Brian Johnson argues earnestness beats hipness as a long-term character trait. He cites Randy Pausch, Chris Hadfield, and Buddha to show how hard work and steady purpose yield lasting respect. Two of his team members, both Eagle Scouts, embody this approach.
Hey hero, if you're enjoying these daily plus ones, make sure you head to Heroic us to check out all of the other goodness we have to help you activate your best every day. And now today's plus one.
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another heroic plus one. In our last several plus ones, we've been talking about big ideas from Randy Pausch's last lecture. In our most recent plus one, I shared my last letter to my brother Rick. I also encouraged you to consider writing a gratitude letter for and sharing it with someone you love. Doing so for my brother in his final days was an ineffably powerful experience. Check out a one we linked to to learn more about how and why to do it. Today I want to go back to wisdom from Randy's great book based on the last lecture he gave at Carnegie Mellon. Wisdom going to talk about the fact that Randy believed that being earnest is way more interesting and powerful character trait than being hip. And I agree. Randy tells us, and I quote, I'll take an earnest person over a hip person every time because hip is short term, earnest is long term. Earnestness is highly underestimated. It comes from the core. While hip is trying to impress you with the surface, he continues by saying, when I think of someone who is earnest, I think of a Boy Scout who works hard and becomes an Eagle Scout. When I was interviewing people to work for me and I came upon a candidate who had been an Eagle Scout, I'd almost always try to hire him. I knew there had to be an earnestness about him that outweighed any superficial urges toward hipness. Andy tells us, fashion, by the way, is commerce masquerading as hip. I'm not at all interested in fashion, which is why I rarely buy new clothes. The fact that fashion goes out of fashion and then comes back into fashion based solely on what a few people somewhere think they can sell. Well, to me, that's insanity. End quote. Earnest. I love that word too. When I search the old Mac and app for references to that word, what did I find? I found the gem from Chris Hadfield's An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth. He tells us, and I quote, my kids are endlessly amused by what they see as my earnestness. For years now, they have played a game they call the Colonel says, which involves parroting sayings of mine that they find particularly hilarious. My son Evan's personal favorite, which I barked at him from beneath the family car I was trying to fix. No one ever accomplished anything great sitting down. Recently, they've Joked about creating a kernel says app that would spit out sayings appropriate to any situation. It's a great idea, though I think you'd only need one. Be ready, work hard, enjoy it. It fits every situation. Then, searching our heroic app, I found a gem on my notes on Samuel Smiles. Old school classic called Self Help. He tells us, and I quote, buxton was no genius, not a great intellectual nor discoverer, but mainly an earnest, straightforward, resolute, energetic man. Indeed, his whole character is most forcibly expressed in his own words, which every young man and modernized woman might well stamp upon his or her soul. The longer I live, he said, the more I am certain that the great difference between men, between the feeble and the powerful, the great and the insignificant, is energy. Invincible determination, a purpose once fixed and then death or victory. That quality will do anything that can be done in this world. And no talents, no circumstances, no opportunities will make a two legged creature a man without it. Let's go hero. I also found. Check out those notes. Samuel Smiles is legit. I also found a Buddha gem from the Dhammapada who is also legit legit. The Buddha tells us, quote, earnest among those who are indolent awake among those who slumber, the wise advance like a racehorse, leaving others behind. The earnest are always respected, the indolent never. And that's today's plus one. I'm with Randy. I'll take earnest over hip all day, every day. P.S. fun facts. My right hand guy and our head coach at Heroic Michael is an Eagle Scout and so is our Director of operations, Patrick. Those two guys are the living embodiment of what it means to be earnest. Couldn't do what I do without those two. Love you guys.
We hope you enjoyed today's Heroic one for more ancient wisdom, modern science and practical tools to help you flourish in energy, work and love, head to Heroic US where you can get started on your heroic journey for free.
