I am a huge proponent of shortcuts/innovative thinking when paired with sky-high dreams.  But IMHO, one without the other shortchanges the great adventure that is life.

If you think about how ridiculous it all is—how we are spinning through space and how left/right/up/down become one another as they stretch toward infinity and the earth whirls on its axis—I try to enjoy whatever I do at the deepest levels of my being.  

Otherwise, as the eons pass and the greatest of us fade into obscure footnotes, what’s the point?

My favorite view of humans:  A collection of ideas projected through temporary configurations of matter and light.

I find that ignorance is a result of assuming I know anything.  And cowardice is a result of using that as an excuse not to act.

In order to access a creative free-flow, I actively contemplate how untethered I am—I’m basically a meat suit on a floating planet.  There may in fact be no true up or down.  

Removing these limits from my mind pushes me toward unlimited freedom within my stories.

While many talk about building character through adversity, I like to throw in an added twist:  How do I behave when there is no cause to fight for, no one to save or let down, no one looking over my shoulder?  It’s in those times, when I’m free to collapse into lazy indulgence, that I am given the choice to be disciplined.  Will I become a nameless shadow, adrift in a sea of cravings?  Or will I set to work, and honor the man I wish to be?  Each time I answer that, I have chosen to either build or tear down the vaunted notion of “character.”

Our tendency to indulge is like a boil that grows ever more gross, ever more uncomfortable, but feels amazing when lanced.

If I ever get down on myself, it must be done in a way that forces me to change for the better.  

Otherwise, I’ve just wasted my time wallowing in negativity.

If you strategically condition yourself, other people’s max output will become nothing more than your warmup.  Conditioning and training are ways of life.

Doing your best doesn’t necessarily mean you must suffer, but it DOES mean that if suffering is required, that you will gladly embrace its bitter lessons.  

This will differentiate you from the dabbler, who is only willing to be taught in the most pleasant of circumstances.