January 30

I have many things I want to make, but only so much energy. Who would not like to gain ten thousand followers in six months, write a perfect article every time, and use every hour flawlessly? Yet chasing perfection and speed often ends in disappointment. After four or five years of experiments, I have come to believe that sometimes slow is fast.

Five years ago I thought three months would transform my body. It took a year to lose forty-nine jin. When I began investing, I had little money but plenty of time. I used regular fund purchases and waited about eight months for my first capital gain of ten percent. Later I wanted faster money, which partly drew me toward crypto. Fortunately, I spent more than a year buying Bitcoin regularly before exploring earlier-stage markets and DeFi. Gains from that patient period softened the losses from some of my later, less disciplined moves. Even now, my largest gains have come from four years of steady investing.

At university I read widely and reread books often: The Art of War, A Different Mirror, books about wealth and self-learning, To Live, One Sentence Is Worth Ten Thousand, and Fortress Besieged, among others. I read each of those listed at least three times, and many ideas stayed with me.

After the college entrance exam, I began keeping a diary. Making it a daily habit gave me a foundation for writing more and more. Sharing thoughts sincerely online also brought friends who encouraged me to continue. Along the way I learned to reflect on what I do, almost as if giving my mind a daily reset.

Those years made me wary of shortcuts and speculation. I have come to value work that takes a long time before its rewards appear, but may pay back richly. I have made more than I expected by continuing to show up. What would it take for you to make five hundred deliberate strokes every day?