A challenging aspect of early retirement is the loss of identity you may experience when leaving a career you’ve spent a big chunk of your life building. However, one of the most exciting parts of early retirement is that you have the time, money, and freedom to create a completely new identity! How do you do it though? Today, I had the privilege to speak to the writer who has been most helpful to me as I’ve started building my own new identity – James Clear. In this episode, we discuss habits, deliberate practice, and how to best create a meaningful and purpose-driven life! Highlights: What makes life meaningful and how to live better The importance of social connections How to deal with the “pain of discipline” The physics of productivity and why habits are so powerful The importance of having an easy on-ramp to a task Why a habit must be established before it can be improved How to find a keystone habit that can improve multiple areas of your life Why you should optimize for the starting line rather than the finish line The downsides of habits What is deliberate practice and why it’s important How habits can change your identity Why rewards are good (but only if they don’t conflict with your new identity) What is intermittent fasting and why it’s beneficial