The point of it is ro share your experience and show it can be done to the “rabble”

There’s nothing to figure out in the “how” part though. It’s just a question of the person having the motivation to make personal sacrifices with tangible effects in the present for a less tangible benefit in the future.

Saying how I’d be the exception in this case seems more like boasting than really doing something constructive. That’s not my style.