A few years ago, I was speaking a conference and a woman came up to me afterwards asking for advice about a book she wanted to publish. Not being familiar with her genre, I asked if there were any other books on the subject. Her answer scared me.

"None," she said. "There are no books out there like this. This is a completely original idea."

Why would this scare me?

The day you get your first book deal feels much the same as getting accepted to a prestigious university, or landing a coveted internship after graduation. However, much like college and your first "real" job, you soon discover the hard work has only just begun.

Precious few authors are fortunate enough to quit their day jobs after landing their first book deal. Most are unable to avoid the need for side income to supplement writing revenue even after publishing multiple books.

The average self-published book sells 250 copies in its first year and maybe 1,000 copies in its lifetime. Most authors are ecstatic if they hit 1,000 copies in the first three months. But what if you sold 1,000 copies of your book on the first day it released?

Writing your first book is like running a marathon. When it's finally over, you're equally excited and exhausted. You might even be a little sick (of your book). Now, imagine doing that almost 200 times.

With my fifth book getting ready to release this summer, I can barely fathom the level of discipline and creativity required to produce 20 books in a lifetime, let alone a couple hundred.

The irony of the phrase "I'll sleep when I'm dead" is that if you deprive yourself of sleep, you'll be dead sooner. And when you're dead, you're not sleeping. And you're not writing either.

For whatever reason we have a tendency, creatives in particular, to default to sacrificing sleep at the altar of our work before anything else. God forbid we binge watch Netflix less or stop bringing our smartphones to bed.

The trouble is, we're doing more harm to our health and our creativity by burning the candle at both ends than we realize.

For too long an expanding gap has existed between working in a cubicle and spending time on your craft. Creative thinking and critical thinking are not at odds. In fact, when you allow the two halves of your mind to work together, you can unlock amazing potential.

It's hard for some people to believe, but you don't have to choose between your day job and your dream job. The two can complement each other in ways you never imagined possible.

When you think of a cartoonist, you probably don't think of somebody with a Masters degree in criminal justice administration. A creative life of making satirical art doesn't jive with running a police department. On the surface, these two occupations seem at odds with one another.

But that's just what this week's guest on The Portfolio Life did for over 25 years.

Most of our email inboxes are out of control. Besides the junk there are people asking for help, advice, or an introduction. In the moment, it feels easier to delete it and move on. Turns out, we are missing out on a strategic opportunity.

After working at big name start ups like Square and Gumroad, Ryan Delk knows a thing or two about the power of influence, and the value of a strong network. It seems like he always knows somebody who can help you with your problem, and he's done that with intention.

Stop me if you've heard this story before. An aspiring musician moves to Nashville with nothing but a dream and her guitar. She plays in dive bars to whoever will listen in hopes of being discovered and becoming a big star.

We all know how the sad story usually ends. Or do we?

There are no end of alleged "influencers" on social media telling you to chase your passion. To pull the ripcord and pursue your dreams full-time. What their carefully curated snapshots fail to tell you is that passion isn't enough. And it shouldn't be.