Something that stood out to me in reading it was his description of one clear quality that we must have to accomplish anything that we desire in life.

Hill sums it up best in this sentence from his book:

“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”

Purpose leads to acquiring the necessary knowledge, and that knowledge leads to an unstoppable passion.

It really doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that.

Getting from Point A to Point B can be that simple if we have the undeniable purpose and desire to get what we want.

Think and Grow Rich is available on Amazon.

The post Lesson 9: One Quality appeared first on School of Blake.

He has achieved a tremendous amount of success in all areas of life, whether it be in bodybuilding or in politics.

How he got there was all due to reps. He explains what that means in Total Recall, his excellent autobiography that is a compelling read from start to finish:

“From the bodybuilding days on, I learned that everything is reps and mileage. The more miles you ski, the better a skier you become; the more reps you do, the better your body.”

In any speech that he does, he’s always talking about the value of putting in the work. Each rep led him one step closer to his ultimate goal of being the greatest bodybuilder of all time.

It’s a valuable lesson on the need to put in the reps to get where we want to go.

Total Recall is available on Amazon.

The post Lesson 8: Reps appeared first on School of Blake.

The One Thing is a great book that stresses the need to focus on what matters rather than doing things just to do them.

Doing so requires a person to go small in order to eventually go big:

“Going small” is ignoring all the things you could do and doing what you should do. It’s recognizing that not all things matter equally and finding the things that matter most. It’s realizing that extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus.

Anyone can cross off items on a to-do list, but those who make significant strides in life are the ones that focus on the things that matter.

By going small, we do what’s important, and then do the next important thing after that.

The One Thing is available on Amazon.

The post Lesson 7: Going Small appeared first on School of Blake.

Dr. Robert Maurer wrote a book describing the meaning behind kaizen, most importantly, how it helps to combat one feeling that all people experience at one point or another:

Fear.

Here’s a basic summary from Maurer’s book on how kaizen eliminates fear:

All changes, even positive ones, are scary. Attempts to reach goals through radical or revolutionary means often fail because they heighten fear. But the small steps of kaizen disarm the brain’s fear response, stimulating rational thought and creative play.

Rather than always focusing on the massive requirements within a situation or goal, the kaizen approach is all about using small steps to reach the objective.

One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way (which can be read in one sitting) is available for purchase on Amazon.

The post Lesson 6: Kaizen appeared first on School of Blake.

Munger had this to say about our ability to change our beliefs on certain preconceived ideas:

“We all are learning, modifying, or destroying ideas all the time. Rapid destruction of your ideas when the time is right is one of the most valuable qualities you can acquire. You must force yourself to consider arguments on the other side.”

Some people would rather convince themselves they’re right about something rather than listen to an argument from another side.

That also applies to doing things the way they’ve always done rather than considering a new idea or improvement that would better fit the circumstances in the present.

The need to be right should never overshadow the truth.

That’s why disregarding old ideas that are no longer effective or true is essential when it comes to moving forward in any area of life.

The post Lesson 5: Changing Course appeared first on School of Blake.

While he serves as a co-founder for AngelList, he regularly discusses a wide range of topics via numerous videos and podcast interviews.

Here’s what he had to say in Tools of Titans about the three options that every human has in any situation:

“You can change it, you can accept it, or you can leave it. What is not a good option is to sit around wishing you would change it but not changing it, wishing you would leave it but not leaving it, and not accepting it. It’s that struggle, that aversion, that is responsible for most of our misery. The phrase that I use the most to myself in my head is one word: accept.”

This simplistic approach can make any overwhelming decisions or situations much easier. By choosing one of the three options, there is action actually being taken.

Wishing changes nothing. Action can change everything.

Tools of Titans is available on Amazon.

The post Lesson 4: The Three Options appeared first on School of Blake.

He’s captured numerous championships, and one of the big reasons why is due to the mindset that he instills in his players.

One approach that he has constantly developed is that of focusing on the next play. This excerpt from his book does a good job summing up that philosophy:

Every time you think of winning the national championship, stop. Instead, think of what you need to do to dominate your opponent for the next sixty minutes.

His teams are always expected to win championships, and it’s this focused approach that allows them to gain an edge over their opponents due to the laser-like focus on every play.

It’s important to have a vision for where we want to go and what we want to achieve.

But, to get there, it’s all about taking the next step and dominating the next play.

How Good Do You Want To Be? is available on Amazon.

The post Lesson 3: The Next Play appeared first on School of Blake.

In Tim Ferriss’ excellent compilation book, Tribe of Mentors, he documents advice and tips from some of the world’s most successful people.

Pressfield gave this response when asked what advice he would give to college students preparing to enter the real world:

Don’t worry about your friends “beating” you or “getting somewhere” ahead of you. Get out into the real world and start failing. Why do I say that? Because the goal is to connect with your own self, your own soul. Adversity. Everybody spends their life trying to avoid it. Me too. But the best things that ever happened to me came during the times when the shit hit the fan and I had nothing and nobody to help me. Who are you really? What do you really want? Get out there and fail and find out.

We often choose comfort over doing things that are difficult.

However, by embracing adversity, it shows us what we’re really made of when presented with a challenging situation.

Tribe of Mentors is available on Amazon.

The post Lesson 2: Adversity appeared first on School of Blake.

One of the trainers was talking about his philosophy when it comes to building a team of fighters.

He discussed the dynamics involved in approaching each fight:

“You gotta train hard, bring the right people in and do what it takes to move to the next level. It’s about understanding the game. You can get your ass kicked in one fight, and maybe he’s better or maybe it’s just his day, he’s got the right game on the right day, and he matches up with you. But you can improve your game, take it further and jump to the next level.”

Fighters do what they can to prevent the person opposite them from winning, and the best way to not get their ass kicked is to work hard and be better than they were the day before.

We’ll never win every battle, but simply working hard on improving our skills will always make us more prepared for the next fight.

A Fighter’s Mind is available on Amazon.

The post Lesson 1: Fighter’s Mind appeared first on School of Blake.