Become by Doing
Becoming starts ugly.
A framework from The Reinventor’s Mindset™ by Ashton Jones
What is Become By Doing?
This is the second framework inside The Reinventor’s Mindset. It addresses the gap between who you are and who you want to become - and argues that the only bridge is action, not reflection.
Most people try to prepare their way into a new identity. They buy the gear, read the books, watch the tutorials, and try to look the part before they’ve done the thing. But preparation without action is avoidance dressed as productivity.
Nothing actually changes until you do something badly enough to learn from it. Identity is constructed through behaviour, not planning. You don’t find yourself then act. You act and discover who you’re becoming.
The Insight
Identity is constructed through action, not reflection. Transformation always starts ugly.
The Action-Identity Loop
You don’t find yourself then act. You act and discover who you’re becoming. Action creates evidence, evidence reshapes identity, new identity drives more action. Waiting for confidence breaks the loop. Acting fuels it.
The Question
“When did looking ready stop you from starting?”
Why it matters?
Nothing changes until you do something badly enough to learn from it
Identity is constructed through behaviour, not planning. You don’t find yourself then act. You act and discover who you’re becoming.
Trying to skip the ugly phase - with expensive equipment, perfect preparation, or looking the part - actually skips the learning. You become a triathlete by finishing a triathlon badly, not by looking like one at the start line.
How do you apply Become By Doing?
Identify one transformation you’ve stalled. Name the “ugly first version” you’ve been avoiding - the attempt that would be embarrassing but real. Do it badly this week. Not preparation. Action.
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FAQ
01.
How is Become By Doing different from “fake it till you make it”?
Fake it till you make it is about performing confidence you don’t have. Become By Doing is about earning identity through action you’re not ready for. One is a mask. The other is a process. Do the thing badly, learn from it, let the doing reshape who you are.
02.
What if the ugly first version fails completely?
That’s the point. Failure in the doing is still identity construction. Failure in the planning is just stalling. The dead-last finish builds more transformation than the podium, because it proves the identity shift was real.
Ashton Jones
Transformation is a learnable skill, not a personality trait. I build new things inside systems designed to stay the same – and I teach others to do the same.
Copyright: © 2026 Ashton Jones. All rights reserved.
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