Until you work as hard as those you admire, don't explain away their success as luck - James Clear

A paradox of life is that the greatest returns come in the long-term, but the opportunity cost of moving slowly is huge.

Long-term thinking is not slow acting.

Act fast on things that compound. Never let a day pass without doing something that will benefit you in a decade.

An approach that has worked well for me: Friendly, but persistent.

People frequently get what they deserve, but it doesn't feel like it because the unspoken rule is that you only deserve it if you have
(1) the courage to attempt it,
(2) the guts to ask for it, and
(3) the willingness try again when it doesn't work out the first time.