The Internet is big enough and friction-free

The Internet is big enough and friction-free enough such that you can be a complete lunatic who everyone knows is a complete lunatic. And yet you create an ecosystem that enough people love. And you can figure out how to monetize it. You can have an audience of a million people forever.

Ability to start over.

Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over. It takes persistence to continue climbing the mountain. It takes courage to climb down and start fresh on a new one.

What are the thorns that I would choose?

There's no such thing as an easy path in life. Every path before you has roses, but also thorns. The question we all need to ask ourselves is: What are the thorns that I would choose? We cannot hope to avoid the struggle and pain along the way, but we can choose the type of struggle and pain we will endure.

There needn't be a before and after within your life

There needn't be a before and after within your life—it can all be fluid, a DURING. The goal is to design a life that you don't need to retire from. A life that has the freedom to balance fulfilling work with the relationships, hobbies, experiences, and pursuits through which you derive joy. But I'm not going to tell you that this is easy. What I am going to tell you is that it is possible—particularly if you have an awareness of the goal and build toward it incrementally.

What if that future is something of a mirage?

In most cases, the future is glamorized in our minds as an idyllic land of free time, health, prosperity, loving relationships, and freedom. What if that future is something of a mirage? What if, as we, the famished voyager, approach, it slowly melts away and reappears further out on the horizon? What if we reach the idyllic land and find it strikingly less idyllic than we had envisioned?

Very few things happen for no reason

Very few things happen for no reason. If you suddenly fall in love, if you develop a weird compulsion, if you’re incredibly anxious for no reason… there is a reason. You have to look for the reason. If there are all these things going weirdly wrong in your life and you aren’t looking for a reason you’re probably in denial.

If your writing comes with no risk

Some people will dissect your viewpoint, disagree with it completely, or even troll you. Not only does this come with the territory, but it’s also the path through which good writing emerges. If you never piss anyone off, you’re not saying anything. If you can’t tell your true stories and your truth, you can’t be a real writer. If your writing comes with no risk, you have nothing worth saying. The value is all in your viewpoint.