An important passage that stuck with me from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits is the one which describes how people feed their identities. I want to develop and explore this idea, because I think it’s an important one and it has changed how I view my actions.

Simply put: Every action that you take contributes, or feeds, into a particular identity.

This can be seen most in habitual or regular things. If you get up every morning and go for a jog, are stringent about your diet, and like keeping your mind active, you’re likely a healthy person. Being a healthy person is at least part of your identity—most likely a major component.

If you’re trying to be a healthy person, every time you forsake sweet, juicy calories for a less thrilling meal you are feeding into the identity of a healthy person. Conversely, for every cheat meal you take and every twinkie you shove down your throat, you’re straying from the identity of a healthy person and instead—literally—feeding the identity of an unhealthy person.

Of course, we’re human. We need to find some enjoyment in our diets and bend our discipline once in a while in order to stay sane. I am a healthy person, but I still have cake once in a while (and I eat it, too). I miss workouts, I miss sleep once in a while, I’ll have a drink or two—I’m human. However! The majority of the time, I am careful to eat well, exercise often, get regular quality sleep, and stay away from alcohol and excess caffeine.

You can also view this ability to choose which identity/identities you feed in every action, not just those which are regular occurrences. In inordinate moments you have to think on your feet and choose between two or more actions that can change everything. It is very helpful to approach it with this thought in mind: “What identity do I want to feed?”

If you are given the opportunity to take advantage of someone, you can certainly rationalize it, but you’ll be feeding the identity of a cheater, manipulator, self-serving, and dishonest person. Even if nobody ever finds out about what you did, you have fed identities within yourself that you should not feed. Don’t think that you can escape the consequences of this.

By the same token, if you are given the opportunity to do wrong but you instead choose to do what’s right, even sacrifice for it without any recognition: you are feeding the identity of an honest, just, selfless, and laudable person. Note that this doesn’t necessarily make you an honest, just, selfless, and laudable person, but it does tip the scales just a little. With enough positive micro-decisions you may find others referring to you in positive ways, and you may be inclined to believe them.

Once I started looking at things through this lens, I became ecstatic. It now feels like every little choice I make is imbued with meaning; I truly believe it is. Every day, every hour, every minute, and every second I am feeding particular identities with my choices and my actions. I strive to feed the healthy, selfless, loving, funny, understanding identities as much as I can and to starve the dishonest, mean, hateful, stupid, and closed-off identities at the same time.

Fortunately, with every good choice you make you concurrently feed a good identity and starve a bad identity. Don’t overthink it. Doing good typically precludes you from doing bad at the same time. Remember: you’re feeding an identity. Which identity do you want to feed?