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When I stopped to think about it, I'm always surprised to realize the sources of some of my

best advice. Sometimes it's the most random encounters, the most fleeting conversations,

books that I skimmed through that have the biggest influence on me in the long run.

And for instance, when I was in law school, I had a roommate who was very successful and ambitious,

and she's still very successful and ambitious, but she wasn't the one who gave me this very

helpful advice about success. No, it was her very successful and ambitious boyfriend

who I never actually met. This is what she told me was his advice to her, and I don't know if she

remembers it anymore, but I have never forgotten it. It's about how to be successful. He said to her,

and then she told me that successful people are willing to do things that unsuccessful people

are not willing to do. I think that's very true, and I remind myself of it often. For instance,

one thing that's very awkward to do is to self-promote. It is not the most fun thing about being a

writer, but it's something that all writers struggle with, especially now, when there are fewer

book reviews and fewer bookstores, and it's really much more on a writer to be self-promoting.

And when I feel reluctant to do things, I think, well, successful people are willing to do things

that unsuccessful people aren't willing to do. Obviously, some things are contrary to my

fundamental nature or my deepest values, and those things I wouldn't do. But sometimes I think,

well, I don't really feel like doing that, but successful people are willing to do things that

...