I was once told by a therapist to “live life more in the middle”.

Having been crushed by the industry a couple of times in my career, I had to learn boundaries the hard way. The politicking and machinations beat me down. I was in an all-or-nothing mentality, I lost perspective and I was toast.

As a result, the first thing I tell young people is to draw your line early. That is, the line between your professional and personal lives. Because the industry will ask a shit ton more of you than you’ll be willing to give, and won’t thank you for it. With 20 odd years ahead of you, you need to be ready to negotiate. You’ll be driven by managers, clients and die-hard team members to overinvest your time – learn the many tactful ways to say no.