The Identity Shift — Why You Must Call Yourself a Writer Now

Published: December 9, 2025

Episode Summary

Tom tackles one of the biggest psychological barriers that stops more people from writing than even a blank page: the hesitation to call themselves writers. Drawing on research from James Clear, Carol Dweck, and Steven Pressfield, he explains why claiming the identity of "writer" immediately—not after some arbitrary milestone—is the key to actually becoming one.

What Stops People More Than Writer's Block: Most aspiring writers don't struggle with knowing how to write—they struggle with believing they have the credibility or experience to call themselves writers. This creates a psychological cost that keeps them locked in limbo, stuck behind a door they're holding shut themselves.

The Resistance:

"I want to be a writer someday" (not now)

"I'll call myself a writer after I [publish/get paid/get X followers]"

"I don't have what it takes"

"I didn't study this in college"

Waiting for permission that will never come

The Solution: Immediate Identity Adoption

Tom's Personal Experience: "When I left my software company and I wanted to become a writer, I believed in myself enough to say, I'm a writer the minute I start writing. I'm a writer the minute I decide that I want to be a writer."

The Bottom Line: The minute you want to be a writer, the minute you decide "I want to be a writer," you must start calling yourself a writer. Not later. Not after some arbitrary milestone. Immediately.

Why This Works: Your behavior builds the identity—not the other way around. When you commit to an identity and behave in alignment with that identity, your brain literally starts rewiring itself to internalize that story. The reality begins to catch up to the story you are acting out.

The Science Behind Identity-Based Transformation

1. Identity-Based Habits (James Clear, Atomic Habits)

"Your actions are votes for the person you are becoming. And these votes add up—and they might be messy and chaotic and uninspired, but those are especially the ones that help to form this new identity."

The Process:

It's not an affirmation—it's a feedback loop

You do the action → Your brain notices → It updates the story

Eventually you begin to feel like a writer because you're behaving like one

Because you feel like one, you keep showing up

Because you keep showing up, the identity is reinforced

A completely self-stabilizing system

2. The Identity-Value Model (Psychology Research)

People naturally gravitate toward behaviors that feel aligned with their sense of self. If you see yourself as a writer, writing becomes a "this is who I am" activity—not a chore test. It feels valuable in a different way. It becomes something you protect instead of postponing.

3. Self-Perception Theory

"We discover who we are by watching what we repeatedly do. Not by thinking about it, not by wishing for it, by observing our own behavior."

The Moment of Change: If you write most days, if you ship drafts, if you hit publish, or even if you just stack words in a notebook, your brain says, "Okay, this must be who we are." That is the moment things begin to change.

Not When You Think:

Not the day you get paid

Not the day someone compliments your work

The day you begin acting in alignment with the identity you've chosen

Embodiment: Identity Is Physical

Writers Write: Identity isn't just a mental trick—it's physical. Writers show up at the desk, type, edit, throw pages away. The action itself, the movement, is how identity gets formed. You literally enact the thing you are trying to become.

The Confidence Myth: "If you wait for confidence, you're just gonna be waiting forever. It never shows up. The confidence comes after the reps. You don't build confidence and then start. You get confidence after you start."

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Loop

How It Works:

Belief: I am a writer

Behavior Adjusts: You treat your time differently, show up like a professional

Results: You create proof you didn't have when you started

Reinforcement: Results reinforce your original belief

The Professional Mindset (Steven Pressfield - Turning Pro): If you are a pro, you're going to:

Treat your time differently

Show up like a professional

Protect your writing time

Invest in your craft

Improve faster

Then a few months later: "Oh my gosh, I've built proof that I didn't have when I started."

The Negative Loop (And How to Avoid It)

The Derailing Pattern:

"I don't have what it takes to be a writer"

You start writing less, creating less

You don't publish anything

Now you have proof you're not a writer

But it's not because of your ability—it's because that's how you acted.

Adding the Growth Mindset Layer

Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset: People who believe skills can be developed through practice actually lean into the practice. They interpret failure as information, not as judgment.

For Writers: When you call yourself a writer AND have a growth mindset:

Bad drafts become part of the process (everyone creates them in the beginning)

Rejection is not identity-shattering—it's turbulence, just noise

Your identity becomes resilient

You give that identity time to bloom and become real

The Three-Part Formula

When You Put These Together:

Identity Adoption: Call yourself a writer now

Consistent Action: Write, even a little bit, regularly

Growth Mindset: Embrace failures as learning

You Don't Get: An aspiring writer waiting for permission

You Get: An actual writer, a professional, someone who writes because that's who they are—not because they're chasing some result.

Key Quotes

"Identity is earned through action. Action becomes effortless once identity takes over."

"The story that you tell about yourself is either gonna hold you back or it's gonna carry you forward. So choose the story that gives you the momentum, choose the story that you can grow into, and then let your behavior vote for that identity every single day until it becomes second nature."

"This is how you manifest writing into your life. It's not magic. It's movement. It's momentum."

Tom's Challenge to You

If You Write At All: Call yourself a writer.

If You Want to Become a Writer: Act like a writer.

Remember: Identity is earned through action. Your behavior votes for your identity every single day. Choose the story that carries you forward.

Next Episode: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 9:00 AM (ish)

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Recommended Reading:

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

The Takeaway: You don't need permission to be a writer. You need action. Start today. Call yourself a writer. Then write.

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