Matt Higgins

Since Elon Musk is now the richest person on Earth, I surfaced an interview from this 1999 documentary to see what clues he dropped. Must watch to the end, only 3 minutes. Although a bit cringy, he telegraphs his future self.

Musk had just sold his company for $400 million. He’s celebrating his win with a $1 million sports car. But by the end, he seems more interested in his blackberry and whatever comes next.

“It’s sort of like a series of poker games. Now I have gone on to a more high stakes poker game and just carried those chips with me. I haven’t gone and taken my winnings and spent a big chunk of it. I have put almost all of it back into the new game.”

He concludes: “The real payoff is having the sense of satisfaction in having created the company I have sold.”

If you want to identify the next Elon Musk, the true breakout winner to invest in, look for perpetual strivers, the people who derive joy from the journey, not the result.

Postscript: The car is a McLaren F1, capable of going from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, then the fastest street legal car in the world.

At least it was, until Musk created the Tesla P100D, 0-60 in 2.4 seconds.

I guess it was more fun to beat that car than own it! #innovation #startups #elonmusk

What makes Elon Musk tick?

It’s magic.

This commencement speech from 2012 has some incredible insights into that big brain. Most interestingly, he makes the point that innovations we take for granted would have earned the inventor a death sentence at the stake a few generations ago.

The speech is an important reminder to never lose your child-like wonder for the magic of invention.

I get asked a lot what still drives me to hit everything non stop. Honestly it’s the joy of being a bit early and ultimately being right. Not for ego gratification, but to re-experience the sensation of pattern recognition. We don’t really know where we are going in this life, or why we are here, but when you discern that the universe has left you a trail of breadcrumbs, it seems like there’s a bigger plan at work.

Follow them fearlessly and be rewarded for your conviction.

That feels like magic to me.

#Innovation #Entrepreneur #Inspiration

Is he really having a coke with breakfast?

It was one of the most interesting meetings of my life – Warren Buffett – and that’s all I could think about over our breakfast. Sprinkled into every topic was an infectious giggle, and the joy with which he imbibed that Coke you would think it was the first time he tasted one.

That’s the day I realized Warren Buffett didn’t just have more wealth than anyone on earth (at the time), he had more peace and personal satisfaction than anyone I had ever met - and it had nothing to do with money.

He doesn’t reveal the formula to Coke in this epic video, but he does share his formula for happiness.

I won’t spoil it but one irresistible nugget:

“You ought to be happy where you are working. I always worry about people who say, 'I am going to do this for ten years, I really don’t like it very well. Then I’ll do ten more years of this.'

That’s a little like saving up sex for old age. Not a very good idea.” #success #life #bestadvice #warrenbuffett

In the business arena, there's no masking the fact that a remarkable product speaks volumes louder than any advertising endeavor ever could.

The resonance of genuine quality far outweighs the clamor of promotional campaigns.

Remember: No amount of top-tier marketing can serve as a substitute for a product that falls short of excellence.

📹: Dawn Lindsley

I’ve decided I really want to be Richard Branson when I never grow up.

#branson #success

Cracking opening this time capsule before we send Jeff Bezos off to outer space.

Think about it. Ever since he launched this website to sell books, Bezos has been breaking things and making things and fixing things. He’s defied conventional wisdom that to truly succeed, stay in your lane. Log your 10,000 hours.

No, he’s not perfect. He’s a mere mortal like the rest of us (hence the need for a space ship to reach the heavens).

But he has given the world a glimpse of what each of us can accomplish when we commit to a growth mindset; when we leave ridicule behind so our dreams can achieve escape velocity.

It is Day One.

Forever

#Bezos #Innovation #BlueOrigin #Future #Inspiration

“You are the company you keep.”

 In Burn The Boats, I reflect on how my mother used to say it to me often as a teenager (and I rolled my eyes each time).

But through the chapters of my book, this principle has proven itself to be true.

The simple lecture holds true throughout our lives.

Water rises to its own level; people rise to their own environment.

Jettison the energy vampires who feast on your self doubt—they will never be sated until you are drained of all your ambition.

Instead, populate your foxhole with those who leave you awe inspired and motivated to dig deeper.

I believe ‘legacy’ is the ego’s way of trying to rule beyond the grave.

One simple act of kindness sets off a chain reaction of compassion that never stops, ad Infinitum.

Now that’s a legacy to be proud of.

#inspiration #motivation #lifeadvice #whatinspiresme Oprah Winfrey OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network

The extra mile is never crowded.

Not everyone wants to put in the extra effort…

So use that as leverage to set yourself apart 🔥

Some are aflutter, some are in a tither over Elon Musk buying Twitter. But there's one thing we can all agree is good for civilization: Sir Michael Caine's Twitter feed. 
 
You won't find any memes of Bill Gates' beer belly (that was mean, Elon). No, just sunny posts from a good-natured soul. 
 
Which brings me to this absolute gem of a clip. Sir Michael recalls an anecdote from his youth about complaining to his director of a misplaced chair blocking the rehearsal doorway. To which he conveyed this Yoda-like advice: 
 
“Use the difficulty.”
 
The director elaborated: “If it’s a comedy, fall over it. If it’s a drama, pick it up and smash it!’
 
Is that not pure fire? 
 
Poverty was my ‘chair’ when I was growing up in Queens, but I used the difficulty by dropping out of high school at 16 to work full-time and enroll in college early – in turn, pulling forward all my professional development.
 
Each one of us has a metaphorical chair blocking our way forward. 
Use the difficulty. Make that chair work for you. 
 
Does this move you like it did me?
 
#SirMichaelCaine #bestadvice #gettingthingsdone

“I want to start a business, what should I do?”

In Burn the Boats, I talk about why you shouldn't outsource your intuition in favor of books and TED talks.

Mark Cuban also touches on these defining factors that make or break a successful entrepreneur.

It’s not all about how many business books you’ve read or how much funding you’ve racked up.

It’s about passion.

The passion for the process, the risk-taking, the communication, the challenges, the relationships you create while doing so.

If you aren’t ready to work 24/7 on your vision, someone else will.