Work hard, but find an idea that's fun to work hard on

Enjoying the process of making your game is very important. If your project is a pain in the ass to make, your customers will feel it. 

Don’t make financial success your primary driver; there are a lot of industries where you can just knuckle down and make lots of money, but the video game industry isn't one of them. You need to have a passion for what you do. 

Putting financial success at the forefront is a distraction from really feeling your game. You need to create something you would enjoy.