I saw this article spreading wildly online, with 120 million views, hailed as the "annual divine post."

But I noticed an interesting phenomenon: most people read it and forget, just eating, sleeping, living their lives unchanged.

Why? Because understanding is easy, doing is hard. Especially when it comes to self-transformation, relying solely on motivation is not enough.

I am exactly like that. I’ve made countless promises before—New Year’s plans, life goals—but none of them were realized.
Only later did I realize that true change isn’t about willpower alone, but about fundamentally changing your perception of yourself.

Many want to lose weight, get a promotion, achieve financial freedom, but you can see the truth in their actions:
They actually don’t want to change. Why? Because those changes require them to become a different person, and subconsciously, they resist that transformation.

Imagine a fitness expert; they eat healthy meals without needing to grit their teeth because it’s already part of their daily routine.
For them, eating junk food is the real anomaly. Similarly, if you want a certain life outcome, you need to live your days as if you already have it.
Not waiting to lose weight to enjoy life, but starting now to live that kind of life.

This involves a deep psychological mechanism: your identity determines your behavior.
The person you are shaped to be since childhood will automatically defend that identity.
Your parents’ rewards and punishments, societal expectations, your own stories—they all program you.
When you grow up, you will fiercely defend this identity, even if it harms you.

For example, if you define yourself as “talentless” or “unlucky,” every time there’s a chance to break that framework, your subconscious pulls you back.
It’s not laziness; it’s a psychological defense mechanism at work.

So, real change requires altering not just habits but your fundamental self-perception.
This is a primary issue; everything else is secondary.

So how to do it? I’ve seen many successful people who have gone through three stages: first, extreme disgust with the current situation; then, falling into uncertainty and confusion; finally, discovering their true desire.
The key is to actively create that “disgust,” using it as fuel.

There’s a practical exercise that’s especially useful. Find a weekend, grab paper and pen (must be handwritten, don’t use your phone), and spend a whole day doing a “psychological reset.”
In the morning, spend 30 minutes asking yourself: What dissatisfaction have I already gotten used to tolerating?
What complaints do I have but have never changed?
If nothing changes, what kind of life will I be living in five years?
At the end of life, what will I regret not having done?

After doing this, you’ll likely feel a wave of nausea and panic.
This is called a reverse vision—use this negative energy as fuel.

Then, turn to the positive: what kind of future do you truly want?
To live as that person, what do you need to believe about yourself?
Write down an identity declaration, such as “I am an action-taker” or “I am a creator.”

During the day, set a few alarms on your phone and ask yourself:
What am I avoiding right now?
What do my actions reveal about the life I want to live?
Am I moving toward the life I desire, or slipping into the one I hate?
These questions will interrupt your autopilot mode.

In the evening, review and write down the true enemies blocking you (usually some deep-seated beliefs),
then list the life you absolutely refuse to live, and the life you are building.

Finally, set a few “targets”:
What specific things will become reality in a year to prove you’ve changed?
What must you accomplish this month?
What 2-3 key actions will you take tomorrow as a new person?

To keep this system running, gamifying your life is crucial.
Games are addictive because goals are clear and feedback is immediate.
Create a mental framework: vision is the way to win, reverse vision is the cost of losing, annual goals are main quests, monthly projects are level-ups, daily actions are experience points.

When you truly get into that “obsessed” state, there’s no such thing as persistence—only an unstoppable drive.

Honestly, changing yourself in 10 days sounds like a scam, but the seeds of change can be planted in a single day.
The key is that on that day, you must be honest enough, in pain enough, and hungry enough.
Then, use the following time to execute.

Many people finish reading articles like this, save it, give a like, and then continue living the same old way.
If you don’t want to keep repeating the same mistakes in 2026, don’t just scroll past.
Stop, find a weekend, take out paper and pen, and really do it.
That’s the true start of change.