what do you think is if the the main
thing that holds people back from high
performance when it matters the most
well I think there’s two parts to that
question you know you add the one that
matters the most and that’s a really
important nuanced esoteric phrase and I
love this race when it matters most
because if you listen to ESPN or you
listen to Fox Sports or you listen to
any of those you know types of shows
they’ll say that a game defining play
defining moment and there really isn’t
such a thing and so when it matters most
is now it’s not later it’s not the
Superbowl it’s not your Everest it’s not
the pitch that you’re that you’re gonna
give to a VC firm that’s not the moment
the moment is now and it’s always now
and it’s now again and if we are present
it’s now again and it’s always now and
so the idea is that there’s no such
thing as a moment later that’s more
important than the one you have now
because again this is very esoteric if
we were to strip away your ability and
my ability to live in this present
moment then we don’t have life right
it’s the absence of life yeah but what
happens for most of us is that if you
think about this moment a little bit
like a raindrop like it’s moving okay
and eventually it’ll crash death if you
will but like this raindrop that’s
moving we can be on the edges of the
raindrop or we be right in the center we
don’t ever leave our raindrop are you
unique raised up but when we go to the
edges of the raindrop it’s like we are
not fully in the present moment and so
what gets in the way anxiety you know
worry what do they think of me what if
it goes wrong do I have what it takes am
I going to embarrass myself am I gonna
let people down you know so that anxiety
is a real condition
it’s estimated that well the research
suggests at 15 percent of Americans
suffer and that’s the word from anxiety
the estimate is probably more like 30%
mm-hmm suffer and it’s a mental disorder
and anxiety by definition is the
excessive worry about what could go
wrong so that’s at the root
at this Batson what’s the opposite of
anxiety groundedness yeah sense of poise
and presence focusing on what could go
right yeah well not even not even that
but like yes right so if if anxiety is
worrying about what could go wrong
an anecdote for that experience is
focusing on what could go right and what
could be fantastic living in gratitude
that’s right yeah which I’m obviously
you’re familiar with but the essence of
it is coming back to the center of that
raindrop that esoteric thing I’ll talk
about like that falling raindrop to time
your ability to be right in the center
and what does that mean that you’re
grounded you’re present your your mind
is on time with what’s happening and so
you’ve heard great athletes talk about
the game slows down you know it doesn’t
slow down that’s not what happens is
that our mind becomes fully syncopated
at the speed of life and we’re on time
and so when we’re finally on time it’s
such a relief like oh my god this is
this is the speed of light this is
amazing yeah and so we don’t have ever
have the power to slow down time we just
have the power to increase our ability
to be on time all right now in this
moment then the next moment that’s mode
yeah the worried mind is behind time or
ahead of time how do we define success
can a bus driver on the street be
defined is successful and the guy who’s
the CEO of that business not successful
so when I started out on this journey I
had the same definition of success as
almost everyone which is I thought you
know the more powerful you are the more
wealthy you are the more successful you
are you know the Forbes list idea it
wasn’t until I met Steve Wozniak the
co-founder of Apple computers that he
completely redefined my understanding of
success he helped me realize that you
know if you put Steve Jobs and Steve
Wozniak side-by-side most people will
say Steve Jobs was more successful but
Wozniak company realize that success has
much more to do with how you define it
how you look within yourself and ask
yourself what do I actually want what
makes me
and if what makes you happy is driving a
bus and coming home at 5:00 p.m. and
picking up your kids and playing catch
with them and you’re the CEO of a
company and never see your kids you’re
not successful if you’re miserable if
you’re not doing what you want to do
that’s not success
so should we broaden ideas of what it
means as a definition flawed I believe
that the natural human and really
Western definition of success which is
more money more power more prestige
isn’t right look it might be right for
some people who want that but for the
vast majority of people who want to be
you know a mother and working and
helping at their kids school or a father
who wants to be you know involved with
their community I think the idea of the
more Twitter followers you have and the
more money you have is a flauta model
you have to look within yourself and ask
yourself what you want
you’re gonna play big say big you’re
gonna play huge say huge you’re gonna
play ginormous a ginormous but first
take baby steps you gonna eat the
elephant but take one small bite first
chew it good right we want so much so
fast my grandmother says baby she starts
every sentence with baby I’m sure it’s
because she cannot remember all of our
names she said baby the best things
you’ll ever have from Grandma will never
come from the microwave they always come
from the oven and I was like I think
some somehow she’s trying to give me a
lesson here and I realized that the best
things that you’re gonna create are
gonna take time build it on cement not
sinking saying you’re gonna get tons and
tons and tons of tools here and you’re
gonna want to fast forward when you fast
forward you’re building on Plexiglas
you’ve been on styrofoam you’ve been on
wood you want to build it on semen your
dream is important enough to outlive you
yes yes
and so I realized that that you can’t
Google download resiliency you can’t
Google download tenacity
you can’t Google download forgiveness
there’s some of the best qualities and
characteristics that’s gonna take you a
long way that you need to invest time in
and energy in and intention in you don’t
just get patience I want patience I’m
waiting for pick somebody’s gonna piss
you off tomorrow then now you get to
test if you have patience I realized I
realized that as I wanted to develop me
I have to be willing to climb and I
wanted to get to the top and there’s no
elevator to the top I got to do my
squats I got to work on my quads and my
hamstrings and my calves cuz I gotta
climb to the top we gotta climb I
probably got paid about three hundred
and fifty thousand dollars in my first
13 years of law practice total and I had
an army of children and no capital to
start with and when I chose this
alternative career I had over $300,000
in liquid instruments so I had and that
was ten years of living expenses so I
was not a courageous bench or some
admirable man I was a cautious little
squirrel saving up more nuts than I
really needed it and not going very deep
into my pile of nuts and so that was it
wasn’t that courageous and I kept one
foot in the law firm while I tried my
capitalist career but as soon as the
capitalist career succeeded I intended
to lift that second foot because I
recognized that the potential of law
practice as I saw it then I didn’t
anticipate the boom that came to the big
firms I just saw this being more
difficult I wanted more independence
though it was going to have her as a
lawyer I hated standing other people
invoices and needing money from richer
people I thought it was undignified I
wanted my own money
not because I loved ease or social
prestige I wanted the independence just
the last 15 minutes of this podcast was
so strong from Monday morning about like
where it all starts with your mind
people don’t really believe that but
it’s true really for me it started when
I said I’m getting into comedy I don’t
give my credit bureau I don’t give a
about the credit card people I don’t you
about the bank’s about what I Drive you
about what my clothes on because at the
end it doesn’t really matter unless
you’re happy for years I’m worried about
my job and I gotta have white sneakers
or nothing I have a black shirt on it
who gives up at the end of the day I
wasn’t happy I wasn’t happy I didn’t get
happy till I started driving
cross-country with a pair of shorts on
and stinky sneakers the t-shirt and you
got three pair of jeans and three shirts
and they’re lasting you all week dog you
got like four pair of socks and you get
on a stage that’s what I really started
getting happy when I started waking up
in the morning and knew I had to drive
200 miles and I had 30 to 50 in quarters
and I had to get lunch with that reefer
and gas to get me to that next location
for some reason I’d be happy a lot
happier than making 1,200 a week and
paying my bills I was like this is what
I like I like this so it’s food for
thought sometimes it’s not about the
money or the dollars it’s about what
brings a smile to your face and once you
find it let yourself go don’t think
about it don’t look back yeah don’t
compare prices yeah don’t listen to your
uncle about taking their roofing job for
1254 stability yeah you know what
stability is overrated don’t stabilities
over it absolutely I think happiness is
doing what you want to the
milt I can even if they’re probably I
was in comedy for I was in comedy for 12
years before I saw it time yeah we were
getting paid but nothing to write home
about I could have quit at any time in
those 12 years and found the job I would
had tricked somebody into being an
indoor salesman I didn’t want to do that
I would have rather live on eight
thousand a year and do my own thing and
around at night and smoke pot with your
stupid buddies and get on stage and
going to an office insurance who gives a
when you think about the insurance
that’s when you need insurance for 30
years I ran around with no issues that
never happened to me would have come
through on your word it allows the guys
that you’re leading male or female to be
able to say okay we can follow this
person because he he won’t let us down
you know for me as the leader of our
franchise and the leader of my household
and a leader of so many you know
different different things I think is
the confidence but it’s also you
practicing what you preach I’m not a God
who just talks about I actually I’ll go
out and do it as well from a basketball
perspective or from from a leadership
perspective my kids are my foundation
you know we have a promise initiative
where they promised me that they will go
to school there with city teachers
they’d be great to their classmates and
I promised them that I will continue to
