Row. Row. Row.

The grind is the ultimate proof-of-work. You cannot fake creation; either you’ve built something or you haven’t. The best investments are intangible but essential: family, health, real skills. All of them demand your time. Better than charting the perfect course or endlessly evaluating risks is to begin. If you only think about where to navigate, your boat will never move; you must row. To build something is to encapsulate your time into a final product. That actually creates value for the world; that is how people benefit. Rowing is hard. Every person you see is straining against their own current. Remember that, and be humble. Fight the instinct that says the comfort zone is safe, because the boat does not move by itself. Entropy increases by default, chaos and disorder are the natural state. Your time and effort are what impose order. There will always be problems to solve, and solving them requires your direct input. There will always be spectators judging your journey, because it’s easier to comment from the shore than to feel the burn in your arms. You are responsible for everything that happens to you, whether it's good or bad. Embrace every part of the journey, the struggle and the calm. Be kind to people, and above all, be kind to your parents. They gave up much for you. Do not fear the rain, neither the storm. You are capable of adapting. Do what must be done to make the people you love proud and secure. Never stop building. Never stop rowing. See how far it takes you, and witness the fruits of your grind.

— by Lucas