The Chasing Greatness Podcast

Diving into two short stories on Pat Tillman and Matthew McConaughey, and the trait that is at the root of all great things in life.-----Sources:Where Men Win Glory - Jon KrakauerGreenlights - Matthew McConaughey-----You can check stay connected below:Greatness FilesWebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the life of Phil Knight and how he built Nike. ----- "Let everyone else call your idea crazy . . . just keep going. Don't stop. Don't even think about stopping until you get there, and don't give much thought to where “there” is. Whatever comes, just don't stop."- Phil Knight -----SourcesShoe Dog -----You can check stay connected below:Greatness FilesWebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of ExcellenceApparelInstagramX

Diving into a short story of one of the first women astronauts Rhea Seddon, and the question that altered her life for the better.-----Sources:The Six - Loren Grush-----You can check stay connected below:Greatness Files WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the life and greatness of a tennis legend, Roger Federer. ----“When you're good at something, make that everything."- Roger Federer-----SourcesThe Master - Christopher Clarey-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the lives, philosophies, and work of some of the worlds greatest artists and how they can help you do great work.-----"Sharing art is the price of making it. Exposing your vulnerability is the fee."- Rick Rubin-----SourcesDaily Rituals - Mason CurreyThe Creative Act: A Way of Being - Rick RubinSteal Like an Artist - Austin KleonWar of Art - Stephen PressfieldI Can't Make This Up - Kevin HartMore Myself - Alicia Keys-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the lives, philosophies, and work of some of the worlds greatest artists and how they can help you do great work.-----"There's a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don't, and the secret is this: It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is resistance."- Stephen Pressfield-----SourcesDaily Rituals - Mason CurreyThe Creative Act: A Way of Being - Rick RubinSteal Like an Artist - Austin KleonWar of Art - Stephen PressfieldI Can't Make This Up - Kevin HartMore Myself - Alicia Keys-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence Apparel

Diving into the lives, philosophies, and work of some of the worlds greatest artists and how they can help you do great work.-----"Creativity is something you are, not only something you do. It's a way of moving through the world, every minute, every day."- Rick Rubin-----SourcesDaily Rituals - Mason CurreyThe Creative Act: A Way of Being - Rick RubinSteal Like an Artist - Austin KleonWar of Art - Stephen PressfieldI Can't Make This Up - Kevin HartMore Myself - Alicia Keys-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence ApparelInstagramX

Diving into two basketball legends, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, and what we can learn from their approach to the game of basketball.-----LeBron on discipline,"You have to sacrifice loved one for a long period of time."Kobe on the Mamba Mentality,"The mindset isn't about seeking a result—it's more about the process of getting to that result. It's about the journey and the approach. It's a way of life. I do think that it's important, in all endeavors, to have that mentality ." ----SourcesLeBron - Jeff Benedict Showboat - Roland Lazenby The Mamba Mentality: How I Play - Kobe Bryant-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the life and greatness of a giant in the science world, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize and first person to win it twice, Marie Curie. ----SourcesMadame Curie: A Biography - Eve Curie-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the works and wisdom on entrepreneur, investor, and philsopher Naval Ravikant.-----"Peace is happiness at rest, and happiness is peace in motion." - Naval Ravikant-----SourcesThe Almanack of Naval Ravikant - Eric Jorgenson-----2:05 - Happiness26:05 - Wealth-----You can check stay connected below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the life and greatness of the greatest first basemen in baseball history, the "Iron Man" himself, Lou Gehrig. ----SourcesLuckiest Man - Joanthan Eig-----You can check stay connected and support below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into some short stories on the First Lady who changed the world and what I like to call, The Eleanor Roosevelt Tests.-----Sources:Eleanor - David Michaelis-----You can check stay connected below:Greatness Files WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the early life of Mike Tyson and how legendary trainer, Cus D'Amato, help Mike become the youngest boxing heavyweight champion.-----SourcesIron Ambition - Mike TysonThe Turbulent True Story of Mike Tyson-----1:55 - Poverty and crime6:50 - The turning point12:10 - Meeting Cus D'Amato 13:30 - Cus's training techniques/journey to becoming champion35:15 - Lessons/takeaways-----You can check stay connected below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the early life of Bruce Springstein and the moment, the motto, that changed everything.-----Sources:Born to Run - Bruce Springstein-----You can check stay connected below:Greatness Files WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into stories and lessons on two of the four cardinal virtues--discipline and wisdom.-----Sources:Lives of the Stoics - Ryan Holiday Meditations - Marcus Aurelius Letters from a Stoic - SenecaDicourses - Epictetus-----2:35 - John Wooden: dichtomomy of control9:00 - Jalen Hurts, Abaraham Lincoln, and Marcus Aurelius: motional discipline19:10 - Michael Phelps: work and preparation25:00 - Haruki Murakami: be disciplined about your discipline29:55 - Discipline + desires33:55 - Jobs, Edison, and Paypal: discipline's best-friend36:55 - Bruce Lee + Kobe: empty your cup40:15- Zeno: talk with the dead46:00 - Epictetus + Taylor Swift: blame yourself47:35 - Marcus Aurelius: associations-----Stay connected below: Greatness Files WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into stories and lessons on two of the four cardinal virtues--justice and courage-----Sources:Lives of the Stoics - Ryan Holiday Meditations - Marcus Aurelius Letters from a Stoic - SenecaDicourses - Epictetus-----5:20 - Zeno: embarrassment 8:45 - Cicero: your fears are fears13:00 - Winston Churchill: your capacity is great 14:45 - Charles Lindbergh: build courage 16:55 - Woody Allen: the hardest step18:30 - George Norris: it inspires23:30 - Publius Rufus: knowing vs doing27:20 - Muhammud Ali: don't compromise 31:25 - Helvidius Priscus: accept your roles34:05 - Matthew McConaughey: do less-----You can check stay connected below:Greatness FilesBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into my favorite story on Theodore Roosevelt and the trait that made him special. -----“It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.” - Theodore Roosevelt -----Sources:The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - Edmund MorrisLeadership in Turbulent Times - Doris Kearns Goodwin-----You can check stay connected below:Greatness Files WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the life of Abraham Lincoln and the three stories that define his greatness. “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing.” - Abraham Lincoln-----Sources:Team of Rivals - Doris Kearns Goodwin Leadership in Turbulent Times - Doris Kearns Goodwin-----1:35 - Overcoming poverty9:10 - Die or get better15:35 - Advice for life 19:55 - Do everything28:30 - Traits and practices as a leader39:25 - Lessons/takeaways-----You can check stay connected below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramXSources:Team of Rivals - Doris Kearns Goodwin Leadership in Turbulent Times - Doris Kearns Goodwin

