Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, one of the most successful comic strips of all time, says that two personal letters dramatically changed his life. One night ① he was watching a PBS-TV program about cartooning, when he decided to write to the host of the show, Jack Cassady, to ask for his advice about becoming a cartoonist. Much to ② his surprise, he heard back from Cassady within a few weeks in the form of a handwritten letter. The letter advised Adams not to be discouraged if he received early rejections. Adams got inspired and submitted some cartoons, but ③ he was quickly rejected. Not following Cassady’s advice, ④ he became discouraged, put his materials away, and decided to forget cartooning as a career. About fifteen months later, he was surprised to receive yet another letter from Cassady, especially since he hadn’t thanked ⑤ him for his original advice. He acted again on Cassady’s encouragement, but this time he stuck with it and obviously hit it big.