Plans don’t alter identity, and effort alone can’t override who you’ve been. Identity shifts when commitment and environment make the old version unsustainable.

As long as change stays hypothetical, nothing has to shift. Commitment collapses the future into now and requires a new version of you to show up.

Growth isn’t automatic. You have to be intentional about what you feed your mind and body during stretch periods, because that’s what determines whether the discomfort leads to a breakthrough or a breakdown.