On Between Knowing & Doing | #013
A strategy to do what we know we should do but still don't do.
We know who we are.
That’s not the problem. The problem is that we’re not acting like it. We know ourselves as creators but don’t create. We see ourselves as writers but don’t write. We call ourselves entrepreneurs but never build anything.
We don’t lack clarity on our identity. The problem is the gap between who we know ourselves to be and how we actually show up in the world.
That limbo between knowing and doing is torture.
The Limbo
We know exactly what we want.
We dream, plan, consume. We study the successful ones and buy their courses. We have a clear vision but don’t act like the person who will achieve that vision. Mental masturbation is both seductive and addicting. We get a glimpse of what we could be like without the struggle to achieve it.
The potential is there but our actions don’t match it.
We see ourselves as someone while living like someone else.
Someone who doesn’t live up to our expectations. Someone who hasn’t done a fraction of what we’ve set out to do. Someone who talks but never do. Someone who seems to be forever stuck but never know why.
We know who we are. Our actions say otherwise.
Dreams die in this limbo.
The Problem With Today’s Self-Help Advice
Most advice today assumes we don’t know who we want to be.
“Find your why.” “Unlock your purpose.” “Discover your identity.” The entire self-help industry sells on the premise that people don’t know what they want. That is not our problem. We know who we are, we know what we want. What is missing is action.
We keep looking for the perfect system, the right motivation, the ideal conditions. We consume content on finding ourselves when we should be acting like ourselves.
No amount of planning or motivation content will fix our situation. Only action will.
Get Tired
You need to act like who you already know yourself to be.
You don’t need more motivation, another course, a better system, an extra week to think about it. You need to take what you know and act on it. You need to close the gap between who you are in your mind and who you are in reality.
Make where you are in life so unbearable that you would do anything to change it.
That way, you either do what you need to do or accept a life of misery.
To do that, embrace the pain of the current situation. Stack all the negatives, all the bad and the ugly. Think about everything you’ve missed and will miss if you continue to not act. Feel the regret. Live in your mind the fucked up life you will have if you continue to suck right now, if you miss the opportunity you have.
All that strong language is on purpose. You need strong emotions to fuel you.
I still remember the day I changed completely.
I was broke… And I was so tired of being broke. Tired of everything. Tired of living in my parents basement at 27 years old. Tired of thinking twice before buying a $2 coffee. Tired of feeling anxious when opening my bank account. Tired of living on someone else’s schedule. Tired of minimal wage. Tired of being stuck where I was.
I got tired. So tired, that I would do anything to change.
And so I did.
Honoring Who You Already Are
To be successful, act successful.
The person you envision yourself to be, that clear identity in your mind. What would you do right now, in this moment, if you already were that person? For example, if you want to be a $50,000/month Substack writer, what would a $50,000/month Substack writer be doing right now?
What are their mornings like? What habits do they have? What do they do, and even more important, avoid doing? Be crystal clear about the specifics of the identity you envision as your ideal self.
Write it down and start small.
1. Small Compounds
In fact, start as small as you can.
Write one page daily. Take one nano action. It’s now about the results right now, it’s about alignment between vision and action. If that ideal you was facing the struggle and failures you are facing right now, what would they do? How would they react? How does your current self measure to that?
Start to act like who you envision yourself to be, regardless of results.
After all, we don’t act once we become, we become once we act.
2. Specificity Eliminates Second Guesses
Now, make it specific.
“Writing one page daily” is not enough. When are you writing that one page? Where are you doing so? Why are you doing it? What are you doing? Give yourself specific instructions and reasons. Schedule you Sacred Hours; the time and space where your work is all that matters.
End indecision by planning ahead.
3. Strategic Action Over Emotional Action
Finally, make it the obvious choice.
Apply strategy to everything you do. Design your digital and physical environment with your goal in mind. Make good habits frictionless and add as much friction as possible to bad habits. Put blockers on socials. Plan tomorrow today. Keep your gym clothes visible. Make it easy to act and hard to avoid.
Put your plan down on paper and stick to it. One action at a time.
Most people try to change everything too fast, all at once.
That leads to overwhelm and that overwhelm leads to inaction. Instead, focus on one change at a time. And for every change and action, focus on those first 2 minutes. Instead of thinking about the entire journey, focus on starting.
Everything becomes easier once we start.
It takes time.
But every time we act in alignment with our identity, we strengthen it. Over time, it gets easier and easier. One day, it will feel like the only obvious choice.
The identity stops being a fantasy and becomes a reality.
The Creator Way
The person you envision already exists right now, in every action you take.
The life we enamor, the success we desire, these are a mere reflection of the work you do today. As such, worry not about the future. Thinking about whether it will happen or not happen is a waste of time. Thinking will lead you nowhere, only action will.
The Creator Way, the path, the journey, that is the goal. It’s not about the destination, it’s about the person you had to become to achieve it.
Stop living in your head. Your future self depends on it.
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Practice
Make your identity clear:
Write down the clearest version of who you know yourself to be.
Be specific about the identity you desire to embody.
Define daily actions:
List exactly what this person would do each day.
Specify when, where, and how these actions will take place.
Include routines, habits, and priorities (including rest).
Start small:
Choose ONE tiny action to start with.
Make it so small that you can’t say no.
Focus on consistency, act daily.
Design your environment:
Remove obstacles to your desired actions.
Add triggers that make the right actions obvious.
Add friction to bad habits.
Track consistency, not results:
Create a simple system of record (I like journaling).
Focus on showing up not outcomes.
Celebrate small wins, you deserve it.
Again, it’s not about the vision. It’s about the person you need to become that will make that vision the only possible outcome.
Act like who you know you can be, today.
When Nothing is Given, Create.
Fortune Favors the Creator.
To Be a Creator, Create.
- Caio