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Robert Rodriguez’s Top 10 Rules For Success (@Rodriguez)


everyone is doing the same thing
everyone’s competing in the same realm
you have to think much bigger there’s a
lot less competition up there there’s
nobody up there actually don’t wait to
be inspired to do the action you have to
do the action first and then you’ll be
inspired and I say in the ashes of all
your failures if you look close enough
you’ll find keys to success he’s an
American filmmaker screenwriter and
musician he directed the action film el
Mariachi which grows 2 million dollars
against a budget of $7,000 he’s a friend
and frequent collaborator with Quentin
Tarantino he’s Robert Rodriguez and
here’s my take on his top 10 rules of
success rule number ten is my personal
favorite and I’m curious to figure out
which one you guys like the best and as
always guys as you’re watching the
videos if you hear something that really
resonates with you please leave it down
the comments below and put quotes around
it to other people to be inspired as
well also as you are writing something
down it’s much more likely to stick in
your head
enjoy
there’s this book called the one thing
we’re seeing that says you should just
do one thing and I go well I shouldn’t
even bother reading that that doesn’t
apply to me but I thought about it it’s
like well I do one thing I live a
creative life everything you do you
apply creativity to it whether it’s the
way you meet with a friend and make them
dinner or your do stuff with your kids
and then when you go and you’re you’re
working on an idea and you’re doing
music at the same time while you’re on
the set and you’re you’re never in a
block because you’re always actually in
a flow if you don’t live your life
creatively and then you set aside some
time at night to go write your novel
you’re going to get a block because
you’re not in the flow but if you apply
creativity to everything in your life
everything is available to you to where
you’re suddenly contained like you’ll
see paintings I did with the actors even
though they’re very creative in the
acting world they didn’t think they
could paint so I made them paint and
then they saw that they were able to
because when you’re in a creative flow
you can do just about anything so it’s
all about living a creative life to
where you can’t possibly ever get Blatz
because you’re always okay well now you
have an idea for writing and so I’m
going to go cook something which is art
you can eat you know and you’re serving
and you’re eating and consuming it and
you’re creating and you go back and you
do that does it make sense no is such a
bond around you know later like style
alienation we’re doing work and play
it’s all play I thinking completely
different is the key if everyone is
competing on one level you got to think
of another like for instance like I’d
always wanted to get in television but
TV is so close it was always so crowded
everyone’s trying to get in on Friday
night on NBC so what do you do when
everyone I’ve always heard this advice
if it made sense only recently everyone
is doing the same thing everyone’s
competing in the same room you have to
think much bigger there’s a lot less
competition up there there’s nobody up
there actually so find the whole silly
yeah China how the people I can’t get my
show on TV I know I’ll own a network and
I can put on any show that I want and
how many other people are going up for
Network you know many other people apply
for that know we’re coming
it was a lot and then it wasn’t a lot
100 people in the whole country
the whole country 500 people doing an
idea for network and showed a
presentation
a lot of people that has been a lot of
people family a lot of people women in
this room so you think about that think
about how can I show somebody how can I
get someone’s attention everyone else is
at the festival don’t go to the festival
because some do you think of something I
mean go to the festival but things also
something else beyond that don’t rely on
the festival because then you’re just
crossing your fingers you got to hit it
from other ways and that promotes much
bigger thinking always say aim high
because if you ain’t just at the
festival you might hit it and you might
just hit lower but if you aim really
high you might still just hit the
festival beliefs now you got a chance to
hit there there or like straight up so
trying to think as big as you can you
can’t just wait for inspiration to act
that’s the biggest mistake people make
don’t wait to be inspired to do the
action you have to do the action first
and then you’ll be inspired so what I
would do is I would sit there and drop
the comic and I would come up with it
but some days I’d come home from school
sit down go I’m just going to wait for
the inspiration to hit me a little wait
for the idea to come fully formed and
when I got a joke
then I’ll go draw it and I would sit
there for maybe three or four hours let
me go alright spirit I had to get up and
if I got to do the process I got to sit
there and just start drawing I don’t
even know who I am or how I’m going to
get there and then two things would come
together and it’ll be oh there’s an idea
this is the first panel just think about
and then it would come together always
it would not take very long I would
fight that process so much because what
was I doing I was waiting for
inspiration before I acted it’s always
the other way around
act first then the inspiration will come
draw first then the inspiration will
come just start shooting then the
inspirational cuts just start moving
then the inspiration will come don’t
wait so many people wait long or tell
you they’re going to write this novel or
they’re going to do this they’re going
to make this film they never do it
because they’re waiting for all this
stuff to come to them it comes through
doing it somebody was telling me it was
actually an actor was about to do a
short film and even sending me the
scripts and I’m still working on it was
a really great idea it’s kind of you
know a big little production for him to
do big little and just recently I said
are you doing I still think it might be
too ambitious I think I’m going to do
