Being accepted and admired by your specific audience is another sort of good—and for most of us, this is actually enough.

How is it possible for three cowboys to herd a thousand cattle? Easy. They don’t. They herd ten cattle, and those cattle influence fifty cattle and those cattle influence the rest.

The trap is this: only after we do the difficult work does it become our calling. Only after we trust the process does it become our passion. “Do what you love” is for amateurs. “Love what you do” is the mantra for professionals.

“Do what you love” is for amateurs. “Love what you do” is the mantra for professionals.

Go too far to please the audience and you become a hack. Lose your point of view, lose your reason for doing the work, become a hack. Focus only on the results, become a hack. On the other hand, if you ignore what you see and simply create for yourself, you’ve walked away from empathy. If there is no change, there is no art. The professional unders

Being accepted and admired by your specific audience is another sort of good—and for most of us, this is actually enough.

A genius is the one most like himself.

84. Bicycle Problems I’m having trouble learning to ride a bike. How long have you practiced? About fifteen minutes. It might take a lot longer than that. It might take months. I want to learn to ride a bike, but I don’t want to fall, even once. Not even once? I need to be able to ride a bike blindfolded. Have you ever seen anyone do that? No, but that

“You have two options,” she told Rolling Stone, “You can stay the same and protect the formula that gave you your initial success. They’re going to crucify you for staying the same. If you change, they’re going to crucify you for changing. But staying the same is boring. And change is interesting. So of the two options,” she concluded cheerfully, “