The writing is on the wall. Contractors, apprenticeships, freelance workers — going up. Dedicated, hardworking, head-nodders — going down. What does that mean: This means creativity and will are going to be valued more than effort or time. Your ideas, your thoughts, your dreams, and your goals will be your currency. So if there’s no hope of a steady job, what will we do in the future? It’s a great question, one which I think boils down to three principles, with none of them involving a nice resume or the ability to wow a stranger in a job interview.

It doesn’t matter how good your strategy is, if you’re not skilled at what you do, that strategy won’t take you very far.

A modified excerpt from the audiobook Think Smart Not Hard. We’re sheltered from a young age and taught to avoid taking risks that are too big, setting goals that are too large, and expecting too much from ourselves for fear of disappointment or failure. Are you ready to face your fears head on and win for life?

Imagine a superhero who can fly, become invisible, and turn dirt into blueberry pancakes. Amazing powers, right? But what if this person never used their powers? What if they visibly walked on dirt instead of invisibly flying around eating pancakes? Why would they choose to do that? Well, we could ask ourselves the same question, because that person is you and me. Okay, I admit we don’t have those particular superpowers, but we do have enormous power to change the trajectory of our mood, day, and life. We don’t always use it because we forget about it and fall into old routines of passivity.

Are you terrified of embracing your full potential and going for it? If self-doubt has ever stopped you from achieving what you hoped for, you’re not alone. It can manifest itself in those pursuing a career goal, a fitness goal, or those yearning for a satisfying relationship. It’s often felt deeply in people who yearn to be creative.

Everyone I meet talks about the virtue of keeping a journal. Only a handful of people do it. If my experience is any guideline, I understand the struggle to keep it up. For the past year, I’ve practiced a daily journal routine. My first attempt was several years ago. Since then I tried every type of journal exercise preached by various guru’s. First, it was an idea journal. That didn’t last.

“I don’t have enough time.” We’ve all said it before. Time poverty is a distribution issue. Many people hate being idle. They value productivity, so they glorify being busy. They seek out busyness for the sake of being busy. They sense a feeling that they are time-constrained, yet they are more time-affluent than they think.

Why being creative in 2017 and beyond will be a real struggle

Writing is easy. Most people can do it. If you’re reading this, you can write. But can you write well? Does your writing connect with people? Does it engage readers, compelling them down the page? Does your writing inspire action, selling things or services or ideas? If so, you have a potent skill at your disposal: you can command attention, a valuable commodity. More importantly, you can influence free will.

It’s 2017. Keep grinding. Keep hustling. You know all the cliché shit, but most of all, figure yourself out. Everybody’s trying to make you fix all your shortcomings, fuck your shortcomings. Triple down on your strengths. What do you want? Whatever it may be, you need to reverse engineer your ambition and go get it. It’s basic.

What is ‘success’ anyway?

Finishing things is mega important. It means that the stuff we make has a greater chance of being seen, used and loved. When we finish things often, we have a shot at making a dent in this silly Universe. But there is one thing that is even more important than finishing, and that’s starting.

The key to staying focused and productive over long periods of time has far more to do with the act of stepping away—rather than pushing through and grinding past the point of exhaustion. We are humans. Not robots.

A seven-step process for producing quality writing, every time (plus the essential tools and software you need to make it happen)

When I was a novice writer, I chafed at the idea of using an outline. I was certain organizing my thoughts in advance would stifle…

For years I labeled myself as an aspiring writer. I wrote in the privacy of my personal journal and saved drafts on my computer. I was afraid to publish anything because it wasn’t “perfect.”

Everyone in the world is hoping for one thing. That nobody notices they don’t belong. Everyone in the world suffers from imposter syndrome sooner or later. I can guarantee you, no matter what stage you reach in your life, you’ll be desperately asking yourself how your peers are still ignorant to the fact that you don’t know what the fuck you’re doing.

Deconstructing power through fetish

The difference between good writers and bad writers has little to do with skill. It has to do with perseverance. Bad writers quit. Good writers keep going. That’s all there is to it.

For anyone who writes, it is the absolute toughest and most nausea-inducing moment of the day: the minute you reach your desk to compose your first words. The screen is blank. The cursor blinks and mocks you. Imposter syndrome creeps in. What if it’s just plain bad? What if I can’t produce anything? The physical feeling is as real as the thoughts in your head: You feel the pit of your stomach drop.