Greg Monaco

I help people tell magnetic stories so they can attract the work they love.

[BigWerms LLC - Tim @bigwerms]

@MLFootball Cardinals ended his career

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

@RodneyMarsh10 My boy, Wardy!

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

@BixGabriel Teachers encourage. Nice job.

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

@PerryMonaco @CelsiusOfficial @matty4_matera @PewterReport Great on fruity pebbles!

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

@dgchichester Sorry to hear, Dan. It can't be a coincidence. Did your Aunt also like woodpeckers? That lil guy seems pretty unfazed sharing a branch with danger so close.

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

@RobertManni @marie @Iceman_Hof This is gonna be a great one!

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

@dgchichester Edible bottle?

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

“Strong brands have cognitive dissonance at their core. They understand that while the product may solve a real-world problem, the brand is solving a much more valuable identity problem.” — @Jasmine_Bina https://t.co/dt0MFodeXA

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

Excellent idea. Healthier minds and bodies are what this country needs.

[Vivek Ramaswamy @VivekGRamaswamy]

Now that the Supreme Court finally ended affirmative action, colleges will only further deprioritize SAT scores in favor of subjective factors because of large racial disparities in test results. There’s a simple way forward that will drive excellence and diversity of talent among incoming college classes: the College Board should add a physical fitness section to the SAT, instead of just math and reading sections. This could mirror the “Presidential Fitness Test” – consisting of a 1-mile run, pull-ups, sit-ups, shuttle run, etc. – regularly administered across American high schools until the Obama White House disband it. This is a pro-merit solution that rewards diverse talents: it’s a fact that those who perform well on math & reading tests tend to perform more poorly on the 1-mile run, and vice versa. This would also help address a growing mental health crisis in our country: physical fitness correlates directly with lower rates of depression, anxiety, and drug use. This is not formally part of my Presidential platform but it’s a serious proposal to address multiple cultural & health challenges with a single actionable step: most solutions shouldn’t come top-down from government.

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

Help support The Pacific American Foundation by donating or retweeting. https://t.co/TAQWdqk8Gi

[Billy Oppenheimer @bpoppenheimer]

Days after a quarterfinals loss in the 2010 French Open, Novak Djokovic told his coach, Marián Vajda, that he had decided to quit playing tennis.

He was No. 3 in the world, a grand slam winner, and a favorite to win Wimbledon.

After Djokovic said he was quitting, Vajda asked,

“Why did you start playing this sport?”

Vajda immediately sensed what the problem was:

Djokovic was focusing too much on rankings, records, titles, and external expectations. As a result, Djokovic said, “I was mentally at one very messed up place.”

As Djokovic thought about Vajda’s question, he thought about how many of his earliest childhood memories include his “most beloved toy”—a mini tennis racket and a soft foam ball.

He started playing tennis, answering Vajda’s question, “because I just really loved holding that racket in my hand.”

“Do you still love holding a racket in your hand?” Vajda asked.

Djokovic thought about it for a few seconds, got excited, and said:

“I do. I still love holding a racket in my hand. Whether it’s a grand slam final on center court or just playing around on a public court, I like playing for the sake of playing.”

Vajda nodded, “Well that’s your source. That's what you need to tap into. Put aside rankings and what you want to achieve and what you think others are expecting of you.”

Vajda then suggested that Djokovic take a few weeks off.

Djokovic agreed that he would.

But when he woke up the next morning, Djokovic was dying to hit tennis balls. He went to the courts to play for the sake of playing. “And I never looked back ever since that moment.”

The following season, Djokovic enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in sports history. He won 43 straight matches. He won three Grand Slams, including his first Wimbledon title. And he finished the year as the number one player in the world.

“I started to play freely,” he says of that season. “I became the kid that I was when I started playing.”

Takeaway 1:

There's a word for being like the kid who does something for the sake of doing it:

Autotelic.

From the Greek "auto" (self) & "telos" (end)—an Autotelic is "someone or something that has a purpose in, and not apart from, itself."

As opposed to someone who focuses on rankings, records, titles, and external expectations—for an Autotelic...

”The work is the win,” as Ryan Holiday once told me.

Since you control the effort more than the outcome,

“Ultimately, you have to love doing it,” Ryan said. “You have to get to a place where doing the work is the win and everything else is extra.”

Takeaway 2:

When reading about Autotelics—people who describe their work as play, who simply seem to love what they do—a common mistake is to think that it’s all bliss all the time.

One of my favorite Autotelics is the legendary skateboarder Rodney Mullen, who is in his 50s and still skateboards every day.

“There are days,” Rodney said, “where you don’t want to go out. Or it hurts. Or you’re sore. Or you just suck—you're not making progress, and you feel defeated...But that's the nature of love—it's got hate in there, it's got pain in there. And that’s what draws you in, that's the magnetism.”

At one point during the recent Wimbledon final, Djokovic angrily smashed and shattered his racket. And after losing the match, he admitted that it will take him a while to get over the loss.

That’s the nature of love—it’s got hate in there, it’s got pain in there.

- - -

“I see people with talent, with all those things, but the one thing they don't have is just that love for doing it for the sake of it.” — Rodney Mullen

Follow @bpoppenheimer for more content like this!

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

@Norwalk_CT @jahimes Nice job @jahimes

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

How to differentiate your brand from your competitors — Greg Monaco | Fearless Brands https://t.co/mGnSLzOSky via @myasbn

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

@skiingrogge @marcmaron Norwalk, CT boys!

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

@dgchichester So cool!

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

I just supported Rosemerry Trommer on @buymeacoffee! 🎉

Rosemerry Trommer is writing and sharing a new poem every day. You can support by buying a coffee ☕️ here — https://t.co/Plrcb6R0CV

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

@FitFounder Dr Edythe Heus @ https://t.co/6tPuaPO4m4 The gold standard in facial training.

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

So freakin' relevant. Sales Vs. Branding by @garyvee https://t.co/kCeCoZGDOW

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

I saw @RobertManni transform his #personalbrand firsthand.

From a manuscript of his book to a radio show to a podcast guest with over one million views.

Tomorrow at 4p ET, Robert will tell you exactly how he did it.

6 slots left. No replays.

https://t.co/Knx3MIGIUA

[Greg Monaco @GregMonaco]

Is there an occupancy limit on that Chinese balloon collection rig?