Diving into a short story of the Wright Brothers and what I like to call the belief-doubt paradox.Source - The Wright Brothers by David McCullough-----You can check stay connected below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the story of how Gertrude "Trudy" Ederle etched her name in history and became the first woman to conquer the English Channel.Source - Young Woman and the Sea by Glenn Stout-----2:40 - The daunting task6:15 - The beginning/just an ordinary girl 9:50 - The role of luck 14:30 - The first day in the pool16:20 - The breakthrough 19:05 - The keys to her success23:55 - The 1924 Olympics and heartbreak 26:20 - The challenge 31:20 - A second stab 37:10 - Lessons/takeaways-----You can check stay connected below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the life and greatness Kevin Hart from his book, I Can't Make This Shit Up-----We're all writing a book. What's your book look like. Your life is a book. You got a bunch of chapters in your book. But when they close that book, how good was the book? How good was your book? What was the ending to your book?- Kevin Hart-----You can check stay connected below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the life and greatness Cristiano Ronaldo  from Guilleme Balague book, Cristiano Ronaldo -----"From an early age I wanted to be a professional, and I dreamt of playing in the first division. I had to make many sacrifices. The first was to leave Argentina when I was thirteen years old and start again from zero, make new friends, an a city where I knew no one."4:00  - Childhood and upbringing 5:00 - A teacher's doubts8:30 - How Ronaldo's mom gave his dream a chanceSometimes, I let Ronaldo miss class to play. His teacher told me that I should tell him off for that, but I didn't punish him. He had to practice a lot to become a great player.10:25 - Love and obsession to the game12:10 - Bob Bowman on practice“When we practice long hours, we're depositing money into the bank. We need to deposit enough so that when we make a large withdrawal, we have enough funds to withdraw.”12:50 - Trial with Sporting15:55 - Leaving his family 17:50 - Life is about trade-offs20:15 - Addicted to the game24:35 - A story of confidence 27:20 - Overcoming struggles as a pro30:55 - Keys to Ronaldo's success40:30 - Keep it simple42:45 - Find an enemy: Messi vs Ronaldo50:20 - Lessons/takeaways -----You can check out my book, website, and apparel below: WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the life and greatness Lionel Messi from Guilleme Balague book, Messi-----"From an early age I wanted to be a professional, and I dreamt of playing in the first division. I had to make many sacrifices. The first was to leave Argentina when I was thirteen years old and start again from zero, make new friends, an a city where I knew no one."1:50 - A life of football4:45 - A fierce competitor8:50 - A turning point of Messi's life11:50 - Going to Barcelona 16:35 - Leaving his family18:00 - Struggles in Barcelona 19:55 - Are you set up for success?22:00 - Chasing dreams are like start-ups23:40 - Keys to Messi's success“He had extraordinary passion. I've never seen a player with such zeal. He was desperate to train, to run around the field, to do whatever was asked of him."“I never saw a boy as demanding of himself as he was. Sometimes he would play a fantastic game but would then leave the pitch angry with himself because he thought he could have done better.”28:55 - A story of belief30:30 - Professional struggles34:50 - Talent, genius, or hard work? Factors to Messi's greatness42:35 - Pep Guardiola and Messi44:50 - Defeats and triumphs with Argentina52:50 - Lessons/takeaways -----You can check out my book, website, and apparel below: WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the stories and lessons we can learn from the life of Sam Walton and the rise of Walmart from his autobiography, Made in America -----When folks would ask Sam Walton how he built Walmart, he responded with the same answer, “Friend, we just got after it and stayed after it.”1:15 - Lessons from parents and childhood 4:45 - How Sam knew what he was going to do for the rest of his life7:15 - First store8:00 - Be a student of your craftI learned a lesson which has stuck with me all through the years: you can learn from everybody.12:20 - The worst moment of Sam's life13:45 - Love your fate16:35 - Steal and steal oftenMost everything I've done, I've copied from somebody else.18:10 - The start of Walmart 18:50 - Find your leverage22:25 - Increase your embarrassment capacity“If you wish to improve, be content appearing clueless and stupid.” - Epictetus 26:35 - Six keys to Walmarts success34:10 - The ultimate goalI always wanted to be the best retailer in the world, not necessarily the biggest.35:15 - Thinking small37:35 - Sam Walton's Ten Rules 40:45 - Life is about trade-offs42:20 - Lessons/takeaways -----You can check out my book, website, and apparel below: WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the works and wisdom of one of the world's great philosophers, Seneca-----The duty of a man is to be useful to his fellow-men; if possible, to be useful to many of them; failing this, to be useful to a few; failing this, to be useful to his neighbours, and, failing them, to himself: for when he helps others, he advances the general interests of mankind. - Seneca-----3:30 - The purpose of studying philosophy "[Philosophy]  moulds and constructs the soul; it orders our life, guides our conduct, shows us what we should do and what we should leave undone."6:50 - The usage of time It is a small part of life we really live. Indeed, all the rest is not life, but merely of time. People are frugal in guarding their personal property; but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy.11:25- Self-made suffering 20:55- Find a catoSo choose yourself a Cato…Choose someone whose way of life as well as words…have won your approval. Be always pointing him out to yourself either as your guardian or as your model. There is a need, in my view, for someone as a standard against which our characters can measure themselves. 25:10 - On happinessWe have reached the heights if we know what it is that we find joy in and we have not placed our happiness in the control of the externals…Above all, my dear Lucilius, make this your business: learn how to feel joy.32:50 - On angerNo plague has cost the human race more dear: you will see slaughterings and poisonings, accusations and counter-accusations, sacking of cities, ruin of whole peoples, the persons of princes sold into slavery by auction, torches applied to roofs, and fires not merely confined within city-walls but making whole tracts of country glow with hostile flame.36:40 -Lessons/takeaways-----You can check out my book, website, and apparel below: WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagram-----If you want to read more of Seneca's works, you can check out some books belowLetter from a StoicOn the Shortness of Life

