Diving into the struggle Lionel Messi went through to become the greatest soccer player ever, and the burdens he had to carry along the way.

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Sources

Lionel Messi - Guillem Balague

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Check out my books below:

Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming 

Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence

Stay connected and check out more on our website:

Chasegreatness.net

Diving into the mental approach and working ways of Cristiano Ronaldo

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Sources:

Cristiano Ronaldo - Guilleme Balague

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1:35 - A motivational weapon

4:00 - A want to play and work

"Ronaldo spent ten to twelve hours with the ball every day.”

5:05 - Losing as a certain kind of death

7:12: The perfect mother

8:55 - The obsessive work ethic

11:00 - Never satisfied 

14:37 - Earning the right to be confident

15:40 - Champions do more than people who think they've done more

17:45 - Seek out those who can help you

19:33 - The Ronaldo motto 

22:00 - The discipline

24:29 - An intense competitor

27:00 - Confidence

29:00 - Ideas thief

Diving into the life and story of Elon Musk, from his upbringing in South Africa, to the wild story of building Tesla and SpaceX, to his biggest regrets and mistakes, and everything in between.

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Sources 

Elon Musk - Walter Isaacson

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Ashlee Vance

Wisdom Takes Work - Ryan Holiday

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3:19 - Understanding Elon

6:35 - A fanatical reader/tough childhood

9:28 - The root of his risk-taking 

11:40 - "You'll never be successful."

12:45 - The power of asking

14:00 - Choosing his future/You can always go back 

16:38 - First company and Elon's working ways

19:31 - Impossible isn't tolerated

20:25 - Putting chips back into the game/his relationship with risk

22:45 - Elon's leadership paradox

25:52 - "The Man Who Didn’t Understand the Meaning of the Word ‘Risk.’”

27:52 - Getting into space + First principles approach

33:55 - The odds facing SpaceX's 

34:45 - Musk's business principles

41:05 - Attention to detail

43:40 - SpaceX hiccups/"SpaceX is in it for the long haul, and, come hell or high water, we are going to make this work."

47:20 - Barometer for making decisions

47:35 - 2008: Pain. Misery. Suffering

56:15 - The line between boldness and recklessness is very thin

1:03:43 - The role of luck

1:09:25 - The Surges

1:11:40 - The algorithm

1:13:45 - Impulsive decision-making

1:16:23 - Elon's flaws

1:24:35 - Final thoughts and stories

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Check out my books below:

Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming 

Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence

Stay connected and check out more on our website:

Chasegreatness.net

Diving into Elon Musk in his own words, everything from his approach to making decisions, the traits that define him, how he thinks about building and creating, and more.

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Sources 

The Book of Elon - Eric Jorgenson

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2:35 - Be useful

4:35 - How Elon makes decisions

6:20 - Be curious

6:45 - Don't worship anything

12:50 - Capacity for pain

14:40 - An obsessive work ethic

17:05 - On dealing with fear

19:07 - First principles approach/relentlessly pursue the truth

25:15 - Read. Read. Read.

27:10 - Sleep on the factory floor 

28:20 - Bring in great people

30:33 - Fail and fail fast

32:15 - A maniacal sense of urgency

34:45 - Advice to entrepreneurs/how he decided to start his companies

36:04 - How he decided to start his companies

37:10 - The goal of the game is to stay in the game

40:10 - Short ideas from Musk

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Check out my books below:

Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming 

Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence

Stay connected and check out more on our website:

Chasegreatness.net

Diving into the working ways of some of the world's greatest artists. 

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Sources

Daily Rituals - Mason Currey

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Time Stamps:

3:49 - Benjamin Franklin: The two questions and the "air bath."

6:05 - Scott F. Fitzgerald: Work like a lion

9:04 - Paul Erdos: Drugs and stimulants

12:20 - William Gass: Work angry

14:07 - Anne Rice: Flexibility, ease, and uninterrupted time

16:42 - David Lynch: Find a thinking place

17:40 - Umberto Eco: Thinking in the cracks 

19:05 - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec: Is it sustainable?

20:50 - Twyla Tharp: Building a bridge

22:20 - Graham Greece: Burn your youth, sustain as you age

23:50 - Marcel Proust and Philip Roth: Go monk mode

26:25 - Carl Jung: Make it boring

28:15 - Thomas Mann: Setting Boundaries

30:05 - Gustav Mahler, Twyla Tharp: Preparing to  be creative

32:47 - Nicholson Baker, Thomas Wolfe, Fredreich Schiller, Woody Allen - Get creative, find your way

37:20 - Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky: Do the unpleasant first

40:25 - Bernard Malamud: The only thing that matters

42:03 - Anthony Trollope - Advice on starting a craft

44:52 - Gustave Flaubert: the ups and downs of the creative process

46:38 - Ernest Hemingway: Keep some juice in the tank

47:30 - James Boswell: The morning reminder

49:55 - Gertrude Stein, Martin Amis, Joyce Carol Oates - Genius in endurance in disguise 

52:22 - Ideas on making time, finding effortless work, and inspiration

54:20 - Karl Marx: The right regrets

56:00 - William James: The Solomon Paradox

58:26 - Rene Descartes - Don't compromise your working way

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Check out my books below:

Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming 

Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence

Stay connected and check out more on our website:

Diving into the life of the last great Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, and his own personal notes to himself.

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Sources

The Lives of the Stoics - Ryan Holiday

Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor - Donald Robertson

Meditations - Marcus Aurelius

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Check out my books below:

Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming 

Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence

Stay connected and check out more on our website:

Chasegreatness.net

Doing a new little mini-series called a "History Dump" where I offer stories, ideas, and things I've found interesting from books, documentaries, and anything I've researched recently.

This episode focuses on three individuals: Richard Feynman, Henry Ford, and Chris Hadfield. 

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Sources

My Life and Work - Henry Ford

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth - Chris Hadfield

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman

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Check out my books below:

Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming 

Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence

Stay connected and check out more on our website:

Chasegreatness.net

Diving into the early years of Howard Schultz and his unusual path to building Starbucks.

"I can't give  you any secret recipe for success, any foolproof plan for making it in the world of business. But my own experience suggests that it is possible to start from nothing and achieve even beyond your dreams."

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Sources - Pour Your Heart Into It - Howard Schultz

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Check out my books below:

Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming 

Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence

Stay connected and check out more on our website:

Chasegreatness.net

Diving into the emotional ride of Rory McIlroy and his journey to winning the Masters.

“You’re trying to overcome all of history. These memories. All these different things that are going through your head while you’re playing that golf course, and trying to win this massive tournament…And that’s one of the hurdles I have found so hard to overcome. You have to get over the demons that you have on that course.” 

- Rory McIlroy

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Sources: Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait

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Check out my books below:

Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming 

Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence

Stay connected and check out more on our website:

Chasegreatness.net

Diving into the working ways and creative process of comedian Jerry Seinfeld

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“Your blessing in life is when you find the torture you’re comfortable with.”

- Jerry Seinfeld 

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Sources

Is This Anything? - Jerry Seinfeld

#485: Jerry Seinfeld — A Comedy Legend’s Systems, Routines, and Methods for Success

Jerry Seinfeld Intends to Die Standing Up 

Life's Work 

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Check out my books below:

Daily Greatness: Short Stories and Essays on the Act of Becoming 

Chasing Greatness 2nd Edition - Timeless Stories on the Pursuit of Excellence

Stay connected and check out more on our website:

Chasegreatness.net