This four-letter word is the key to the universe. It is not even a secret—you have heard it before. But have you lived it?

Build your life around systems. Those systems should facilitate the ability to live the same day, again and again, 365 days a year. Through repetition comes mastery. Mastery leads to admiration. Admiration leads to the success you are seeking.

You should use drugs with care, but they serve a place in your art process. First, to break your mental frame. Second, to rebuild new models. Third, to increase your productivity.

Never apologize for the wrongs placed upon you. You do not owe the world your guilt. You do not owe an explanation. You owe it your writing.

You are the master of your journey.

You must put your health above comfort. Every day you are faced with this fundamental paradox, and that means each day is a new chance to win.

Your nature is such that you seek novel forms of information, and sometimes to such a degree that it interferes with your ability to conduct yourself in accordance with what your career demands of you.

You are what stands between yourself at this moment, and the idealized version of yourself you envision when you imagine what it will be like to be an author.

You are only as strong as the fellow people who submit their wills to you. Never forget the value your business partners add to your business. Relationships are an irreplaceable commodity and failure to maintain them will result in a cascading failure.

You do not owe other authors your time, money, nor attention. It is not your job to help them find their way.