This reminds me of the character based self improvement programs of guys like Benjamin Franklin. The first step is deciding who you want to be. Then take them one at a time, and practice them. You become who you want to be by acting like it until it becomes a habit.

Covey is similar, though he stresses being clear on the choice of who you want to be more than developing into who you want to be through habit. Without that clear vision of who you want to be readily available, it's hard to overcome the easy feel goods of the moment.

My bias is toward Franklin's stress on cultivating habit. Self control is a finite resource. Having to dredge up that vision of the long term goal and suppress the short term reward by an act of will is a losing battle. Better to make the behavior automatic.

I say this as I slurp down egg nog.