In life, you face ups and downs constantly. Choosing to be an entrepreneur means you live in a world of extremes much greater than those with the security of a 9 to 5.  Especially as a young entrepreneur who has a much simpler personal life than those with wife/kids/families, I live and die by startup life; the swings are magnified because so much of it personifies my life and determines how I measure myself.

One of the luxuries of running Greenhorn Connect is that I’ve always had it in addition to whatever my main focus was (for the last year – oneforty and now the new startup).  I’ve found that in most cases, there would be at least one victory, one good thing that always happened to focus on despite any setbacks or blows I’d also taken.

In the end though, some days I still feel more like the nail than the hammer. On these days and ones where I just want to get amped up, I turn to some key places of inspiration.

I love movies. I feel like a good filmmaker with the right story and actors can create a connection with the audience in a genuine way unlike any other medium. I also love sports.  There is no better microcosm for life. Every game and every season mirrors so many of the struggles (and triumphs) of life. It should then be no surprise that all of these are sports and film related.

The “Suck it up” Speech – Rocky Balboa

Rocky’s Speech to his son on Life & Fighting

I watch this when I need to remember that life isn’t easy, and that “90% of life is just showing up” because the other guy will give up.

The Reason to Fight so Hard – Any Given Sunday

Al Pacino’s “inches” speech

Nothing better captures the essence of the struggle and how those little victories, and all the day to day efforts are what builds success.

Hope & Spirit – The Shawshank Redemption

Andy and Red share in the excitement and challenges of hope.

In the end, all we have is our own spirit. If you listen to it, you will get there. This is my all time favorite movie and my goto film when I really need picked up.

Remembering Greatness – Compilation of MJ Interviews

From Nike ads to long hours on the baseball field and courts, a view into MJ’s life.

Your greatest competitor is yourself, but that is how you create greatness: by demanding it of yourself and putting in the work to get there.

Drive, Passion and Dying on the Treadmill – Compilation of Will Smith Interviews

This video made me a fan of Will Smith for life and never doubt another film he’s a part of.

I love Will’s line, “If we got on a treadmill together, there’s 2 things: You’re getting off first, or I’m going to die.” You either find this disturbing or you understand me.

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It feels like my life can be summed up in one word: escalation. I’m always trying to make the next step greater than the last, the next day better than the previous.

One night, shortly after starting at oneforty, Laura Fitton tweeted asking, “What’s the one most important thing?”  I answered “Progress.” Escalation is positive progress.

When I feel like progress is backwards or I just need a reminder of what drives me, this is what I turn to.  This is what I’m about.