The 4 Types of Business Identities and How to Determine Which You Are There are four types of identities that people fit into it. And understanding which one you are will help you achieve your goals.

The following excerpt is from Ben Angel's book Unstoppable: A 90-Day Plan to Biohack Your Mind and Body for Success. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | IndieBound

Trying to hold on to a specific identity 100 percent of the time is futile. No matter what you do, change is inevitable. We will forever encounter setbacks that will force us to embrace multiple identities at varying times of our lives. It's normal -- and more important, it's life!

Each of us has four identities that may change throughout the day, week, month, year -- even our lifetimes. To kick off our quest to lift our awareness and achieve our goals, I've broken down each of these four identities into their vital functions and characteristics, including their strengths, emotional characteristics, cognitive functions, physiological characteristics, and energy sources. Once you read through all four, you'll understand which level you've been operating at and why, and discover why all your efforts to succeed have been trapped in a vicious cycle, like a psychological and biological tug of war.

The catalyst

This is your natural state. When it's eluding you, you feel a deep internal disconnect between who you are and who you know you can be. This leaves you feeling restless and anxious.

The Catalyst identity paves the way for your success and provides the fuel for the journey. Catalysts have an abundance of mental energy, focus, clarity, and drive. They're the key driver for change in society, both globally and locally. They endure even in the face of monumental setbacks. They light the way for others.

While their path may not always be easy, they're biochemically and psychologically wired to believe that it is. Catalysts are proactive and go with the tide, and when they feel themselves beginning to struggle, they take action to correct their course and continue. They are not afraid of seeking help; that's the reason they've made it where they are.

There's only one way to become a Catalyst, and that's by recovering from major setbacks that force them to be consciously aware of how they got there in the first place. To do this, the biochemistry of a Catalyst must be healthy enough that they can still cognitively process this awareness and take corrective action.

If your psychology or biochemistry is compromised, your lack of awareness can turn you into a Defender, in which you become depleted of both types of energy. As a result, your body and brain enter self-preservation mode just to get through the day. Unless major intervention and help from others is available, you may remain stuck in this state. But when you recover, oh boy, will you make a comeback!

The synergist

Synergists, although in a state of conscious awareness and deliberate creation, are still learning to balance willpower with sustainable energy that keeps them moving forward.

They're in the process of becoming more and more aware of how their psychology and biochemistry affect their motivation, their self-esteem, and their view of the world. They are future Catalysts who require some simple fine-tuning to make the next leap successfully and sustainably.

Synergists can benefit from ongoing education that teaches them how to coordinate and optimize their biochemical and psychological performance. They'll have some off days, but they won't beat themselves up about it. They realize that rest and rejuvenation are required for long-term, sustainable success.

The guardian

Guardians protect their current resources but don't defend themselves from an attack. The Guardian's body has switched to self-preservation mode, which triggers them to preserve their energy for critical functions. They still have their goals in sight, but for the life of them, they can't work out why they're unattainable. Self-doubt starts to creep in, and excuses amplify. They're not where they want to be, but they don't know why. They have a win from time to time, but they don't have the energy to sustain it.

Numerous factors got them here, including chronic stress and nutritional deficiencies. In this state, troubleshooting their way out requires external intervention or relying on willpower to research a solution. If they don't find one fast, their willpower will become so depleted that their body will defend the few resources they have left, turning them into the Defender.

The defender

Defenders are simply focused on guarding what energy they have left over and defending themselves from further attacks. Defender mode can be triggered by a number of changes, including a change in the stomach's microbiome, a course of antibiotics, chronic stress, a traumatic event, or a severe nutritional deficiency that crept up so slowly you weren't even aware of it until it trapped you in your own toxic echo chamber.

If this is you, your internal environment has become toxic. Your body is doing everything it can to preserve your existence, which reduces your available energy, causing you to further isolate yourself. This isn't weak-mindedness; it's an inbuilt strategy designed to support us when our needs intensify. At this point, it's key to go easy on yourself. Don't beat yourself up because you're not driven or motivated. Instead, methodically work toward a solution, doing what you can when you can.

The great news is that it's not all in your head: It's in your biochemistry, and once your biochemistry becomes balanced, your head will clear. At that point, you'll really get to ramp up and focus on what you want because you'll finally have the energy to do so.

Are you ready to become unstoppable?

Visit areyouunstoppable.com and take your FREE 5-minute online quiz now. By answering a series of simple questions, my software will analyze your results and provide you with a comprehensive report that will indicate your identity type and lead you to the tools and tips you need to close that gap between who you are and who you could be. Take the quiz to get started!