Playbook Podcast

I had the pleasure of interviewing businessman and motivational speaker Chris Gardner. Chris Gardner is the CEO of Happyness whose inspirational story inspired the film The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith.

He shared his best tips on succeeding in life and business and how his new book Permission to Dream aims at teaching the new generations to see a world of possibilities.

 Here are the four takeaways from my interview with him:

Understand the difference between a dream and a plan

We have all had dreams, but a plan is what helps us to guide our actions toward making that possibility into our perspective or reality. We must set our trajectory and angle towards our goals by taking action every day, understanding that our dreams can change along the way. We should also empower the next generation by opening their eyes to opportunities that are out there in the world if they have the skills, knowledge, and desire to pursue their potential.

Don’t become dependent on others to determine our worth

We cannot become beholden to exterior validation to determine our self-worth. Find sources of internal motivation to get ourselves up and going when times are tough and connect to what inspires us in order to keep us going. Instituting mindfulness practices, gratitude exercises, or using positive affirmations and mantras are some ways that can help us to create more internal validation.

Focus on our Rep, Rap, and Rolodex

As Chris mentions, we must maintain a reputation for excellence and integrity in our business and personal life. Rap means that we must be able to effectively communicate our ideas and intentions to others, which is especially important in order to share a vision with someone. Finally, our relationships are invaluable in business and need to be treasured, as relationships can help to solve problems that money cannot.

Invest in human capital 

It is not enough to be grateful for what we have in life, but we must also share our knowledge, motivation, and inspiration with others. Being a coach, mentor, or teacher if we have the tools (and temperament) to do so is imperative. While this is an unselfish pursuit, elevating others will also serve to elevate ourselves in the long run, as well.

This is a conversation with Dr. Joe Dispenza from Office Hours Season 2.

Dr. Joe Dispenza is a New York Times best-selling author, researcher, lecturer, and corporate consultant, discussing how to get your body and mind into alignment, as well as what it takes to ensure that your brain is “firing and wiring” in the right way.

Office Hours features billionaires, millionaires, entrepreneurs, celebrities, athletes and entertainers to talk about success, failure, and everything in between.

Stream Season 2 of Office Hours now on Apple TV

On this episode of #ThePlaybook, Scott DeRue, President of Equinox, shares his thoughts on:

1. [:41] – How the Equinox experience sets their fitness clubs apart from their competitors 
2. [3:43] – What Equinox does to promote a high-performance lifestyle for their members
3. [12:06] – How his time as Dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Business led to his current role
4. [14:17] – How he empowers his team to adapt to changing customer preferences

Ed Mylett, Entrepreneur, Global Speaker, Best-Selling Author, and Host of The Ed Mylett Show, discusses some of the most valuable lessons and strategies from his newest book “The Power of One More”.

Carli Lloyd, former American professional soccer player, 2x World Cup Champion, 2x FIFA World Player of Year, Author, and Keynote Speaker, shares her thoughts on how athletes can set themselves up to successfully transition after their playing career, as well as the single best lesson she has learned about setting your priorities. 

Lloyd and host of #ThePlaybook, David Meltzer, sit down to discuss a range of topics including how to handle the doubters you come across, the core values that they each use in order to empower others, and how to shed the limitations that we unknowingly place upon ourselves.

On this episode of #ThePlaybook, Josh Flagg, Top Beverly Hills Luxury Real Estate Agent and Star of Million Dollar Listing: LA⁣⁣, shares his thoughts on:

1. [3:05] – Why it might take more work to sell a $300,000 house than a house worth $30 million 
2. [5:24] – How salespeople can properly use emotion as a part of the sales process
3. [9:32] – Why being on television hasn’t changed his approach to business (or life)
4. [15:15] – The three words which are key to his success in real estate 

On this episode of #ThePlaybook, Jayson Waller, Founding CEO of PowerHome Solar & Host of the True Underdog Podcast, shares his thoughts on:

1. [1:24] – Why seeing his father pass up an opportunity to open his own business inspired Jayson to take a different path
2. [4:13] – How persevering after nearly closing his business down turned into the most valuable lesson he’s learned
3. [9:42] – Why understanding the difference between self-confidence and arrogance is key for any business leader
4. [14:28] – His strategy for self-improvement and why he says there are three categories of people you meet in life