Diving into the twenty-five biggest lessons from Greatness in 2024Enjoy-----1:15 - Pursue excitement 5:50 - If you can go back, always take the risk9:30 - First efforts aren't supposed to work 12:30 - A high pain threshold is a competitive advantage18:50 - Seek to renew yourself when you're hitting home runs23:00 - Life responds to subtraction 26:20 - Volume wins 29:40 - The world belongs to thieves 32:35 - Genius/greatness is endurance in disguise35:30 - Ambition is never satisfied39:20 - Life doesn't respond to circumstances, it responds to effort42:30 - You can't care 44:55 - Use history 46:45 - Be bold49:10 - Have a philosophy 52:15 - Just start 54:10 - Death is life greatest motivator 57:50 - Happiness lies in doing difficult things59:50 - Do The Greatest Thing Possible1:02:25 - Difference-makers don't have different feelings, they just have a different relationship with certain feelings1:04:00 - Great ambition requires great sacrifice 1:06:05 - Great work is deep work1:08:30 - Be Relentless/Be Obsessed1:11:30 - You can doubt your way to excellence 1:14:40 - There is no silver bullet-----WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the life and greatness of Jackie Cochran from her autobiography.-----"To live without risk for me would have been tantamount to death."- Jackie Cochran4:25 - An upbringing of povertyUntil I was eight years old I had no shoes. My bed was usually a pallet on the floor and sometimes just the floor…Food at best consisted of the barest essentials–sometimes nothing except what I foraged for myself in the woods of the Northern Florida sawmill towns my foster family called home. And we were always a little hungry.8:50 - Feeling different10:25 - Stubbornness wins13:20 - The dream14:10- The power of hardship Because of where I came from and then where I went, I ended up understanding intimately one very sustaining line of life: I could never have so little that I hadn't had less.17:30 - Aviation and a reason for living 20:45 - Signs that you're on the right path23:20 - Speed with safety 26:10 - Challenging the norms/ambition29:35 - Facing fear “Do you know what you call that? Guts. Jackie would get in there, in a race, in a contest, in a jet trying to set a new record, and she'd keep pushing, because she had the guts."36:35 - Breaking the sound barrier38:00 -Lessons/takeaways-----You can check out my book, website, and apparel below: WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagram

