To Change Your Habits, Start by Changing Your Identity

Many people try to change their habits by focusing on what they do. They might say things like:

- “I want to lose weight.”
- “I want to stop wasting time.”
- “I want to start exercising.”

But real change doesn’t just happen by trying harder. It happens when you start seeing yourself differently. To change your habits for good, you need to change how you see yourself your identity.

Who Do You Want to Be?

Instead of just trying to do new things, start by asking:
Who is the person I want to become?

For example:
- Don’t just try to eat healthier. Think: “I am someone who takes care of my body.”
- Don’t just try to write more. Think: “I am a writer.”

Don’t just try to wake up earlier. Think: “I’m someone who values my mornings.”
When you think like this, every small action becomes a way to prove that identity to yourself. Every healthy meal, every workout, every early morning becomes a “vote” for the kind of person you want to be.

Think Like the New You Try this:

Before making a decision, ask yourself: What would the future version of me do in this moment?
Or even better:
What would someone who already has this habit do?
Let’s say you want to become more fit. The old you might skip the gym. But the new you, the fit you, would go, even if just for 20 minutes.

The more you act like this “new you,” the more natural it feels. Over time, your brain starts to believe it. You become the person you’re trying to be not because of one big change, but because of many small steps.

Change Starts with Identity

Changing habits isn’t just about doing something different. It’s about becoming someone new. And it starts in your mind.

So don’t ask, “How do I build this habit?” Instead, ask, “Who do I want to become?” Then act like that person, one step at a time.

That’s how true, lasting change happens from the inside out.

References:
1. Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. Avery.
2. Duhigg, C. (2012). The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. Random House.
3. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78