On the gardener’s sidecar at my daughter’s school in Thailand, 11 years ago.

“Keep it up there’s still hope. You cannot climb the ladder of success with your hand in your pocket”.

Whether success means career, purpose, a scrap of happiness, or simply hanging in there with sanity intact, the message still stands. You won’t get there by standing still.

In these times, when everything feels uncertain, maybe that battered sign has it right. There’s always hope – but only if we keep climbing.