To my boys,

I realised something recently.

Action can be saved up.

And it doesn’t just sit there.

It earns interest.

You know how compound interest works with money.

You start with $100.

It becomes $101.

Then the next bit of interest is earned not just on the original $100, but on the $101.

At first, it feels like nothing.

“Seriously? One dollar?”

But over time, those tiny increases begin to matter.

Lately, I’ve started thinking that action works in almost exactly the same way.

I’ve been building my little business for about nine months now.

And if I’m being truthful, my life looks almost exactly the same. 🤣

I didn’t suddenly become rich.

I didn’t quit my job.

I didn’t become famous.

I still live on the same boat.

I still go to work.

I still do laundry.

I still cook dinner.

From the outside, you could easily look at me and say:

“So… what actually changed?”

Fair question. 🤣

But when I compare myself now with the person I was nine months ago, I can do so many things I couldn’t do before.

At first, I wrote one blog post.

Then another.

I made one product.

I connected a payment system.

I researched things I didn’t understand.

I sent messages to people.

I started posting on social media.

Then I posted again.

I made comics.

I was invited to take part in an event.

I made a flyer.

I asked a professional if she would supervise some of my educational material.

When you look at each thing on its own,

none of it looks that impressive.

One action rarely changes your life.

But here’s the interesting part.

The thing you did before makes the next thing a little easier.

Building the blog for the first time was hard.

Once it existed, writing the next article was easier.

Making the first product was scary.

Once I’d done it, I knew I could probably make another one.

Messaging someone I didn’t really know felt awkward at first.

Then I did it once and realised:

Well, I didn’t die. 🤣

So the next time was easier.

That is what I mean by:

the compound interest of action.

Today’s action doesn’t magically give you a perfect result tomorrow.

But today’s action can make tomorrow’s action slightly easier.

And those tiny advantages start to add up.

That’s why the first step often feels so unimpressive.

Study for 30 minutes today and your grades probably won’t suddenly improve tomorrow.

Go to the gym once and you won’t wake up looking like a bodybuilder.

Send one job application and you may not get the job.

Get one qualification and your whole future won’t suddenly be sorted.

So sometimes you’ll think:

“What’s the point of doing this?”

Especially when you’re a teenager.

I completely understand that.

When I was your age, I was definitely the type to think:

“Do I really need to do this now?”

🤣

But I understand something now that I didn’t understand then.

You can’t always see the value of an action by looking only at today.

Think about work.

You get one casual job.

You learn to turn up on time.

You learn how to talk to adults you don’t know.

You make mistakes.

Someone corrects you.

You try again.

Then, when you apply for your next job, you are no longer someone who has never worked before.

You have experience.

You get your White Card.

You go to TAFE.

You do work experience.

Each one seems like a small thing.

But one thing makes the next thing possible.

Eventually,

doors that were closed to you before start opening.

Maths works the same way.

You understand one problem.

One problem by itself doesn’t seem important.

But understanding that one problem helps the next problem make a little more sense.

Then the lesson becomes slightly easier to follow.

You go from:

“I don’t understand any of this.”

to:

“I understand this part.”

That sounds like a tiny difference.

It isn’t.

And yes, compound interest can work in the wrong direction too. 🤣

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“Can’t be bothered.”

“Maybe next week.”

If you keep stacking those up, starting becomes harder and harder.

My diet is probably an excellent example of reverse compound interest.

Very educational. 🤣

So I’m not telling you:

“You have to work hard every single day.”

And I’m definitely not giving you one of those speeches about how young people need to work harder.

You’d stop listening immediately anyway.

What I want to tell you is much simpler.

Do one small thing today.

That’s it.

Send one application.

Look up one word you don’t understand.

Ask your teacher one question.

Learn one new thing at work.

Talk to someone who knows something you’re interested in.

Research one qualification.

Save ten dollars.

Study for thirty minutes.

Try something and fail once.

That one action may change absolutely nothing today.

In fact, it probably won’t.

But:

that action does not disappear.

It becomes experience.

Knowledge.

Connections.

Confidence.

A slightly lower step the next time you try to climb.

Then one day you look back and think:

“Huh. I’ve actually come quite a long way.”

I’m 48 years old and I feel like I’m only now properly understanding this.

Sometimes I think,

“I wish I’d understood this when I was younger.”

But I don’t think I’m too late either.

If I can start at 48, keep moving for nine months, and already see that the path has changed a little,

then imagine how much you can build starting at 16 and 13.

And I’m not just talking about money.

Knowledge.

Experience.

Mistakes.

Skills.

Courage.

People you meet.

All of it.

So if there is only one thing I want you to remember, it’s this:

Action can be saved up.

And:

it earns interest.

One small step today probably won’t change your life.

But it can make tomorrow’s step a little easier.

Keep doing that,

and one day you may find yourself somewhere you never imagined reaching.

I’m still in the middle of it too.

So you don’t need to have everything figured out.

Just do one thing.

One small thing is enough.