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Why the “Best” Way Is Your Own Way
Advice from James Cameron, on Not Taking Advice
For years, I have been a hoarder and disseminator of advice; and I only found advice worth taking by measuring the success of the giver. It wasn’t the most critical way of thinking, and I figured if I found what successful people did, I’d also be able to achieve the things they did. And whenever I inevitably couldn’t figure something out, I’d feel the urge to throw in the towel. “If I can’t figure out how they do it, it’s not worth doing at all.”
I get the sense I’m not the only one; articles on successful peoples’ morning routines, their diets, how they’re making money on TikTok, are all still popular. I would still be fixated on looking for advice, if I hadn’t come across a quote that changed my life…
Other People’s Answers Might Work for Them, but Not You
On a visit to a small used bookstore, when I came across Syd Field’s Four Screenplays. Flipping through the book, I found an excerpt from his interview with James Cameron that completely punched me in the gut:
“People ask me how do you get to be a film director,” Cameron continued, “and I tell them that no two people will ever do it the same way, and there is nothing I can say that will help you. Whatever your…
