Be selfish.

There's a lot of crap in our industry, a lot of crap meetings, a lot of crap people, a lot of crap protocol, rules and process. Worst of all, there is a lot of crap work.

I don't think, really, our industry is unusual in its amount of crap. My guess would be that even if you're short-stop for the New York Yankees, or a power-forward for the Miami Heat, 85% of what you do is crap.

There are games you don't feel like playing, opponents who don't challenge you, plays that are so routine they become stultifying.

I think the trick in this business is the recognize that even its kingpins are hit with a lot of crap. There's a lot of crap that just sucks. I think maybe at the best agencies the crap to good ratio is 75:25; at the worst it's probably 90:10.

Every once in a while you get an assignment that isn't crap.

Protect this like you'd protect your brother if you were both in a foxhole in a Normandy trench.

Don't let anyone sully the bit of good you got.

Don't go to meetings about it.

Don't share.

Don't talk about it.

To coin a phrase, just do it.

There aren't many times I advocate complete and utter selfishness.

But this is one.

Protect yourself.

Be selfish.