Carmack is my personal hero. I'd like to share this with you:

  At 09:59 PM 1/27/2008, you wrote:
  >
  >Hey John,
  >
  >How does someone like yourself become a better engineer?  I'm
  >nineteen, and I dropped out of high school during my senior year to
  >work in game development.  Your work is inspiring on many levels.
  >Were you simply born with the ability to learn very quickly, or was
  >it the result of hard work?  I'd like to be the best engineer I can,
  >but I'm not sure how to keep improving.  What are your thoughts?

  Using your time effectively is very important, and there is often a 
  non-linear relationship between the amount of time you can stay 
  focused and the amount that you can learn or accomplish.  It is often 
  possible to get more done in a highly focused 12 hour stretch than in 
  a normal 40 hour work week that is interspersed with email, chat, and 
  other distractions.  Someone that can be completely obsessive about 
  something does have an advantage, but the same questions about focus 
  apply for any amount of time you choose to devote to an 
  undertaking.  Most people work at only a fraction of their potential.

  John Carmack

It profoundly inspired me. From that day to this, I've worked to push my technical ability as far as my brain and body allow.

When I someday succeed in my life's work (to build a game studio), I'll owe it entirely to him.