Proposal Preparation Book

Pretty good stuff for such a short book :

The 40 Keys
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1. Ignore everybody.
2. The idea doesn't have to be big, it just has to be yours.
3. Put the hours in. Time, effort, and stamina are why 99% people don't complete anything.
4. Good ideas have lonely childhoods.
5. If your business plan involves being discovered by some big shot, your plan will probably fail.
6. You are responsible for your own experience.
7. Everyone is born creative. Everyone was given crayons when they were little, but then they were taken away. One day, you want those crayons back.
8. Keep your day job.
9. Companies squelching creativity can no longer compete with companies fostering creativity.
10. Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.
11. The more talented someone is, the less they need the props. Dump the fancy equipment; work more on your talent.
12. Don't try to stand out from the crowd… avoid the crowd altogether. All existing business models are wrong. Find a new one.
13. If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you.
14. Never compare your inside with somebody else's outside.
15. Dying young is overrated. Don't do drugs and alcohol... It's really stupid.
16. With success, learn where to draw the line between what you are willing to do vs. what you are not.
17. The world is changing. Be aware and change with it. Make sure you have a few good people whom you can trust. Avoid those who play it safe… they are extinction.
18. Merit can be purchased; passion can't. The only people who can change the world are people who want to… and not everyone wants to.
19. Avoid the water-cooler gang. All they do is complain.
20. Sing in your own voice. It doesn't matter how bad or good it is. Time waits for no one, so don't make excuses. Just get on with it.
21. The choice of medium is irrelevant. Just do it.
22. It's harder to sell out if nobody has bought in. Just do your thing. Diluting your product to satisfy the masses will just make the product cheesier.
23. Nobody cares. Do it for you.
24. Worrying about commercial vs. artistic craft is a waste of time.
25. Don't worry about finding inspiration. It comes eventually. In fact, inspiration comes AFTER you start the boring scut work, and when you least expect it.
26. You have to find your own style. A Picasso always looks like a Picasso, and Pollack found his thing with splattered paint. It's not the format that made their art great; it's when the artist found his own voice immersed in a particular area. So find your signature style. Put your whole self into it, and you will surely find that voice.
27. Write from the heart. There is no silver bullet. There is only the love God gave you.
28. The best way to get approval is to not need it.
29. Power is never given, but always taken. People who are ready give off a different vibe than people who are not. Animals can smell fear … and the lack thereof. It's not about becoming, it's about doing. "The future belongs to the geeks; nobody else wants it."
30. Whatever choice you make, the devil gets his due eventually. Selling out has its price… but not selling out has its price, too. Warhol sold out quite nicely, which didn't diminish his value as an artist one bit.
31. The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it. "I no longer have feelings. I used to have them, but then I got scared of being poor."
32. Remain frugal.
33. Allow your work to grow with you. Time goes by fast, make sure you have something visible to show for it.
34. Being poor sucks. Young people underestimate how competitive the world is and how important money is... and the world punishes them hard for this.
35. Beware of turning hobbies into jobs. Ensure that job makes money.
36. Enjoy obscurity while it lasts.
37. Start v/blogging. Repeat in multiple languages.
38. Meaning scales, people don't. The size of the endeavor doesn't matter, just so long as it means something to you.
39. When your dreams become reality, they're no longer your dreams. Make sure your destiny is worth the cost. Produce work that :
....... you are proud of
....... makes you a good living
....... makes you exceed your limits
....... gives people a lot of joy and value
40. None of this is rocket science:
**** Work hard
**** Keep at it
**** Live simply and quietly
**** Remain humble
**** Stay positive
**** Create your own luck
**** Be nice and polite
**** Enrich, simplify, repeat