Military veterans and former entrepreneurs reports similar feelings. If your identity is wrapped up in a belief like “I’m a great soldier,” what happens when your period of service ends? For many business owners, their identity is something along the lines of “I’m the CEO” or “I’m the founder.” If you have spent every waking moment working on your business, how will you feel after you sell the company?

The key to mitigating these losses of identity is to redefine yourself such that you get to keep important aspects of your identity even if your particular role changes.

• “I’m an athlete” becomes “I’m the type of person who is mentally tough and loves a physical challenge.”
  
• “I’m a great soldier” transforms into “I’m the type of person who is disciplined, reliable, and great on a team.”
  
• “I’m the CEO” translates to “I’m the type of person who builds and create things.”

When chosen effectively, an identity can be flexible rather than brittle (hard but liable to break or shatter easily.)

-Atomic Habits, p.248