Greatness

Diving into the life of craftsman and boatbuilder, George Pocock

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“It’s a great art, is rowing. It’s the finest art there is. It’s a symphony of motion. And when you’re rowing well, why it’s nearing perfection. And when you’re nearing perfection, you’re touching the Divine. It touches the you of yous. Which is your soul.”

- George Pocock

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Sources

Ready All - Gordan Newell and Dick Erickson

Boys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown

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Time Stamps

3:40 - Why be a craftsman

4:55 - George's origins

5:45 - A motto for life - amor fati

9:22 - The apprenticeship

10:50 - The lesson from his dad: “Now you can build your own boat for this race, and I will give you one bit of advice. No one will ask you how long it took you to build it, they will only ask who built it.” 

16:20 - Good work leads to good oppotunities

18:55 - Great opportunity, followed by great disaster

20:45 - The craftsman banishes negativity and bullshit

23:45 - How building boats opened up new opportunties

26:50 - How Geroge Pocock helped build/get the Boeing company off the ground

28:45 - Choosing meaning > money

30:05 - How he dealt with the tough early days as a full-time boat builder

34:10 - A beautiful story on loyalty

38:20 - The character building of rowing and finding your "rowing" activities

42:15 - The craftsman ultiamte goal

42:53 - Lose yourself in the work

44:18 - Good work needs good thoughts

45:00 - The work should touch your soul

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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

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Diving into the single trait that was at the root of Thomas Edison's greatness.

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Sources

Thomas Edison - Matthew Josephson 

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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

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Diving into the biggest lessons and ideas from the two greatest soccer managers ever, Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola

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Listen to the full epsiodes on Ferguson and Pep below.

124: The Leadership Genius of Sir Alex Ferguson

139: The Mastermind of Pep Guardiola 

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Time Stamps

0:00 - Trajectory > Results

6:55 - Be a _____ man 

10:02 - Observe obsessively

12:00 - Stick like glue

14:05 - Understand the human condition

16:50 - Look for bad losers

18:30 - Excellence first, winning second

20:37 - Reduce your experience

22:45 - Burn your youth

24:20 - Obsess the details

26:45 - Be a relentless consumer

28:22 - Top to bottom excellence

30:18 - Love the pieces, not the puzzle

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 NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below.

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

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

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Diving into the life and mastermind of soccer coach and legend, Pep Guardiola 

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"Each night when you are going to sleep, ask yourselves if you like football or not; ask yourselves if right then, you’d get up, grab the ball and play for a bit. If the answer is ‘no,’ then that is the day to start looking for something else to do."

- Pep Guardiola

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Sources: 

Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning - Guillem Ballague

The Greatness of Pep Guardiola, in a Blade of Grass

Inside the Pep Guardiola bubble – as told by his assistants

How Pep Guardiola is inspired by other sports, from basketball to chess to swimming

Pep Guardiola: The man behind the genius

Chasing Perfection Documentary

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4:20 - A young Pep

5:30 - Pep's superpower

6:40 -  Win without talent

8:30 - The question/the sign

11:40 - Preparing to be a coach/Being a sponge

15:05 - The LBJ Motto

18:00 - There is no good or bad work

20:35 - Stickler for the details/controlling everything

22:18 - Building a great culture

28:20 - Taking over Barcelona

31:00 - The reward is the puzzle

32:40 - Treajectory > Results

39:45 - His greatest trait

43:42: What gives his work meaning

45:25 - Great coaches are great psychologist

48:20 - One of my favorite stories 

50:03 - A blade of grass

52:20 - Ferguson and Pep - the importance of observation

57:50 - Find an enemy

1:00:40 - Find your Cato

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 NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below.

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

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

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Diving into the life and creative genius of music producer, Rick Rubin.

Part II focuses solely on Rubin's life and how he works.

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Sources: 

The Creative Act - Rick Rubin

In the Studio - Jake Brown

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2:00 - How Rubin operates in the studio

17:28 -  Everything was unintentional

19:50 - Music was his drug

20:45 - Rubin, Kubrick, and creative supporting habits

23:30 - Future plans: law and philosophy 

24:25 - Be around the game & scratching your own itch 

28:35 - Creating his company

30:00 - Working with LL Cool J

31:15 - Make what you want to make 

33:00 - The power of taking time

35:25 - Be strict with who you work with

37:30 - The Red Hot Chili Peppers, what creativity needs, and the power of changing things up.

