May 28, 2020

Positivity, Relentless Improvement, and Why You Can’t Half-Ass Your Way Through Life | Kevin Hart on The Tim Ferriss Show

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Check out The Tim Ferriss Show Episode Page & Show Notes

Key Takeaways

• Whenever something bad happens, consider it as a learning opportunity
  • “I don’t bitch and complain about the things that I can’t change. And the things that you can change, why spend time bitching if you’re gonna change it?” – Kevin Hart
• Being angry about the past doesn’t change anything
  • Instead, put that energy into doing something useful 
• Kevin wants people to talk about his work years or even decades from now
  • “My joy definitely comes from being able to see the benefits of my work and being able to create a story that can possibly be talked about years after I’m here”
• “I’m a product of hard work pays off” – Kevin Hart
  • “I’m in love with the thought of success and more importantly the benefit that comes from hard work” 
• “I don’t understand how you do something halfway” – Kevin Hart
  • In high school, Kevin cut class and didn’t do the homework because he thought it was cool
    • “I was the only jackass that didn’t have a plan because I thought that was the cool thing to do so I saw what not working hard got me” 
• Start every day with a workout
  • “I can’t be the best version of myself if I’m not taking care of myself”– Kevin Hart

Intro

• Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) is a stand-up comedian, actor, and producer.
  • He’s the author of 
    • I Can’t Make This Up
    • The Decision: Overcoming Today’s BS for Tomorrow’s Success
• Host: Tim Ferriss (@tferriss)

Books Mentioned

• Kevin’s book, I Can’t Make This Up 
• Kevin recently released his Audible original book: The Decision: Overcoming Today’s BS for Tomorrow’s Success
  • “It’s not just informative but it’s mental fitness” – Kevin Hart

Relentless Improvement

• Whenever something bad happens to you, consider it a learning opportunity
  • “I don’t bitch and complain about the things that I can’t change. And the things that you can change, why spend time bitching if you’re gonna change it?” – Kevin Hart
• Being angry about the past doesn’t change anything
  • Instead, put that energy into doing something useful 
• If you’re constantly bothered by something, you won’t be a pleasant person to be around
  • “There’s so much anger and so much negative energy, I just choose the opposite” – Kevin Hart

Work So Hard People Remember You

• This pandemic will go into the history books
  • “This moment in time will be talked about in 30 to 40 years as one of the worst things to hit the globe” – Kevin Hart
    • Kevin wants to have a similar impact on the world but in a positive way
      • Kevin wants people to talk about his work years or even decades from now
        • “My joy definitely comes from being able to see the benefits of my work and being able to create a story that can possibly be talked about years after I’m here”
• “I’m a product of hard work pays off” – Kevin Hart
  • “I’m in love with the thought of success and more importantly the benefit that comes from hard work” 

You Can’t Half-Ass Your Way Through Life

• “I don’t understand how you do something halfway” – Kevin Hart
  • In high school, Kevin cut class and didn’t do the homework because he thought it was cool
    • “I was the only jackass that didn’t have a plan because I thought that was the cool thing to do so I saw what not working hard got me” 
• Stop half-assessing your way through life, it won’t get you far
  • “It’s easy to put out excuses for yourself” – Kevin Hart
    • You know if you’re giving 100% effort into something or not
• If you say you’re going to do something but you fail to do it, take ownership and responsibility for your actions

Life Advice

• It’s okay to say no to something you don’t want to do
  • “I know that and I make sure to use my No’s wisely” – Kevin Hart
• “I think you’re extremely lucky if you’re doing something that you love” – Kevin Hart
  • If you found your passion, try to take small steps towards making it your full-time job
    • You need to have a vision for where you want to go in life and what you want to be doing
      • “My tunnel vision is ridiculous”
• Start every day with a workout
  • “I can’t be the best version of myself if I’m not taking care of myself”– Kevin Hart

Additional Notes

• Kevin call his mother “one of the most determined and strong-willed individuals to ever walk the Earth”
  • His mother always wanted to improve and Kevin grew up with the same mentality
    • Kevin grew up poor and his father was a drug addict
• Not too long ago, Kevin got into a car accident and broke his back
  • It was an unfortunate event, but it did help Kevin realize what was important to him in life: His wife and kids
• Why does Kevin write books?
  • He wants to share the lessons he’s learned through his life
    • “If I were just to go and take all the information I have and just keep it and put it in my pocket, that’s selfish” – Kevin Hart
      • “To not share any of this, I look at this as very selfish on my part”
• There’s a ton of positive news and information out in the world, but our brains are wired to be attracted to negativity

Tim Ferriss Show : comedian, kevin hart, mindset, self-improvement, success
Notes By Alex Wiec