Intuition to see what others don’t.  Audacity to seize what others won’t.

Finally, discipline and consistency to give your dream a chance to bloom.

It’s not about CAN you do it.  With unlimited time and resources, of course you can do it.  It is about whether or not you choose to do it with the time and resources you are given.

When facing an enemy, the most insight and advantage is gained when I freely admit and perceive that if not for circumstances, I could have become the very thing that I’m fighting against.

Death’s inevitability can nullify stress:  Why stress when you will die anyways?  It can also lead to laziness:  If you die no matter what, why put yourself in a stressful situation?

The truly wise acknowledge that death is inescapable, but still apply themselves with the same intensity as one who is fighting for their very life.

“Write what you know.”  MFAs are known to have difficulty writing about things outside literary academia, And Hemingway used his storied life for amazing inspiration.

But I think there’s another way.  Christopher Paolini was only 15 when he began Eragon.  Stephen King has never been some gunslinging knight-errand.  I believe that with a clear/open attention it’s possible to let a world that actually exists in some quantum niche to take root in your mind and transcribe it onto the page.  The key is being open to it (and not letting it drive you insane).

It seems to be human nature to build ceremony/ritual around how things “should” be.  Spirituality has become wrapped in robes/artifacts/temples.  Fine art smothered in formal wear/expensive wine/snobbery.

I like to keep in mind that most spiritual/artistic pioneers didn’t start as stuffy academics or wrist-smacking prudes.  They were often crazy/dangerous explorers, aware of society’s standards but ultimately seeking to create their own.

Deep within any skill, there lie qualities that transfer to everything else.  Creativity.  Attention to detail.  Adaptability.  The list goes on.  I’ve seen many attempt to learn a skill and stop short of reaching these treasures, even though water waits at the bottom of their respective well.  I’ve also seen a few that dig out of sheer stubbornness, though it’s clearly time to switch to another pursuit.  So in the quest for mastery, I’ve learned that there are two fundamentals:  Consistency, and the wisdom to know when to dig elsewhere.

I’ve seen those at the top of their field-from elite soldiers to actors to financiers-go crazy and start running guns/medicate themselves to death/etc.  I’ve seen the wise ones avoid this by pursuing new hobbies/endeavors.

And I’ve realized that upon climbing one peak, it’s necessary to start up another.  The purpose of hobbies/work isn’t to amass sprawling, complacent leisure, but to escape from toxic, mind-numbing stagnancy.

It’s possible to temporarily fake discipline through obsession, but in order to become a reliable professional that can deliver the highest quality at any time, any place, I believe that discipline must be fostered, and obsession eventually grown out of.