Quote of the Week
You are the sum total of all the work you have put in, nothing more and nothing else. If you are confident you have done everything possible to prepare yourself, then there is nothing to fear. — Michael Jordan
Music of the Week
The Revivalists are an American rock band out of New Orleans consisting of Ed Williams, David Shaw, Zach Feinberg, Rob Ingraham, George Gekas, Andrew Campanelli, Michael Giradot, and Paulet “PJ” Howard. I’ve recently been jamming to this group after they were mentioned in a recent New Orleans Axios newsletter. There’s just something comfortable about their sound that draws me in.
Article of the Week
A Few Little Ideas And Short Stories by Morgan Housel is chock-full of fantastic stories and quotes from some of the best at their craft. A few of my favorite quotes and stories include:
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Charlie Munger once talked about how sensational Costco founder Jim Sinegal’s career was.
Podcaster David Senra asked Munger: Why are there so few speeches or interviews with Sinegal?
“He was busy working,” said Munger.
The most impressive people don’t spend their lives on social media or managing their publicity.
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Jerry Seinfeld recently said:
Audiences are now flocking to stand-up because it’s something you can’t fake. It’s like platform diving. You could say you’re a platform diver, but in two seconds we can see if you are or you aren’t. That’s what people like about stand-up. They can trust it. Everything else is fake.
His advice: “Get good at something. That’s it. Everything else is bullshit.”
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Jeff Bezos once said:
Every startup company is unlikely to work. It’s helpful to be in reality about that, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be optimistic. So you have to have this duality in your head. On the one hand, you know what the baseline statistics say about startup companies, and on the other hand, you have to ignore all of that and just be 100% sure it’s going to work, and you’re doing both things at the same time. You’re holding that contradiction in your head.
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Before playing the Cleveland Cavaliers, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was asked by the press how his team could stop the Cav’s impressive run. “How do you feel your defense can get into passing lanes and stop it?” they asked.
“Oh, we probably won’t. I can give you some bullshit if you want,” Popovich said.
We need more of this. There’s a fine line between motivational cheerleading and lying.
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In his 1818 poem Ozymandias, Percy Bysshe Shelley writes about coming across the rubble of a destroyed, millennia-old monument in the middle of nowhere. Nothing about the monument can be identified, except the base, with an inscription that reads:
“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; / Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
No one will remember you in 100 years, and it’s helpful to remember that when making big life decisions.
Book of the Week
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport is yet another book in the Newport list of books I connected with on a deep level. And how could you not after reading this book? Newport is talking about productivity and burnout, two issues successful people think about all the time. Newport argues that our current definition of productivity is to treat busyness as a proxy for productivity. This leads to endless to-do lists and meetings which leads to overwhelm which leads to burnout. Newport argues that modern knowledge workers should look to the past for answers – “history’s most successful philosophers, scientists, artists, and writers who had staying power.” Slow Productivity gives knowledge workers step-by-step advice such as “introducing seasonal variation and shifting your performance toward long-term quality.”
Driven from Within by Michael Jordan is Michael Jordan in his own words on what led to his “six NBA Championships and some of the most spectacular performances in sports history.” Jordan makes it clear in Driven from Within that his success came from those around him, primarily his parents. He then added his “skill, work ethic, philosophy, personal style, competitiveness, and presence” to the mix to become a force and ultimately one of the greatest basketball players of all time. I love the way Jordan thinks, the way he works and prepares, the way he treats people, and how he motivates himself every day. For more on Jordan check out Michael Jordan (The Life), Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan In His Own Words, Michael Jordan, Michael Jordan Leaves the Audiences Speechless, and Michael Jordan: Most Inspirational Speech Ever.
Podcast of the Week
My wife Ashlee recently texted me an Armchair Expert with Dax Shephard episode I thoroughly enjoyed so I decided it was time to jump back in with Dax. Recent episodes I enjoyed include Richard Isaacson (on Alzheimer’s prevention), Jack Black, Erik Larson (historical author), and Amy Poehler Returns.
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