Evan Carmichael compiles ten ways to stay driven from Leonardo DiCaprio, Daymond John, Marie Forleo, James Cameron, and others. DiCaprio was obsessed with classic films as a kid. John grew up dyslexic without connections but relied on relentless hunger. Cameron shifted from chasing money to building legacy. The speakers agree drive comes from early passion, overcoming adversity, and purposeful impact.
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Drive.
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Good evening, Believe Nation. Today I'm going to show you 10 ways that you can stay driven.
Being an actor is the first thing that I remember wanting to do in life. I remember at 14, 15 years old, watching some classic films— well, spending months and months watching all the great classics, all the great performers of the past, and being so incredibly inspired by them and saying to myself, one day I want to I've never come close to doing something that good. So I think that that thirst or that drive to just achieve what I believe is something as good as, you know, those heroes that I have is what continues to make me want to do this.
And the people that I see utilize the power of broke more than anybody at all are the people that when they reach a level of success, they still use it, and that's how they maintain their success. That hunger and drive. And we grew up at a time and age where it was you need money The only way to make money, you gotta know somebody.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I mean, you know, look at me. Look at half this room. You know, I grew up, you know, African American, short, dyslexic, got left back one time, almost got left back a second time. Can't dribble a basketball, can't sing, can't draw. Didn't know anybody, didn't go to college. That didn't stop me at all. Yeah. Right? Yeah. I had a mother that really loved me dearly and I had some like-minded fubu partners and friends who would never let me stop and I never let them stop. And I had a will and a drive and I still have all those I still rise and grind every single morning.
The resistance that anybody has, whether you're a man or a woman, to your idea should do nothing but drive you forward and force you to really hone in on your idea and give you energy. And if it actually holds you back and makes you second-guess yourself, then maybe you shouldn't be doing it. Creating a business is— impossible at times. It feels impossible, and so you really have to be just so passionate about it and, you know, really don't take no for an answer. If anything can, like, deviate you from your path, then maybe it's, it's not necessarily the right one. So make sure it is what you want it to be. Stay focused and, and allow all that resistance along the way to really give you energy and fuel your engine to, to move forward.
I feel like I love the process of learning and discovering new things so much, and I love seeing other people win. So like learning these new ideas and new skills that I've never been exposed to before, and then being able to teach them to other people and watch the aha moments or the breakthroughs or the progress happen for them. I love seeing other people whim. So that's what kept driving me. And I was like, wow, if I could do this with 5 people, I could do this with like 20 people or 100 people or 1,000 people. And it was really, um, it was exciting.
Are you money-driven?
No, not at all.
Used to be though.
That's because—
used to be.
Now I'm not. What's the drive now? You want to get elected? It's about a legacy now.
It's about what did I do and how will I be remembered when it's over.
What does it take coming out of you? What's inside you that enables you or compels you to make films with such relentless drive. Where in the world does that come from? It's, I don't know, it's hard to say. It comes from— You look pretty normal to me. Yeah, well, you never know. I mean, if the demons weren't unleashed through film, I'd probably be somewhere on Thorazine, you know. No, I don't think that's true. I think it just has to do with how films that I liked, that I remembered and, you know, enjoying and having that exhilaration hit me, and I want to transfer that back to other people. And just studying the craft and learning how to do it, and the special thrill as a filmmaker comes from seeing an immediate audience response. Now, the only other thing, the only other sort of genre, or it's not even a genre, but the only other thing that has that effect in films is comedy, and comedy is not my forte demonstrably. Yet. A lot of people found that Terminator. And there's some comedy in this film, but for a film to function as a comedy, I think there's a special magic there. And I'm creeping toward it, but I'm not sure I can do that. But that's the other area where you can look out at a sea of 700 faces and see them all having the same reaction, and you know you're touching them. That's— I mean, I'm not a performer. I can't stand up on a stage and and tell jokes or sing or do something that affects people directly. The closest thing for me is being able to sit in a theater and watch a reaction to something that I've put up on the screen. So it's at one remove, but it's the same sort of feeling. That's where the drive and the desire to do that comes from.
Do you think in order to succeed, not just in the fashion business, but just to succeed generally, is it talent or hard work?
It's a combination of both, but I would say it's slanted towards hard work, slanted towards obsession. There are many designers who have much greater talent as a designer than I do, but they may not have my drive, they may not work as hard, they may not have the focus, the desire. I mean, you have to have a talent, because in the end, you can have all those things, and if the pair of pants you make don't make someone's butt look good, butt look good, they're not gonna buy them. So you have to have the talent to be able to make something that people want, but then you also have to have the drive and the desire to— you know, sometimes people are successful because maybe they don't have that drive, but they have someone around them who takes their raw talent and pushes them. But what you often see is when that other person steps away, their career can collapse, even though their talent may be immense.
You said that when you— in trying to find a character, you look for what comes out of the eyes.
I think I meant that in connection to working. I don't feel like I exist until I'm with someone.
A partner?
Else, yeah.
How important is listening?
It's everything. And it's where you learn everything. and I always think of acting— I mean, when I was applying to law school and thinking, well, this is stupid. Acting is a stupid way to make a living. And it doesn't do anything in the world. But I think it does. I think it does. I think it's— there's a great worth in it. And the worth is in listening to people who maybe don't even exist. Or who are voices in your past. And through you, come through the work. And you give them to other people. And I think that giving voice to characters that have no other voice is— that's the great worth of what we do. Because so much of acting is vanity. So much of this is I mean, this feels so great to come out here and sit here and have everybody clap. But I— but the real thing that makes me feel so good is when I know I've said something for a soul. You know, I've presented a soul.
You know, for me, you know, helping a child get healthcare whose insurance company has denied his parents the right to get the treatment that their doctors say he needs is incredibly important. And it kind of keeps me going because sometimes the bureaucracy and the political back and forth prevents positive things from happening. But if you can even help one person, you know, it feels like it's worthwhile.
How did you make this perseverance to push through all of this?
I don't know, man. I just did, you know. I just It's just that people, man, my grandma, you know, my grandma's one of the biggest inspirations. My mom, you know, my desire to want to give everybody around me a better life, the desire to want to live a better life, man. That's just, that's my whole motivation, man. Coming from Detroit City, people don't make it out the west side of Detroit, like.
Thank you guys so much for watching. I'd love to know what you thought of the clips. Which one was your favorite? What impact is it gonna have on your life, on your business? Leave it in the comments below and I'll join the discussion. Thank you again for watching. Continue to believe, and I'll see you soon.
