Books Are Great

Ed Catmull basically invented the concept of an attractive and successful "Company Culture." He very carefully cultivated the attitude and culture of creativity within the walls of his businesses; but he wasn't always a rousing success.   What most people aren't aware of, is that Toy Story almost didn't exist. If it weren't for Ed's strong understanding of himself and his business, the team at Pixar would never have had the meetings that led to the revitalization of what is now known as a wonderful, classic film about Woody and Buzz.   Joe and Jeff talk through the ideas and systems that helped Ed thrive through tough times, and keep the team whole and thriving after being purchased by the behemoth known as Disney.

Napoleon Hill wrote his bestselling book in 1937, and the years have been kind to the work. It's sold more than 15,000,000 copies worldwide since then. This episode is about what it takes to turn an idea into a burning desire, how to develop a keen sense of faith in yourself and what to do once you have those two foundational elements in place to TAKE ACTION towards the life you deserve. Joe and Jeff also dig into the details about Napoleon's odd life, the veracity of his claims and whether he was who he claimed to be... It's difficult to fully come to terms with his complex life, but it's not difficult to understand that his writing and his advice are sound principles on which everyone can build a rich life.    

What separates the good from the great? Are there consistent things we can look to as identifying the truly high-performers from their peers? Brendon Burchard has dedicated his life to answering those questions. As more parallels are drawn between world-class performers, it becomes more and more simple to find out how they've done it. Brendon's book lays out all of those habits in very clear language. By the time you're done with the book it's almost difficult NOT to adhere to these quite straight-forward ideas.

Dr. Peterson lays out his method for living the best life possible in this entertaining book. He uses mostly anecdotes and personal stories, along with mythology and religious understanding to illustrate where most people make mistakes in the way they go about their days.   This episode focuses on four of Dr. Peterson's 12 rules: Treat Yourself Like Someone You're Responsible For Helping Do Not Let Your Children Do Anything That Makes You Dislike Them Set Your House in Perfect Order Before You Criticize the World Be Precise in Your Speech

Do you feel as if your life is going sideways?   Well, Tim Sanders principles are good place to help you gain control. Tim Sanders is a bestselling author, leadership coach, and former Yahoo! executive. He was no different then you and I. He has struggled to get his footing on his life and career many times in his life.    In his book, Tim shares his personal story of moving back home to live with his grandmother while he was going through some hardships. While back home, he learns from his grandmother the 7 principles of “confident living.” He shares personal stories about each principal and how they can be used step-by-step to overcome obstacles to become more confident and achieve your full potential.

2,000 years ago there lived a man named Epictetus, who was born into slavery in Greece. He was highly educated and throughout his life he learned to discern between the things he CAN control and the things he CANNOT. He is one of the founders of stoic philosophy, which has taught hundreds of thousands of people to live calmly and usefully. This episode is full of inspiration, understanding and some serious insight into how to live the best life. Start Living Your Ideals - "Now is the time to get serious about living your ideals. Once you have determined the spiritual principles you wish to exemplify, abide by these rules as if they were laws. Put your principles into practice - now. Stop the excuses and procrastination. This is your life! You aren't a child anymore. From this instant on, vow to stop disappointing yourself. Separate yourself from the mob. Decide to be extraordinary and do what you need to do - now."  

Why do some people and companies fail and succeed? According to Ryan Holiday, the difference lies in how you handle your ego.    He explains that in life we typically find ourselves in three stages: Aspire, Success, and Failure.  No matter, whether you are early in your career, a super successful professional, or finding yourself failing at the moment, your ego, will be there. How you manage it will either help you reach your goals or ultimately destroy you.  “Training is like sweeping the floor. Just because we ‘ve done it once, doesn’t mean the floor is clean forever. Every day the dust comes back. Every day we must sweep."

A life of balance is useful to everyone. The stories of Miyamoto Musashi is recorded in history for all of us to lear from, even those of us who don't regularly engage in sword duals....   This episode is full of battle stories, life lessons, confused Americans trying to decode and understand 17th century Japanese literature, and a genuine attempt to understand the meaning of life and battle.   From his book of ground, Musashi lays out the basics of his strategy and the way of the warrior: Do not think dishonestly The way is in training Become acquainted with every art Know the ways of all professions Distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters Perceive those things which cannot be seen Pay attention even to trifles Do nothing which is of no use

Years ago Tim Grover got the unique opportunity to become MJ's trainer. He went on to not just train MJ his whole career but he trained other athletes like Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade to name a few. He claims that what makes MJ, Kobe, and Dwade different is that they are cleaners. What made these three athletes go from good to great to unstoppable throughout their career is the relentless exercising of their mental fitness.     In today's show, Jeff shares Tim Grover's definition of a cleaner and the Relentless 13 which are the specific traits of a cleaner   #1. You keep pushing yourself harder when everyone else has had enough. #1. When you're in the Zone, you shut out everything and control the uncontrollable. #1. You know exactly who you are. #1. You have a dark side that refuses to be taught to be good. #1. You're not intimidated by pressure, you thrive on it. #1. When everyone is hitting the "In Case of Emergency" button, they're all looking for you. #1. You don't compete with anyone, you find your opponent's weakness and you attack. #1. You make decisions, not suggestions; you know the answer while everyone is still asking questions. #1. You don't have to love the work, but you're addicted to the results. #1. You'd rather be feared than liked. #1. You trust very few people, and those you trust better never let you down. #1. You don't recognize failure; you know there's more than one way to get what you want. #1. You don't celebrate your achievements because you always want more.

Man literally becomes what he thinks. His character is the complete sum of all his thoughts. James Allen wrote this useful little pamphlet in 1903. These words have served as inspiration to millions of readers, spawned generations of self-help literature and pushed people around the world to improve themselves and through their thoughts. Allen links thought to achievement, circumstances, vision, ideals and serenity.