Allow yourself to pursue your creative impulses and do the work, as suppressing them can lead to bitterness, jealousy, and toxicity that harms you and your relationships.
Write three longhand pages of stream-of-consciousness every morning, without crafting sentences, to tip subconscious thoughts onto the page, free productivity blocks, and feel lighter.
Meditate twice a day for 20 minutes (morning and afternoon) to outsmart doubt and fear, calm internal voices, and improve your overall well-being and interactions with others.
Define yourself by consistently doing the work of your desired identity (e.g., ‘I am a writer because I write every day’), rather than waiting for external validation.
Dedicate a small, consistent amount of time (e.g., a half-hour to an hour) each day to your passion, as even one page a day accumulates into significant output over a year.
Avoid over-calculating the odds; instead, commit to doing something for a few days and then continue daily to build powerful momentum that propels you forward.
Understand that everything you love will eventually be gone; this awareness clarifies what truly matters, deepens love, and encourages being more expansive and giving in the present.
Live a meaningful life by doing fulfilling work, being good to others, contributing to society, raising children, and prioritizing self-care through meditation, morning pages, exercise, and healthy habits.
Acknowledge that fears of not being special or good enough are merely ‘resistance’; getting past them and doing the work itself is curative, regardless of the external result.
Do not take drastic external actions, such as immediately quitting your job, as a prerequisite for starting creative work, as this can be a form of self-sabotage.
When facing setbacks or failures, regain control by focusing on the aspects you can directly influence, such as showing up and starting to work again.
Consciously and repeatedly remind yourself of your core beliefs and values, as life events can knock you off course, and regular reminders help you stay aligned and move forward.
Actively develop and practice tools like meditation and morning pages to prepare yourself to deal with anxiety and challenging times.
Ensure you eat well by avoiding excessive sugar and flour, and get sufficient sleep, as these are crucial for maintaining strength and energy.
Incorporate cardio exercise into your daily routine to maintain physical health and overall well-being.
Make your morning coffee a ritual by freshly grinding beans and enjoying the aroma, treating it as a serious part of your daily routine.
Be aware of chasing only short-term endorphin hits and consciously strive for deeper, richer, and more lasting pleasures in life.
When creating a story, have a clear idea of how it will end, as this allows you to plant elements and guide characters effectively from the beginning.
Follow a structured process for storytelling: start with a fascinating world, research it, define characters, outline the story, break it into beats and scenes, then write the dialogue.
To understand the craft of storytelling, watch movies and TV shows, then read their corresponding screenplays or teleplays to analyze their structure and dialogue.
Share story outlines with a trusted team or partners to receive notes and questions, which helps refine the narrative and identify areas for improvement before drafting.
Recognize that you already possess the ability to tell engaging stories, similar to how you would in a casual conversation, without needing to adhere to rigid formal rules.
Take responsibility for managing your project’s budget and resources within the given financial constraints, fulfilling your obligation to financiers while maintaining creative freedom.
Cultivate a profound love for your work, as this passion is essential to withstand the inevitable ups and downs, setbacks, and challenges of a long career.
Engage in extensive reading, rotating between nonfiction and fiction, to broaden your understanding of various themes, including the human condition and life’s finite nature.