Tag Yourself Before the World Does

“You become it when you live like it — not when the world calls you by it.”

Let me tell you a story.

The Boy Who Called Himself a Founder

There was a boy. 19. Skinny, confused, obsessed with startups and YouTube founders.
He had no business, no team, no product. But every morning, he woke up and whispered to himself: “I’m a founder.”

He wrote it on his mirror. He talked like it. Thought like it. When his friends were scrolling, he was writing ideas, watching business breakdowns, sending cold emails to strangers with “hey, I’m building something.”

Everyone thought he was faking it. But deep down, he wasn’t pretending. He was practicing. He didn’t need the title from the world. He had already given it to himself.

That boy was me. And maybe, it’s you right now.

We wait too long for permission.
To say, “I’m an entrepreneur.”
To say, “I’m a filmmaker.”
To say, “I’m a leader.”

We wait for a big win. A client. A medal. A rank. A paycheck.

But here’s what I’ve learned, and what research now proves:

“You don’t wait to become someone and then live like them.
You live like them first — and that’s how you become.”

Psychology Behind "Tag First, Live First"

There’s something called Self-Perception Theory in psychology. It says we understand who we are based on our actions.

Act like a creator consistently?
Your brain rewires: “I guess I’m a creator.”

Act like a disciplined athlete every day?
Your brain updates: “This is what athletes do. So I must be one.”

And there’s more.

The Reticular Activating System (RAS) in your brain filters what matters based on your identity.

Call yourself a founder → your brain starts noticing gaps, systems, solutions.
Call yourself a learner → your brain notices books, mentors, growth.

Identity → Perception → Action → Reality

So here’s the code:

Give yourself the tag. Then live like it. Every single day.

Want to become an entrepreneur?

Stop saying, “I want to start a business someday.”

Tag yourself: “I am an entrepreneur.”

Now live like it:

• Read founder stories before bed.

• Build systems, not dreams.

• Send your first cold DM.

• Spend Sundays planning, not partying.

• Wear your ambition like your favorite hoodie.

Want to become an athlete?

Stop waiting to “look” like one.

Tag yourself: “I am an athlete.”

Now live like it:

• Wake up at dawn.

• Run even when it’s raining.

• Train like the match is tomorrow.

• Fuel your body with respect.

• Rest like a pro, not a lazy scroll.

Want to top your class?

Stop hoping luck hits.
Tag yourself: “I am the kind of student who tops.”

Now live like it:

• Study before you scroll.

• Track your focus like you track your steps.

• Build memory systems, not notes.

• Sit in the front. Speak in class. Ask better questions.

• Turn 1 hour of deep study into your secret weapon.

You don’t fake the tag.

You live it until it’s true.

When you say it out loud —
When your calendar reflects it —
When your habits echo it —
When your choices back it…

That’s no longer pretend.
That’s identity.

And the world?
It eventually responds to those who no longer ask for permission — because they already gave it to themselves.

Real growth doesn’t start when you "make it."

It starts when you whisper to yourself:

“This is who I am now. I don’t care who sees. I just care that I show up like it.”

Tag yourself.
Live like it.
And let the world catch up.