be a great role model a father figure
for them and not let those guys down so
I’ll take that responsibility and I
don’t just talk about I actually do it
as well so were you able to come through
on your word it allows the guys that
you’re leading male or female to be able
to say okay we can follow this person
because he won’t let us down no matter
if it’s no matter if it’s going good or
bad you know every day is not a bed of
roses we understand that and you have to
being flexible minded or open-minded I’m
not saying you shouldn’t have a you know
vision for your idea or your product but
you need to be open to change it you
should find a great partner no matter
what it is that you’re doing and you
should look for someone who is very high
intelligence very high energy and very
high integrity and you need all three of
those they can’t compromise on any one
of them otherwise you’ll end up with
either someone was not smart which is
does you no good or someone’s not
hard-working which also doesn’t know
good or the worst case is you end up
with the smart hard-working crook who
ends up working against your interests
and integrity something that takes a lot
of time spent with someone to figure out
we know from our past experiences that
big things start small you know the
biggest oak starts from an acorn and
you’ve got to recognize you want to do
anything new you’ve got to be willing to
let that acorn grow into a little
sapling and then finally into a small
tree and maybe one day it’ll be a big
business on its own and in fact that’s
one of the mottos for one of your
initiatives and forgive my pronunciation
of the Latin but Greta team for Oct what
does that mean to you well it means step
by step ferociously and it’s the motto
for Blue Origin and basically you can’t
skip steps you have to put one foot in
front of the other things take time
you there are no shortcuts and but but
you want to do those steps with you know
passion and ferocity or a lot of things
that are outside of your control a lot
of external circumstances will depend
like determine the success of your idea
whether you know the market timings
right for this new kind of service or
whether people you know whether a
customer like the economy’s been right
for for for your kind of service right
whether you meet the right people who
will find answer a company many many
external circumstances are like outside
of your control and like but will affect
the outcome
you have to like be okay with that it
looks like you always go out of your
comfort zone right coming onto an island
that was completely deserted no
freshwater you don’t even have the money
to buy it and and now you’re sleeping on
a tent on the beach trying to figure out
how to get fresh water here you do that
often you did it with the airline I mean
I was just somebody that experienced the
bad experience of traveling on airlines
I was actually trying to get to the BVI
the British Virgin Islands one day from
Puerto Rico and the same lovely lady was
waiting for me and I’ve been away for
three weeks and American Airlines bumped
the flight and and I went to the back of
the airport I had a plane I had a
blackboard I wrote Virgin Airlines
one-way $29 to the VV I went around all
the people have been bumped and I filled
my first plane and and that got me
thinking you know that airlines do bump
people they don’t care about you or me
particularly in the air and so we saw
them rang up Boeing and said you have
any second 747 okay I mean it was
literally that you just sat in the
airport and said I’m starting an airline
right now because I’m frustrated exactly
and I think most most of the best
entrepreneurial ideas come out of
frustration I think you know if you if
you’re frustrated about something and
the best way of sorting it out is get
out and do it and you’ve got yourself a
business my mom passed away about almost
three years ago and she always would
tell me she was like whatever you do I
know you’re doing all this football
stuff you’re doing all these other
things but never forget you’re an artist
I’m telling you when I see what I’m
doing right now and I get to I get to do
so many things that so many people never
got to see I get to gulp so many places
and do so many things that none of the
people who wanted to were able to I feel
like just there is a responsibility but
also if I don’t do it everything they’ve
gone through it’s nothing you know so
the way I approach things is really it’s
kind of for everyone else you know I
have to try it I have to go for it I
like this call myself a motivational
doer I hate talking so much like I’m a
big talker and you guys you can tell but
the big thing is I want to back
everything up with action I want to be
an action figure
like always always back it up with
movement don’t talk about working out
you can do it all day but do it and that
was the big big distinction I’ve seen
especially growing up in the hood so
many people man I’m finna do this I’m
finna I’m finna and man I said man well
why haven’t you why aren’t you and so
everything you see me doing I just said
I’m going I’m trying I’m going for it I
don’t care and we’ll see what happens I
do think that one thing that’s important
is especially if you’re a founder or a
technical founder is to realize that you
can’t do everything and even if you can
you shouldn’t I think you should be
spending your money on on on teaching
and sharing and so that might mean
hiring a writer too perhaps instead of a
marketing
you know and start writing and start
getting people to listen to what you’re
saying you can’t talk about yourself all
the time because no one’s going to come
back for that we get to talk about
things that are relevant to your
industry or ideas that you have and
start to build that audience up try to
do something that you would want to do
anyway whether it’s doesn’t necessarily
have to be a very successful business
because when you do decide to become an
entrepreneur and start a business
chances are it’s not gonna do it’s not
gonna become like a multi-million dollar
business so at least do something that
you love in the beginning so that even
if it fails you’d still enjoy it the
definition of values is there the
behaviors or principles that you
religiously adhere to within your
company
when I say religious I mean that no
amount of data will sway you
in it from from those principles and the
degree to which that you have the
courage to maintain your conviction
around those ideas is the degree to
which you’re going to be successful over
the long term the most important thing
when you’re working with people early is
that you guys line up on on what your
goals are that’s that’s really that
sounds really basic but you can totally
it can be fine you can want to build a
small business that makes money and you
don’t have to go to an office every day
or you can want to build a huge company
you can want to build Google but I think
you have to be really really aligned on
that so the most important part of
getting to a goal is to start feeling it
now is to start acting as if right if
you want to be that leader if you want
to be that author if you want to be that
painter all it takes is one action and
you truly are in the process of becoming
it so it’s funny that I am literally
basically done with the book and I’m
like can I call myself an author yet
I’ve written a book of course because
you have taken the action you’re doing
the actions there is no final anointing
of anyone there’s no ceremony there’s no
fireworks you just start acting as
and feeling it and envisioning it and
picturing it and soon enough you become
it right so everybody starts somewhere
so whether you are a famous ballerina or
an Olympic swimmer they all started
somewhere they all had to take that
first class they all had to take that
first leap into the water right and at
what point can you start calling
yourself a swimmer a dancer an author
it’s the second that you start taking
action and you start thinking it and
you’re feeling it right it’s about
embodying it so my biggest tip for you
is to start seeing yourself as that
person and start taking the small
actions of being that person that you
want to be that’s the only thing that is
separating you from actually being it so
you have to act as if in order to really
start getting that ball rolling and all
of a sudden you are so just go and do it
try learn from it you know you’ll fail
at some things that’s a learning
experience that you need so that you can
take that on to the next experience and
don’t let people who you may respect and
who you believe know what they’re
talking about don’t let them tell you it
can’t be done because often they will
tell you it can’t be done and it’s just
cuz you don’t have the courage to try it
Ben Graham and as low and as lower teens
looked around and he looked at the
people he admired and he said you know I
want to be admired so why don’t I just
behave like them and he found there was
nothing impossible about behaving like
them and similarly he did the same thing
on the reverse side in terms of getting
rid of those qualities from the time I
was seven years old every Saturday I
would go for four hours of acting class
every Saturday whoa
and I loved it I just left it till the
point with all the kids graduated and
went on to the other stuff and I started
doing adult acting classes and then I
was in the commercial classes and then I
loved like the hair and makeup classes
just everything I just couldn’t get
enough try and be decisive I try and
even if I don’t know what the hell I’m
doing I try to be decisive because I
think it’s very comforting and
reassuring and important to the people
that work with you to feel that whoever
is in charge knows what they’re doing
and knows what they’re thinking and that
if it’s a yes it’s a yes and it’s a no
it’s a no I mean I don’t think of myself
as a boss I mean I I think of myself as
someone who’s giving direction and
guidance so and vice versa I think great
entrepreneurs must have the curiosity to
to kind of metaphorically see around the
corner what’s coming
what can I anticipate that other people
don’t see and then you must have the
courage of your convictions to execute
the strategy you know one way to
conceptualize what makes a good product
is you know good engineering is part of
it good design is part of it but really
it’s one way I think about is at least
is maximizing the probability that
someone shows up at the front door of
you know your store or your website or
or whatever it is and ends up with a
solved problem and oftentimes the best
methodology is to start with the perfect
experience just one person get that
right and then forget how to scale
something great
