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When you talk to people who are committed to their art, what you'll discover is this: they

never stop giving.

They don't give for a while, hoping to get, and then, once they cross a threshold, become

takers. Instead, they have a posture of always giving. That's what they do, because they

are artists, not cogs. They are linchpins, not replaceable employees.

What you're doing might not be working, and you might not be able to do what you're

doing and get paid for it. But I am certain that if you give enough, to the right people in

the right way, your gifts will be treasured and your journey will be rewarded. Even if

that's not why you're doing it.

SUMMARY

The System Is Broken

I didn't set out to get you to quit your job or to persuade you to become an entrepreneur

or merely to change the entire world.

All I wanted to do in this book was sell you on being the artist you already are. To make

a difference. To stand for something. To get the respect and security you deserve.

If I've succeeded, then you now know that you have a gift to give, something you can do

to change the world (or your part of it) for the better. I hope you'll do that, because we

need you.

Will You Choose?

This is the scary part, of course. Your bluff is called. The barrier to success going

forward isn't who you know or who your parents were or where you live.

There's no indication that you need to be born with a set of gifts or a world-class talent,

either.

It's so easy to try to compromise, to do both, to fit in and stand out. Try for both, you may

say. There lies failure. There's no room for compromise here, because those who are

competing with you are specializing. They're going to obsess about either fitting in or

standing out. The act of deciding is the act of succeeding.

The barrier to success is a choice. Up to you.

No Regrets

There's a popular brand of clothing with a huge slogan plastered on it: NO FEAR.

I think this motto is either disingenuous or stupid. Of course you should have fear. Riding

a bike without a helmet may be fearless, but it's not smart. Lava surfing might be fearless,

but it's not smart. Swallowing fire without training might be fearless as well, but we can

all agree it's not smart either.

So, what's smart? Living life without regret.

Now that you know what to call the fear that has held you back all these years, what are

you going to choose to do about the resistance? Now that you understand that society

rewards you for standing out, for giving gifts, for making connections and being

remarkable, what are you going to choose to do with that information?

You have a genius inside of you, a daemon with something to share with the world.

Everyone does. Are you going to continue hiding it, holding it back, and settling for less

than you deserve just because your lizard brain is afraid?

There lies regret.

Can You Change Everything?

You might not be as permanently stuck in a rut as you think. The rut you're in isn't

permanent, nor is it perfect. There are certainly less perfect ruts, and there may be better

ones as well. The certain thing is that you can change everything. If you choose to.

People have been brainwashing you into settling for a long time. It's easy to view your

current situation as a box, a set of boundaries from which there is no escape. Of course

you need to keep living your life the way you've been living it, because to do anything

but that is too scary, too risky, too bold. Especially given your health, your family, the

economy, your age, the neighborhood, your organization, your education, and your

dreams. Everyone feels the same way.

And yet.

And yet every day a few people (more than a few people) change everything. You can do

it. You can embrace a new path and take it. Don't settle. You're a genius and we need

your contribution.

Do the work. Please.

Last Word

We can't profitably get more average.

We can't get more homogenized, more obedient, or cheaper. We can't get faster, either.