Ego prevents the successful man from growing because he can only see what he’s done.

Poise, not pose.

Sometimes social media feels like work, but it isn’t. “Building my brand,” “Curating others posts,” is not work.

Silence is a strength. While others chatter, you have the strategic benefits of not talking. Your mind actually thinks talking is the same as achieving your goals. Take Upton Sinclair’s attempt at a governor’s seat, which he lost. It was a total failure because he had already bragged that he won. He even wrote a book about his win before actually running.

Make the choice between doing something and being somebody. Anything that’s not “doing” is a distraction.

Kirk Hammett, the lead guitarist for Metallica, endured what others wouldn’t – an understanding of the things that they didn’t pursue. (He practiced endlessly, including learning classical chords, which he added to Metallic’s songs.)

Frank Shamrock has the “+ – =” system where do you have someone better than you, lesser than you that you could teach, and equal to you.

You cannot get better if you are convinced you’re the best. You cannot learn if you don’t ask the questions.

Remain dispassionate. Instead, find a purpose you can pursue daily.

“Follow the canvass” means find canvasses for others to paint on. Allow them to be good, and as a result, you’ll be good.

If you want to give feedback for question authority in private in self-effacing fashion. You can be a rising star that way without pissing people off. Be lesser, do more.

Don’t allow your pride to work against you. Pride is a Christian sin because it is false. Don’t boast because there is nothing in it for you.

Having ideas is not enough. Work proves results. Bill Clinton put in the work by rereading his contacts in a black book every night and contacting and sending them letters even before he got into politics.

Avoid telling your own story. You should be crafting the narrative behind what you’re doing. Bill Walsh understood the standard of performance which led to him winning the Super Bowl. Don’t prematurely credit yourself with victories.

Avoid having bold sweeping visions. Google was founded by Ph.D. students, and YouTube was just two dudes trying to send videos to each other. The narrative behind success is rarely clear.

Play for the name on the front of the jersey and they’ll remember the name on the back.

Make use of dead time – Ian Fleming (Bond author) wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang when he had time off from the Bond books. Malcolm X read books while in jail for 7 years, educated himself by reading the entire prison library.

Social media is a distraction and instead of talking about “look what I did” or “me, me, me” focus on doing something and not worrying about taking credit for it.

Produce something rather than focusing on making money.

Avoid a website or book that’s only about you. You’re selling the business, not yourself. (Tesla vs. Delorean)

Sell your faults. Be authentic. It’s not a crowded market talking transparently. Don’t just come to the table with trying to add to what’s already out there, come with “make your own category.”

Understand that there always something left to learn, so dedicating yourself to learning and always being a student is key. Even stay a student when you’re “successful.” Stay beta.

Focus on putting out valuable and useful content. Not just chiming in or bragging about what you’ve done.

Ego affects most those who try to venture and succeed at new things. Ulysses S. Grant attempting to be President, financier. Or Kanye West trying to launch a fashion line. Or Howard Hughes trying to start the movie biz, airplane biz.

Stay in your lane and always be humble. Avoid trying to take all the credit and announcing “I’m here.”

Think like John Wooden, who taught his new recruits how to tie their shoes. Badly tied shoes equal blisters. Blisters = missed games. Missed games = lost games. Lost games = lost seasons.