3 Key Insights from Think Like a Rocket Scientist

End of Season 1

This episode marks the end of Season 1 of Famous Failures. If you’d like to stay in touch with me, please sign up for my weekly email list at weeklycontrarian.com [http://weeklycontrarian.com]. My emails go out every Thursday to 21,000+ subscribers and share 1 idea you can read in less than 3 minutes that will help you reimagine the status quo. Readers call it the “one email I look forward to each week.” Thank you to my podcast producer, Chris Mottram of Podcastily [https://podcastily.com/], and to my operations assistant, Brendan Seibel, for his research help. Thank you to the following individuals and institutions for preordering multiple copies of my bestselling new book Think Like a Rocket Scientist [http://ozanvarol.com/books]. * Orthogon Partners Investment Management * Luci McKean * Cathy Cheng * Tony Martignetti * Bill Brent * Ramesh Kumar * Fred Slete * James D. Kirk * Timothy Chips * Wendy Horng Brawer * Tim Oslovich * Doug Claffey * Christina Guthier * Julian Olin * Hans Schulte * Amy Luo * Renu Sharma * Ben Creo * Laolu Awogbade * Jeff McGrath

Derek Sivers on What It Means to Fail

Derek Sivers has lived many lives. He has been a musician, producer, circus performer, entrepreneur, speaker, and book publisher. His TED Talk, “Weird, or just different? [https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_different]”, has been viewed more than 3.5 million times. His book Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur [https://amzn.to/2Y2bvg5] shares everything he learned from starting, growing, and selling the company CD Baby. You can say hello to Derek at https://sivers.org/contact [https://sivers.org/contact]. In this episode Derek and I discuss: * How Derek cultivated a practice of questioning assumptions * Why Derek has a Making Room, not a Living Room * What a controversial blog post taught Derek about handling criticism * Why you should distance your private persona from your public persona * What a failed marriage taught Derek about the meaning of failure. * Why you should separate your decisions from the outcome of those decisions * How Derek cultivates calm in his life References * How to ask your mentors for help [https://sivers.org/ment] * “7 reasons I switched back to PHP after 2 years on Rails [https://sivers.org/rails2php]” * Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking [https://amzn.to/3cOTlCI] by David Bayles and Ted Orland * The Man with One Red Shoe [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKUqdMHoPNQ] starring Tom Hanks My book, Think Like a Rocket Scientist: Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life, is now out (Amazon [https://amzn.to/31GySdH], Barnes & Noble [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/think-like-a-rocket-scientist-ozan-varol/1132821538?ean=9781541762596], Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/books/think-like-a-rocket-scientist-simple-strategies-you-can-use-to-make-giant-leaps-in-work-and-life/9781541762596]). The book is already a #1 bestseller on Amazon. We have a special offer for the listeners of this episode with Derek Sivers. If you order the book, forward your receipt to rocket@ozanvarol.com [rocket@ozanvarol.com], and mention Derek, you’ll get two special bonuses. The first is a video training with a behind-the-scenes look at my productivity system. You’ll find tips on how to defeat procrastination and get more done in less time. The second is a pack of 12 three-minute, quick-hit videos based on Think Like a Rocket Scientist with actionable strategies you can implement right away.

Cathy Heller on the Power of Radical Empathy

Cathy Heller is the host of the popular podcast Don’t Keep Your Day Job [https://www.dontkeepyourdayjob.com], which was given the #1 spot on iTunes recommended list of shows for the New Year in 2018 and 2019. She started out as a singer songwriter and first found success licensing her music to TV, films and ads. After making a multi six figure living with her music, Cathy started a music agency, and began teaching other artists to grow their own careers. You can subscribe to Cathy’s podcast at https://www.dontkeepyourdayjob.com/podcast [https://www.dontkeepyourdayjob.com/podcast] or through your favorite service, and follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cathy.heller/ [https://www.instagram.com/cathy.heller/] In this episode Cathy and I discuss: * Her heartbreaking experience of being dropped from two record labels * The lesson we should learn from the Covid-19 crisis * How Cathy found her passion through a series of day jobs * How Cathy grew an immensely successful online business without knowing how to make an online business work * Why you need to give yourself permission to be mediocre * How Cathy allows her authentic self to shine through * What Cathy thinks our greatest human need is * The life lessons Cathy is still trying to learn

