Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews - Book Club: My Top 5 Takeaways from Titan by Ron Chernow

Episode Date: August 4, 2017

If you like biographies and outstanding research and writing, and if you want to read one of the greatest rags-to-riches stories of all time, then you want to read this book. It is, hands down, one of the best biographies I’ve ever read. What struck me first about Rockefeller was his relentless work ethic, indomitable spirit, and unwavering self-assurance. Much like history’s great military conquerors, he was ferociously competitive, hated losing, and not only thought big but did big. I love reading about these types of people because it makes you reflect on what you’re truly capable of and willing to do and endure to realize those ambitions. I wholeheartedly believe that every one of us can be, do, and have so much more than we presently believe, and that half of the battle is just learning to get out of our own ways. If you’d like to walk in the shoes of one of history’s most brilliant, powerful, and ruthless businesspeople and see what you can learn, then you want to read this book. Want to be notified when my latest book recommendations go live?  Hop on my email list and you’ll get each new installment delivered directly to your inbox. Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

Hey, this is Mike from Muscle for Life and I'm often asked about books. People ask me for book recommendations on various topics. They ask me what book I am currently reading and what books I have recently read and what my favorite books are and so forth. And as an avid reader, I am currently reading and what books I have recently read and what my favorite books are and so forth. And as an avid reader, I am always happy to oblige and get some book recommendations in return as well. I also just like to encourage people to read as much as possible because I think that knowledge benefits you much like compound interest benefits your bank account in that the more you learn, the more you know, that the more you learn, the more you know, and the more you know, the more you can do, and the more you can do, the more opportunities

you have to succeed. And on the flip side, I also believe that there is little hope for people who aren't perpetual learners. I know that might sound a little bit pessimistic or cynical to you, but let's face it, life is overwhelmingly complex and chaotic. And if we look around, we can find plenty of evidence that it simply suffocates and devours the lazy and ignorant. So if you are a bookworm and you're on the lookout for good reads, or if you'd like to just get into the habit of reading more, then this book club is for you. The idea is very simple. Every week I'm going to share a book that I've particularly liked, and I'm going to tell you why I liked it and give you

several of my key takeaways from it. I'm also going to keep these episodes short and sweet so you can quickly decide whether or not a book is likely to be up your alley or not. All right, so let's get to this week's book, which is Titan by Ron Chernow. If you like biographies and outstanding research and writing, and if you want to read what I think is one of the greatest rags to riches stories of all time, then you want to read this book. It is hands down one of the best biographies I have ever read, and I've read quite a few. What struck me first is just how masterfully Chernow can write. As a writer, I really appreciate his skill. His prose is tight, articulate, and vivid, and he really does a

wonderful job telling a compelling story and also teasing out subtleties and undercurrents as opposed to merely recounting facts. It's no surprise that he has a Pulitzer. And then there is Rockefeller Sr.'s life, which was fascinating in so many ways. I mean, this is somebody who grabbed himself by the bootstraps at a very young age and went from absolutely nothing. I mean, he was the son of a deadbeat grifter, abject poverty, to the richest and most hated man in the world. And I think there's a lot that we can learn from his journey. What struck me first about Rockefeller was his relentless work ethic, his indomitable spirit, and his unwavering self-assurance. Much like history's great military conquerors, Rockefeller was ferociously competitive, he hated losing,

and he not only thought big, but did big. This is somebody who just refused to let anyone or anything stop him in his ambitions and who would go to any lengths really to make them a reality. You see, I love reading about these types of people because it inevitably just kind of makes you reflect on what you're truly capable of and what you're willing to do and endure to realize those hopes and dreams. I mean, I wholeheartedly believe that every one of us can be, do, and have so much more than we presently believe, and that half of the battle is just learning how to get out of our own ways. Another aspect of Rockefeller's story that really stuck with me was his belief that God had chosen him for greatness, that he was destined to rule over a vast commercial empire, and that

this end justified any means. As his life went on and as he accumulated more and more wealth and power, those means turned darker and darker, making this a cautionary tale as well, a classic illustration of the corrupting influence of money and power and the consequences of being driven to win at any cost. In many ways, Rockefeller was the embodiment of that famous Lord Acton quote that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. And you know, as I was reading the story, I couldn't help but think that it's just too bad that miscreants like Rockefeller, Morgan, Carnegie, Gould, and Cook were at the helm of America's budding free market economy during the turn of the 20th century. I mean, if these guys wouldn't have been so hell-bent on abusing their positions to overflow their coffers, then American capitalism would

have emerged from the Industrial Revolution as a truly honorable and indisputable force for social good without the taint of radical wealth inequality. Anyway, let's switch gears now and quickly review five of my key takeaways from Titan. The first one is, oh, how blessed the young men are who have to struggle for a foundation and a beginning in life. And my thoughts on this are, if you read enough about tremendously accomplished people, you really can't help but notice how many of them had hard, scrabble childhoods. Many of them lived in wretched poverty, they were handed nothing, and they learned at a very early age a lesson eloquently summarized in Alice in Wonderland. And that is that you have to run as fast as you can just to stay in place and twice as fast if you want to go anywhere.