41:38 - Johnny Cash, AC/DC, and the importance of volume

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 NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below.

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

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

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Diving into the life and creative genius of music producer, Rick Rubin.

Part I focuses solely on Rubin's creative philosophies.

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Sources: 

The Creative Act - Rick Rubin

In the Studio - Jake Brown

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2:10 - Creativity is something you are, not something you do

4:05 -  Developing a noticing habit

9:07 - Listening 

10:38 - The beginner mind/the danger of wisdom

16:50 - Pursue excitement

19:12 - Balancing joy with seriousness

22:30 - Finding your rhythm

26:32 - Rules are limitations 

32:12 - Keep the joy alive

35:05 - Temporary rules

36:55 - Tools for finishing the work

39:45 - Defining success

41:50 - Non-competition

43:12 - Habits and art

45:30 - Patience and tuning out 

49:05 - Self-doubt 

56:18 - Try everything

57:12 - Submerge yourself in great work

58:45 - Spirituality and work

59:52 - Inspiration and diligence

1:03:50 - Some short and final ideas 

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 NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below.

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

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

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You can check stay connected and support below:

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Diving into the life and genius of legendary filmmaker, Stanley Kubrick

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Sources: 

Kubrick: An Odyssey - Robert Kolker

Kubrick on Kubrick 

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Time Stamps 

2:38 - Chess and creative supporting activities

4:15 - Get your reps

6:55 - “Get a hold of the camera and some film and make a movie of any kind at all.”

8:00 - What are you insanely curious about? 

11:08 - Shoot your shot

14:23 - Doing the thing is the best education. “What I learned in that four-year period exceeded what I could have learned in school…the experience was invaluable to me. Not only because I learned a lot about photography, but also because it gave me a quick education in how things happened in the world.

16:45 - Stanley Kubrick and Woody Allen - Build volume

18:52 - The one word to describe Stanley 

19:42 - Constraints aren't an excuse

21:23 - Early work is just work. “There’s no such thing as good work or bad work, there is only work at the beginning.”

24:25 - The power is creating things 

26:05 - Obey your artistic muse

29:25 - A turning point and the importance of early work

31:30 - A lesson in control 

33:48 - Stanley's insane preparation (Short essay on LeBron James and Preparation)

40:05 - Quality is the goal. "Stanley’s approach is, how can we do it better than it’s ever been done before? "

“Film stock is cheap, but remarkable quality will pay dividends forever.”

45:00 - The need for details and depths

47:05 - The need for control

49:03 - Obsessive worker/tinkerer

51:45 - Barometer for finding the right film

56:37 - Moviemaking as a metaphor for life

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 NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below.

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

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

Diving into the unqiue approach and mindset of legendary Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, Clayton Kershaw

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Sources: 

Every Fifth Day: The Mentality That Drove Klayton Kershaw to Greatness

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Time Stamps 

2:00 - The five day cycle

12:45 - The game-day approach

20:35 - It's a 24/7 thing

23:57 - Do you want it 

26:25 - Be intense in burst

27:45 - Relentlessness rooted in the struggle

29:30 - Software + Hardware

31:55 - The burden of expectations

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 NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below.

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

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

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You can check stay connected and support below:

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Diving into the life and teachings of the great 19th century zen archery master, Awa Kenzo 

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Sources: 

Zen Bow, Zen Arrow: The Life and Teachings of Awe Kenzo

Zen in the Art of Archery - Eugen Herrigel

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 NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below.

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

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

-----

You can check stay connected and support below:

Website
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I spent the last two weeks diving through all my past podcast episodes and filtering it through one idea: how do the greats think?

How they think about their craft.

How they think about time.

How they think about risk.

How they think about sacrifice.

How they think about quality.

And more.

Enjoy a deep dive into the mind of the ambitious, the obsessed, and the greats.

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 NEW BOOKS ARE LIVE. Check them out below.

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

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

-----

You can check stay connected and support below:

Website
Books
Instagram
X
LinkedIn