August 28, 2018
Jocko Podcast 128 w/ Echo Charles – How to Gain Confidence. Settling The Score.
Q & A: Topics covered include: How to Gain Confidence, Forgiveness vs. Settling the Score, Does Discipline Inhibit Creativity?
Over-training – Do you believe in over-training or is it an excuse?
- Yes you can over-train, most people don’t
- If you over-train you’ll know it because your performance will start to slip: “Take a break, eat some steak”
- It’s actually hard to over-train, so you should try to do something active everyday
- Two kinds of over-training
- Clinical – it shows in your blood, real symptoms develop (like trouble sleeping) – it takes a while to get out of it
- Rhabdo – acute over-training
Packing a Lunch for Work – What would you pack for lunch if you had a typical 9-5 job?
- Chicken, steak, beef jerky, salad
- Don’t eat donuts in the office
- It’s in the American culture to go out with others at work for lunch
- Break the cycle, otherwise you’re spending money on food that will make you fat and lazy
- Pack your own lunch – it makes you leaner and smarter; spend less, eat better
- What would be Jocko’s go to?
- Tin chicken (in a can) with some mayo on it
Real Estate Investing – How did Jocko start?
- Jocko’s been lucky.
- In 2007-08, he bought some houses and then continued
- His military salary helped because he knew a paycheck was coming no matter what
- Number 1 – Just try to buy a house to live in, and then pay it off as soon as you can, fix it up, rent it out, and buy another
- Advice – buy a house in the place you want to live
- Location can’t be changed, but you can always fix it up
- Jocko did all the “fixing up” type work on the houses he bought himself
- Now he doesn’t do it as much – you either have time or money
- VA loans are good, but you can only get one, and only if you’re in the military – it’s a good jumping off point
- Buy a house instead of renting
- Be careful of speculating – prices don’t always go up, don’t count on it
- Live lean
- You might not be able to go out to dinner, and you may need to buy the kids “recycled” stuff for Christmas
- You might be financial tight when you buy your first house, it’s okay
- If you’re not okay with a “lean Christmas”, and not going out for dinner, or buying recycled gifts, then don’t buy or speculate
- No risk, no reward, but don’t risk everything
Does Jocko ever watch mindless TV or Youtube during down time?
- Jocko doesn’t have a lot of free time
- To decompress – he might watch something with his kids, like The Office
Is it okay to use mass punishment on the team?
- When the team is not working together, punish together
- What if it’s just an individual?
- The team needs to get that person on board
Discipline as a Creative
- You need discipline to get good at your craft, music, art, whatever
- You should do those things because you love them, the money will follow
- Ideally, if money is an issue at first, have another job to make money, so artistically you can do what you want
How to Deal with Being Lonely at the Top
- When Jocko was a platoon commander, was it lonely? – Not really
- When you’re a business owner or leader, there are times you have to be alone
- If you’re at the top, you have to work harder than everyone else so you might be alone
- “The higher, the fewer”
- Being alone isn’t a bad thing, you should be comfortable being alone
- When you’re not okay with it, adjust the balance: it’s a long term thing
The Office Reboot, Staring Jocko
- Great show, his kids are obsessed with it
- Jocko prefers the British version, funny but depressing, more realistic, not as over-the-top
- Yes, he would be in a new version of The Office as a hard core version of Dwight Shrute
- There are definitely leadership issues in the show
The Best Way to Keep in Shape While Traveling
- Get wood gymnastic rings, you can take them anywhere
- Get creative – moving body weight through space is the best way to build body mass
- Dead lifting and squatting are both good
- Dumbbells are better than a barbell for neuromuscular activity
- Use Google maps to find gyms in your area, then commit
Forgive or Wait to Settle the Score?
- Forgive if you can, but it’s hard to do sometimes
- Forgiving someone is a form of settling the score; you show they don’t matter anymore
- Best revenge: move on, “kick ass in the world”
When Jocko crush’s today’s to-do list, does he relax or move on to the next day’s list?
- Keep going, Jocko works until he’s brain dead
- Keep hammering until you can’t anymore
- Right now, Jocko estimates he could work 24 hours a day and he’d never get done what he has to get done, done
- But if you need break, take a break
- Relax by doing something of value: like exercise
- Don’t watch TV
Entering the military when you’re over 30 years old
- It’s fine – At that age you’ve got intelligence and maturity
- Only downside is you have to do some dumb stuff; you might develop a negative attitude
- Jocko jointed at 18
- Go in with an open mind, do the tedious, and you will eventually get the leadership position
- If you have a good attitude, you have a good chance of getting promoted, but if you’re negative, and spread negativity, it will be problematic
- You might also experience some social disconnect because lot of people will be 18
- Brace yourself for the perspective of an 18 yr old: “You’re an old man”
What do you do when your boss doesn’t make the connection between your work and the team’s success?
- Keep working hard – put your ego in check
- Let your boss have the glory, make him look great
- The glory will come for you as well, just be patient
Does discipline inhibit creativity?
- No – Jimmy Page, guitar virtuoso, played guitar so much in school, in lunch, at study hall, that they had to take his guitar from him
- He practiced so much that he was able to get more creative than anyone else. Discipline expanded his creativity.
- Anyone who does anything, the only way they get that extra percent is discipline
- If you don’t like doing it, what are you doing it for?
Moving On vs. Fighting On
- Assess everything going on in the situation
- If there is no prospect of you moving ahead (like in a family business), maybe it’s time to get out
- If you can do a good job, step up and become a leader, it might be worth sticking around
- Don’t blind side your boss, explain what’s going on
- Be specific in your exit interview – it might start a good conversation
What are the best ways to increase confidence?
- Do Jiu Jitsu
- Read, study, learn, and get smarter
- Practice speaking so you can become more articulate
- Do things that are challenging, get tougher, don’t quit
- Stand up tall with your chin high and your chest out
- Stay humble
- People might be richer, better looking, and more talented than you, but there are things that are more important – like loyalty, honor, and courage
- If you know you won’t give up, won’t give in, and you know you’ll get back up, then you know your character is strong, and that’s what matters – It’s all the confidence you need
