ProEdge Life Coaching

The Follow Through: Why Systems Fail for Creative Minds

The Hidden Reason We Abandon What Works

A designer I once spoke with created a morning rhythm that was almost too simple to fail: a stretch, coffee, and thirty minutes of deep work before email. Two weeks later, she abandoned it. Not because it wasn’t working, but because it was.

Her words stayed with me: “If I keep this up, then I really have to be that person. And I don’t know if I’m ready for her yet.”

When I heard that, something clicked. I realized how many times I’ve quietly done the same—walked away from a working system because sticking with it meant committing to a version of myself I wasn’t sure I could sustain.

That’s the hidden reason systems often “fail.” They don’t just organize our hours; they strip away excuses. They collapse the comfort of “someday” into one identity that asks to be lived now. And sometimes, facing that reflection is scarier than the chaos we claim to escape.

A Gentle Lens

If this resonates, you don’t need to fix it—you can simply explore it. Think of these as three doors you could walk through:

• Door 1 — Observe: Recall a system you dropped. Did it fall apart because it was too rigid… or because it fit too closely?
• Door 2 — Name: What version of you was that routine quietly pointing toward?
• Door 3 — Test: If you wanted to try on that identity, what’s the smallest way you could live it for just one day?

You don’t need to open all three. Notice which one feels most alive—and step through only if you want to.

Reflection:

If something surfaced as you read this, you’re welcome to share it with me. Sometimes writing it down—or saying it out loud—is the first step toward clarity. I’ll hold it with care.

Curiosity Corner

• A quote to chew on: “Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose—and commit myself to—what is best for me.” — Paulo Coelho
• An experiment worth trying: Revisit one “failed” system, not to restart it, but to journal: What identity was this nudging me toward?
• A thought from research: Studies on “implementation intentions” show that even small routines act as identity cues—reminding us not of tasks, but of who we’re becoming.

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