This is who I am.

If you ask me (which many of you obviously haven't) what my life goal is, I am likely to reply, "Change the world" or, if I'm feeling particularly sassy, I might phrase the same end point as "Take over the world" (sound familiar to any of you Pinky and Brain fans?).

But, in all seriousness, that is my goal.  The world that I live in has more disease that is almost completely preventable than ever before.  One researcher stated it's not our eating or exercise patterns that are killing us....it's our decision making skills.  Ouch!

But then here comes Seth Godin to tell us (and there's lots of research to back this statement up),  "...most actions aren't decisions at all".  We take actions to a large extent based on our personal and community culture. 

If you are a person who doesn't like to exercise, it will be difficult to like exercising because it goes against what you believe your personal culture to be.

On the other hand, if you like exercising but your workout on a particular day feels TERRIBLE, you will still exercise the next day because exercise it a part of your personal culture -- it's no longer a decision you make, it's just who you are regardless of how it feels on any given day.

So what's Seth's advice for us?  If we want to live healthier lives, we need to change our personal and community culture.  Surrounding yourself with people making the changes and living the kind of life you are looking to create puts you smack dab into the middle of a culture that will support, encourage, and provide kicks in the pants when you need them and take you in the healthful directions you are looking to go.

It's that culture that will take you from "This is what I do" (whether that is exercise, eating cleaner, or sitting on your couch every evening and only taking breaks to walk to the fridge) to "This is who I am" (whether that is an Exerciser, a Clean Foodie, or a Couch Potato).

So....who are you?  And who do you want to be?  Better find a group of others that are the way you want to be and start hanging out with them.  Change your culture, change your world.