maybe something easier don’t know do the
more ambitious one you’re going to hate
yourself should go to the easier ones
and you’re dicking around with that
you’re going to be wishing you a dozen
more ambitious one
do the more ambitious thing always first
and should always have some self-doubt
otherwise it’s a walk in the park ain’t
worth doing if it’s that easy that
you’re not going to be questioning
yourself constantly am i doing the right
thing is this too big a task for me to
handle am I not strong enough then you
know you’re in the right direction if
you say I’m a fraud they’ll figure me
out
I’ll never be able to do it again that’s
an artist our process is you’re an
artist you’re thinking like that you’re
on the right track because they all feel
that so you there’s always some success
that can come out even out of your
failure the fact probably your biggest
success will come directly from your
failures you should almost take that
Winston Churchill’s quote as my favorite
success is moving from one failure to
the next with great enthusiasm you
should be very enthusiastic about your
failures because you’re going to learn
something you’re going to go that way
whenever when I was going that way and
you’re going to stumble but you’re also
going to stumble upon something that no
one ever thought of so you know you just
keep going and keep going and you’re
going to fail and then rise up and fail
again and that’s the journey up and down
then I looked at it afterwards that’s
okay anthology films never work but I
love the short film format that’s what I
grew up on the foot bed head was that’s
what I’ve said all through college I
believe in that format
I think the way they’re doing in Sala
G’s is incorrect for different directors
that’s no somatic real tie to it for
stories too many the three-act structure
classical three-act structure 3 a group
of three
rule of threes in comedy there’s no you
know it comes in three I bet if I did an
anthology with three stories and a
wraparound for the same director not
multiple directors it could work that
was in city I tried to get on Sin City
second key from that one movie so
looking back now it’s easy for me to
look and go okay but back then I was
lost in the woods I thought I’d made a
wrong choice I thought I’d I followed my
voice and I go I on I need a question my
voice don’t question your inner voice
that’s the part wiser than you that’s
the part that you are not going to be
able to consciously ever figure out
until you look back on it like a history
book and read the map so you have to
trust your inner voice and cultivate
that down to the point where you can be
playing cards and going I know that on
the
because my inner voice probably – you’ve
got a you know really fine-tune that
that gift it’s within all of you you
make this little film with a with some
money they got from so near hats and the
medical community common web what point
as you put together a VHS cut of our
members yeah I cut it I cut it at the
public access station on three-quarter
inch and then I made VHS and you and
your idea was like I’m Selva sana in the
I was going straight for Spanish video
market that’s amazing I tell people my
goal was to just go double my money I
didn’t know it was going to no
overperform and these cats were like we
can turn this into a real future well I
what they wanted to do is we’re going to
remake it at desperado and they said
well before we make it let’s test the
movie that you made already on seven
dogs must test it to an audience to see
because there might be a downer ending
they tested and it tested great as it
was they said let’s take this to
festivals and I was like no I I made it
for some I didn’t mean for anybody to
watch it’s give me $2,000 I’ll reshoot
half of it I didn’t want him to show
that one I was just one I was just
trying to get it out and I learned a big
lesson from that because I was only
making it as a throwaway film it came
out better than the films I did on
purpose well no have you throw things
away like that and don’t make it
precious you’ll come up with stuff that
you probably won’t have thought of if
you were on you know Iran el Mariachi
was that shot on 16 16 millimeter so
it’s like now it’s like the camera that
you carry around in your pocket is a
better camera than you were probably
strapping to get back in those days yeah
I mean I tell people if I shot the same
movie today would probably be like a
$700 another 7,000 most that budget went
to majority the budget went to film
buying the film process and it
transferring it to video so yeah you
could shoot the same movie for nothing
how many crew were on that I was the
whole crew rizzoli I whenever I found
guy I was a camera guy I was lighting
guy and I didn’t know if I could sell it
I didn’t want to spend more it was
already a lot costing years to do it and
I knew kind of what I could do to spend
myself so is it hard going from one-man
crew to then giving all those
responsibilities to other people I said
just a load off your mind that’s why I
still do a lot of jobs myself I actually
ended up enjoying those so I still write
produce direct edit operate the camera I
do the sound mix I do the score I mean I
still do a lot of those jobs because I
discovered that on the first one that it
was just so fun and now I think a lot
more it’s a lot more relatable to people
day on that new age where I was coming
in and learned on video learned on
digital man I shot film and I applied
what I learned on digital to film which
was do it yourself and also many people
today now shoot that way because they
shoot digital but that was unheard of in
the film world to do it that way you
always needed like 200 people when you
wake up every morning you need to know
why start with why what are you a Terry
student that’s what you do how do you do
that if you go to school is anybody
taking online courses or it’s a tall
class like this class of like that’s how
you do it so many people start from what
they do to how they do it there are a
few people think about why you got to
start with why so I’m explain why that’s
support but do you know why you’re doing
something you can attain things much
better and much clearer your
decision-making becomes much more
important much more it will be much
