… [Trust] yourself. It’s easy to read someone’s article telling you to
take Paul Mokeski in the first round, but when your pick is up and Paul is still
on the board, what matters most is what you think. Many of the experts out there
are no more equipped to make a decision than you are (this applies to all walks
of life). While collecting thoughts from different people is always helpful when
forming an opinion, you inevitably will take responsibility for your picks.
Trust your gut — in the end, a successful season (career, life, etc.) is much
more rewarding when you put thought into your decisions instead of copying off
of the guy’s paper next to you. This helps me now as I am ignorant to what other
“experts” think. I trust myself.

… [Think] outside the box. Popular opinions often lead to failure,
and you will be ridiculed for not thinking mainstream. Whether it’s your fantasy
team, interaction with friends, or your career, it’s important to think about
things in new and different ways and stand firm in your findings. Use statistics
in new ways, question what is accepted fact, challenge authority. I guess this
is a variation of the first in some ways, but hang with me.

And his third point, which I especially appreciate while sifting through Career Alerts:

I also learned to create opportunities if they are not perceived to be there.
You can’t sit around waiting for something to happen. That helped me get this
job, but it also helps as we continue to develop new games and content on
NBA.com.