all with the two most powerful words in the human vocabulary. The words, I am. So grab a pen and a pad, and if you're ready, let's begin. Hello and welcome to another empowering episode of Transformative Living Radio. I'm Andre Flax, your host and certified life and leadership coach. You know, one of the biggest misconceptions we carry is the idea that life happens to us. We say things like, once things calm down, I'll feel better. When I make more money, I'll finally relax. When the situation changes, I'll feel more confident. But here's the reframe that changes everything. Your inner state creates your outer experience and not the other way around. What you are consistently aware of being, how you see yourself, how you talk to yourself, how you emotionally identify, that becomes the lens through which life shows up. Now there's a story about a prince who grew up in a village unaware of his royal blood. When he was finally told who he truly was, nothing changed overnight. Why? Well, because although he had the crown available to him, he still fought like a villager. And until he shifted his self-concept, he could not occupy the throne. Now many of us live exactly like that. We're capable of more. In fact, we were designed to do more, but we operate from an identity that keeps us small. Let me give you an example. Every time you say, I'm overwhelmed, I'm behind, or I'm not enough, you are casting a vote for the version of yourself you will live from. On the other side, every time you say, I am capable, I am growing, I am becoming, you cast a different vote. You see, self-concept isn't what you say you want, your self-concept is who you believe you are. And those two words, I am, determine the identity you consent to. So today we want to go to the root. Because until your self-concept changes, your circumstances will simply rearrange themselves to conform to it. So let's talk about the power of I am. In the biblical account, when Moses stands before the burning bush and asks God, Who shall I say sent me? The response is not a title. It's not a resume, it's not a description. The answer is I am that I am. Not I was, not I will be, just I am. Why? Because being precedes doing, identity precedes action. I am represents pure existence, self-defining, self-sufficient, not waiting for validation. And here's the metaphor. Before the miracle, before the movement, before the breakthrough, there was a declaration of being. Now let's bring that down to your life. When you say I am, you are declaring the identity from which you'll live. If your I am is followed by limitation, you will live within limitation. If your I am is followed by strength, you will move from strength. You see, the power isn't just in the phrase I am, it's in what follows it. Now, this isn't just a spiritual notion, this is also neurological. You see, your brain has a filtering system called the reticular activating system, the RAS. It determines what information you notice, and it filters based on what you believe is true about yourself. If you say I'm bad with money, your brain highlights every mistake. If you say I'm socially awkward, your brain scans for awkward moments. Your mind becomes loyal to your identity, but the same system works in your favor. If you say I'm disciplined, your brain starts noticing discipline. If you say I'm learning, your brain notices growth. You see, the neurons in the brain that fire together wire together. And repeated declarations create reinforced pathways. So every time you attach something to I am, you are laying neurological track. That track becomes automatic. That's why chains feels uncomfortable at first, because you're building a new road. Now here's the truth. When it comes to your self-concept, you are never neutral. You are always assuming a stake. You walk into rooms assuming something, either I belong or I have to prove myself. And then you move accordingly. If you assume struggle, delay feels personal. If you assume growth, delay feels developmental. You see, the mind values familiarity over expansion. Your mind would rather be consistently limited than inconsistently powerful. So you don't sabotage success because you don't want it, you sabotage success because it doesn't match the state you've been living in. Identity is powerful because you agreed to it. At some point you consented to, I'm the anxious one, I'm always overlooked, or I'm not leadership material. But here's the thing: if agreement created that state, agreement can dissolve it. You don't need permission, you need awareness and a new declaration. You see, growth demands a new I am. So who are you willing to be? Not someday, but right now. Now I want you to take a deep breath and I want you to think about these questions I'm about to ask you. When you wake up in the morning, who are you aware of being? When pressure hits, who do you become? If your life reflects the state you've been assuming, what state have you been in? Now, no judgment here, just clarity. Because clarity creates choice. Now I want you to grab your journal if you have one, or grab a pen and a pad, and I want you to write these prompts, and later on, I want you to spend some time in answering. General prompt number one. Lately, I've been aware of being someone who blank. To be honest. Number two, when a life applies pressure, I automatically assume that I am what? General prompt number three. From this moment forward, I am someone who could fill in the blank. Write it in the present tense. Finally, journal prompt number four. If the new I am were true, how would I walk in tomorrow differently? Write three different behaviors. You see, identity must be translated into movement. Now, after you answer these four questions in your journal or on a writing pad, I want you to pause and look at what you wrote. Now, nothing outside may have shifted, but something inside just did. You interrupted what is known as your autopilot. By doing this exercise, you name your pattern and you choose your direction. You see, you don't rise to the level of your goals, you rise to the level of your self-concept. And your self-concept is shaped by what follows the two words, I am. So we must guard them. We must speak them intentionally, because tomorrow will echo what you declare today. Now, if you're ready to go deeper, I encourage you to download my free ebook entitled Standing in Your Own Authority through the link in today's show notes. It will help you ground this new identity and lead your life from within. You see, transformation isn't about chasing something out there, it's about choosing who you are from the inside. And once you've made that choice, life will respond. Well, that's our show for today. We hope that you found this episode both insightful and inspiring. Join us each week for practical tips, actionable insights, and inspiring stories to help you transform your life. We hope you can join us.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

We'll see you soon. To experience a free coaching session with Andre Flex, click the link in the show notes to book your coaching session today or contact him at Andre at Transformative LivingRadio.com. If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a comment wherever you get your podcast and share it with friends.