Greatness

By Jonathan WattsHistory

Greatness episodes

July 14 162. The Fly Girls - The Women Who Changed Aviation
Diving into the story of a handful of women who broke the social norms in aviation during the 1920s and 1930s
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Sources: Fly Girls - Keith O'Brien
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:30 - Make Yourself Proud
10:30 - Ruth Nichols: Relinquish yourself from the world
16:30 - Capacity for criticism
18:20 - "Make your atom count."
19:36 - Frances Grayson transatlantic attempt: Risk vs consequence
25:30 - Amelia Earhart: her first attempt, the importance of self-satisfaction
30:20 - The national air races + the battle for opportunity
35:10 - Be a thorn
36:20 - The cost/burden of challenging
41:40 - Prepare for a long fight
42:40 - Ruth Nichols - overlooking the small details
45:02 - The grudge flight
47:20 - More breakthroughs, more battles.
55:45 - Louise Thaden: speed with safety
58:38 - Plant some trees
1 hr 1 min
July 01 161. The Struggle and Burden of Lionel Messi
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
36 min
June 25 160. The Mindset of Cristiano Ronaldo
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
33 min
June 24 159. The Life and Philosophies of Elon Musk (Part II)
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
1 hr 39 min
June 08 158. The Life and Philosophies of Elon Musk (Part I)
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

48 min
June 02 157. How the World's Greatest Artists Worked
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:

1 hr 2 min
May 19 156. Marcus Aurelius
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
51 min
May 08 155. History Dump: Henry Ford, Richard Feynman, and Chris Hadfield
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

40 min
April 30 154. Howard Schultz and The Rise of Starbucks
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

56 min
April 19 153. The Mental Battle of Rory McIlroy
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
31 min

About Greatness

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Learn from history’s greatest.

Each week, Jonathan Watts dives into the lives and moments of the world's most extraordinary people, uncovering timeless lessons and unforgettable stories.