The importance of our own paths.

On inspiration without replication.

Mentors are amazing.* Books are irreplaceable.* And there is much to learn from other people's successes.* 

But each of these requires a tiny but critical asterisk.

*There is value to be gleaned from mentors, books, and knowledge, but it should never be at the expense of trying to replicate their path.

Doing so will only lead us to heartbreak and frustrati…