instead of scales I mean not so great
and then trying to improve it that’s
really hard to do cuz acting turned out
to be all that you wanted it to be it’s
incredible it’s incredible you know I I
never knew that I could do it as a
career I never knew it was the first
memory that I had it’s the first thing I
can think of as saying I want to be an
actor to my parents and if I hadn’t
lived in Los Angeles and been in such
close proximity to sort of the mecca of
moviemaking if I didn’t have parents
that said okay we’ll drive you to
auditions we didn’t have the economic
means to you know move camp from Idaho
to Los Angeles because some snotty
ten-year-old kid says how I mean acting
we did it night after school I got to go
on auditions but it was always and I’ve
said this before it felt like an elite
group of people and it felt like I would
never belong to them so once I got the
opportunity to to for example get the
movie this boy’s life
with Robert De Niro I said wow now I’m
able to not be able to steer the course
of my career I might be able to have a
career similar to these guys that I’m
you know I so admire and that I knew
what 15 years old was the biggest gift
in the world and that that’s that’s
never left me you know I’ve never I’ve
never that that thirst or that hunger
for wanting to give one great
performance that I’m truly satisfied
with or being one movie that I said I
love this film is something that I don’t
know will ever be quenched I don’t know
and that’s I think that that’s a good
thing because it keeps making it keeps
pushing you you know constantly
dissatisfied in other words and so I
think when you are starting a new
business you uh you don’t want to go
after giant markets you want to go after
small markets and you want to take over
those markets quickly go talk to people
who failed at what you’re doing and who
are no longer doing it there always are
those people so you started to startup
you know you look at the history of your
space I’m so surprised how many people I
talked to some fathers who have no idea
the history of their own space and
there’s some night
there’s some nice naivete to that in the
sense that like you’re gonna do it
differently and and there’s some truth
to that but like when you get down to to
making it work and now you’re into it
already you’ve kind of salus what you’re
doing and you have some problems then
I’d go talk to all these people who
failed because you’ll uncover all sorts
of interesting
things you could drive it looked at lots
companies and why I thought they don’t
succeed over time we’ve had a more rapid
turnover of companies I said what did
they fundamentally do wrong and why are
those companies all do wrong and they
usually it’s just they missed the future
and so I think for me I just tried to
focus on that and say what does that
future really gonna be and how do we
create it I do believe that
organizations human organizations are
inherently unstable they will fall over
and you have to work to keep them
upright but they fall slowly most people
don’t notice it they let their success
like it blind them they don’t see it
falling over the following takes place
low but the collapse is quick you have
to do constant assessment you have to
look for the hard truths that whatever
you do somebody can do it better you
have to bring your a-game in every
single day there’s nothing unique about
any one individual what’s unique is
their passion their ability to execute
to meet targets and exceed them the
minute you lose that ability in
capitalism you’re gone it’s a fair trade
the engine that makes you rich can take
it all away from you there are no
guarantees I think that’s incredibly
important there’s a lot of conventional
wisdom out there built up over time and
built through all the learnings from all
and this may be fully applicable to most
of the companies out there but before
it’s applied to your organization I
highly recommend that you question it
because it could be absolutely fatal for
your success I’ve learnt an experience
is that you know if you don’t open up
and you don’t delegate then you’ll kill
yourself and if there’s one thing that
I’ve managed to understand is the art of
delegation because if I can pass on you
know to Claire Smith to Arian my palate
my understanding my knowledge then grab
it run it and then pass on to your team
don’t hold that inside I was with a
bunch of other investors who I respect
and they brought me a deal and I wanted
to be part of it but it didn’t feel
right
and I wrote millions of dollars on that
one and it just didn’t feel right and I
lost it all within two years
so should investors trust their gut no
absolutely and trust you
but what about you said earlier don’t be
emotional and sometimes the gut no this
is this is a barometer of risk it’s
something an internalized for an
investor that says I don’t feel
comfortable it’s not about emotion just
don’t write that check that was recently
the first time I didn’t listen to that
and I lost everything
so now my radar is up I listen to my gut
it’s not an emotion it’s an index of
risk and you get it as you age you
become a better investor every year if
only I could live to 200 I’d be really
good many many kids and many grown-ups
do figure out over time what their
passions are and sometimes we let our I
don’t think it’s that hard I think what
happens though sometimes is that we let
our intellectual selves overrule those
passions and so that’s what needs to be
guarded against compassion for yourself
of course it’s as important as
compassion for others when often I get
asked questions like people who did
something that they now realize realize
was deeply wrong in the past sometimes
people ask questions about they brought
up their children in a
way that they now realize was not very
conscious and so that they may have cost
suffering to their children or other
people find they have caused suffering
to loved ones and they now realize that
what they did was wrong and again I say
this is an example where you need to be
compassionate with yourself because no
human being can act beyond their level
of consciousness so that was your level
of consciousness at the time and you
could not go beyond that and again here
to make demands upon yourself up to a
point it might be a good thing to but if
you as long as you enjoy it it’s a
wonderful thing when the enjoyment of
what you’re doing is lost then you have
to be careful because there you have to
come to a stop and say okay this is
something here that’s not right because
I’m no longer enjoying what I’m doing
you already know who you are and that
peace that peace that we’re after lies
somewhere beyond personality your need
for acceptance can make you invisible in
this world don’t let anything stand in
the way of the light that shines through
this form risk being seen in all of your
glory as soon as we I got off the phone
call with him and then also when he said
it’s not in the picture now but we think
I think it’d be great at Dallas dance at
the end and my heartbeat went up on the
phone and I started breaking the cold
sweat like oh no I thought that’s not
ensues I would all know that’s not that
the other other devil in my ear said
dare you do and I just meant of course I
think it’s yes because I immediately
notice if you don’t you’re pulsing out
dude are you kidding me you will forever
regret you have to so as soon as that
got over that I was like well that’s
inevitable I’m doing it mmm now I gotta
bust my ass too
go do it the best I can and a lot of
fear that hmm I mean that was yeah that
was some major really good anxiety and
fear and then now we’re saying now I’m
saying by that time now everything my
choice is from that phone call long work
anything I was nervous about you have to
go now don’t go all the way go meet
midnight yes can y’all meet him for
another Corey choreographed session 8:00
a.m. Sunday morning do you got an hour
I’m gonna go send them here my wife’s
over there watching reading something
I’m standing the mirror I’m gonna
practice as a move this is really
embarrassing well too bad man do it in
the mirror right now because the less
embarrassing that gets hopefully the
more comfortable you’ll be when you’re
out there in front of 80 people aim
bunch of cameras and one thing you do
when you go out there don’t come up
short yo go all the way so when we see a
kid with a lemonade stand it’s different
then when we see a vending machine
selling lemonade even if it’s exactly
the same product because the story
around it is what people are paying for
so when I meet small business people all
I ask them is not what’s their balance
sheet but what’s their story why should
I pick you why do I care about what
you’re doing and if you start giving me
all this inside baseball statistics
about why you’re two percent better than
some other competitor I’m already glazed
over because that’s not part of the way
I see the world well you really need to
do is think about what is the smallest
possible test that I can run for this
idea for this concept for this theory
get it out there and get customers using
it because your customers are gonna be
the ones to tell you if it’s really
working or not if you’re not utilizing
an online community then you’re at a
disadvantage to those who are
you can be asking online community
that’s what they think about your ideas
or if they have any advice with what
you’re working on not only will you hear
from people who are passionate about the
subject but you’ll be hearing from
people all around the world each with
their own experiences and stories that
can help you once you have passion
anything that you’re passionate about
now you can look at other people or
other entities or other things or works
of art you can draw things from that to
help you be better at what you buy
looking for those common denominators I
don’t even know how do I prepare her how
do I prepare how do I study how do I
view the game how do you build your game
and my response is much like the way he
builds products and you think
sequentially yeah you look at this the
end result of what you want to create
but in order to create that there’s so
many other little things that go into
this massive entity that large device
it’s no different than building a
basketball you start with what do you
want your game to be will we make your
game most unstoppable and now you work
backwards from there and you start
building it one piece at a time one move
at a time one counter there’s a lot of
similarities there you want an idea
about what you can say I know it sounds
like a bad idea
but here’s specifically why it’s
actually a great one you want to sound
crazy but you want to actually be right
because when you’re trying to
differentiate when you’re trying to do
