Zu Ti and Liu Kun once shared a room. Waking at cockcrow, they would rise and practice swordsmanship. Their story is often told as a lesson in diligence, but it speaks more of purpose. Diligence without purpose is a ship without a rudder; purpose without action is a bird without wings.
Zu Ti was restless as a youth, slow to study, yet generous at heart—giving grain and cloth to the poor in his brothers’ names. Liu Kun, gifted and handsome, won fame young but never stopped honing his character. Neither was born perfect. They simply held to their intentions and kept moving forward.
In life, we need not be flawless. What matters is to know where we are headed and to act on it. Rise at dawn not for show, but for your own resolve. Practice not for praise, but for growth. May we all find meaning in the ordinary and begin anew with each morning light.