easier to Apple for instance does it
like perfectly when you have a computer
company that just makes computers what
do you do on my computers how do you do
it I use the highest grade technology
the coolest products and clothes
Caterson speak to you that’s how we do
it do you want to buy a computer me no
Apple starts the other way they start
with why they’re doing it we think
different we think you think differently
do we think you’re an individual and you
see one of our ads it’s not ten people
enjoy our computers as one we want to
make product that speaks to your
individuality how are you going to do
that well already you believe that again
I’m an individual I think differently to
other people about something it’s
customized to me how you going to do
that we use the best technology we make
the sexiest equipment that you’re going
to want what do you do I sell computers
or a cell phone
do you want one yes talk about why why
are you doing it
when people wanted to compete me with
the networking the ingot and network and
I say why do we not get the network so
why did you want to do a network it
comes down to always like a business
reason well because I made a bunch of
movies and we don’t know what we don’t
have a TV deal and I’ve had a network
and I could sell my own movies to myself
and make money that way well Danny thank
good enough yeah you don’t deserve to be
there you got to have a good
while you’re doing it so if you clarify
why you’re doing anything you’ll you’ll
find the rest of the success comes much
easier remember I gave it talk to a
group of entrepreneurs and it’s one
woman raised our hands well you’re real
positive but what do you do what do you
tell yourself when you’ve just wasted a
year and a half of your life doing
something and it didn’t work out
and I told her that’s a real negative
way of looking at it and what I did that
I realized why you can you rephrase the
question and then ask me again because
it’s just you’re looking at it really
negatively up first of all if anyone
answer it that way so if you thought
about it you said well I’d learned an
important lesson the hard way I said
that still sucks no wonder you don’t
want to move forward because you feel
like you’ve done something wrong because
it didn’t work out the way you had
predetermined you wanted it to work out
you have to look at it a different way
if you feel like you want to do
something you should just step forward
it may not work but you’re going to hit
a step in your career in your
development that you could not have
taken had you not gone that way before
you can get over there and I say in the
ashes of all your failures if you look
close enough you’ll find keys to success
if you’re a very negative person all you
would focus on is wow I have a really
bad movie on my resume that I wish I had
never done but if you’re a positive
person you will go I’m so glad I took
that step that most people would not
have taken because that got me to a
place that no one else can follow
thank you guys so much for watching I
made this video because higher Images
official asked me to so if there’s a
famous entrepreneur that you want me to
profile next leave it down the comments
below and I’ll see what I can do I also
love to know what did Robert say that
had the biggest impact on you what are
you going to take from this video and
immediately apply it somehow to your
life or to your business leave it down
in the comments I’m going to join in the
discussion finally I want to give a
quick shout out to Daniel and Alex thank
you guys so much for picking up a copy
of my book your one word and making that
awesome tribute website for it as well I
really really really appreciate it so
thank you guys again for watching I
believe in you I hope you continue to
believe in yourself and whatever your
one word is much love I’ll see you soon
usually you’re always hurting for money
and a budget to put any ideas together
so if you make a cool sketch you’re like
okay well we’ll never afford to be able
to make this what’s the opposite with it
we’ll have like a whole team ready to
make that vision come to life and the
whole idea is that it’s your vision
because I’ve done my part and now I’m
waiting for those missing pieces because
I love collaborating with people because
you’re always wondering what parts
they’re going to bring whether it’s an
actor or someone you interact with they
bring a piece of magic that you couldn’t
have generated yourself and you take it
and you run with it and you’re so
excited you know to incorporate their
ideas yeah now you had a plan of is the
remarkable thing to me was at 22 23
years old but your plan was completely
laid out I mean as in reading your book
you know you knew I was going to take
this R amount of money your plan was to
make three el Mariachi movies yeah the
thing is if you want to get somewhere
you really got to set some goals for
yourself it won’t ever happen the way
you plan but I know you you know I know
that still on a positive you know in a
positive direction they’ll only take you
someplace better by a cry you’re working
out things now that are I mean he’s like
you’re running an entire network you’re
running the El Rey Networks man yeah you
but it’s a matter of scale not technique
it’s the same technique but you’re just
doing it you know you’re only really
just scaling up you really like you have
roosterteeth it’s like you create a
beast and then you got to feed the beast
you know the beasts consumes you and by
creating for that beast you actually
come up with things that you never would
have done otherwise and you’re really
proud of like our network we have to we
had to fill it
I got a network I don’t a network when
it’s empty till you fill it we had to
fill it with from dusk till dawn I had
to come up with a show called the
director’s chair you know lucha
underground and you just start filling
it up and then you’re so proud of these
shows and so proud of the content just
like just proud of you all or anything
that you’ve come up with it was because
you had this destination that you had to
fill so I would suggest to anybody who
wants to go create create a beast first
then feed the beast
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