3 Key Insights from Think Like a Rocket Scientist

Today is the official launch date of my new book, Think Like a Rocket Scientist. In this special episode, I share with you three key insights from the book that will help you make giant leaps in work and life. If you order the book by Tuesday, April 21st (Amazon [https://amzn.to/31GySdH], Barnes & Noble [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/think-like-a-rocket-scientist-ozan-varol/1132821538?ean=9781541762596], Indiebound [https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781541762596?aff=outatime]), you’ll get two special bonuses. The first is a video training with a behind-the-scenes look at my productivity system. You’ll find tips on how to defeat procrastination and get more done in less time. The second is a pack of 10 three-minute, quick-hit videos based on Think Like a Rocket Scientist with actionable strategies you can implement right away. You can see the full list of videos at rocketsciencebook.com/podcast [http://rocketsciencebook.com/podcast]. These videos were massively popular when they were first released, and I’m bringing them back for a limited time. To get the videos, order the book in any format by April 21st and send your receipt to rocket@ozanvarol.com [rocket@ozanvarol.com]. I’ve been ecstatic about the early reviews of the book. The book is: * Adam Grant’s # 1 pick of his top 20 books of 2020 * One of Inc.com's "6 Books You Need to Read in 2020" * Named a "must read" by Susan Cain, "endlessly fascinating" by Daniel Pink, and "bursting with practical insights" by Adam Grant * An Amazon Book of the Month for April 2020 Grab your copy from one of these links: Amazon [https://amzn.to/31GySdH], Barnes & Noble [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/think-like-a-rocket-scientist-ozan-varol/1132821538?ean=9781541762596], Indiebound [https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781541762596?aff=outatime].

Baya Voce on the Cure for the Loneliness Epidemic

Baya Voce has produced “magic touch” experiences ranging from two-person rituals to elaborate 1,000+-person immersive-theater productions. Whether 20-person Jeffersonian-style dinners or high-end finance conferences at Lincoln Center (and everything in between), Baya’s focus is engineering unforgettable moments. With more than 4 million views, her TEDx talk [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSXh1YfNyVA] on loneliness is one of the most-viewed of all time. She has been featured by Forbes, ABC, Fox, MTV, and SXSW for her perspective on experience design and human connection. Sign up for Baya’s newsletter on her website [https://bayavoce.com/] https://bayavoce.com/, and follow her on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/baya_voce] at https://www.instagram.com/baya_voce In this episode Baya and I discuss: * How being on the Real World flung Baya into a canyon of loneliness * What advice Baya would give her 21-year-old Real World self * The invisible public health crisis Baya is happy to see getting more attention * How feeling alone at gatherings led Baya to a career in experience design * What business event planners get wrong * How Baya cultivates a high emotional response from her guests in designing experiences * The importance of turning your event into a story * What you should think about if you’re moving your real world event online Resources mentioned * Real World: Brooklyn [https://amzn.to/39oFjWf] * Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking [https://amzn.to/2yfelU9] by Susan Cain * Lost Connections: Why You’re Depressed and How to Find Hope [https://amzn.to/33Re999] by Johann Hari * 1 in 3 U.S. Adults Are Lonely, Survey Shows [https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-2018/loneliness-survey.html] by AARP * The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/03/the-nuclear-family-was-a-mistake/605536/] by David Brooks * Hitch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYrrEUgnT6s] * Hero’s Journey [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey] * The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters [https://amzn.to/2UJXmRc] by Priya Parker