The competition is so fierce once you become an adult. I'll probably move on to something else.
We'd be really screwed if we had to start our life over again as children with our brains right now, because I think we lose the plasticity and flexibility.
My childhood did not prepare me for the fact that the world is full of cruel and bitter things.
Since beginning my work in areas like addiction, for example, I have seen time and time again that the roots of poor mental health in adulthood are almost always present in unresolved childhood challenges.
A happy childhood is poor preparation for human contacts.
When I was a teenager I loved snowboarding, but in my 20s I was too big to strap my feet in the boards.
Well into adulthood, writing has never gotten easier. It still only ever begins badly, and there are no guarantees that this is not the day when the jig is finally up.
For a kid, self-esteem can be as close at hand as a sports victory or a sense of belonging in a peer group. It's a much more complicated and elusive proposition for adults, subject to the responsibilities and vicissitudes of grown-up life.
We're all brilliant at something. I discovered my powers when I was four years old. When you're young you're more in touch with your real talents, but so often the 30 year slog knocks it out of people.