something different there’s going to be
that gut moment that gut sense is this
right is this not right if you’re not if
you’re not having doubt you’re not
pushing the boundaries far enough one of
the things I advise entrepreneurs to do
is when you have an idea a classic
entrepreneurial impulse is to hold the
idea close to you and not go to help you
because all the ideas so special
right that’s almost always a mistake go
talk to why is that a mistake yeah it’s
a mistake because your actual real
competitive advantage is not that you
have this idea that you have locked away
in your closet which may or may not be
accurate you have no idea which it is
your actual competitive advantages if
you’re assembling the Intel
around does this idea work what is the
right team what is the right learnings
and we’re essentially in most like me
have to do everything three times before
we get it right
thankfully I know that so I know that I
have to get up early and and try it five
times because the eight-year-old will be
able to get past it in two times so I
have to be on my feet longer but at
least I know it and so I just go at
stuff and it served me very well and
that my resume is pretty varied and I
have a pretty interesting life y’all get
to do different stuff and have a bit of
access because I just said yeah I’ll try
that I mean why would I hold back I
think success first of all is knowing my
purpose in life as I have watched and
observed successful people what I have
discovered about them is they really
have figured out why they’re here they
really do have their act together and
and and knowing their purpose in life is
a stability for them so that when
everyone else is rocking and rolling and
and and and things are a little unsteady
and people are kind of leaving the ship
and people are kind of abandoning their
causes with these people they hold
steady right throughout the storm
because they they have a true North Star
they truly are focused it becomes an it
comes an anchor in their life that just
holds them steady and the anchor is a
confidence based upon a knowledge of
purpose and there are a lot of people
from whom we can learn a lot and I think
like you know the one piece of advice is
like don’t underestimate anyone you come
across a fright like whether they’re you
know a blue collar worker waiting for
the bus or they’re you know helping you
at your they’re the server a bartender
at the restaurant or they’re a
lower-ranking employee I mean the
smartest leaders I’ve ever seen have
always gone around the room and asked
for everybody’s opinion I don’t pay no
attention to what they say about me all
I do is just do what I have to do and
get paid and that’s it but I don’t
really pay no attention to the rules of
boxing I don’t pay no attention I defy
all the rules I define I’ve added pages
to the book of boxes the world is a
hurting place and the world needs hope
and the world needs love
without hope feel like why are we here
well brokenness here’s mine today I
still have no arms or legs but
everything’s changed everything for me I
was looking for hope and happiness and I
couldn’t see it for many years in fact
if this side of the table represents my
hope truth encourages me to become all
that I can be but then we have lies
every day coming in our mind
people who discourage us you know the
people that you have in your life who no
matter how good of a day you’re having
they’ll bring you down or and no matter
how bad of a day you’re having they’ll
bring you even lower you know what I’m
talking about
think of the three biggest discourages
in your life they’re not your biggest
discourages you are you are really takes
three seconds I’m gonna tell you
something discouraging but then you may
never forget my words a lot of times
I’ll be the tours at Mile Run or
something like that and I’m all jacked
up body’s broken mines broken spirits
broken I started to say what if I can
pull this off when I first walked into
the Navy SEAL recruiters office he
looked at me and said only been 35
african-americans and 70 years make it
through you know I said to myself what
if I can be the 36 it’s the what if I
can pull off a miracle what if I can
become someone that no one thinks I can
be and just that just means talking
about that I have a hair going up on my
arms because it makes me just like what
if I can be that guy that people who
called nigger and this and that and now
I’m speaking at tom ferry event it’s so
hard I thought doing this research I
thought going into it there are
authentic people and inauthentic people
who I had I did not find any evidence of
that at all
what I found is authenticity to practice
and you choose it every day sometimes
every hour of every day and it’s a
practice it’s not I just wake up in ham
authentic well familiar they visualize
where you want to be what you want to
accomplish and you kind of get lost in
the process of day-to-day you know
grinding it out and working pulling on
eyes if you have to you know that this
is just about not losing vision and not
losing sight of what you what you’re
trying to accomplish no matter what
hurdles you have to go through so I
think that kind of relates to whatever
you’re doing whatever you know major
you’ve chosen what you’re interested in
so for me and basketball and it’s about
you know visualizing whether you write
it down and put it on the wall do
something with what your goals are and
get lost in the process of the
day-to-day grind day-to-day getting
better every single day asking questions
aligning yourself with people that have
been through it before they’re that are
experienced and leaning on that advice
and just trying to outwork the next
person and that’s the biggest thing how
do you think about making a decision
when everyone tells you this is a crazy
idea
where do you get the internal strength
to do that well first of all I’d say I
actually think I feel feel fair quite
strongly so it’s not as though I just
have the absence of fear I’ve I feel
quite strongly but there are times when
something is important enough you
believe in it enough that you do it in
spite of the fear
so speaking of important things like
people shouldn’t think III should think
well I feel fear about this and
therefore I shouldn’t do it it’s normal
to be to feel fair like you’d have to
definitely something mentally wrong we
didn’t feel fair so you just feel it and
let the importance of it anyway yeah you
know actually we’re something that can
be helpful as fatalism some degree if
you just think it’s just accept the
probabilities then
that diminishes fear so my starting
SpaceX I thought the odds of success
were less than 10% and I just accepted
that actually probably I would just lose
lose everything but that maybe would
make some progress if we could just move
the ball forward even if we died maybe
some other company could pick up the
baton and move and keep moving it
forward so that were still do some good
yeah same with Tesla I thought the odds
of a clock company succeeding were
extremely low most startups that fail do
it ultimately because they did not make
something that people wanted they made
something that you know that they
thought people would want but they were
either in denial about it about you know
whether it was actually any good or
somebody else came along and made
something that people wanted even more
and so it’s not just about doing focus
groups it’s not just about you know
double-checking your vision it really is
about integrating this concept of
testing our ideas rigorously throughout
the product development process out the
marketing process even as we scale up
the hardest thing to do is start you
have all these ideas and everyone has an
idea but it’s really about executing the
idea and building the idea and
attracting other people to help you work
on the idea that is the biggest
challenge but the way to begin is to get
the idea out of your head draw it out
you know talk about it program it if
you’re a programmer or make it if you’re
building something and so when we’re
coming up with ideas you know we always
ask ourselves what kind of new market is
this creating and then also what what
part of my day and and what problem is
it solving and so I’ve gone as far as
taking an entire catalogue of my day
from the moment I like open my eyes and
writing down every single thing I do and
then asking myself like is there
something here don’t necessarily think
that you have to have the homerun in the
huge Apple Computer on your first start
I spent a long time in my life with
skills just building little devices for
fun for fun is one of the key things
does that drives you to think and think
think and make it better and better and
better than you ever would if you’re
doing it for a company build things at
first for yourself that you would want
well you have to treat yourself like you
matter because if you don’t then you
don’t take care of yourself and you
become vengeful and and and cruel and
you you take you take it out on people
around you and you’re not a positive
force none of that’s good
so you suffer more and so does everyone
around you and there’s a malevolence
that enters into it none of that’s good
so that’s what happens if you don’t
treat yourself like you matter and then
what happens if you don’t treat other
people like they matter
well you lie to them you cheat them you
steal you you you enter into impulsive
relationships with them they can’t trust
you that doesn’t go anywhere they don’t
like you you you end up alone at best
and maybe like incarcerated at worst
like that doesn’t work and so you watch
the people around you who thrive
regardless of what they say they act out
the proposition that everyone matters
and then you have a functional society
and I think okay well if if if when you
act out the proposition that everyone
matters you have a functional society
maybe that’s evidence that that
proposition is true it’s like I think
it’s I think it’s true if you’re not
coming up with ten ideas a day that’s
why I have this thing I’m not coming up
when I’m filling up this page every
single day then my idea muscle will
atrophy and I started this in 2001 and I
still do it every single day like you
have to come up with ideas every single
day or the idea muscle atrophies the
good news is after about six months of
doing that you’re like a machine like
people get surprised at how many ideas
you could just have any what this all
comes down to is doing something
exceptional for your users whether it’s
in community whether it’s in connection
or whether it’s in design this is our
big advantage as a startup is that we
can actually get away with doing this we
can make this the core part of why we’re doing business
