Improvements are only temporary until they become part of who you are

I was reviewing my emails from James Clear, and somehow I missed one he sent out at the end of last year. I will reproduce the short section here:

"Improvements are only temporary until they become part of who you are.
--The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.
--The goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner.
--The goal is not to learn an instrument, the goal is to become a musician.
This year, focus on the identity you want to build."


I love this focus on identity because it is so easy to get caught into the trap that you are who you are, Popeye. A recurring them I return to frequently is the following question:

For example, I've written in a previous newsletter about my failed attempts at using some type of planner. So many productivity "gurus" laud the use of a planner. After so many attempts, I have finally decided that I'm just not a planner person. These just do not work for me and I'm fine with that. Just because I don't use a planner doesn't mean I am disorganized or not productive. I just have my own way of doing things.

Here's another example that I know

jasonleow

loves since his site is the only one that doesn't have a text editor built-in. I can't stand Markdown. I'm not even a huge shortcuts person. I'm an old-school, highlight-with-a-mouse-and-select person. In terms of writing, I want the least friction possible. Markdown creates friction for me. I want to see the change as I'm writing not after it is published. I gave it the college try, and I've decided I'm just not a guy who uses Markdown. Plenty of people love it, and that's fine. I'm not one of them.

The last example really hits home for me. At some point in my over two years of writing daily, I changed the way I view myself. I transformed part of my identity and started to consider myself a writer. And what do writers do? They write every day. It's not drudgery. I don't have to set some reminders to write. I just do it because it has become part of my identity.

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