The Daily Stones: Why Opportunity Finds Those Who Keep Building

Everyone Wants the Break. But It Doesn't Come to Everyone.

It’s almost a stereotype at this point.People put in hard work—relentlessly.They wait. They age. And yet… opportunity doesn’t always show up.

You hear it often:

“Why not me? I’ve worked just as hard. I’ve done everything right.”

And then comes the counter-argument: Hard work isn’t enough. You need to be smart.

But here’s the real question: What does "smart" even mean if you haven’t first done the hard thing, the hard way?

Smart Isn’t a Shortcut—It’s What You Learn After the Struggle

There’s something ThePrimeagen said on Lex Fridman’s podcast that stuck with us.

You don’t realize what’s smart until you’ve done the work the hard way. Only in hindsight do you discover, “Oh, I could have done this simpler.”

That’s what being smart becomes:Not skipping the struggle, but learning from it so you can do it better next time.

But Then Still… Why Do Some People Get the Shot, and Others Don’t?

You keep at it. You work hard. You reflect. You learn.

And yet—still—the opportunity seems to land on someone else’s desk and not much for you. So you wonder: What’s missing?

The Answer Might Be This: Are You Laying Your Stones Every Day?

It’s not just about hard work. It’s about daily intent.A daily rhythm. A small act of expansion. A continuous laying of stepping stones.

• One hour of learning.

• One concept understood from first principles.

• One article read.

• One YouTube talk explored.

• One conversation that deepens your lens.

• One layer added to your circle of competence.

Not just within your direct job. But in the surrounding edges. The roots. The basics.

• What is science?

• What is engineering?

• What is software engineering—at its core?

• How does this map to your work, your decisions, your growth?

You lay stones.Not for the outcome. But because you’re building your path.

Meanwhile, Opportunity Is Laying Its Own Path Too

That’s the part we forget.

Opportunity isn’t just a door that opens randomly. It too has a path. A build-up. A series of its own stepping stones.

An Opportunity could be in the form of

• A product idea gaining traction.

• A team forming.

• A new role being envisioned.

• A shift in the market that wasn’t visible last year.

  
  

It’s moving too. Quietly. Building.

And one day—your path and opportunity’s path intersect.Not by magic. But because both of you kept walking.And that’s when things start to happen.

“The spark. The connection. The break. The moment.” And the outside world calls it “luck.”

But you’ll know:It wasn’t luck. It was alignment. It was daily work—meeting something that had also been preparing for years.

Don’t Just Wait for the Big Break. Lay Your Stones.

You don’t control when or how opportunity appears.But you do control how much of your path you’ve laid by the time it does.

And if you’ve built nothing? No skills, no perspectives, no understanding of your space?Then even if opportunity knocks—you won’t know how to answer.

So build. Quietly. Patiently. With care.

Put your stones down. Every day.

Eventually, one of them might land right where the next big thing is about to grow.