thing that holds people back from high
performance when it matters the most
well I think there’s two parts to that
question you know you add the one that
matters the most and that’s a really
important nuanced esoteric phrase and I
love this race when it matters most
because if you listen to ESPN or you
listen to Fox Sports or you listen to
any of those you know types of shows
they’ll say that a game defining play
defining moment and there really isn’t
such a thing and so when it matters most
is now it’s not later it’s not the
Superbowl it’s not your Everest it’s not
the pitch that you’re that you’re gonna
give to a VC firm that’s not the moment
the moment is now and it’s always now
and it’s now again and if we are present
it’s now again and it’s always now and
so the idea is that there’s no such
thing as a moment later that’s more
important than the one you have now
because again this is very esoteric if
we were to strip away your ability and
my ability to live in this present
moment then we don’t have life right
it’s the absence of life yeah but what
happens for most of us is that if you
think about this moment a little bit
like a raindrop like it’s moving okay
and eventually it’ll crash death if you
will but like this raindrop that’s
moving we can be on the edges of the
raindrop or we be right in the center we
don’t ever leave our raindrop are you
unique raised up but when we go to the
edges of the raindrop it’s like we are
not fully in the present moment and so
what gets in the way anxiety you know
worry what do they think of me what if
it goes wrong do I have what it takes am
I going to embarrass myself am I gonna
let people down you know so that anxiety
is a real condition
it’s estimated that well the research
suggests at 15 percent of Americans
suffer and that’s the word from anxiety
the estimate is probably more like 30%
mm-hmm suffer and it’s a mental disorder
and anxiety by definition is the
excessive worry about what could go
wrong so that’s at the root
at this Batson what’s the opposite of
anxiety groundedness yeah sense of poise
and presence focusing on what could go
right yeah well not even not even that
but like yes right so if if anxiety is
worrying about what could go wrong
an anecdote for that experience is
focusing on what could go right and what
could be fantastic living in gratitude
that’s right yeah which I’m obviously
you’re familiar with but the essence of
it is coming back to the center of that
raindrop that esoteric thing I’ll talk
about like that falling raindrop to time
your ability to be right in the center
and what does that mean that you’re
grounded you’re present your your mind
is on time with what’s happening and so
you’ve heard great athletes talk about
the game slows down you know it doesn’t
slow down that’s not what happens is
that our mind becomes fully syncopated
at the speed of life and we’re on time
and so when we’re finally on time it’s
such a relief like oh my god this is
this is the speed of light this is
amazing yeah and so we don’t have ever
have the power to slow down time we just
have the power to increase our ability
to be on time all right now in this
moment then the next moment that’s mode
yeah the worried mind is behind time or
ahead of time how do we define success
can a bus driver on the street be
defined is successful and the guy who’s
the CEO of that business not successful
so when I started out on this journey I
had the same definition of success as
almost everyone which is I thought you
know the more powerful you are the more
wealthy you are the more successful you
are you know the Forbes list idea it
wasn’t until I met Steve Wozniak the
co-founder of Apple computers that he
completely redefined my understanding of
success he helped me realize that you
know if you put Steve Jobs and Steve
Wozniak side-by-side most people will
say Steve Jobs was more successful but
Wozniak company realize that success has
much more to do with how you define it
how you look within yourself and ask
yourself what do I actually want what
makes me
and if what makes you happy is driving a
bus and coming home at 5:00 p.m. and
picking up your kids and playing catch
with them and you’re the CEO of a
company and never see your kids you’re
not successful if you’re miserable if
you’re not doing what you want to do
that’s not success
so should we broaden ideas of what it
means as a definition flawed I believe
that the natural human and really
Western definition of success which is
more money more power more prestige
isn’t right look it might be right for
some people who want that but for the
vast majority of people who want to be
you know a mother and working and
helping at their kids school or a father
who wants to be you know involved with
their community I think the idea of the
more Twitter followers you have and the
more money you have is a flauta model
you have to look within yourself and ask
yourself what you want
you’re gonna play big say big you’re
gonna play huge say huge you’re gonna
play ginormous a ginormous but first
take baby steps you gonna eat the
elephant but take one small bite first
chew it good right we want so much so
fast my grandmother says baby she starts
every sentence with baby I’m sure it’s
because she cannot remember all of our
names she said baby the best things
you’ll ever have from Grandma will never
come from the microwave they always come
from the oven and I was like I think
some somehow she’s trying to give me a
lesson here and I realized that the best
things that you’re gonna create are
gonna take time build it on cement not
sinking saying you’re gonna get tons and
tons and tons of tools here and you’re
gonna want to fast forward when you fast
forward you’re building on Plexiglas
you’ve been on styrofoam you’ve been on
wood you want to build it on semen your
dream is important enough to outlive you
yes yes
and so I realized that that you can’t
Google download resiliency you can’t
Google download tenacity
you can’t Google download forgiveness
there’s some of the best qualities and
characteristics that’s gonna take you a
long way that you need to invest time in
and energy in and intention in you don’t
just get patience I want patience I’m
waiting for pick somebody’s gonna piss
you off tomorrow then now you get to
test if you have patience I realized I
realized that as I wanted to develop me
I have to be willing to climb and I
wanted to get to the top and there’s no
elevator to the top I got to do my
squats I got to work on my quads and my
hamstrings and my calves cuz I gotta
climb to the top we gotta climb I
probably got paid about three hundred
and fifty thousand dollars in my first
13 years of law practice total and I had
an army of children and no capital to
start with and when I chose this
alternative career I had over $300,000
in liquid instruments so I had and that
was ten years of living expenses so I
was not a courageous bench or some
admirable man I was a cautious little
squirrel saving up more nuts than I
really needed it and not going very deep
into my pile of nuts and so that was it
wasn’t that courageous and I kept one
foot in the law firm while I tried my
capitalist career but as soon as the
capitalist career succeeded I intended
to lift that second foot because I
recognized that the potential of law
practice as I saw it then I didn’t
anticipate the boom that came to the big
firms I just saw this being more
difficult I wanted more independence
though it was going to have her as a
lawyer I hated standing other people
invoices and needing money from richer
people I thought it was undignified I
wanted my own money
not because I loved ease or social
prestige I wanted the independence just
the last 15 minutes of this podcast was
so strong from Monday morning about like
where it all starts with your mind
people don’t really believe that but
it’s true really for me it started when
I said I’m getting into comedy I don’t
give my credit bureau I don’t give a
about the credit card people I don’t you
about the bank’s about what I Drive you
about what my clothes on because at the
end it doesn’t really matter unless
you’re happy for years I’m worried about
my job and I gotta have white sneakers
or nothing I have a black shirt on it
who gives up at the end of the day I
wasn’t happy I wasn’t happy I didn’t get
happy till I started driving
cross-country with a pair of shorts on
and stinky sneakers the t-shirt and you
got three pair of jeans and three shirts
and they’re lasting you all week dog you
got like four pair of socks and you get
on a stage that’s what I really started
getting happy when I started waking up
in the morning and knew I had to drive
200 miles and I had 30 to 50 in quarters
and I had to get lunch with that reefer
and gas to get me to that next location
for some reason I’d be happy a lot
happier than making 1,200 a week and
paying my bills I was like this is what
I like I like this so it’s food for
thought sometimes it’s not about the
money or the dollars it’s about what
brings a smile to your face and once you
find it let yourself go don’t think
about it don’t look back yeah don’t
compare prices yeah don’t listen to your
uncle about taking their roofing job for
1254 stability yeah you know what
stability is overrated don’t stabilities
over it absolutely I think happiness is
doing what you want to the
milt I can even if they’re probably I
was in comedy for I was in comedy for 12
years before I saw it time yeah we were
getting paid but nothing to write home
about I could have quit at any time in
those 12 years and found the job I would
had tricked somebody into being an
indoor salesman I didn’t want to do that
I would have rather live on eight
thousand a year and do my own thing and
around at night and smoke pot with your
stupid buddies and get on stage and
going to an office insurance who gives a
when you think about the insurance
that’s when you need insurance for 30
years I ran around with no issues that
never happened to me would have come
through on your word it allows the guys
that you’re leading male or female to be
able to say okay we can follow this
person because he he won’t let us down
you know for me as the leader of our
franchise and the leader of my household
and a leader of so many you know
different different things I think is
the confidence but it’s also you
practicing what you preach I’m not a God
who just talks about I actually I’ll go
out and do it as well from a basketball
perspective or from from a leadership
perspective my kids are my foundation
you know we have a promise initiative
where they promised me that they will go
to school there with city teachers
they’d be great to their classmates and
I promised them that I will continue to
be a great role model a father figure
