Not those fucky Confessor kings either. Think Gilgamesh. His people got mad at him for fucking newlyweds on their wedding night, so the gods sent him an equal badass to be his best bud. Together they traveled the lands and fucked shit up.

Think like a cynic. In regular society, always assume people are acting out of self-interest. Act to protect your own. That doesn't mean being an anti-social piece of shit, either. Your best interest is usually to smile, cautiously nod, and avoid burning bridges you don't need to burn.

Feel like a stoic. Life will toss tons of shit your way. Don't let it break you. Feel yourself bending, because that is how you learn your true strength. But learn to be that strength and to fortify it, because being an inspirational rock is how others will start looking up to you.

Work hard. You need to put in effort to move ahead. Reading and talking gets you to a certain point, but you need to actually do things to get better at them. Put in the time, effort, and practice to improve yourself, hone your skills, make money, and get better at making and keeping friends. Lift, talk to people, laugh off your mistakes, and keep trying.

Live like a king. Just because you can endure hardship and privation doesn't mean you should. It's good to remind yourself to be humble and that you need to continually improve yourself. But regardless of whether you have a feast or a beggar's meal laid out on your table, the same sword of Damocles hangs over you.