Most creators try to fix their problems with tactics—content, funnels, platforms. But, your true identity always determines your daily tasks and mindset determines your outcome. This is part two of our identity series where we replace the lies you identified with truth, clarity, and focused action. What if clarity in your business doesn't start with strategy, but with hearing who you are again and what you're called to do?

Just like Sarah Blakely (Spanx) persisted as a problem solver despite rejections, Abraham Lincoln stood for 28 years before becoming president, and Colonel Sanders faced 1,000 rejections at age 65 before starting KFC, your true identity produces peace, discernment, and focused action instead of frantic effort.

✅Why discovering your true identity must happen before you build another product, write another blog post, or create another funnel

✅2 questions that replace "Why isn't this working?" and unlock clarity instead of confusion

✅What happened when a 65-year-old man with $105/month Social Security faced 1,000 rejections … & why his true identity changed everything

✅How Sarah Blakely became the youngest self-made female billionaire without entrepreneurship or fashion experience

✅Why Abraham Lincoln's 28 years of "failure" were actually preparation for his true identity as a leader

Ready to discover your true identity? Grab the Biblical Truths PDF worksheet and listen to the Living Fearless podcast by Jamie Winship!

Resources Mentioned: 

Living Fearless by Jamie Winship (book) 

Biblical Truths PDF Download (with blank worksheet) 

Jamie Winship's Living Fearless Podcast

Switch On Your Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf 

Episode 100: The Quiet Lies Holding You Back From Success: Fix Your Business Owner Mindset 

Episode 99: How to Take a Break from Work: Why Rest Actually Improves Your Business

Show Notes:

Well, hello everyone, Kerry Beck here with Family eBiz, where we help families start and scale online businesses so you can have freedom to do what you're called to do. Last episode and this episode, we have been talking specifically about your calling. What is your identity in your business?

I don't mean a business identity like a sole proprietorship or your brand. I mean, who are you? And what are you called to do in your business?

You see, last week, we actually talked about identifying some of the quiet lies that you may be believing, the ones that are sort of scrolling around, those reels inside your head, like I'm behind. I miss my chance. I'm not cut out for this. Everyone else gets it but me.

Today, we get to go to the hopeful part of coming up with our identity. And then what happens after you name that lie.

And some of you are like, what does this matter? Kerry, why are you not teaching some marketing strategy, or email marketing, or social media, or whatever, funnels? Because, let me just tell you, your identity comes first. What is going on in your mind determines the outcome. It determines where you are going and what you're doing. Your identity determines, really, some of the things that you choose to do in 2026.

This is being published in January of 2026, and I thought, this is the perfect time for us to get this out there, so that you can sort of wrestle with it this month. What is my identity? Where am I being called to do?

You see, most creators try to fix their problems with tactics. Content, funnels, platforms, this, that, and the other, but identity always determines your behavior. Your mindset determines your outcome.

What if clarity in your business doesn't start with a strategy, but with hearing who you are again, and what you're being called to do, and how you could use that calling to serve your audience that you really want to serve?

You know, I will tell you that this particular episode is going to have a little bit more faith base, and yet I believe that anyone can use it. I am going to share some of my faith, that's just who I am, and I know some of you, you're like, yeah, go for it, and some of you are like, I don't know, Kerry. But I believe that the things that go on in here really do determine your business a lot of times. And for me, since I believe in Jesus Christ, I do go to the Bible.

Actually, there's a verse in the Bible, Revelation 2:17, it says, a new name is given to the one who receives it. And you see, back in the ancient Roman times, the victor was given a little white stone with their name written on it. That was part of their prize. And so it could be that that verse is referring to the name, and that is who you are, and they are the victor, and that is their identity, and I believe God's saying the same thing.

He's going to take out those lies, and He's going to give you a new name, if you will receive it, and then walk in that. So, before you build the next thing, or create the next e-book, or the next blog post or podcast, you need to know who you are and how you're building.

So let's talk about this. A lot of this information comes from a man named Jamie Winship, who has a book called Living Fearless. You'll see that in the show notes, and I really think it's important. He has affected so many people, just in a spiritual manner, but also just in relationships and all sorts of things.

Here's the deal. Too often, we are asking the wrong question, as he says. Most people are asking, why isn't this working in my business? Why am I stuck right here and not being able to make money?

He talks about an identity exchange, and you need to exchange those questions to two new questions. Again, this is faith-based, so I would go to God and say, what do you want me to know about this? God, what do you want me to do about this? Otherwise, you can just think about, what do I need to know? What do I need to do? But I go to God because that's where I get my most encouragement and the best wisdom as well.

Most all creators, content creators, are skilled, you're hardworking, you're disciplined. But you still operate in the negative. I'm late. I am replaceable. I don't really hear from God. And so we need to take a step back and see what can we hear up in our mind.

You know, there is a woman, Sarah Blakely, that I've mentioned before. She is the person who started the Spanx company, and she, before this, sold fax machines door-to-door. She really didn't have any entrepreneurship background. She had no fashion experience.

She had a problem. She's getting ready to go to an event, and she didn't have the right underclothing, and so she basically took some pantyhose and connecting them to some, what do you call those things, where they hold your stomach in and put them together.

