identity is never fixed

I'm sometimes tempted to look back and find patterns in my life, and identify those as "who I really am".

For example: maybe I want to be a hard worker, but looking back I conclude that I've actually never really been a hard worker (not saying this is necessarily the case, but I've sometimes had thoughts in this direction). Then I'd be tempted to conclude for the sake of authenticity that I'm really not a hard worker and I should stop trying to delude or fool myself.

The problem with this is that it commits to a notion of identity in which change is impossible. Under this notion future me cannot have some property that has not been held by past me. And to the extent that the process itself is about shaping identity (it's actively seeking 'authenticity') that is a self-defeating claim. It's the opposite of a growth mindset. The whole point of shaping identity is for future me to have different properties than past or current me. In Buddhist terms, realizing that the self is a construct serves me better than being trapped by it.

So sure, there is such a thing as identity. Future me has some connection to past me, and it's hard to change everything or even a ton of things. But it is possible to change in focused ways.