The Fulcrum Has to Be You

In physics, Archimedes' law of the lever changed how people move enormous loads. In business and in life, everyone looks for a lever to break through.

Many people look for leverage in relationships or capital. After years of disciplining myself, I have come to believe that the fastest, cheapest and most durable lever is reading.

Books are leverage across space and time

Every book is distilled from an entire lifetime, sometimes from a whole era of remarkable minds. When you read a good book, you are borrowing their experience to raise your own vision by decades.

A society that wants to prosper, yet whose people cannot read a single book in a year, is wasting its own intellectual resources. Books are not only knowledge; they are character and a foundation of a nation.

A lever only works if you are heavy enough

The law of the lever teaches that the fulcrum matters, but if you carry no weight yourself, meaning capability and effort, then no lever is long enough to lift your goal.

You can lean on relationships or on capital, but nothing beats relying on yourself. If you do not make the effort, no one can help you. The world only lends a hand to people who are already ready to stand up on their own.

The humility of a guide

To me, the word "Teacher" is heavy and sacred, and should not be used lightly.

In preparing for the next big steps of HOPE CORP, I have been fortunate to have invaluable sources of support. I want to thank Hai H Nguyen (Forbes Under 30 Asia 2017; Founder and Fundraising Coach at BeginGuru), a person of clear vision and sharp thinking who has never called himself a teacher. He chooses to be an older brother figure, advising quietly, opening new perspectives for me and sharing books worth reading.

That humility is the greatest lesson in character I carry with me. His support is not only knowledge; it is the confidence that helps me stay steady on the path of our mission to support community health.

Closing

Wisdom tests vision. Do not wait for someone to lift you up. Pick up a book, equip yourself with knowledge, and become the lever for your own life.