[rodlette]

> This is described well in Atomic Habits. Train yourself to think “I am just not the kind of person who does x.”

Is this just basically willpower?

Or perhaps I should read the book to find out.

[bitshaker]

No. Changing your identity is much more powerful and sort of operates in a background process whereas willpower is more of a conscious foreground one and very difficult to sustain long term.

Read the book. It goes into some detail.

I’ve worked with thousands of people personally over the years to help them with supposedly difficult to treat addictions for instance. Willpower is fine to start, but completely fails in the long term. Identity change is the only thing I’ve found that works long term.

[dyno12345]

This might be a stupid question, but what is "identity" in this context?

I ask because when this subject has come up I realize I don't seem to be able to think up theories about myself so easily

[rodlette]

I'll look into it. I think I acquired frugality from reading a few books that made me frugal.

I'd like other traits too.

[devbent]

People who consider themselves "gym rats" go to the gym because it is what they do.

People who are mountain bikers don't ride to keep in shape, they look forward to getting on their bike.

[rodlette]

Those are easy to see, but there are few people who clean their dishes for fun/leisure.

[PaulDavisThe1st]

For years, I was "a person who liked to ride my bike 300+ miles in a day". Then one day I realized that was a lie, or at least only a half-truth. Then I realized that most of why I did it was that I liked to keep in shape, and to eat a lot.

[LargeWu]

It's more like discipline. You don't do something because you decide to become a person who just doesn't do that thing. It becomes part of your identity, rather than a decision you have to continuously make.