Diving into the single most important thing we can learn and take from the greatness of Leonardo da Vinci Check out Walter Isaacson's book, Leonardo da Vinci, for more on Leonardo's life.-----You can check support and stay connected belowWebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the life and greatness of Michael Jordan from the books, Michael Jordan: A Life and Playing For Keeps -----“You have to be uncompromised in your level of commitment to whatever you are doing, or it can disappear as fast as it appeared.”- Michael Jordan3:00 - The root of his competitive fire5:35 - The cut“Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I'd close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it, and that usually got me going again.”9:45 - The MJ trio13:00- Why he trash talked Jordan started talking more and more trash and explaining what he was going to do, not to instill fear into his opponents, but force himself to work harder and deliver on his promises. 16:10 - Michael's greatest skill“My greatest skill was being teachable. I was like a sponge. Even if I thought my coaches were wrong, I tried to listen and learn something.”20:40 - Divine discontent 24:10 - Nike26:00 - Are you joyous about the work?27:35 - How to approach your craft“He came to practice like it was Game 7 of the NBA finals. He would destroy you in practice. That's what set the tone for our team.”32:45 - You need some luck34:00 - Pistons + reinvention 39:30 - How Michael kept himself motivated“If you look at why Amazon is so different from almost any other company that started early on the internet, it's because Jeff approached it from the very beginning with that long-term vision. It was a multi decade project. The notion that he can accomplish a huge amount with a larger time frame, if he is steady about it, is fundamentally his philosophy.”42:15- Winners vs losers45:15 - Ambition and work46:40 - Lessons/takeaways-----You can check out my book, website, and apparel below: WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the stories and lessons we can learn from the Jeff Bezos and the rise of Amazon from the Brad Stone's book, The Everything Store, and the writings of Jeff Bezos Invent and Wander-----"I will hazard a prediction. When you are eighty years old and, in a quiet moment of reflection, narrating for only yourself the most personal version of your life story, the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be a series of choices you have made….And when I'm eighty I want to have minimized the number of regrets I have in my life, and most of our regrets are acts of omission, things we didn't try, the path untraveled. Those are the things that haunt us."- Jeff Bezos1:50 - Pursue excitement/Make decisions through your 80-year old self7:45- Chasing Dreams are like start-ups9:40 - A duality mindset"You have to have this duality in your head. On the one hand you're you know what the Baseline statistics say about startup companies and the other hand you have to ignore all of that and just be 100% sure it's going to work and you're doing both things at the same time you're holding that contradiction in your head."12:00- Doubts about Amazon14:00 - Amazon's philosophy“If you want to get to the truth about what makes us different, it's this. We are genuinely customer centric, we are genuinely long-term oriented and we genuinely like to invent."15:40 - Experiment relentlessly + be bold19:05 - Amazon core practices/strategies22:00 - Lose now, win later32:20 - How to make decisions34:50 - Play the long game“If you look at why Amazon is so different from almost any other company that started early on the internet, it's because Jeff approached it from the very beginning with that long-term vision. It was a multi decade project. The notion that he can accomplish a huge amount with a larger time frame, if he is steady about it, is fundamentally his philosophy.”36:05- Advice from Bezos 39:10 - Lessons/takeaways-----You can check out my book, website, and apparel below: WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into my favorite stories and lessons we can learn from the legend himself Steve Jobs from Walter Isaacson book, Steve Jobs, and article, The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs-----"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."- Steve Jobs1:15 - Life has no speed limit 6:10 - Just get started8:30 - Have a philosophy/motto for life13:10 - Steal like an artist16:50 - Do the greatest thing possible19:15 - Focus23:45 - Collaboration is creativity 25:15 - You are mortal-----You can check out my book, website, and apparel below: WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into a short story on scientist Jennifer Doudna and what I like to call the Obsession Test.Check out Walter Isaacson's book, The Code Breaker, for more on Doudna and how she is changing the world.-----“I'm someone who's thinking about science all the time. I'm always focused on what's cooking in the lab, the next experiment, or the bigger question to pursue. I was always obsessed with what my next experiment was going to be.”- Jennifer Doudna -----You can check support and stay connected belowWebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the life and greatness of writer and runner Haruki Murakami from his book, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running-----“I didn't start running because somebody asked me to become a runner. Just like I didn't become a novelist because someone asked me to. One day, out of the blue, I wanted to write a novel. And one day, out of the blue, I started to run— simply because I wanted to. I've always done whatever I felt like doing in life. People may try to stop me, and convince me I'm wrong, but I won't change.”- Haruki Murakami1:15 - Follow your instincts8:45- Life responds to subtraction10:05- Becoming a writer/pursuing the itch11:45 - A framework for big decisions 14:45 - The key to willpower and discipline17:45 - Daily routine + choose your consequences 19:50 - Leave some juice in the tank21:15 - Marathons and personal responsibility 26:00 - Have a motto/mantra29:45 - Running and writing advice for life31:45 - How to do great work36:10 - Lesson/Takeaways-----You can check out my book, website, and apparel below: WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into what history can tell us about the truth of specialization, and other factors that play a role in doing great work.Check out David Epstein's book, Range, for more on how generalists are winning in a specialized world “Everyone progresses at a different rate, so don't let anyone else make you feel behind. You probably don't even know exactly where you're going, so feeling behind doesn't help…Approach your own personal voyage and projects like Michelangelo approached a block of marble, willing to learn and adjust as you do, and even to abandon a previous goal and change direction entirely should the need to arise.”- David Epstein-----You can check support and stay connected belowWebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelInstagramX

Diving into the life and greatness of Stephen King from his book, On Writing -----“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”0:50 - Imitation precedes creatio3:30 - Where ideas come fromGood story ideas seem to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky: two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun. Your job isn't to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up.7:20 - First efforts don't workBy the time I was fourteen, the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and went on writing. 10:25 - You need someone who believes in youWriting is a lonely job. Having someone who believes in you, makes a lot of difference. They don't have to make speeches. Just believing is usually enough.14:20 - Success and struggles19:50 - Source of King's successWhen I'm writing, I write every day. That includes Christmas, the Fourth of July, and my birthday.26:12 - Writing advice that is life advice If you don't want to work your ass off, you have no business trying to write well. 31:20 - Lessons and takeaways-----You can check out my book, website, and apparel below: WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  Apparel

Diving into the story of how Elizabeth Blackwell, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, and Sophia Jex Blake became the world's first women doctors from Olivia Campbell's book, Women in White Coats-----You can check out my book, website, and apparel below: WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  Apparel

Diving into the life and greatness of Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots from Jeff Benedict's book, The Dynasty.-----1:20 - Trust your instincts3:50 - Tom Brady's journey“In sport, you have to go for the throat. Because if all friendly, they come back and beat your ass. So kill them. Take their heart.”9:55 - Turbulent start 14:30 - Brady takeover18:10 - Be bold20:25 - Building a culture of excellence23:15 - Brady and obsession“If you're going to compete against me, you better be willing to give up your life because I'm giving up mine.”28:30 - The secret to the success: accountability29:55 - The difficult years“What are you willing to do and what are you willing to give up to be the best you can be?"34:05 - Patriots motto35:00 - Lessons/Takeaways-----You can heck out my book, website, and apparel below: WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  Apparel

Diving into the lessons you can learn from some of the world's greatest coaches."Sometimes when I'm filling out forms, I list my profession as 'magician.' I'm not trying to be mischievous. It's just that when I think about the ego-balancing act NBA coaches have to perform, making magic may be the best way to describe what we do…Because I can't pretend to be an expert in leadership theory. But what I do know is that the art of transforming a group of young, ambitious individuals into an integrated championship team is not a mechanistic process. It's a mysterious juggling act that requires not only a thorough knowledge of the time honored laws of the game but also an open heart, a clear mind, and a deep curiosity about the ways of the human spirit.- Phil Jackson-----2:20 - Vince Lombardi9:50 - Phil Jackson 15:30 - John Wooden21:45 - Pete Carroll-----You can check out books on each coach below:When Pride Still Mattered - Vince LombardiWin Forever - Pete CarrollWooden - John WoodenEleven Rings - Phil JacksonIf you love reading, you can check out my book, Chasing GreatnessStay connected with everything else below:WebsiteApparelTwitter Instagram 

Diving into the story of the first man to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean and what we can learn from his historic feat.Check out A. Scott Berg book, Lindbergh, for more on the life and greatness of Charles Lindberg-----You can stay connected below:WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  ApparelTwitter Instagram 