for them and not let those guys down so
I’ll take that responsibility and I
don’t just talk about I actually do it
as well so were you able to come through
on your word it allows the guys that
you’re leading male or female to be able
to say okay we can follow this person
because he won’t let us down no matter
if it’s no matter if it’s going good or
bad you know every day is not a bed of
roses we understand that and you have to
being flexible minded or open-minded I’m
not saying you shouldn’t have a you know
vision for your idea or your product but
you need to be open to change it you
should find a great partner no matter
what it is that you’re doing and you
should look for someone who is very high
intelligence very high energy and very
high integrity and you need all three of
those they can’t compromise on any one
of them otherwise you’ll end up with
either someone was not smart which is
does you no good or someone’s not
hard-working which also doesn’t know
good or the worst case is you end up
with the smart hard-working crook who
ends up working against your interests
and integrity something that takes a lot
of time spent with someone to figure out
we know from our past experiences that
big things start small you know the
biggest oak starts from an acorn and
you’ve got to recognize you want to do
anything new you’ve got to be willing to
let that acorn grow into a little
sapling and then finally into a small
tree and maybe one day it’ll be a big
business on its own and in fact that’s
one of the mottos for one of your
initiatives and forgive my pronunciation
of the Latin but Greta team for Oct what
does that mean to you well it means step
by step ferociously and it’s the motto
for Blue Origin and basically you can’t
skip steps you have to put one foot in
front of the other things take time
you there are no shortcuts and but but
you want to do those steps with you know
passion and ferocity or a lot of things
that are outside of your control a lot
of external circumstances will depend
like determine the success of your idea
whether you know the market timings
right for this new kind of service or
whether people you know whether a
customer like the economy’s been right
for for for your kind of service right
whether you meet the right people who
will find answer a company many many
external circumstances are like outside
of your control and like but will affect
the outcome
you have to like be okay with that it
looks like you always go out of your
comfort zone right coming onto an island
that was completely deserted no
freshwater you don’t even have the money
to buy it and and now you’re sleeping on
a tent on the beach trying to figure out
how to get fresh water here you do that
often you did it with the airline I mean
I was just somebody that experienced the
bad experience of traveling on airlines
I was actually trying to get to the BVI
the British Virgin Islands one day from
Puerto Rico and the same lovely lady was
waiting for me and I’ve been away for
three weeks and American Airlines bumped
the flight and and I went to the back of
the airport I had a plane I had a
blackboard I wrote Virgin Airlines
one-way $29 to the VV I went around all
the people have been bumped and I filled
my first plane and and that got me
thinking you know that airlines do bump
people they don’t care about you or me
particularly in the air and so we saw
them rang up Boeing and said you have
any second 747 okay I mean it was
literally that you just sat in the
airport and said I’m starting an airline
right now because I’m frustrated exactly
and I think most most of the best
entrepreneurial ideas come out of
frustration I think you know if you if
you’re frustrated about something and
the best way of sorting it out is get
out and do it and you’ve got yourself a
business my mom passed away about almost
three years ago and she always would
tell me she was like whatever you do I
know you’re doing all this football
stuff you’re doing all these other
things but never forget you’re an artist
I’m telling you when I see what I’m
doing right now and I get to I get to do
so many things that so many people never
got to see I get to gulp so many places
and do so many things that none of the
people who wanted to were able to I feel
like just there is a responsibility but
also if I don’t do it everything they’ve
gone through it’s nothing you know so
the way I approach things is really it’s
kind of for everyone else you know I
have to try it I have to go for it I
like this call myself a motivational
doer I hate talking so much like I’m a
big talker and you guys you can tell but
the big thing is I want to back
everything up with action I want to be
an action figure
like always always back it up with
movement don’t talk about working out
you can do it all day but do it and that
was the big big distinction I’ve seen
especially growing up in the hood so
many people man I’m finna do this I’m
finna I’m finna and man I said man well
why haven’t you why aren’t you and so
everything you see me doing I just said
I’m going I’m trying I’m going for it I
don’t care and we’ll see what happens I
do think that one thing that’s important
is especially if you’re a founder or a
technical founder is to realize that you
can’t do everything and even if you can
you shouldn’t I think you should be
spending your money on on on teaching
and sharing and so that might mean
hiring a writer too perhaps instead of a
marketing
you know and start writing and start
getting people to listen to what you’re
saying you can’t talk about yourself all
the time because no one’s going to come
back for that we get to talk about
things that are relevant to your
industry or ideas that you have and
start to build that audience up try to
do something that you would want to do
anyway whether it’s doesn’t necessarily
have to be a very successful business
because when you do decide to become an
entrepreneur and start a business
chances are it’s not gonna do it’s not
gonna become like a multi-million dollar
business so at least do something that
you love in the beginning so that even
if it fails you’d still enjoy it the
definition of values is there the
behaviors or principles that you
religiously adhere to within your
company
when I say religious I mean that no
amount of data will sway you
in it from from those principles and the
degree to which that you have the
courage to maintain your conviction
around those ideas is the degree to
which you’re going to be successful over
the long term the most important thing
when you’re working with people early is
that you guys line up on on what your
goals are that’s that’s really that
sounds really basic but you can totally
it can be fine you can want to build a
small business that makes money and you
don’t have to go to an office every day
or you can want to build a huge company
you can want to build Google but I think
you have to be really really aligned on
that so the most important part of
getting to a goal is to start feeling it
now is to start acting as if right if
you want to be that leader if you want
to be that author if you want to be that
painter all it takes is one action and
you truly are in the process of becoming
it so it’s funny that I am literally
basically done with the book and I’m
like can I call myself an author yet
I’ve written a book of course because
you have taken the action you’re doing
the actions there is no final anointing
of anyone there’s no ceremony there’s no
fireworks you just start acting as
and feeling it and envisioning it and
picturing it and soon enough you become
it right so everybody starts somewhere
so whether you are a famous ballerina or
an Olympic swimmer they all started
somewhere they all had to take that
first class they all had to take that
first leap into the water right and at
what point can you start calling
yourself a swimmer a dancer an author
it’s the second that you start taking
action and you start thinking it and
you’re feeling it right it’s about
embodying it so my biggest tip for you
is to start seeing yourself as that
person and start taking the small
actions of being that person that you
want to be that’s the only thing that is
separating you from actually being it so
you have to act as if in order to really
start getting that ball rolling and all
of a sudden you are so just go and do it
try learn from it you know you’ll fail
at some things that’s a learning
experience that you need so that you can
take that on to the next experience and
don’t let people who you may respect and
who you believe know what they’re
talking about don’t let them tell you it
can’t be done because often they will
tell you it can’t be done and it’s just
cuz you don’t have the courage to try it
Ben Graham and as low and as lower teens
looked around and he looked at the
people he admired and he said you know I
want to be admired so why don’t I just
behave like them and he found there was
nothing impossible about behaving like
them and similarly he did the same thing
on the reverse side in terms of getting
rid of those qualities from the time I
was seven years old every Saturday I
would go for four hours of acting class
every Saturday whoa
and I loved it I just left it till the
point with all the kids graduated and
went on to the other stuff and I started
doing adult acting classes and then I
was in the commercial classes and then I
loved like the hair and makeup classes
just everything I just couldn’t get
enough try and be decisive I try and
even if I don’t know what the hell I’m
doing I try to be decisive because I
think it’s very comforting and
reassuring and important to the people
that work with you to feel that whoever
is in charge knows what they’re doing
and knows what they’re thinking and that
if it’s a yes it’s a yes and it’s a no
it’s a no I mean I don’t think of myself
as a boss I mean I I think of myself as
someone who’s giving direction and
guidance so and vice versa I think great
entrepreneurs must have the curiosity to
to kind of metaphorically see around the
corner what’s coming
what can I anticipate that other people
don’t see and then you must have the
courage of your convictions to execute
the strategy you know one way to
conceptualize what makes a good product
is you know good engineering is part of
it good design is part of it but really
it’s one way I think about is at least
is maximizing the probability that
someone shows up at the front door of
you know your store or your website or
or whatever it is and ends up with a
solved problem and oftentimes the best
methodology is to start with the perfect
experience just one person get that
right and then forget how to scale
something great
instead of scales I mean not so great