Well, it wasn't like that was the answer to everything. She was rejected over and over by manufacturers when she thought this would solve ladies' problems. The lies she could have believed is, I'm not qualified, no one is taking me seriously. Is that how you feel?

That's just like Walt Disney from last week, and Max Lucado, they were rejected over and over and over, and yet they persevered. We will put that episode, episode 100, familyebiz.com/100. We will put that in the show notes, because if you missed it, you really need to start there.

What did Sarah do instead? She believed she was a problem solver, not an outsider trying to get in. She kept pitching her idea over and over, and eventually started Spanx, and became a billion-dollar company, and she became the youngest self-made female billionaire of all times.

Because she was persistent, and she believed in who she was really called to be, not in all the lies around her. Her success did not come from confidence in the outcome. It came from clarity in who she was. She was a problem solver, and she wanted to serve. She was a servant, and so she believed that was who she is, and she kept persisting in it, and ended up building a billion-dollar company.

You need clarity in your identity. So there's step number one.

Next, we need to take those false identities and get rid of them. There is a real danger for you to believe those false identities. Those are things that I've already mentioned. I'm behind everyone else. Well, you know, we all move at our own pace. And some people move slower and some move faster.

I have to work harder to be worthy. That is hustle. We don't need to hustle, hustle, hustle. We just need to do a good job and be consistent in our calling and in our identity.

Well, maybe you believe, if I rest, everything will fall apart. Well, that is not true. And if you go back and listen to two episodes before this, 99, familyebiz.com/99, I talk about how important it is for rest. That's how we started this year, because I took 6 days off during the Christmas holidays, and nothing fell apart. In fact, I even made sales.

So if you're thinking, I can't take a break, you need to definitely go back and listen to episode 99, because that might even give you a rest to take a rest, a break, and reset. What is my real calling? What is my identity?

Because our true identity is going to produce peace, discernment. Focused action instead of frantic effort. And a mindset that you truly can rest, and I believe you should rest, well, a little bit every day. If you're putting in 12 hours a day for this, that is way too much. But I think everyone needs a rest at least once a week. And I give you some ideas how you construct slowly with just 4 hours if you need to. So go back and listen to episode 99.

You know, there's another man that you have all heard of if you're in the United States. He was a president who, before he became president, lost multiple elections, five major elections. He lost the Illinois state legislature, the U.S. Congress, two U.S. Senate races, and a VP nomination.

In business, he failed, too. This is Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, one of our most famous presidents. You see, in 1831, before he became president, he managed a general store, but it failed due to the owner's mismanagement. He lost his job.

Did he quit? No, 2 years later, he was running his own general store with a partner, and they went bankrupt. And for years, he consistently paid off the debt. Was that a failure? No, those were lessons learned. So if something doesn't work right, you need to take those lessons and move forward as well.

You see, he also was criticized through all those losses. His first election loss was 1832. It was 28 years later, in 1860 when he became president. 28 years of failure. Not winning, and probably more business failures as well.

You know, Abraham Lincoln could have believed the lie. I'm a failure. Or the lie, I shouldn't be a leader, I shouldn't lead people, because I can't do it. Did he believe that lie? No.

He believed his role was to stand for what was right, to speak out, and to persist. To stand, speak, and persist. Long before he became president, he was writing, he was reflecting, he was refining the way he thinks. He was preparing himself to become his identity, which is a leader.

He was taking those 28 years to prepare, or God was, to prepare him. It's just like King David from last episode. He is a protector, a worshipper, and a leader. When did he learn those things? When did he become a leader?

He actually was, his identity was a king. Back when he was 10, 12, and 13, he was watching over those sheep. And killing the bears and the lions, protecting them, and writing songs, worshiping, and learning to lead the sheep as well. And yet, it was probably 20-something years later when he actually became king. He was actually on the run, running from King Saul. What a story it all is.

So, we need to realize that sometime in our smallness, or we feel small, that is our preparation. Overnight success takes years to get to.

You don't wait for success to confirm who you are. You act every day from who you are, from your identity, from your calling, and then you let the results catch up. You let the results and the outcome just happen.

So I want to talk about two identity business questions that you can tie in with the lie that you stated last week. That was your homework. So instead of saying, why isn't my audience growing? Why am I struggling financially? Let's flip it over and go, God, what do you want me to know about myself in this season? What do you want me to do next?

Not everything, just what is the next step? I have read many books by a lady named Elizabeth Elliott. Her husband was killed when they were missionaries down in Ecuador, and one of the things I learned was, she goes, you just take the next step, and that's it. And then take the next step.

For me, I want to ask the questions every morning. What do I need to know? What do I need to do today? And that's it. And take it one day at a time. That's it.

Maybe you have low number of downloads. You have slow growth in your business, and your old identity would say, I'm bad at this, and everyone else is better. Maybe don't say everyone, just say others are better at this than me. No, we're going to exchange that negative attitude and identity for the correct one.

