Something Jocko said on a podcast I was listening to c. winter 2020-2021 changed my life—he was recounting how someone once asked him “what he says to himself” to get himself to do all the crazy disciplined stuff he does (up before 4am working out every morning, etc) and he was like that is the EXACT wrong question, you need to get out of the mind and into the body, you need to learn how to move the body by just going around the mind, let it scream and protest while you drag yourself out of bed, you cannot be held hostage by having to get the mind on board before you do anything
@justinaversano Coming out of my months-long C hiatus to say: F*** yeah brother!! You rock!
Congrats on an epic adventure. I can't wait for what will follow.
Let's go to the stars!
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"By the time I got to Fox at age forty-two, I had learned the hard way that the odds of hiring qualified people based on résumés and brief person-to-person meetings were pretty poor, and the worst way to populate a company. Especially at senior levels, where I would say the odds are so much against it working out.
I much prefer hiring people who are relatively blank slates, but who have sparks of energy and smarts. And some edge. If you do that consistently enough, which we did at Paramount and at Fox, you end up with a very strong group once they've had a few years to marinate. Maybe it's a simplistic formula, but it works: Give them responsibilities before they are considered ready. Drop them in the deep end and see who struggles and who survives. Keep promoting those who survive."
My dad turns 70 today.
No single person has had a greater impact on how I move through the world.
But he rarely sat me down to teach lessons or offer lectures. He just lived in a way that showed me what mattered most.
Here are 7 lessons he taught me—by living them:
1. Always have high expectations (and high support).
The two pillars of strong relationships: High Expectations and High Support.
High Expectations: The belief that the other person is capable of excellence, that their potential is only limited by their own views.
High Support: The ability and willingness to provide the love, support, and engagement to help the person meet those high expectations.
The magic is found at the collision of the two. That’s what my father gave to me. And what I’ll always strive to give others.
2. Never give up your agency.
When I was 12, I got cut from the first all-star baseball team I tried out for. I was devastated.
My dad walked into my room and said:
"I know you're upset. I understand. But here are the three things the coaches said you needed to work on. Let's go out every day this summer and work on them together."
My dad subtly reframed that failure as an opportunity. Then he showed up to help me capitalize on it.
It was a reminder that I was capable of taking an action to create a desired outcome. That I was in control. That I was at the wheel.
I'll never forget that.
3. Choose your path, not theirs.
There’s a beautiful quote often attributed to Joseph Campbell:
“If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.”
It’s painful to step off the clear path, but the greatest rewards in life always accrue to those who have the courage to do just that.
4. Hard work is never overrated.
A lot of people say this, but my dad is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen. Throughout my life, I saw him work hard on things he cared about, to create outcomes he cared about (for his work, but also for his life).
I’ll always show up and work like a madman for the people and things I care about—because it’s the surest way to get the things you want out of life.
5. Just keep showing up.
A few days into my freshman year at Stanford, I called my dad and told him I was feeling pretty discouraged. I felt way out of my depth on the baseball field and in the classroom.
His guidance was simple:
“Just keep showing up.”
You can get pretty damn far in life by just being someone that people can count on to show up and do the work. Never bet against the person who just keeps showing up.
6. You are how you treat people when nobody’s watching.
He treated every single person with the same level of kindness, warmth, and respect.
He lived by a simple rule:
Character is who you are when nobody’s watching.
7. Choose the path with the larger luck surface area.
You can take deliberate actions to expand the surface area on which lucky events can strike in your life. It's hard to get lucky watching TV at home. It's much easier to get lucky when you're creating motion in the world.
***
At the end of one of my book tour events, my father was asked by the moderator how he feels seeing his son on stage:
“I’m proud that he is becoming the man he wants to be.”
Not the man I want him to be—but the man that he wants to be.
Well, it comes full circle, because he is the man I want to be. He was, and always will be, my hero.
To my Dad on his 70th birthday. Thank you. For everything. I love you!
@qdayanon When someone says quantum is 10+ years away, they ignore the combination of acceleration of software+hardware+AI.
Triple exponential and ppl think in linear terms.