
on trading potential for something actual

Once you honestly know the one-word answer to “Do I want this?”, commit. Resolve to do it. Take some action that holds you accountable to your commitment. (Tell someone in private, make it public, etc.) The rest will follow.
Lacey Peace • Don't Do Stuff You Hate
Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.
Julia Cameron • The Artist's Way: 25th Anniversary Edition
commit to one of those many possible somethings: