The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter, is an extreme example of the high school reunion paradox. We all have seen it. Homecoming kings and queens who have sunk into mediocrity while awkward "nobodies" have somehow made it big. Costello, the one who was always picked last for the team, is now CEO of Twitter. He describes how he used his perpetual outsider status to scrap his way to the top. His strategy is surprisingly simple; it's only the execution that's difficult.1. With enough perseverance even the most unlikely to succeed may find themselves on top.2. Simply being willing to put yourself in uncomfortable situations is the best way to build resilience.3. Success in business is like forestry management: you may be surrounded by wildfires, but the key is to identify and extinguish the most urgent ones first.

The Underground Strength Training crew is about to be subjected to a 24 hr. workout, but as entrepreneurs they are well accustomed to that dynamic. They have some great insight (Like the failsafe man in the mirror test) on what it takes to navigate through the hard times in service of a passion. http://www.spartanuppodcast.com/038 Lessons:1. Look at sacrifices made for success as an investment.2. If you can delay gratification, you will be more successful in all areas of life.3. Find your why by telling it to yourself in the mirror since it’s almost impossible to lie to yourself this way.4. Surround yourself with supportive people of a like mind, if they can’t be found in person find them in books and podcasts.

Dan Richards, Global Rescue CEO, is here to remind you that there’s a fine line between pushing through adversity and putting yourself in unreasonable peril. His company Global Rescue rescues those who walk that line then somehow slip, any place in the world. He shares stories of some of those rescues and what they taught him. http://www.spartanuppodcast.com/037Lessons:1. Never underestimate the environment.2. You need to correctly calibrate your perception of risk to the environment you're entering and not just try to push through adversity. 3. The law of numbers will catch up with you, so scout out risks beforehand by analyzing the situation.

How far would you take a dare, especially one that started as a joke? These guys took it all the way up Mont Ventoux, the iconic slog of the Tour de France, on a clunky cumbersome rental bike built for flat city lanes. They attempt the same feat up Mt. Washington. Why? Because others were calling it impossible. They were also driven by a worthy cause, Macmillan Cancer Support. Faced with adversity every step of the way, they pushed forward, always eking out a solution. Their achievement epitomizes the adage "Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid." http://www.spartanuppodcast.com/036Lessons:1. People saying it's impossible makes it all the better.2. Keep going even when it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Things will often pull together at the last moment.3. Just start it.

Professor Robert Sternberg, psychologist and psychometrician thinks schools have been testing and teaching the wrong qualities for the last century. What if we've been frittering away vast amounts of human potential in that same time frame? Cornell Professor Sternberg has found that success in academics and in life is more closely tied to creative and practical thinking, wisdom and ethics than it is to IQ and memorization, the measures currently in use. He's on a mission to shake things up. Sternberg also has some invaluable advice on perseverance and seeing through our passions, and he speaks from experience as his path stretches all the way back to elementary school.http://spartanuppodcast.com/035Lessons:1. The most valuable qualities for success are not tested for in schools: creative and practical thought, wisdom and ethics.2. Keep going in the face of obstacles; persevere, but also realize when you're in the wrong race.3. Achieving success is not always getting to your original goal. Sometimes the path was right but the goal was wrong or the goal was right but the path was wrong. Constantly reexamine your path and your goal.

As superhuman as skilled parkour practitioners appear, Dan Edwardes reveals a very different view of the sport he helped popularize. Through running, jumping, crawling and climbing it brings us back to our roots, the functional ways that humans were meant to move, quite apart from the desk jockeying and couch denting now common. According to Edwardes, Parkour is a metaphor for life: one person's obstacle is another's stepping stone. As he proves, this amazing sport has the ability to completely flip flop your frame of reference. www.SpartanUpPodcast.com/034Lessons:1. Treat fear like a cowardly friend--it's advice might be right some of the time, but you wouldn't want it to rule your life.2. Obstacles are really stepping stones we can use to better our lives.3. If you are content on the path you have chosen, then you are successful no matter the opinion of others.

For the founder, chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group, getting fired in the prime of his career is the best thing that ever happened to Barry Sternlicht. He recruited a couple of friends, borrowed a few million dollars, followed a business plan that bucked all conventions, and set off on a path that would make him a real estate and hotel investing star. He tucked away this mantra in his wallet for eight years: “Perseverance is genius in disguise.” He found it in a fortune cookie. Sternlicht, in fact, is a treasure trove of adages which have no doubt driven him through the tough times. His father, a holocaust survivor, was one of his first inspirations. www.SpartanUpPodcast.com/033Lessons:1. Perseverance is genius in disguise.2. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.3. Find the freight trains in your life and then get on them instead of in front of them.

Amit Kumar studies happiness at Cornell University. Can money make you happier? Is the key to happiness a newer car, bigger TV, & more electronic gadgets. That's what the ads tell us, but according to happiness expert Amit Kumar, enduring happiness is manifested through experiences. That's great news for everyone who has ripped themselves off of the couch. And though many of you undoubtedly drew that conclusion already, Kumar explains the fascinating theories behind it. www.SpartanUpPodcast.com/032Lessons:1. Experiences and not material goods lead to long term happiness.2. Due to our capacity for adaptation, you can live a happy life after a negative event.3. The “hedonic treadmill” will not sustain happiness; you will always need to “up the dose” of material goods.

Jimmy Binns will never stop challenging himself. Becoming a police officer at age 74 is just the latest in a lifetime of impressive feats. He passed the bar exam in 20 states just to see if he could, was a marathoner and a boxer. He was a lawyer to the boxers, most notably representing Don King against Mike Tyson, and practiced for half a century. His track record of determination and perseverance is legend and inspirational.www.SpartanUpPodcast.com/031Lessons:1. Motivation is a contagion. If you're around motivated people you'll either drop out or become motivated.2. Preparation is everything.3. You're never too old to take on a serious challenge.

A marathon finisher on seven continents, an aerial skiing Olympic hopeful, head of a prostate cancer awareness foundation, and she’s just 15. That's just how Winter Vinecki rolls. She already holds a world record and she is nowhere close to her prime. She nurtures a healthy positivity that covers all eventualities. Should anything go awry, she's still on track to go to Stanford and perhaps try a little skydiving. Winter leaves little doubt that she'll succeed no matter her path.www.SpartanUpPodcast.com/030Lessons:1. A worthy cause is a great motivator.2. Active and supportive parents are great role models.3. Have a good backup plan.