#444: Hugh Jackman on Best Decisions, Daily Routines, The 85% Rule, Favorite Exercises, Mind Training, and Much More

54 snips

Jun 30, 2020

Hugh Jackman, an accomplished Academy Award-nominated and Tony Award-winning performer, shares insights from his vibrant career. He emphasizes the importance of daily routines like meditation, which he treats with the same discipline as showering. Jackman discusses the '85% rule' for maintaining performance and the role of intuition in his artistic decisions. He also reflects on personal growth, the transformative power of reading, and the significance of kindness in both life and art. Get ready for fun anecdotes and valuable wisdom!

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ADVICE

Morning Reading

Read for at least 30 minutes every morning, regardless of your schedule.
This ensures quality time and sets a positive tone for the day.

ANECDOTE

Gifting Books

Hugh Jackman often gifts two specific books: Here Is New York by E.B. White and This Is Water by David Foster Wallace.
He appreciates their concise yet impactful nature.

ANECDOTE

The Overstory's Impact

The Overstory by Richard Powers significantly shifted Hugh Jackman's perspective on nature.
The book's focus on trees made him more aware of his surroundings.

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The 4-Hour Body

An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman

Tim Ferriss

In 'The 4-Hour Body,' Tim Ferriss shares the results of over a decade of self-experimentation and research, involving hundreds of elite athletes, dozens of MDs, and thousands of hours of personal testing. The book covers more than 50 topics, including how to lose weight quickly, gain muscle without steroids, sleep less and perform better, and improve sexual health. Ferriss emphasizes the importance of finding the smallest changes that produce the biggest results, making it accessible for readers to achieve significant improvements in their physical health and performance.

The Second Mountain

The Quest for a Moral Life

David Brooks

In 'The Second Mountain', David Brooks explores the concept of two mountains in life: the first mountain, which represents individual success and ego-driven achievements, and the second mountain, which symbolizes a life of deeper meaning, commitment, and contribution to a greater good. Brooks argues that our society's extreme individualism has torn the social fabric, and the path to repair is through making deeper commitments to a spouse and family, a vocation, a philosophy or faith, and a community. The book is both a personal reflection on Brooks' own life journey and a broader social commentary, offering practical advice and stories of people who have lived joyous, committed lives[2][4][5].

The Overstory

Richard Powers

The Overstory is a sweeping and impassioned work of environmental fiction that follows the lives of nine individuals whose paths are intertwined by their connections to trees. The novel is structured in four parts – 'Roots', 'Trunk', 'Crown', and 'Seeds' – mirroring the parts of a tree. It delves into themes of ecology, climate change, and the interconnectedness of trees and humans, using a blend of science, history, and magical realism. The book advocates for the protection of trees and the natural world, posing critical questions about humanity's relationship with the environment and the long-term consequences of human actions[2][4][5].

This is water

Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life

David Foster Wallace

This book is a transcript of the only public speech David Foster Wallace gave on his views on life, delivered as a commencement address at Kenyon College in 2005. The speech delves into the difficulties of empathy, the unimportance of being well-adjusted, and the apparent loneliness of adult life. Wallace argues that true freedom comes from the ability to be fully conscious and sympathetic, and he emphasizes the importance of learning how to think and exercise control over one's thoughts. The speech is known for its blend of casual humor, exacting intellect, and practical philosophy, offering advice that renews readers with every reading. After his death, the speech became a treasured piece of writing, reprinted in various publications and widely discussed online[1][2][4].

Here is New York

E. B. White