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Hey there, conscious creator!

Lately, I’ve been exploring what I call the “unglamorous path of identity shifting.”

Because beneath all the language and techniques around manifestation and becoming, there’s something simple and essential at the core.

Let’s unpack the layers:

• Manifestation is about shifting your identity.
• Shifting your identity is about stepping into the person you’ve always known you’re destined to be.
• Which means this whole journey of spiritual growth is really about radical authenticity.

And the only direct path to radical authenticity is through unconditional acceptance and PRESENCE.

This week, I want to share a personal insight, a practice, and a reflection on how presence becomes the ground where identity shifting takes hold.

One Insight.

Becoming Who You Are by Staying Where You Are

Often, I find myself trying to change by outrunning the moment—more words to write, more tasks to check off my never-ending to-do list, all in the effort to push towards a better “me.”

But really, it’s a way to quiet the narrative of deficiency. The narrative of shame and self-criticism. The fear of facing the frightening parts of myself.

I feel those old patterns rise—tight chest, problem-solving mind, the urge to escape to my laptop and find proof I’m okay.

Good intentions, but wrong doorway.

Because what actually makes change hold is simpler and harder:

What I’m learning is that your identity shifts at the speed your body feels safe to stay in the present moment. Soft attention can be our strongest lever.

So, instead of ejecting from one moment to the next, our biggest measure of progress on any given day might be as simple as:

• Did I abandon myself today, or did I stay?
• Did I allow the rhythm of change to run through me: tighten, soften; swell, settle?
• Did I really feel the range of chemical cocktails swirling inside me: joy, panic, love, longing?

Below is a short practice I created that aims to train the nervous system to remain with the present moment without fixing, judging, or escaping — letting it know that who you’re becoming is safe to be.

In other words, it turns “identity shifting” from something you need to do into a state of presence — an act of just being.

One Practice.

The Unglamorous Path to Shift Your Identity: A 3-Minute Practice to Train the Skill of Staying

Step 1: Arrive in the moment. (30s)

Close your eyes. One hand to heart, one to belly. Breathe as if your breath begins here. In for five, out for five. Notice what’s real—pressure, heat, flutter, the shake in your hands. You don’t have to fix it. Just let it be here, and let yourself be here with it.

Whisper: "I’m not stepping out of this moment. I’m stepping into it."

Step 2: The Four Permissions (45s)

Say, slowly:

• I am safe to feel this.
• I deserve a life that matches who I really am.
• I am capable of practicing a new way.
• It is possible for this to become easier.

Step 3: Name the story. (45s)

Out loud: “The story I’m telling is ____.” (e.g., “I’m not good enough,” “It’s not safe to slow down.” “If I don’t please everyone, I’ll be rejected.”)

Imagine setting that story beside you, like placing a heavy bag on the floor. You can pick it up later if you want. For now, it’s not in your hands.

Step 4: Align the mind. (30s)

Ask a Lofty Question to engage your subconscious:

Let your breath answer, not your mind.

Step 5: Seal your commitment. (30s)

Feel the next wave: tension… release—without interfering or managing it.

Say: “I’m here now. This is where I am. This is all there is. And I give myself fully and completely to it.”

Open your eyes. Set one small aligned intention for the rest of the day and honor it.

• • •

The Benefits of This Practice

When you stay, your body learns that the unfamiliar is safe. And safety reduces resistance—because it’s our own inner resistance that usually blocks our transformation.

This practice is about rewiring “fixing” into “feeling,” turning shame into self-understanding, and replacing all-or-nothing pushes with repeatable reps of conscious awareness.

Over the next week, notice three things:

• Less compulsion to escape
• Faster recovery after triggers
• More follow-through on small promises

This is the real identity work—nothing glamorous, just quiet, consistent, and present.

As Mary Oliver wrote in her poem, Wild Geese:

One Reflection.

Before you become, bow.

Before we become the next version of ourselves… before we rehearse our future, we must bow to the present and the person who is already here.

With gratitude. 🙏🏻

If any of this resonated or you want to share, feel free to hit reply.
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​As always, remember:

You are a Conscious Creator of your reality!
Keep creating your best self!

Anthony V. Lombardo

The Art & Business of Conscious Creativity
Listen To My Meditations on Substack

P.S... If you want to make this kind of presence part of your daily routine, my meditation program, The Identity Shifting Morning Practice, will guide you to show up as your future self with clarity and embodiment every single day.