and then trying to improve it that’s
really hard to do cuz acting turned out
to be all that you wanted it to be it’s
incredible it’s incredible you know I I
never knew that I could do it as a
career I never knew it was the first
memory that I had it’s the first thing I
can think of as saying I want to be an
actor to my parents and if I hadn’t
lived in Los Angeles and been in such
close proximity to sort of the mecca of
moviemaking if I didn’t have parents
that said okay we’ll drive you to
auditions we didn’t have the economic
means to you know move camp from Idaho
to Los Angeles because some snotty
ten-year-old kid says how I mean acting
we did it night after school I got to go
on auditions but it was always and I’ve
said this before it felt like an elite
group of people and it felt like I would
never belong to them so once I got the
opportunity to to for example get the
movie this boy’s life
with Robert De Niro I said wow now I’m
able to not be able to steer the course
of my career I might be able to have a
career similar to these guys that I’m
you know I so admire and that I knew
what 15 years old was the biggest gift
in the world and that that’s that’s
never left me you know I’ve never I’ve
never that that thirst or that hunger
for wanting to give one great
performance that I’m truly satisfied
with or being one movie that I said I
love this film is something that I don’t
know will ever be quenched I don’t know
and that’s I think that that’s a good
thing because it keeps making it keeps
pushing you you know constantly
dissatisfied in other words and so I
think when you are starting a new
business you uh you don’t want to go
after giant markets you want to go after
small markets and you want to take over
those markets quickly go talk to people
who failed at what you’re doing and who
are no longer doing it there always are
those people so you started to startup
you know you look at the history of your
space I’m so surprised how many people I
talked to some fathers who have no idea
the history of their own space and
there’s some night
there’s some nice naivete to that in the
sense that like you’re gonna do it
differently and and there’s some truth
to that but like when you get down to to
making it work and now you’re into it
already you’ve kind of salus what you’re
doing and you have some problems then
I’d go talk to all these people who
failed because you’ll uncover all sorts
of interesting
things you could drive it looked at lots
companies and why I thought they don’t
succeed over time we’ve had a more rapid
turnover of companies I said what did
they fundamentally do wrong and why are
those companies all do wrong and they
usually it’s just they missed the future
and so I think for me I just tried to
focus on that and say what does that
future really gonna be and how do we
create it I do believe that
organizations human organizations are
inherently unstable they will fall over
and you have to work to keep them
upright but they fall slowly most people
don’t notice it they let their success
like it blind them they don’t see it
falling over the following takes place
low but the collapse is quick you have
to do constant assessment you have to
look for the hard truths that whatever
you do somebody can do it better you
have to bring your a-game in every
single day there’s nothing unique about
any one individual what’s unique is
their passion their ability to execute
to meet targets and exceed them the
minute you lose that ability in
capitalism you’re gone it’s a fair trade
the engine that makes you rich can take
it all away from you there are no
guarantees I think that’s incredibly
important there’s a lot of conventional
wisdom out there built up over time and
built through all the learnings from all
and this may be fully applicable to most
of the companies out there but before
it’s applied to your organization I
highly recommend that you question it
because it could be absolutely fatal for
your success I’ve learnt an experience
is that you know if you don’t open up
and you don’t delegate then you’ll kill
yourself and if there’s one thing that
I’ve managed to understand is the art of
delegation because if I can pass on you
know to Claire Smith to Arian my palate
my understanding my knowledge then grab
it run it and then pass on to your team
don’t hold that inside I was with a
bunch of other investors who I respect
and they brought me a deal and I wanted
to be part of it but it didn’t feel
right
and I wrote millions of dollars on that
one and it just didn’t feel right and I
lost it all within two years
so should investors trust their gut no
absolutely and trust you
but what about you said earlier don’t be
emotional and sometimes the gut no this
is this is a barometer of risk it’s
something an internalized for an
investor that says I don’t feel
comfortable it’s not about emotion just
don’t write that check that was recently
the first time I didn’t listen to that
and I lost everything
so now my radar is up I listen to my gut
it’s not an emotion it’s an index of
risk and you get it as you age you
become a better investor every year if
only I could live to 200 I’d be really
good many many kids and many grown-ups
do figure out over time what their
passions are and sometimes we let our I
don’t think it’s that hard I think what
happens though sometimes is that we let
our intellectual selves overrule those
passions and so that’s what needs to be
guarded against compassion for yourself
of course it’s as important as
compassion for others when often I get
asked questions like people who did
something that they now realize realize
was deeply wrong in the past sometimes
people ask questions about they brought
up their children in a
way that they now realize was not very
conscious and so that they may have cost
suffering to their children or other
people find they have caused suffering
to loved ones and they now realize that
what they did was wrong and again I say
this is an example where you need to be
compassionate with yourself because no
human being can act beyond their level
of consciousness so that was your level
of consciousness at the time and you
could not go beyond that and again here
to make demands upon yourself up to a
point it might be a good thing to but if
you as long as you enjoy it it’s a
wonderful thing when the enjoyment of
what you’re doing is lost then you have
to be careful because there you have to
come to a stop and say okay this is
something here that’s not right because
I’m no longer enjoying what I’m doing
you already know who you are and that
peace that peace that we’re after lies
somewhere beyond personality your need
for acceptance can make you invisible in
this world don’t let anything stand in
the way of the light that shines through
this form risk being seen in all of your
glory as soon as we I got off the phone
call with him and then also when he said
it’s not in the picture now but we think
I think it’d be great at Dallas dance at
the end and my heartbeat went up on the
phone and I started breaking the cold
sweat like oh no I thought that’s not
ensues I would all know that’s not that
the other other devil in my ear said
dare you do and I just meant of course I
think it’s yes because I immediately
notice if you don’t you’re pulsing out
dude are you kidding me you will forever
regret you have to so as soon as that
got over that I was like well that’s
inevitable I’m doing it mmm now I gotta
bust my ass too
go do it the best I can and a lot of
fear that hmm I mean that was yeah that
was some major really good anxiety and
fear and then now we’re saying now I’m
saying by that time now everything my
choice is from that phone call long work
anything I was nervous about you have to
go now don’t go all the way go meet
midnight yes can y’all meet him for
another Corey choreographed session 8:00
a.m. Sunday morning do you got an hour
I’m gonna go send them here my wife’s
over there watching reading something
I’m standing the mirror I’m gonna
practice as a move this is really
embarrassing well too bad man do it in
the mirror right now because the less
embarrassing that gets hopefully the
more comfortable you’ll be when you’re
out there in front of 80 people aim
bunch of cameras and one thing you do
when you go out there don’t come up
short yo go all the way so when we see a
kid with a lemonade stand it’s different
then when we see a vending machine
selling lemonade even if it’s exactly
the same product because the story
around it is what people are paying for
so when I meet small business people all
I ask them is not what’s their balance
sheet but what’s their story why should
I pick you why do I care about what
you’re doing and if you start giving me
all this inside baseball statistics
about why you’re two percent better than
some other competitor I’m already glazed
over because that’s not part of the way
I see the world well you really need to
do is think about what is the smallest
possible test that I can run for this
idea for this concept for this theory
get it out there and get customers using
it because your customers are gonna be
the ones to tell you if it’s really
working or not if you’re not utilizing
an online community then you’re at a
disadvantage to those who are
you can be asking online community
that’s what they think about your ideas
or if they have any advice with what
you’re working on not only will you hear
from people who are passionate about the
subject but you’ll be hearing from
people all around the world each with
their own experiences and stories that
can help you once you have passion
anything that you’re passionate about
now you can look at other people or
other entities or other things or works
of art you can draw things from that to
help you be better at what you buy
looking for those common denominators I
don’t even know how do I prepare her how
do I prepare how do I study how do I
view the game how do you build your game
and my response is much like the way he
builds products and you think
sequentially yeah you look at this the
end result of what you want to create
but in order to create that there’s so
many other little things that go into
this massive entity that large device
it’s no different than building a
basketball you start with what do you
want your game to be will we make your
game most unstoppable and now you work
backwards from there and you start
building it one piece at a time one move
at a time one counter there’s a lot of
similarities there you want an idea
about what you can say I know it sounds
like a bad idea
but here’s specifically why it’s
actually a great one you want to sound
crazy but you want to actually be right
because when you’re trying to
differentiate when you’re trying to do
something different there’s going to be
