It was from them that I learned that hard work in stable surroundings could yield rewards, even if only in infinitesimally small increments.
You can't get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover will be yourself.
It's definitely a dream come true to be recognized and to be able to sign autographs. But, it's also a lot of hard work and can be draining. If you don't know already, you will quickly learn who your real friends are.
Nothing can substitute for just plain hard work. I had to put in the time to get back. And it was a grind. It meant training and sweating every day. But I was completely committed to working out to prove to myself that I still could do it.
Hard work makes easy reading or, at least, easier reading.