I remember watching @bgurley's "Running Down a Dream" when it came out. At the time, I thought I was playing my own game — I wasn't.

Rewatching it strongly resonated with me.

Here's what stuck...

"Life is a use it or lose it proposition"

You only get one shot, so do what makes you the most happy. Use frameworks like regret minimization (popularized by Bezos) & ask yourself, "what will I regret NOT doing?"

Bill introduces us to three luminaries who all pursued unique paths of passion and played their own game.

Each with a unique story, but shared threads.

1. Bobby Knight.

Obsessed with basketball. At 22, he was an Asst. coach at Army, then Head Coach at 24. He befriended 5 of the top coaches. Built relationships; kept learning & leveling up.

Now: 902 D-1 wins, 11 Big-10 & 3 NCAA Championships, College Ball Hall of Fame.

2. Bob Dylan.

Obsessed with folk music. Hitchhiked from MSP to NYC with $10 and a guitar. He put himself in an environment w/ all the other folk artists. Surrounded himself with greatness & learned as much as he could.

Now: 100M albums, 11 Grammies, Oscar & a Nobel Prize.

3. Daniel Meyer.

Obsessed with food. Worked in sales; LSAT planned until his uncle asked, "Why? You know you're supposed to open a restaurant"

Changed course. Quit job. Made a list of ppl to meet. Took schlep jobs in food.

Now: Founded @shakeshack + 16 restaurants in NYC.

Each of these luminaries exemplified 5 shared threads.

Note: none are about about status or money — they're about finding your lane and being relentless.

The sharper your approach, the more you'll attract the people and the resources to help you.

1. Find your Passion.

This should be a path that YOU choose, not what someone else chooses (e.g. parents). If you're chasing $ or status, you'll burn out (shout out to all you ex-mgmt consultants!)

You have to enjoy the schlep, not just the wins. It shouldn't feel like work.

2. Hone Your Craft.

Choose your field. Study the greats & know the pioneers. Consider yourself an "expeditionary" & gather more information than everyone else.

Be obsessive & put yourself in the right environment. Always be learning.

3. Develop Mentors.

Make a list of the people in your industry; read everything they write, watch every talk they give, listen to every interview.

Take every chance you can to meet them; ask questions, take notes, share this knowledge. Never stop.

4. Embrace Your Peers.

Seek deep friendships with those on the same journey (and prune those that aren't). If you're playing your own game, you won't need to worry about competition.

Discuss & debate ideas, celebrate wins, share best practices. Strive together.

5. Be Gracious & Humble.

Give away the credit & show appreciation. Send gifts, write thank you notes, send over a @loom.

Pay it back when you can & do so relentlessly. It's a virtuous cycle.

In the talk he gives a few more examples, but the points remain the same: play your own game.

In the spirit of the name of this talk, it's fitting to, as Bill did, end with a quote from Tom Petty.

If you want to watch the whole talk, check it out here:

And all the slides are here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tkdua8mhwx0zpv9/Runnin%20Down%20a%20Dream%20%28PDF%20slides%29.pdf?dl=0

Bill also highly recommends Danny's book on hospitality and management, Setting The Table. https://www.amazon.com/Setting-Table-Transforming-Hospitality-Business/dp/0060742763/

Lastly, if you're a fan of @bgurley and want to, as he recommends you do for mentors, consume everything he's written & watch all of his talks, you can view his index on http://waitwho.is !

https://waitwho.is/bgurley/