There’s this message that frustrates the bananas out of me—when people say, “I made it, so can you.” It sounds nice, but it hides a deeper truth: most of what happens in life comes down to dumb butt luck. The country you’re born in, the parents you have, the people who give you a break they probably shouldn’t—it’s all chance.

We try to copy what others do, thinking best practices will lead us there. But when you actually try it, you realize: this is dumb—it doesn’t apply to me. Everyone’s story is different. Your path won’t look like mine. It might be harder, longer, slower—or maybe even faster. But that’s not the point.

The only thing I know that works? Get back up. Repeat. Over and over and over again. Keep going—not because it’s fair, or because it guarantees success—but because repetition and delusional optimism are the only real tools we have.

And maybe, just maybe, something happens when you do.