*Typing*

It probably wasn’t always fun to play with Michael Jordan

Great athletes, writers, artists and entrepreneurs can be uncomfortable to engage with.

Great athletes can be demanding. Great writers can be obsessive. Great artists can be intense. Great entrepreneurs can be fanatic.

They demand greatness from both themselves and those around them; and they understand that greatness is inherently unbalanced.

Greatness makes mediocracy uncomfortable. It forces mediocracy to level up or get the hell out of the room.

If you want to be great—and you want to inspire others to be great—you must let go of your need to be universally well liked.

One mark of a good leader of men and women is poise. It's the ability to remain calm and collected while everyone else is losing their shit.

I can't think of a more remarkable example than Jackie Kennedy at JFK's funeral.

After having lost her husband in a very gruesome and public manner, Jackie personally oversaw his ceremony. When his funeral was broadcasted live on national television, she mourned his passing with tremendous composure. She walked in silence. She wore a black veil over her face. She gently held her children's hands.

She was a beautiful anchor for a country deep in the throes of mourning.

Jackie had poise. She possessed the uncanny ability to remain calm and collected while everyone else was, very understandably, losing their shit.

Hiraeth is a Welsh word. Some mistake it for meaning homesickness. But, it's not homesickness. It's much deeper and more complicated than homesickness. Hiraeth is a longing for a home that does not exist. It's an existential yearning. It's spiritual, in a sense. It's the feeling you have on the slow, quiet days when you are without any sort of distraction. You are hurting. Yet, you don't know why. This is Hiraeth. Language is powerful because it allows us to name the complicated emotions and experiences that are unique to being human. While language can't protect us from feeling our feelings, it removes some of the anxiety surrounding our feelings.

Obsession is your secret. It’s your shortcut. It’s your edge. It’s your competitive advantage. When you’re obsessed, you’re willing to eat more shit than the average person. You’re willing to suffer more pain. You’re willing to work longer hours. You’re willing to make more sacrifices.

When you’re obsessed, you don’t see problems. Only opportunities. And, they don’t deter you. They excite you. They ignite you.

When you’re obsessed, you’re the coked-out drunk at the bar that nobody wants to pick a fight with. You’ve got nothing to lose.

When you're obsessed, you're the cornered Jaguar. Pity the idiot that pulls your tail. He's going to fuck around and get mauled.

This is how I’ve always felt about writing. This is it for me. I’m all in. There is no plan B. There is no safety net. There is no parachute. There is no ship waiting for me back at shore. I’m either making it in this arena or I'm getting dragged out in a body bag.

This isn’t normal. This isn’t healthy. This isn’t balanced. But, if it’s mastery you're after, it’s what is required. It’s the only way.

Your taste is unique. But, it’s not exclusive. Create stuff you like. Naturally, others will like it too.