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Jerry Seinfeld shares about one of his favorite failures early in his career. He moved to LA after building a good reputation in New York, but struggled to get spots at the Comedy Store, the top club in LA. Even after meeting with the owner, Mitzi Shore, she told him she would give spots to someone else. Seinfeld never worked at the Comedy Store again and had to start from scratch, performing at small venues to just a handful of people. However, this failure fueled his resentment and drive to prove himself, ultimately leading him to find success.
Jerry Seinfeld emphasizes the significance of routine in his life. He loves routine and finds that it helps him manage his depression and feel less overwhelmed. Some of the key routines in his life include weight training three times a week for an hour, practicing transcendental meditation at least twice a day, and setting specific writing sessions with predetermined end times. Seinfeld believes that routine provides balance and helps him navigate the overwhelming forces within himself and accomplishes his creative and professional goals.
Seinfeld shares insights into his writing process and emphasizes the importance of nurturing oneself as a writer. He advises not discussing what you wrote on the same day to preserve the feeling of accomplishment and to guard against discouragement. Seinfeld encourages writers to reward themselves for their efforts and accepts the mediocrity that may come with the creative process. He also advises writers to systemize their writing sessions, set end times, and learn to accept their own flaws and limitations.
Seinfeld highlights the importance of confronting and resolving conflicts, both personally and professionally. He expresses his dislike for discord and asserts that he actively roots it out to maintain peaceful, harmonious relationships. Seinfeld believes in direct communication and problem-solving, never shying away from addressing issues head-on. He also draws a parallel between confronting conflicts and the principle of survival in comedy, emphasizing the profession's necessity to learn the craft of writing to thrive.
Jerry Seinfeld discusses how his anger and frustration fueled his determination in stand-up comedy. He shares stories of facing hostility and using it as motivation to prove himself. Seinfeld highlights the significance of having a strong work ethic and not letting others define your success.
Jerry Seinfeld emphasizes the importance of gamifying life's challenges and maintaining physical fitness. He explains how weight training helps him cheat biology and maintain his performance as a stand-up comedian at the age of 66. Seinfeld also discusses the toxic and attritive nature of the comedy world and the need for resilience to sustain a career in the industry.
Entertainment icon Jerry Seinfeld’s (@jerryseinfeld) comedy career took off after his first appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1981. Eight years later, he teamed up with fellow comedian Larry David to create what was to become the most successful comedy series in the history of television: Seinfeld. The show ran on NBC for nine seasons, winning numerous Emmy, Golden Globe, and People’s Choice awards, and was named the greatest television show of all time in 2009 by TV Guide and in 2012 was identified as the best sitcom ever in a 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll.
Seinfeld made his Netflix debut with the original stand-up special Jerry Before Seinfeld along with his Emmy-nominated and critically acclaimed web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, which has garnered over 100 million views, and which the New York Times describes as “impressively complex and artful” and Variety calls “a game-changer.” His latest stand-up special, 23 Hours to Kill, was released by Netflix earlier this year.
He is also the author of Is This Anything? which features his best work across five decades in comedy.
Please enjoy!
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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.
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