Take seriously that you have no fixed nature
Stop treating your personality, role, or past as a given — you are always in the process of defining yourself.
Why it works
Sartre’s "existence precedes essence" means there is no human nature that determines what you must be; you define yourself through accumulated choices. The practical effect of really accepting this is that fixed self-descriptions ("I’m just not a morning person", "I’m not the kind of person who...") lose their excuse-granting force. They describe patterns, not fates. This overlaps with growth mindset psychology (Dweck): identity is made, not discovered.
How to do it
- Notice a self-description you treat as fixed ("I’m disorganized", "I’m not good at confrontation").
- Ask: is this a fact about my nature, or a record of past choices I could make differently?
- Identify one choice available this week that would constitute evidence of a different self-definition.
- Make that choice and notice what it reveals about the malleability of your "nature".
Evidence
Growth mindset research (Dweck) finds that believing traits are malleable rather than fixed is associated with greater effort and persistence after failure. Sartre’s philosophical claim is the deeper version of this: there is no fixed nature at all, not just that traits can change. (observational)
Growth mindset evidence is real but has faced replication questions in some domains. Sartre’s stronger philosophical claim is not a psychological hypothesis; the overlap is directionally real but not identical.
Common mistake
Taking "no fixed nature" as "therefore all my patterns are meaningless." Your history is real and patterns have genuine momentum. Sartre’s point is that they are not fate — not that they don’t exist.
Practice this with IX Coach
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More practices for Existentialism and Radical Choice
- Spot bad faith in yourself
Notice when you are treating yourself as a thing determined by role, instinct, or expectation — and claim the choice.
- Take radical responsibility for your choices
Own every choice completely — including its unintended consequences and the unchosen conditions within which you chose.
- Choose authentically — from your own values, not from expectation
Make choices that reflect your actual values rather than the role others have assigned you.
- Sit with the anxiety of freedom
When the weight of choice produces vertigo, use it as a signal — not a problem to escape.
- Define yourself by actions, not intentions
You are not your intentions or your self-image — you are the accumulation of what you actually do.
Related concepts
- Absurdism and the Practice of Meaning Despite
Revolt, lucidity, and the art of building meaning in a world that won’t provide it
- The Examined Life
The Socratic method as a daily practice — questioning, consistency, and honest self-knowledge
- Man’s Search for Meaning, Made Practical
Logotherapy, the three sources of meaning, and the last of the human freedoms
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Made Practical
The core ACT processes, the mechanisms behind them, and an honest read on the evidence
- Values Clarification, Made Practical
Card sorts, ranking, and value-consistent action — with an honest read on the evidence