GNT #091: My 3 Alarms

read time: 3 minutes
 

What if three simple reminders could help you show up the way you intend to in life?

Meet the Wise Valkyrie, The World's Best Purpose-Driven Growth Coach, and 70-Year-Old Me.

These are the identities I strive to channel every day in the areas of health, work, and relationships. I’m not perfect, and I don’t always get it right, but these identities are a tool in my toolkit. They give me a guiding direction and help me stay focused and intentional about who I want to be.

I learned this system of identities and how to put them to work from CEO coach, Eric Partaker.

When people fall short of their potential, it’s often not because they lack ambition, but because they lack the tools and systems to succeed. Willpower alone isn’t enough. These identities act as daily triggers, reminding me to stay true to my values.

Today, I'm sharing how I use the 3 Alarms System, how these identities come to life throughout my day, and how you can do the same to create a more purposeful and powerful version of yourself.

Let's dig in. 
 

What are the 3 Alarms?

They're a system that uses identities as tools for growth and intentional living. The idea is to create three "best-self" identities for the key areas of health, work, and relationships.

1. Health: The identity I've chosen here is The Wise Valkyrie. In Norse mythology, the Valkyries were warrior angel heroes, which really inspires me. I added “Wise” because I know health is about more than just strength.
2. Work: I aspire to be The World's Best Purpose-Driven Growth Coach. This reminds me of my desire to help entrepreneurs and owners harness the power of purpose to grow their business.
3. Relationships: I channel 70-Year-Old Me when it comes to family and friends, making choices today that my future self will thank me for.
    

How I use the 3 Alarms Daily

The Morning Ritual: As a five-minute exercise during my morning ramp-up, I write down my three identities, setting my intentions for the day. I also write down three key attributes for each identity, which helps guide my behavior:

• The Wise Valkyrie: Sturdy, Disciplined, Somatic
• The World's Best Purpose-Driven Growth Coach: Reliable, Innovative, Pragmatic
• 70-Year-Old Me: Present, Loving, Grateful

I tweak these attributes as needed. They evolve with me.

Set Daily Champion Proofs: To ensure I’m embodying these identities, I choose one important action for each that serves as a "champion proof" for the day:

• The Wise Valkyrie: This could be getting in a worthwhile workout, rolling out a tight muscle, or prepping healthy meals. 
• The World's Best Purpose-Driven Growth Coach: This might be dedicating focused time to a key client project or writing an article like this one.
• 70-Year-Old Me: I might choose spending distraction-free 1:1 time with my son or reaching out to someone I care about.
  
  

Use Alarms as Reminders Throughout the Day:

• 8:00 AM: The World's Best Purpose-Driven Growth Coach kicks in. This alarm reminds me to dive into my work with purpose, intention, and focus.
• Noon: The Wise Valkyrie kicks in. This is when I prioritize my health with a workout, physical therapy, or a brisk walk with the dog.
• 5:00 PM: 70-Year-Old Me reminds me to be present, putting work aside and focusing on what really matters.

Sometimes I channel these identities at different times, like yesterday when I channeled 70-year-old-me as I chaperoned on my son's field trip during the day. Or I'll channel World's Best Purpose-Driven Growth Coach with an all-day client meeting.

Takeaway

If anything here sounded intriguing, steal it, modify it, and add it to your tool kit. You deserve access to all the resources that will help you live your best life.

And if you'd like to read more in-depth about this system, check out Eric Partaker's book The 3 Alarms.

See you next week!

If you enjoyed this newsletter, I hope you forward it to someone today. 

Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:


1. Need some 1:1 coaching on growth? I'm here to help. It's easy to book time with me. Book a 1:1 worksession with me now.


2. Have a problem you want broken down into actionable steps to solve? Send it to me and I'll write about it.

3. Want short, but meaty tips on growth systems for profit, purpose, and life. Follow me on LinkedIn.

If you were forwarded this, sign up to receive it each week here. It’s free. I never spam.

To read my full library of newsletters, click here.