Diving into the life and greatness of Tiger Woods from James Patterson's book, Tiger, Tiger, and Jeff Benedict's book, Tiger Woods-----3:40 - Young TigerBy eleven months old, when most kids are just learning to walk, Tiger Woods picked up a golf club crafted to his size and hit a golf ball perfectly into the net.6:30 - Mom's advice “In sport, you have to go for the throat. Because if all friendly, they come back and beat your ass. So kill them. Take their heart.”9:25 - Father's influence "The psychological training that my father used inured me to whatever I might have to deal with in golf. He taught me to be completely unaware of my surroundings, while maintaining complete focus on the task at hand."11:30 - The goal at 15"I want to be the Michael Jordan of golf. I'd like to be the best ever.”12:10 - Work = PlayPracticing golf was never a chore or something Tiger felt obligated to do. He looked forward to being alone on the range or the course with his clubs.15:35 - Golf was a drug "I love this game to death. It's like a drug I have to have."20:50- Earn the right to be confident Confidence stems from one thing, relentless work. If you're lacking confidence, ask yourself if you've put in the work to have confidence23:45- Pure obsessionBy the spring of 1997, Tiger was consumed with practicing and working out. A typical practice day for him entailed hitting six hundred balls, working on his shirt game and putting, playing a round (Sometimes on his own), and working out in the gym for two or three hours27:35- Relentless reinvention “I was in it to find the answer to one question. How good can I be?33:20 - What made Tiger greatConstant evolution and reinvention Obsession to the craftSelf-belief High capacity for pain 37:55- The ComebackWith every fiber in my body I've got to make you the best football player that I can make you. And I'll try. And I'll try. And if I don't succeed on the first day. I'll try again. And I'll try again. And you've got to give everything that is in you.42:15 - Lessons/Takeaways-----You can heck out my book, website, and apparel below: WebsiteBook: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  Apparel

Diving into the stories behind the characteristic trait that helped Elon Musk build two of the biggest companies in the world, SpaceX and Tesla.  Check out Ashley Vance's book, Elon Musk, for more on the life and greatness on the man who is changing the world. Stay connected below Website Book: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  Apparel

Diving into the life and greatness of the legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi from David Maraniss' book: When Pride Still Mattered -----0:00 - Winning is an all the time thing"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all of the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.2:30 - Lesson from father“No one's ever hurt. Hurt is in your mind.”4:25 - Playing to coaching 5:50 - What's the thing that gives you a seven-day weekend?7:00 - The core of Lombardi's coaching philosophy“Repetition was at the core of his coaching philosophy. Doing the same thing over and over again, whether it was a play or calisthenics”9:30- Attention to detailVince Lombardi spent eight hours at a coaching clinic talking about one play.12:30- The cost of ambition20:30 - New York to Green Bay“When I am done. It will be on that map.”21:40 - Being relentlessWith every fiber in my body I've got to make you the best football player that I can make you. And I'll try. And I'll try. And if I don't succeed on the first day. I'll try again. And I'll try again. And you've got to give everything that is in you.23:10- What's your pain tolerance29:25 - Excellence > WinningThe mistake championship teams often make is to try to repeat their winning formula. But that rarely works because by the time the next season starts, your opponents have studied all the videos and figured out how to counter every move you made. Winning is about moving into the unknown and creating something new. It's about that scene in the first Indiana Jones movie when someone asks Indy what he's going to do next, and he replies, “I don't know, I'm making it up as we go along.” That's how I view leadership. It's an act of controlled improvisation. 30:30 - Some coaching philosophies36:50 - Lessons and takeaways-----Check out my book, website, and apparel below: Website: https://www.chasegreatness.net Book: Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence  Apparel: https://www.chasegreatness.net/shop

Diving into the short stories on Urban Meyer, Neil Armstrong, Thomas Edison, Frances Grayson, and more about the curse of ambition. Check out Wright Thompson's book, The Cost of These Dreams, for more on the dark side of ambition.1:40 - Urban Meyer Why do people persist in their self-destructive behavior, ignoring the blatant fact that what they've been doing for many years hasn't solved their problems? They think that they need to do it even more fervently, or frequently, as if they were doing the right thing but had to try even harder.7:40 - Neil Armstrong“The one regret was that my work required an enormous amount of my time and a lot of travel,and I didn't get to spend the time I would have liked with my family as they grew up.”9:05 - Thomas Edison The other thing he said was his superpower was the ability to work more than others on less sleep. He called sleep a waste of time, often working 18-22 hours a day, even putting in a couple days worth of work without a break.12:40 - Frances Grayson“I would rather give my life to something big and worthwhile, than to live longer and do less.”13:40 - Ted Turner“Work, Racing, Family, in that order.”Quote“Your heroes aren't gods, they're just regular people who got good at one thing by neglecting everything." - Jason Pargin  -----Website: https://www.chasegreatness.netBook: https://www.chasegreatness.net/bookApparel: https://www.chasegreatness.net/shop

