The game gets more fun when you get to the big leagues Take Kobe and Jordan. Unlike most players, they kept their insane work ethic when they got to the NBA. Go watch "The Last Dance" or listen to the Founders episodes on Kobe and Jordan to understand their mentality. They saw other players check out after they had "made it" and understood they would clean up and win championships. They simply outworked everyone else. Were they born with some skill? Yes, but there's many tall guys out there that can play ball. They worked until their bodies stopped. Day in and day out. They worked to perfect their craft. They loved the game so much they couldn't imagine doing anything else. Both Kobe and Jordan weren't there to play for a few seasons and check out. They were there for the love of the game aspiring for greatness. Most people are playing short term games optimizing for some arbitrary "made it" figure. It’s remarkable how much of a competitive advantage it is having a time horizon longer than 1-2 years (h/t Ben at ParaFi). I don't think you realize what retiring in your early 20s feels like. Retiring early sounds great - until you try it. Remember craving summer break, then missing your friends after a few weeks? Happens in life, too. I’ve seen it all across crypto: people hit a number, cash out, instantly feel lost. Retire? Retire from what? The game I love? I will only retire when I am dead! What you want is financial freedom. Owning your time to be able to play the game uninterrupted and without forced errors. In the quest to achieve financial freedom, be careful of anchoring your identity to some arbitrary financial figure. If you don't have a strong sense of identity independent of your net worth, you will keep moving that goalpost and be deeply unsatisfied. I learned this the hard way. Find meaning and relevance in the game. If it's no longer fun, go back to your earliest memories to remind yourself of why you love the game. If you can't find meaning, then go find another game to play. Life is too short to play games you don't love. If you don't love the game, you won't work hard and you likely won't win. And sure, have a strong sense of self worth to negotiate hard and get paid for your contributions. But don't let an obsession with money, a certain lifestyle, or anything else distract you from playing the game you love. When I stopped valuing myself based on my net worth, I discovered writing and other passions. It was a necessary reset to strengthen my foundation and rekindle my passion for the game I love: investing. Now that I'm building Inversion, I can tell you most people I've interviewed are not optimizing for money. They're optimizing for relevance. People would rather get paid less and feel more relevant. Find a game you love, where you feel relevant, and get paid for it. Ah, that is the golden state of Ikigai. May you all find it!