And you need to sit, and I would take some quiet time with a journal, and just think about what comes to your mind. For me, that's God talking to me. And He may reveal, for me, you are a teacher. So I keep teaching. Maybe you're a teacher, too. That's what I do, even in the beginning, when I didn't really have much of a list, and I was not making enough sales to live off of. But I continued to do what I knew God had called me to do.

You're a steady builder. Well, again, overnight success takes years. There's a phrase of how that goes, and I couldn't remember it, but it looks like it's overnight success. Like, Max Lucado, maybe you just heard about when he got his first book deal. Well, you didn't hear the 14 rejections. He may look like an overnight success, but he isn't.

So we need to take action on our identity. And when we identify who we are, what we're called to be, your content becomes clearer, your marketing becomes calmer, you're not just pitching things in their face all the time, and your consistency increases, because you know who you are, and you know what you need to do.

There was a man, again, that you've probably all heard of. That started the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise. A little bit of a tongue twister right there. But Colonel Sanders did not start as a young man. He started in his mid-60s. That makes me feel good. I'm 66, turning 67 next month!

You see, his restaurant closed when he was 50 or 60, something like that. He was living on Social Security, $105 a month. And he hit the road pitching his fried chicken recipe to all sorts of restaurants. He had hundreds of rejections. I actually read he had 1,000 rejections until he finally got a yes.

Supposedly, he had 1,099 rejections until a Salt Lake City restaurant agreed to use his recipe, and help him start a franchise. The first franchise was in 1952, and he was 65 years old. And you can read more about it, it's sort of fascinating. He floundered around in his 20s, 30s, and 40s, and 50s, and he tried to do different businesses. Can you imagine? For 30 years, he is trying to do something with this chicken recipe.

You see, in 1952, he had his first one, 8 years later. 8 years later, 1964, he had 600 franchises. You see, Sanders didn't quit after a dozen no's. He kept going through hundreds, ultimately a thousand rejections before he got a single restaurant. That's hard.

And for a lot of you, it's a side hustle. You've got an income, so that's good. I wouldn't quit your day job to start doing this. But you can continue. The biggest thing is being consistent. If you work on it once a month or every other month, probably not going to happen. If you work a little bit every week, maybe 2 or 3 evenings a week, or 2 or 3 mornings before you go to work, that can help you.

You see, Colonel Sanders couldn't believe, I'm too old, my window's closed. Instead, he believed, I'm a craftsman with something to offer. And what was the result? One of the most recognizable food brands in the world, Kentucky Fried Chicken. There's a few of them, but pretty much, people know Kentucky Fried Chicken around the world, started by a 65-year-old man. He was persistent. He did not let rejection get in the way.

So, let me just tell you, and hopefully encourage you, you are not behind. You are not too late. You are not waiting to become someone. You're learning to become who you are, and to live from what you already are, from your identity.

So here's your homework for this week. I want you to go back and look at that one lie that's showing up in your business, and if you haven't done that, that would be the first thing. Then I want you to ask the two questions. Again, I do this, I try to do this daily, but you might just want to do it weekly. Set aside 15 minutes on Monday morning, let's say.

What do you want me to know this week? What do you want me to do this week? And just pause. So, I mean, that only takes like 20 seconds for 2 or 3 minutes, and just sit in silence. And then write down the word or the phrase that you received that comes to mind.

And I have done this off and on. You know, I think at the beginning of the week, I had it written down here. I took it upstairs. Something about strength and weakness, because I was sort of feeling weak about things and what was going on, and I just thought, and that just kept coming up all day long. That I was strong through God.

So, you want to find the truth. And you don't want to believe that you're a nobody. That's just not worth it. You need to replace that with the truth.

And if you are a person of faith, I would go find a Bible verse that speaks this truth. I would write it down on an index card. I would put it somewhere that you will see it every day. Your kitchen sink, the bathroom mirror, your car dashboard, somewhere, so that you will say it out loud every single day for at least a month. And then just work on replacing those negative thoughts with truth for at least one month. 30 days can change the way we think.

I think it's Carolyn Leaf, that has a whole book about switch on your brain, and it's all about changing the way you think, and we'll put a link to her book in the show notes as well. Be another good one for you to use. So I would really encourage you to look at her book, but Living Fearless. It's all about exchanging the negative identity for who you really are called to be, and then working towards that identity.

I will also put a link to Jamie's podcast, and those are excellent, and really, listening to those earlier this week or last week made me think, oh, I need to do this with our business group. So that's what made me do it. And then also, I have a PDF download with our biblical truths, and or they're not biblical, well, they are biblical, but they're my personal truths that I wrote down one day. You can read my truths, but there's a blank page in that PDF that you can print out, and then you can actually write your own truth there, and post them somewhere in your house.

Hey, thanks for spending time with me. If you know another online business content creator, podcaster, blogger, I would truly appreciate it if you shared this episode, maybe even last episode. I really think this is where we get hung up. We're so into strategies, and strategies are important. But if we don't believe it here, you can do all the right strategies, and it's not going to work. So this is where I'm really encouraging you to work on in your head in January, and then move forward in tactics and strategies in 2026. Hey, thanks for spending time with me. I am Kerry Beck with Family eBiz. We'll talk to you next time.