“Inspiration is easily perishable – take action immediately.”
— Naval Ravikant
The ancient Greeks had two ways to talk about time.
Chronos — linear time, each second passes steadily, accumulating and waiting.
Kairos — the only moment that opens, where everything can change forever.
The best image of Kairos is an archer.
He draws the bowstring,
tension in waiting.
The wind blows.
The target shifts.
And then — just one moment,
he lets go.
Too early: misaligned.
Too late: missed.
Just one right moment
is enough to change the outcome forever.
Inspiration is the most easily perishable form of energy.
It’s not money – you can’t deposit it in the bank.
It’s not muscle – you can’t train it by thinking.
It’s like a spark falling into a pile of dry grass.
If not blown immediately,
it will go out.
No warning.
No blinking signal.
Just disappears – and you don’t know when it will return.
The issue is not:
“How to maintain inspiration for a long time?”
But it is:
“How to be ready to act the moment it arrives?”
Chronos is for preparation.
Kairos is for activation.
Most of life happens in Chronos.
You practice skills.
You read, write, repeat every day.
You prepare.
But Kairos never makes an appointment.
It comes like when Steve Jobs saw the market window open,
and immediately launched the iPhone — even though the product was not perfect.
Wait another year,
history might have been different.
You cannot control Kairos.
But you can always be prepared.
Think about a night guard.
99% of the time is silence.
But just missing 1%,
you lose.
Chronos helps you expand the surface to receive luck.
Kairos is the moment
when real luck hits you.
You cannot control the wind.
But you can always set the sail.
Opportunities do not wait for you to feel confident enough.
Many people miss
not because of a lack of ability.
But because they wait too long.
Wait for perfection.
Wait for someone to allow.
Kairos does not wait for anyone.
No countdown clock.
No warning signal.
Just a silent door opening —
and you either walk through it,
or watch it close
from the other side.
Great action takers
are those who have lived rightly in Chronos.
Jobs did not impulsively launch the iPhone.
His whole life was to prepare for that moment.
Buffett doesn’t buy hundreds of deals each year.
He spends 364 days preparing,
and only one day
pressing the button that changes the entire future.
Great writers do not write by inspiration.
They write because they sit down every day —
without waiting for thunder.
Don’t live forever in preparation.
But also don’t jump
when you haven’t tied your shoes.
Kairos does not last.
But you can always be prepared
when it comes.
The system lives rightly is:
(1) Small actions every day (Chronos)
(2) Minimize startup friction
(3) Always recognize when Kairos appears
Then when inspiration comes —
you no longer hesitate.
Just let go of the bowstring.
Inspiration is easily perishable energy.
If not used immediately,
you will lose it.
If Kairos comes and you are not ready...
…you don’t just lose a moment.
You can lose
an entire life trajectory.