Expose yourself to as much as possible. Attend conferences no one else is attending. Read books no one else is reading. Talk to people no one else is talking to.

I don't want to be normal. I want to be something else.

I have a broad range of interests, so I'll always be working on something.

It got a little stressful in my first two years of high school, trying to make conference calls with investors in between classes, but I definitely learned a lot of important time-management lessons.

I to the We means that both the individual's effort and the power of the network matter, and they work in tandem. Someone with no skill won't get very far, no matter how strong the network. Similarly, someone with lots of skill but a weak network won't realize his or her fullest potential. So, you need both.

I really focused on three things in high school - my company, basketball and my school work.

I'm just the smallest dot in a big map of human history.

I've always loved to write, and I kept a diary of what I thought about my business, being an entrepreneur and other things of interest to me.

Rule of thumb: Be skeptical of things you learned before you could read. E.g., religion.

Taking on short term risk can involve switching jobs, joining new groups / associations in the area, launching a personal blog, running an experiment within your existing job. These are some practical ways to inject volatility into your life, and thus some risk.