You have to have a particular level of faith living in the bush of Australia. You have to believe that the rains will come, that the grass will grow, that bushfires will happen somewhere else and the beer will be cold in the pub.

But that level of faith is only going to get you so far. You know in the depth of your soul that the country side is still wild and unpredictable, and although you may love her dearly she’s never going to be tamed, so all you can do is prepare for everything and hope that nature likes you, for now.

You have to stockpile feed for when it doesn’t rain, dam water while it’s still falling from the sky, sell stock while the prices are good and don’t assume that the good times will still be here tomorrow. You have to believe that there will be good times, but you’re not daft enough to think that those good times will be tomorrow, or that they’ll last forever.

In many ways, the net is the same. There are booms for those trying to live off it, surges of popularity, unexpected stumbles and all the rest of it. Then there’s the rest of the time where you’re struggling for recognition, yearning for comments or desperately seeking feedback. There are the highs and lows, and you have to learn to live through all of them and just keep working at it.

Of course, it never hurts to have your backup plan ready and waiting, so keep that fast horse nearby.