Diving into the life, greatness, and his leadership philosophy from Phil Jackson  book: Eleven Rings-----0:00 - Leadership is being a magician Sometimes when I'm filling out forms, I list my profession as “magician.” I'm not trying to be mischievous. It's just that when I think about the ego-balancing act NBA coaches have to perform, making magic may be the best way to describe what we do1:30 - Brother's life advice that changed Phil's career9:45 - Impact of Zen Buddhism/importance of freedom and latitude12:45 - John Wooden vs Phil Jackson18:20 - Two types of "luck"21:40- How Phil used non-action to solve problems/mastering the art of letting goWhen the men are preparing for a flight they are really home hardly at all . They come home on weekends and even they have work to do. We're lucky if they have a chance to come in and sit down and say hello before they go off again a day later.24:45- Three leadership practices 26:45 - The importance of a pause/delay in conflict The best way to handle most flare-ups is to sleep on them. The point is to avoid acting out in anger and creating an even stickier mess. And if you're lucky, the problem may solve itself.30:45 - Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path. 36:20 - How to sustain excellenceThe mistake championship teams often make is to try to repeat their winning formula. But that rarely works because by the time the next season starts, your opponents have studied all the videos and figured out how to counter every move you made. Winning is about moving into the unknown and creating something new. It's about that scene in the first Indiana Jones movie when someone asks Indy what he's going to do next, and he replies, “I don't know, I'm making it up as we go along.” That's how I view leadership. It's an act of controlled improvisation. 40:20 - Humiliation is motivation43:55 - Lessons and takeaways-----Website: https://www.chasegreatness.netBook: https://www.chasegreatness.net/bookApparel: https://www.chasegreatness.net/shop

Diving into the life and greatness of Neil Armstrong from James Hansen's book: First Man-----1:40 - What reading did for Neil4:20 - Napoleon: are you lucky?10:15 - The low point of Neil's life  + Theodore Roosevelt and how to honor lost loved ones13:15 - Pursue excitement 15:00 - Early days at NASA20:30- The lifestyle and sacrifices When the men are preparing for a flight they are really home hardly at all . They come home on weekends and even they have work to do. We're lucky if they have a chance to come in and sit down and say hello before they go off again a day later.23:00- What's your capacity to move on? 26:45 - The purpose of Apollo 11I think we're going to the moon because it's in the nature of human beings to face challenges. It is by the nature of his deep inner soul. We're required to do these things just as salmon swim up river.27:40 - How the moon landing almost didn't happen32:45 - The need for a team34:15 - Lessons and takeaways-----Website: https://www.chasegreatness.netBook: https://www.chasegreatness.net/bookApparel: https://www.chasegreatness.net/shop

Diving into the life and greatness of Matthew McConaughey from his book, Greenlights-----0:00 - A roof is a man made thing3:30 - The forbidden word 5:30- Don't half-ass it/How to make the right decisions14:30 - Preparation = Freedom We have to prepare to have freedom. We have to do the work to then do the job. We have to prepare for the job so we can be free to do the work.20:10 - Reverse engineer the person you want to become/things you want to accomplish22:30- The power of lessI had five things on my proverbial desk to tend to daily: family, foundation, acting, a production company, and a music label. I felt like I was making Bs in all five. By shutting down the production company and the music label, I eliminated two of my five commitments with plans to make As in the other three.25:10:- Turning down $15 million31:25 - TakeawaysAny success takes one in a row. Do one thing well, then another. Once, then once more. Over and ove until the end, then it's oneinarow againI've never care much for destinations. The idea of landing is too finite for my imagination and sense of song. Give me a direction and a sixteen lane highway with room to swerve and explore along the way. Like jazz, I prefer to see life as a river.-----Website: https://www.chasegreatness.netBook: https://www.chasegreatness.net/bookApparel: https://www.chasegreatness.net/shop

Diving into the life and greatness of the greatest Olympian, Michael Phelps, from his book, Beneath The Surface-----4:30 - To find what you love, you have to suck at first7:40 - How Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps' coach, helped  him prepare for competitions“Champions produce normal and predictable results in abnormal and unpredictable circumstances9:30 - First efforts aren't meant to work12:20 - Michael's goal at 15, "“I want to change the sport of swimming… I want to change the sport of swimming. I want people to talk about it, think about it, and look forward to seeing it. I want them to want to jump in and do it. That's my goal.”14:00 - Volume wins. Michael trained every single day. Christmas. Holidays. Birthdays. Every single day.16:45 - “When we practice long hours, we're depositing money into the bank. We need to deposit enough so that when we make a large withdrawal, we have enough funds to withdraw.”17:30 - Find different sources of motivation. "I use whatever I can to motivate myself."22:30 - Bet on yourself . "If i were to win seven gold at either of the next two olympics, Speedo would pay me a $1 millions bonus for equaling Mark Spitz' record for gold medals at one Olympic set in 1972. And unlike most contractual provisions, which remain confidential, we decided to talk about his one publicly."25:50 - Daily routine."I'd wake up at 7a.m. and swim until 8:30 or 9. After that, it was a nap and at 3:45, we'd start up again. I'd get there at 3:15 to stretch. After swimming, we'd do between half an hour of dryland training. "29:45 - Motivation leading up to 2008 Olympics,"Leave it to Bob to grab the article that would set me off like a rocket. The article quotes Ian Thorpe, who was asked about my prospects for winning seven or eight gold medals in Beijing. 'I don't think he'll do it, but I'd love to see it. There's a thing called competition. There won't be one athlete competing and in a lot of events he has strong competition.'"I then took the article and taped it to my locker. Whenever I look inside the locker each morning after arriving at the pool, the underlined story is the very first thing I see. If I'm dragging trying to accomplish what I need to do, I think about Ian's words. Then I train a little harder. 33:00 - How/why he set records at Beijing39:50 - Key takeaways -----Website: https://www.chasegreatness.netBook: https://www.chasegreatness.net/bookApparel: https://www.chasegreatness.net/shop

