Refuse almost everything. Do almost nothing. But the things you do, do them all the way.
The odds are better when you have strange tastes: when you like something that pays well and that few other people like.
The key to being a good thing builder is to always try and ship something.
Hard stuff because it is tricky to estimate and prone to surprises; low-level stuff because so much is built on top, it needs to get there first.