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Tim FerrissTim Ferriss

Matthew McConaughey on Success Playbooks, Philosophy of Greenlights, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show

Interview with Matthew McConaughey on His Success Playbooks, the Powerful Philosophy of Greenlights, and Choosing the Paths Less Traveled | Brought to you by Wealthfront (http://wealthfront.com/tim), Helix Sleep (http://helixsleep.com/tim), and Magic Spoon (http://magicspoon.com/tim). Show notes: https://tim.blog/2020/10/19/matthew-mcconaughey/ Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) is a Texas native and one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men. A chance meeting in Austin with casting director and producer Don Phillips led him to director Richard Linklater, who launched the actor’s career in the cult classic Dazed and Confused. Since then, he has won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club, appeared in more than 40 feature films that have grossed more than $1 billion, and has become a producer, director, and philanthropist with his Just Keep Livin’ Foundation—all the while sticking to his Texas roots and “jk livin'” philosophy. McConaughey also serves as creative director for Wild Turkey and has co-created his own bourbon, Longbranch. He serves as Minister of Culture/M.O.C. for the University of Texas Athletic Department and the Austin FC Soccer Club, where he is part owner. McConaughey will launch his first book, Greenlights, on October 20, 2020. He currently resides in Austin, Texas, with his wife Camilla and their three kids while he is a professor at the University of Texas in Austin. Please enjoy! Intro [00:00] Matthew's father [06:28] Matthew's mother [08:41] The forbidden family words [15:23] The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino [18:06] Matthew’s 10 goals in life circa 1992 [26:52] On being an egotistical utilitarian [31:45] On taking more risks [33:42] Matthew's decades of keeping a diary [39:10] Why Matthew’s new book is titled Greenlights [43:24] Direction [47:52] Writing his new book Greenlights [55:57] The art of running downhill [1:00:47] On saying no to roles he was no longer interested in playing [1:05:09] How Matthew “unbranded” as the rom-com guy [1:18:12] Misconceptions about Matthew [1:21:30] What would Matthew’s billboard say? [1:27:04] Texas groundwater, storytelling, and other parting thoughts [1:31:00] SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW LINK TO ALL SHOW TRANSCRIPTS: https://tim.blog/2018/09/20/all-transcripts-from-the-tim-ferriss-show/ About Tim Ferriss: Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 500 million downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running. Connect with Tim Ferriss: Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/ Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/

Tim FerrisshostMatthew McConaugheyguest
Oct 20, 20201h 39mWatch on YouTube ↗

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At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Matthew McConaughey on Greenlights, Saying No, and Self-Reflection

  1. McConaughey recounts formative family stories, from his father always peddling pipe and hoping to hit a lick to the oil of mink lawsuit, and his parents' forbidden words 'hate' and 'can't.'
  2. He explains how The Greatest Salesman in the World, which he read on a strict schedule for ten months, gave him the confidence to leave law school for film school, and how his father answered with 'Don't half-ass it.'
  3. He describes his diary habit of recording success as well as failure, and the 1992 list of ten life goals he wrote after his father died and had forgotten until decades later.
  4. He frames Greenlights as the idea that red and yellow lights in life eventually reveal green-light assets, illustrated by themes like dirt roads and autobahns and the art of running downhill.
  5. He tells how he turned down escalating rom-com offers up to $15 million, endured a roughly 20-month drought, and emerged 'unbranded' to land the roles that defined his later career.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Dissect success, not just failure

McConaughey began writing in his diary when things were going well, so he could later find consistencies in food, sleep, people, and mindset to pull himself out of ruts.

Red and yellow lights can reveal green lights

He argues hardships such as his father's death eventually showed their benefits, and responses can be persisting, pivoting, or raising the white flag to fight something else.

The road less taken is personal

After film-school classmates dismissed movies they hadn't seen, he concluded that a dirt road for one person may be an autobahn for another, such as an introvert going out or an extrovert practicing introspection.

Enjoy running downhill without tripping yourself

He says that during early fame he sabotaged his own success to feel he had earned it, and now advises enjoying the good stretch because the uphill will come anyway.

Say no to the work that doesn't match your life

Despite lucrative rom-com offers, he stopped taking them because his work felt less vital than his life, and his wife repeated his father's line, 'we're not gonna half-ass it.'

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

It's okay to have a point to prove, just don't always be trying to prove a point.

— Matthew McConaughey

I, I think what we need to remember to do is when we're asking ourselves these questions, just make sure we answer. If all we're doing is asking ourselves questions but never coming up with an answer, well, that can lead to some very imbalanced insanity at times.

— Matthew McConaughey

I believe that in the rear view mirror of our life, every red and yellow light will turn green, and that may not even be in this life, Tim.

— Matthew McConaughey

When we can, ask ourself if we want to before we do, and yes, we seek relevance, but let's ask relevance for what.

— Matthew McConaughey

If you're not sure how to respond to a situation, can you just make sense of humor the default emotion?

— Matthew McConaughey

Family stories and parental lessonsThe Greatest Salesman in the WorldDiary writing and dissecting successGreenlights philosophyEgotistical utilitarianismSolitude and talking to yourselfSaying no to rom-coms

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