Hey, quickly, before we carry on, if you are liking my podcast, would you please help spread the word about it? Because no amount of marketing or advertising gimmicks can match the power of word of mouth. So if you are enjoying this episode and you think of someone else who might enjoy it as well, please do tell them about it. It really helps me. And if you are going to post about it on social media, definitely tag me so I can say thank you. You can find me on Instagram at MuscleForLifeFitness, Twitter at MuscleForLife, and Facebook at MuscleForLifeFitness. My second key takeaway is when he rested his head on the pillow at night, he warned himself, because you've got to start, you think you are quite a merchant.

Look out or you will lose your head. Go steady. Are you going to let this money puff you up? Keep your eyes open. Don't lose your balance. And I like this because it's very easy to fall in love with ourselves and our ideas and creations when we get a taste of success. It's very easy to swell instead of grow. And ironically,

this is exactly the opposite of what you should do if you want to avoid falling from grace. You know, it's been said that those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad. That's been misattributed to many people, but I think it goes back to ancient Greek philosophers. And well, you can substitute mad with proud. The third takeaway that I want to share is this. I've always been contented, but I have never been satisfied. My thoughts here are that maintaining a sense of urgency throughout a company is one of the most difficult challenges in business. out a company is one of the most difficult challenges in business. I've read a lot about this and now after being in business for several years and growing the organization from just me and Jeremy to now, I think there's 17 of us, I have absolutely experienced it as well. You know,

Bill Gates once said that in business, by the time you realize you're in trouble, it's just too late to save yourself. Unless you're running scared all the time, he said, you're gone.. It's just too late to save yourself. Unless you're running scared all the time, he said, you're gone. And here's the fourth takeaway that I want to share with you. His employees tended to revere Rockefeller and vied to please him. As one said, I have never heard of his equal in getting together a lot of the very best men in one team and inspiring each man to do his best for the enterprise. He was so big, so broad, so patient. I don't believe a man like him comes to this world oftener than once in five or six hundred years. Rockefeller worked by subtle hints, doling out praise sparingly to his employees and nudging

them along. At first he tested them exhaustively, yet once he trusted them, he bestowed enormous power upon them and he didn't intrude unless something radically misfired. Quote, often the best way to develop workers when you are sure they have character and think they have ability is to take them to a deep place, throw them in and make them sink or swim. And my thoughts here are this was a brilliant stroke of leadership that largely influenced how quickly Standard Oil was able to conquer its industry because high performers, of which it had many, are just naturally drawn to and thrive under this style of management. Trust, autonomy, the ability to demonstrate competence and contribute to something greater than themselves. These are the things that great workplaces are made of. And the fifth and final takeaway is,

quote, I trained myself in the school of self-control and self-denial. It was hard on me, but I would rather be my own tyrant than have someone else tyrannize me. I really like this because I believe that if you don't live deliberately and spend the majority of your time in the pursuit of clear and calculated goals and objectives, you're going to inevitably sacrifice large chunks of your life to the plans and whims of others, or worse, to the chaotic unknown.

All right, well, that's it for this week's book review. I told you I'd keep it short and sweet. I hope you found it helpful. And if you did and you don't mind doing me a favor, could you please drop a quick review of the podcast on iTunes or wherever you're listening from because it really helps boost visibility, which ultimately helps more and more people

find their way to the show and check it out. And of course, if you wanna be notified when the next episode goes live, then simply subscribe to the podcast and you won't miss out on any of the new stuff. And lastly, if you didn't like something about this episode or just about the podcast on the whole, then definitely shoot me an email at mikeatmostofallife.com and share your thoughts on how I could make things better. I read all the emails myself and I'm always looking for constructive feedback. So thanks again for listening to the episode, and I hope to hear from you soon. Oh, and before you leave, let me quickly tell you about one other product of mine that I think you might like. Specifically, my 100% natural pre-workout fat

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