NEWPORT: So Good They Can't Ignore You

The key thing from Ira Glass

"What you're making isn't so good, okay?... It's trying to be good but... it's just not that great. The key thing is to force yourself through the work, force the skills to come; that's the hardest phase" (12/46)

Steve Martin's Advice

"Nobody ever takes note of [my advice], because it's not the answer they wanted to hear. What they want to hear is 'Here's how you get an agent, here's how you write a script,'... but I always say, 'Be so good they can't ignore you.'" (33)

Eventually confidence...

"[Eventually] you are so experienced [that] there's a confidence that comes out. I think it's something the audience smells" (34) -- like Taylor at her concert!

The craftsman mindset

"It asks you to leave behind self-centered concerts about whether your job is 'just right,' and instead put your head down and plug away at getting really damn good. No one owes you a great career, it argues; you need to earn it-and the process won't be easy" (39)

Never-ending thirst

"I have a never-ending thirst to get better. You need to be constantly soliciting feedback from colleagues and professionals" (86)