that gut moment that gut sense is this
right is this not right if you’re not if
you’re not having doubt you’re not
pushing the boundaries far enough one of
the things I advise entrepreneurs to do
is when you have an idea a classic
entrepreneurial impulse is to hold the
idea close to you and not go to help you
because all the ideas so special
right that’s almost always a mistake go
talk to why is that a mistake yeah it’s
a mistake because your actual real
competitive advantage is not that you
have this idea that you have locked away
in your closet which may or may not be
accurate you have no idea which it is
your actual competitive advantages if
you’re assembling the Intel
around does this idea work what is the
right team what is the right learnings
and we’re essentially in most like me
have to do everything three times before
we get it right
thankfully I know that so I know that I
have to get up early and and try it five
times because the eight-year-old will be
able to get past it in two times so I
have to be on my feet longer but at
least I know it and so I just go at
stuff and it served me very well and
that my resume is pretty varied and I
have a pretty interesting life y’all get
to do different stuff and have a bit of
access because I just said yeah I’ll try
that I mean why would I hold back I
think success first of all is knowing my
purpose in life as I have watched and
observed successful people what I have
discovered about them is they really
have figured out why they’re here they
really do have their act together and
and and knowing their purpose in life is
a stability for them so that when
everyone else is rocking and rolling and
and and and things are a little unsteady
and people are kind of leaving the ship
and people are kind of abandoning their
causes with these people they hold
steady right throughout the storm
because they they have a true North Star
they truly are focused it becomes an it
comes an anchor in their life that just
holds them steady and the anchor is a
confidence based upon a knowledge of
purpose and there are a lot of people
from whom we can learn a lot and I think
like you know the one piece of advice is
like don’t underestimate anyone you come
across a fright like whether they’re you
know a blue collar worker waiting for
the bus or they’re you know helping you
at your they’re the server a bartender
at the restaurant or they’re a
lower-ranking employee I mean the
smartest leaders I’ve ever seen have
always gone around the room and asked
for everybody’s opinion I don’t pay no
attention to what they say about me all
I do is just do what I have to do and
get paid and that’s it but I don’t
really pay no attention to the rules of
boxing I don’t pay no attention I defy
all the rules I define I’ve added pages
to the book of boxes the world is a
hurting place and the world needs hope
and the world needs love
without hope feel like why are we here
well brokenness here’s mine today I
still have no arms or legs but
everything’s changed everything for me I
was looking for hope and happiness and I
couldn’t see it for many years in fact
if this side of the table represents my
hope truth encourages me to become all
that I can be but then we have lies
every day coming in our mind
people who discourage us you know the
people that you have in your life who no
matter how good of a day you’re having
they’ll bring you down or and no matter
how bad of a day you’re having they’ll
bring you even lower you know what I’m
talking about
think of the three biggest discourages
in your life they’re not your biggest
discourages you are you are really takes
three seconds I’m gonna tell you
something discouraging but then you may
never forget my words a lot of times
I’ll be the tours at Mile Run or
something like that and I’m all jacked
up body’s broken mines broken spirits
broken I started to say what if I can
pull this off when I first walked into
the Navy SEAL recruiters office he
looked at me and said only been 35
african-americans and 70 years make it
through you know I said to myself what
if I can be the 36 it’s the what if I
can pull off a miracle what if I can
become someone that no one thinks I can
be and just that just means talking
about that I have a hair going up on my
arms because it makes me just like what
if I can be that guy that people who
called nigger and this and that and now
I’m speaking at tom ferry event it’s so
hard I thought doing this research I
thought going into it there are
authentic people and inauthentic people
who I had I did not find any evidence of
that at all
what I found is authenticity to practice
and you choose it every day sometimes
every hour of every day and it’s a
practice it’s not I just wake up in ham
authentic well familiar they visualize
where you want to be what you want to
accomplish and you kind of get lost in
the process of day-to-day you know
grinding it out and working pulling on
eyes if you have to you know that this
is just about not losing vision and not
losing sight of what you what you’re
trying to accomplish no matter what
hurdles you have to go through so I
think that kind of relates to whatever
you’re doing whatever you know major
you’ve chosen what you’re interested in
so for me and basketball and it’s about
you know visualizing whether you write
it down and put it on the wall do
something with what your goals are and
get lost in the process of the
day-to-day grind day-to-day getting
better every single day asking questions
aligning yourself with people that have
been through it before they’re that are
experienced and leaning on that advice
and just trying to outwork the next
person and that’s the biggest thing how
do you think about making a decision
when everyone tells you this is a crazy
idea
where do you get the internal strength
to do that well first of all I’d say I
actually think I feel feel fair quite
strongly so it’s not as though I just
have the absence of fear I’ve I feel
quite strongly but there are times when
something is important enough you
believe in it enough that you do it in
spite of the fear
so speaking of important things like
people shouldn’t think III should think
well I feel fear about this and
therefore I shouldn’t do it it’s normal
to be to feel fair like you’d have to
definitely something mentally wrong we
didn’t feel fair so you just feel it and
let the importance of it anyway yeah you
know actually we’re something that can
be helpful as fatalism some degree if
you just think it’s just accept the
probabilities then
that diminishes fear so my starting
SpaceX I thought the odds of success
were less than 10% and I just accepted
that actually probably I would just lose
lose everything but that maybe would
make some progress if we could just move
the ball forward even if we died maybe
some other company could pick up the
baton and move and keep moving it
forward so that were still do some good
yeah same with Tesla I thought the odds
of a clock company succeeding were
extremely low most startups that fail do
it ultimately because they did not make
something that people wanted they made
something that you know that they
thought people would want but they were
either in denial about it about you know
whether it was actually any good or
somebody else came along and made
something that people wanted even more
and so it’s not just about doing focus
groups it’s not just about you know
double-checking your vision it really is
about integrating this concept of
testing our ideas rigorously throughout
the product development process out the
marketing process even as we scale up
the hardest thing to do is start you
have all these ideas and everyone has an
idea but it’s really about executing the
idea and building the idea and
attracting other people to help you work
on the idea that is the biggest
challenge but the way to begin is to get
the idea out of your head draw it out
you know talk about it program it if
you’re a programmer or make it if you’re
building something and so when we’re
coming up with ideas you know we always
ask ourselves what kind of new market is
this creating and then also what what
part of my day and and what problem is
it solving and so I’ve gone as far as
taking an entire catalogue of my day
from the moment I like open my eyes and
writing down every single thing I do and
then asking myself like is there
something here don’t necessarily think
that you have to have the homerun in the
huge Apple Computer on your first start
I spent a long time in my life with
skills just building little devices for
fun for fun is one of the key things
does that drives you to think and think
think and make it better and better and
better than you ever would if you’re
doing it for a company build things at
first for yourself that you would want
well you have to treat yourself like you
matter because if you don’t then you
don’t take care of yourself and you
become vengeful and and and cruel and
you you take you take it out on people
around you and you’re not a positive
force none of that’s good
so you suffer more and so does everyone
around you and there’s a malevolence
that enters into it none of that’s good
so that’s what happens if you don’t
treat yourself like you matter and then
what happens if you don’t treat other
people like they matter
well you lie to them you cheat them you
steal you you you enter into impulsive
relationships with them they can’t trust
you that doesn’t go anywhere they don’t
like you you you end up alone at best
and maybe like incarcerated at worst
like that doesn’t work and so you watch
the people around you who thrive
regardless of what they say they act out
the proposition that everyone matters
and then you have a functional society
and I think okay well if if if when you
act out the proposition that everyone
matters you have a functional society
maybe that’s evidence that that
proposition is true it’s like I think
it’s I think it’s true if you’re not
coming up with ten ideas a day that’s
why I have this thing I’m not coming up
when I’m filling up this page every
single day then my idea muscle will
atrophy and I started this in 2001 and I
still do it every single day like you
have to come up with ideas every single
day or the idea muscle atrophies the
good news is after about six months of
doing that you’re like a machine like
people get surprised at how many ideas
you could just have any what this all
comes down to is doing something
exceptional for your users whether it’s
in community whether it’s in connection
or whether it’s in design this is our
big advantage as a startup is that we
can actually get away with doing this we
can make this the core part of why we’re doing business
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