Embracing the fear of freedom, deciding to determine your own path, this is the work of a grownup.

The media wants overnight successes (so they have someone to tear down). Ignore them. Ignore the early adopter critics that never have enough to play with. Ignore your investors that want proven tactics and predictable instant results. Listen instead to your real customers, to your vision and make something for the long haul. Because that's how long it's going to take, guys.

Great projects, like great careers and relationships that last, are gardens. They are tended, they shift, they grow. They endure over time, gaining a personality and reflecting their environment. When something dies or fades away, we prune, replant and grow again.

The rest of the world isn't nearly as important as the few who are here.

Being charismatic doesn't make you a leader. Being a leader makes you charismatic.

When we think about what might go wrong, we're more likely to design something that goes right.

As you've probably discovered, great work makes us uncomfortable.