I'm writing down the key ideas I find important right now. I wanted to do this both as a self reminder, and as an act of introspection to uncover the real reasons. I would also like to read this in the future and look back at what I was thinking back then.
The primary thing is taking action. Transitioning from being a planner to a doer, I very often get caught up in the endless cycle of perfectionism that is planning ahead rather than the execution of this plan. Starting action, even when the long-horizon roadmap ahead is unclear, brings you further, faster, than thinking of the best way to take the first n steps and laying out a "perfect", untested plan.
Enduring. I have an idealistic vision of the person I'd like to become and I know the amount of friction that exists with taking the actions I must take in order to achieve this state. Nevertheless I must take them, as inaction is an asymmetric losing bet. Knowing the odds, your hand is forced.
Creating not just consuming. Playing the role of a spectator is very comfortable, and for the past few years I have been mostly sitting and listening to other people's thoughts and opinions, regurgitating parts of them whenever somebody asks me for my own. I have never really had the need to produce a thought or idea of my own, because frankly, this is very hard and the brain likes to shy away from hard things. At the end of my life I wish to look back and be proud of the things I created. If I never produce output, I never get feedback, just like an open-loop system, oblivious and without a mechanism for self-improvement or correction.
Documenting everything. I need to measure the output and efficacy of my work against my values and goals in order to know if I am making progress at all. Anyone can sail a ship in darkness and think they are one day closer to the shore.
All these are high-level ideas. I will document concrete steps or plans separately.