All Posts in 'Against All Odds…' Category

Frans Johansson Teaches Us How To Execute Great Ideas

 

Will Smith’s Wisdom

Great video with compiled clips of Will Smith sharing the wisdom he’s picked up through his life. I’ve long been impressed with Will and the depth of his character. I don’t believe he’s just a star, or an actor, or one of the elite with extreme amounts of talent. He is a powerful example of achieving one’s dreams, and, from what I can tell, a humble, passionate, loving person who wants to share the joy in his life with others. Enjoy the great words of wisdom from Will:

 

Momentum

Great piece on Momentum from Seth Godin’s free What Matters Now ebook:

Malcolm Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an “Outlier.” He is, of course, right. My mother says practice makes perfect. She is, of course, right. A billionaire friend once told me to read one of the best stories on successful living, The Tortoise and the Hare. He says, “Every time I read that book, the tortoise wins. Slow and steady wins the race.” He is, of course, right.

Whether it is branding or wealth building, I call it the Momentum theorem.

FOCUSED INTENSITY over TIME multiplied by GOD equals Unstoppable Momentum.

Not many people in our A.D.D. culture can stay FOCUSED, but those who can are on their way to winning. Add to the focus some serious pull-your-shirt-off-and-paint-yourself-blue-at-the-football-game INTENSITY, and now you have a person
who is a difference-maker. But very few companies or people can maintain that FOCUSED INTENSITY over TIME. It takes time to be great, it takes time to create critical mass, it takes time to be an “overnight success.” Lastly, you and I are finite, while GOD is infinite. So, multiply your efforts through Him and watch the areas of your life move toward winning like never before.

Dave Ramsey is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host, best-selling author of the Total Money Makeover, and host of the Dave Ramsey Show on the Fox Business Network.

My favorite line: “…it takes time to be an ‘overnight success.'” Truer words were never spoken.

 

You always pass failure on your way to success.

—Mickey Rooney

Quote of the Week (4)—December 21, 2009

 

You’ve heard of Pixar, right?

How about the documentary titled The Pixar Story? If you haven’t seen it yet, find it, and watch it as soon as you can (hint: look on select Wall•E DVD/Blu-Ray discs). The Pixar Story is a great doc about Pixar’s epic struggle to become what they are today. I think its safe to say that most folks probably think of Pixar as an overnight sensation that hit it big with their first feature film, Toy Story. That’s what I thought, too. I didn’t know how wrong I was until I saw this enlightening film about one of the most storied companies in our recent history.

What strikes me most is the amount of passion, vision, and pure perseverant love the Pixar folks have for what they do. They aren’t going to a job every day. They are doing what they love. They believe they are doing something that is making a real difference in peoples lives. Its no wonder they have been so successful at making their films.

“Pixar is seen by a lot of folks as an overnight success. But, if you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.”

– Steve Jobs, Pixar

Steve, no doubt, was a huge asset in the key moments of Pixar’s development. He spearheaded the IPO, giving pixar the real legs they needed to make it in the big time.

“We learned the important thing is not the idea, the important thing is the people. It’s how they work together, who they are that matters more than anything else.”

– Ed Catmull, Pixar

Difficult to argue with that philosophy. It’s hard to imagine a company with this type of outlook not having bucketloads of culture and passion.

 

Do what you love, the money will follow (just ask Fede Alvarez)

(See the embedded youtube video after the jump)

No doubt millions of people are asking themselves and others right now: “How can I score like this Fede fellow?” Also undoubtedly millions will try to do what he’s done—they’ll try to make the same kind of soup, only to find out the recipe ain’t working for them the same as it did for Fede. So what was his secret?

From avclub.com:

CBC News reports that Fede Alvarez, a Uruguayan man who made his 5-minute sci-fi short Panic Attack for $300 and “just for fun,” has landed a deal with Sam Raimi’s GhostHouse Pictures to direct a feature-length film…budgeted at $30 million.

(emphasis added)

and from yahoo news:

“…apparently nothing gets by Hollywood these days. [Alvarez] told the BBC, “I uploaded ‘Ataque de Panico!’ on a Thursday and on Monday my inbox was totally full of emails from Hollywood studios.”

Long story short, a bidding war ensued. The offer he pocketed: A $30 million deal with Sam “Spiderman” Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures. That’s a nice return on investment.

It looks and sounds like Alvarez understood a key principle to success: follow your vision. Do what you’re passionate about, and eventually you’ll hit it big.

In this day and age, everyone has been trained to do what other people love. Untold numbers of people will see this incredible youtube video, and they’ll try to follow Fede’s passion in an effort to achieve success in their own lives. Maybe a better use of our time and efforts would be to discover what we love as much as Fede Alvarez loves filmmaking—then do it.

Thank you, Fede, for showing us that we can do what we love, and the only obstacle we really need to overcome is our own self-doubt.

 

Sara Jackson Holman is Following Her Vision

Thanks to my friend Kyle Yong Kim for making this great short about Sara. Both are very talented people.

Sara is an incredible singer with an incredible voice. She recently embarked on the journey of creating her first album. Below is a short film in which she discusses the path her dream has taken her on.

Sara understands the thrill of surrender, the exhilaration of acceptance. She has sacrificed her fears and worries, and submitted to the voice inside of her that persistently tells her she can follow dreams.

Sara Jackson Holman: artist and musician from Kyle Yong Kim.

 

Hudsucker Proxy

Couple, Salt Flats

I’m getting ready to head out to the Salt Flats in Western Utah (we’re leaving at 2am tomorrow!).

I have had a movie on my mind all day. It could well be my favorite movie of all time: Hudsucker Proxy (don’t read the synopsis, just [order it, rent it, borrow it], and watch it). I realized today that it is a terrific metaphor for the visionary process.

Let’s see if the main character, Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins), has what it takes to be a true visionary:

Eager protagonist? Check. Surrounded by skeptics? Check. Unyielding commitment to his vision? Check. A little bit stupid? Check. This guy is textbook visionary. Watch the show. See if you agree. And leave a comment after you watch it. I’m curious to know what you think.

See you at the Salt Flats.