Diving into routines and rituals of the world's greatest artist from Eric Lax's biography, Woody Allen Woody Allen was once asked in an interview how he makes one film a year, quite a great feat. Woody simply responded, “It's not all that big a deal when you think of it because what I do is make films. It's not that I'm torn between other activities.”-----3:30 - Find the thing that makes you feel alive 8:00 - Increase your volume to do great work. Woody Allen wrote 50 jokes a day. Not all were great. But when you write and everyday and write a lot, you create a bulk of volume that will lead to success eventually 9:40 - How much do you want it, "“You have to want it more than anything else in the world. It's a tough scramble and you just have to want it.”11:10 - Enthusiasm is the ultimate projection of success16:00 - “Every writer has trouble with beginnings, that the beginning is the hardest part, and once you get going it does get a little easier.”18:10 - Becoming a comedian and overcoming fear,  “The scariest moment is always before you start.”27:10 - Greatness doesn't dabble. Woody Allen makes a film a year because he is just always working on material. 30:20 - "I'm obeying nobody but my artistic muse. The experience is doing the project; the critical and commercial responses are not terribly relevant…If I don't like something, it doesn't matter how many awards it's own. It's important to keep your own criteria and not defer to the trends of the marketplace.” 34:20 - "Writing doesn't come easy. I learned to get at it early in the morning nand work at it and rewrite and rethink and tear up my stuff and write it again. I was brought up in a hard-line approach–you never wait for inspiration, you have to do it and force it until you get it right."37:00 - “Thank god the public only sees the final product.”41:30 - "I love work. I'd work seven days a week. I don't care about hours. When we solve this problem, whether it's five or ten at night, then we move on to something else. Hours or days mean nothing,"43:00 - If you're meeting your standards and expectations, that's a bad thing45:00 - Make the process as easy as possible47:00 Key takeaways-----Website: https://www.chasegreatness.netBook: https://www.chasegreatness.net/bookApparel: https://www.chasegreatness.net/shop

Diving into routines and rituals of the world's greatest artist from Mason Currey's book: Daily Rituals -----4:45 - Gertrude Stein and  Haruki Murakami - Short vs long routines6:50 - Ernest Hemingway - Leave some juice in the tank9:30 - Marcel Proust - Is it sustainable 12:40 - Beethoven  and Soren Kierkegaard - Walks as an aid to creativity 17:30 - Woody Allen and Nicholas Baker - The importance of novelty 21:15 - David Lynch - Meditation 23:50 - N.C. Wyeth - Limit Distractions25:40 - Creativity Reminders 30:00- Do's and Don'ts-----Check out my new book Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of ExcellenceYou can get some Chasing Greatness Apparel here

Diving into lessons and stories from Oksana Masters autobiography: The Hard Parts-----0:00 - Upbringing/rough beginnings15:30 - Finding happiness/understanding the importance of hardship20:30 - The power of a purpose23:15 - Rowing an an antidote to living24:30 - Use your enemies28:15 - Taking the risk/filter for making life's biggest decisions32:00 - Doubts will always be present35:10 - Oksana on beauty36:55 - Make it visible 44:30 - Heaven to hell46:35 - Happiness vs anger49:20 - 2018 Olympic Games and perseverance 52:50 - Capacity for pain/create a bigger hurt57:40 - Advice to younger self-----Check out my new book Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of ExcellenceYou can get some Chasing Greatness Apparel here

Diving into lessons and stories from Tim Grover's book: Relentless-----2:40 - Relentless is seizing the moment6:50 - Relentless is sustained excellence9:15: Relentless is never satisfied13:00 - Relentless is about one thing18:05 - Relentless is calm, cool, and steady21:20 - Relentless is about being strict with yourself 23:25 - Relentless is being mentally unstoppable32:30 Relentless is about attention to detail36:35 - Relentless is about reinvention42:30 - Relentless is monotonous44:25 - Relentless is irrational self-belief49:45 - Relentless doesn't care52:00 - Relentless is about work55:50 - Relentless is having the right frame of mind1:02:30- Relentless is making sacrifices/playing the long1:07:30 - Relentless is a little crazy -----Check out my new book Chasing Greatness: Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of ExcellenceYou can get some Chasing Greatness Apparel here