8 years ago, I wrote a letter to my 35-year-old self. I expected to find it embarrassing (some of it is!), so I was surprised to find that there was some good stuff in there. I really emphasized, “Your opinion of you is really the only [thing] that matters.”

In a way, I told myself a self-fulfilling prophecy when I wrote that post—to make sure I didn’t cave in to greed, desire, and short-term thinking, and to stay focused on the long-term vision.