[antidamage]

Different people engage in different ways. I think OP is telling us what got them over that initial habit adoption hurdle. Sometimes spending money on something makes you use it.

My example case is I paid for a year of gym membership up front so I could feel the total I'd spent more tangibly. That got me to go regularly, even if I was just showing up to recovery stretching at first. Now I enjoy going and I look forward to it, and I didn't need a PT to motivate me this time.