Do not place yourself below anyone. No matter how much fame, money, freedom, and material resources someone else may have, accept that you deserve to have the same, and take your own path as seriously as they do. What you do is just as valid and real. Which means that what everyone else does is also valid and real. Calm down.

Realize that as you progress through your career, your heroes will become your peers. You may even find that you advance past them in certain areas. Once you gain a lot of wisdom and experience, you may feel disappointment or resent them for seemingly letting you down. Your illusions may disintigrate. Treat them as you would a peer, and allow them to travel on their own path. Focus on your own goals rather than criticizing them. Be your own hero. Do not demand that others create what you want to experience.

Learn to work alone, in a vacuum. Be able to keep talking even when no one is listening. The initial process of creation has to come from a place of wonder and curiosity. You have to be viscerally fascinated by coming up with ideas, whether or not anyone else cares.

Do not seek approval or encouragement from others. Approve and encourage yourself. Give yourself permission to achieve your goals, simply because you want to.

Be able to make sacrifices. Sometimes it is possible to have two things at once, and sometimes it is not. You must develop the wisdom to choose between conflicting options. There is only so much time in the day, and you have a finite amount of energy. Maybe it is necessary to give up some “normal life” things that other people enjoy. Family, relationships, entertainment, possessions, nice car, etc. See if there is anything you can put aside and enjoy later. Students do this for many years so that they can enjoy a better future.

Do not expect anyone to care about you more than you do. You have the ultimate responsibility to look after yourself.

Be yourself. It is the only way to attract people who will appreciate you for who you are.

Not everyone in the world is going to like you. So what? It is not your job to manage or control anyone else’s likes and dislikes. Let them make their own decisions and dislike you if they want to. There are too many people out there to waste that much time on.

Understand that your talent is a long-term investment. Do not be shaken up by short-term losses, missed opportunities, or rejection. If you stick with it, you will get more than one lucky break.

Try and find a mentor. Then find another one. Always seek someone who has more experience if possible.

Find inspiration anywhere, in anything. Look at the people and things around you and try to find a story in them.

Exercise. Eat healthy. Energy invested in these two things will help you immensely. Get enough sleep and you will maximize your enjoyment of the experiences you have while awake. Do not rush through life, racing from place to place and fooling yourself into thinking you are getting more done. Do only a few things and do them well, and take care of yourself in the process.

Make your own decisions. Do not seek endless advice from others. No one else is the authority on your life path. Answering your own questions is the only way you will learn to trust your own mind.

See you on the mat!