16 Brutal Life Lessons for Ambitious People - Michael Smoak - #1083
Modern Wisdom
04/11/26
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Michael Smoak is a mindset coach, entrepreneur, and podcaster.
What does it actually cost to live a great life? From the outside, top performers seem to have everything we want, but the story isn’t that simple. Behind every extraordinary life is a series of trade-offs, sacrifices, and unseen costs. So what is the true price of ambition, and are you willing to pay it?
Expect to learn what high-performance actually looks like, what the number one fear that holds people back is and how to get over it, how to face and overcome your fears, why the path to being the best version of yourself should feel somewhat lonely, why most of the things you want in life has an opportunity cost attached to it, why you should always prioritise physical health and much more..
Timestamps:
(0:00) The Power of Celebrating Small Wins
(11:05) Can Sharing Your Struggles Actually Heal You?
(19:41) What Grief Taught Michael
(25:54) Why Rock Bottom Can Lead to Your Biggest Wins
(34:56) Chris's Health Battle: The Biggest Lessons
(39:32) How to Stop Letting Words Control You
(42:33) The Moment Michael Nearly Got Cancelled
(58:07) Why Fear of Judgement is Holding You Back
(01:04:31) Scarcity vs Abundance: Which Mindset Wins?
(01:10:47) Why We Chase Feelings, Not Things
(01:19:13) Does Feeling Alone Mean You’re On the Right Path?
(01:37:48) Why Perseverance is Vital to Succeed
(01:47:00) Communication is Your Most Powerful Tool
(01:55:35) What Your Etiquette Reveals About You
(02:00:42) Where to Find Michael
Sponsors:
See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals
Get up to 20% off Timeline powered by Mitopure (now at a lower price) at https://timeline.com/modernwisdom
Get up to $50 off the RP Hypertrophy App at https://rpstrength.com/modernwisdom
Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom
Get 15% off your first order of my favourite Non-Alcoholic Brew at https://athleticbrewing.com/modernwisdom
Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
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Get In Touch:
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Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast
Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact
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Previous Episode
Eric Jorgenson is an investor, entrepreneur, and author.
How does Elon Musk actually think? You can analyse him from first principles, but the closest thing to a blueprint is Eric Jorgenson’s The Book of Elon. So what’s really going on in his mind, and what makes him so extraordinary?
Expect to learn what the most misleading narrative about Elon’s success is, why Elon decides to move so fast and his obsession with speed, why Eric decided to document the mind behind Elon Musk, what he decided to leave out of the book, what Eric learned about Elon that other biographies missed, what the 69 core Musk methods are, if Elon’s worldview is closer to philosophy than business and much more...
Sponsors:
See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals
Get up to $350 off the Eight Sleep Pod 5 at https://eightsleep.com/modernwisdom
Get 10% discount on all Gymshark products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10)
Get 160+ biomarkers tested for just $1/day and save an extra $25 at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom
Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom
Timestamps:
(0:00) What Can We Learn From Elon Musk?
(3:32) What Makes Elon So Unique?
(6:28) Is This Elon’s Formula For Success?
(10:23) Why Creating Things Is the Key to Wealth
(12:19) Is Urgency the Key to Success?
(17:43) Does Elon Have Time for Self-Care?
(20:03) Does Elon Create His Own Pressure?
(25:12) Does Elon Actually Sleep?
(28:39) Why You Should Feel the Cost of Your Decisions
(30:25) How to Compress Your Time Like Elon Musk
(32:00) Why Taking Risks Is Non-Negotiable
(33:11) The Biggest Myth About Elon Musk
(34:56) The Strategy Behind Elon’s Media Dominance
(37:55) What People Still Don’t Understand About SpaceX
(43:20) How Big Could SpaceX Actually Become?
(44:58) What’s Tesla’s Next Move?
(46:43) Are Humanoid Robots Actually the Future?
(53:05) Are Meta Glasses Always Watching?
(55:13) Elon’s Most Underrated Skill Explained
(57:40) How Elon Built an Machine-Like Memory
(01:01:04) What Biographies Miss About Elon Musk
(01:05:05) The “Idiot Index” That Slashes Costs
(01:06:58) Elon’s Biggest Cost-Saving Breakthroughs
(01:09:08) How Elon Crafted a World-Class Workforce
(01:11:49) Not Everything Needs to Be Optimised
(01:13:18) Great Leaders Always Lead From the Front
(01:16:26) Inside the Chaos of Elon’s Mind
(01:18:34) Why Humanity is at the Core of Elon’s Mission
(01:25:20) Has Eric Created a New Genre?
(01:27:03) How the Internet Supercharges Influence
(01:30:18) Using Elon's Playbook in Real Life
(01:34:48) What’s Next For Eric?
Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
-
Get In Touch:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast
Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact
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Next Episode
David Friedberg is an entrepreneur, investor, and podcaster.
What will the future actually look like? With AI dominating the conversation, cutting through the noise matters more than ever. So what’s really coming, and what will it cost us?
Expect to learn why the future if going to be epic even if the cost is high, why the future of tech and AI might be overblown, why we should care about the moon, what AI will actually do to jobs despite Anthropic’s new report, what the future of longevity will look like, why California has turned into a failed state and if David is concerned about the rise of socialism, what David is most excited about right now and much more...
Sponsors:
See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals
Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom
Get up to 20% off Timeline powered by Mitopure (now at a lower price) at https://timeline.com/modernwisdom
Get up to $350 off the Eight Sleep Pod 5 at https://eightsleep.com/modernwisdom
Get 160+ biomarkers tested for just $1/day and save an extra $25 at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom
Get ChatGPT to explore ideas, solve problems, and learn faster at https://chatgpt.com
Timestamps:
(0:00) Why the Future Is Going to Be Epic
(6:20) Who Will Control AI: Big Tech or Everyone?
(12:25) Will Everyone Be Able to Use AI Effectively?
(21:38) Should We Build Factories on the Moon?
(26:53) How AI is Changing the Field of Fusion
(37:18) Could Manufacturing on the Moon Boost Earth’s Economy?
(41:46) The Fight For Power in Space
(44:33) The Science Behind Age Reversal
(54:11) How Close Are We to Age Reversal?
(56:15) Could Living Longer Unlock Human Potential?
(01:00:07) Why Controlling Superintelligence is Critical
(01:16:01) Is Embryo Selection the Next AI Arms Race?
(01:26:30) How Ohalo is Reinventing Agriculture
(01:36:25) What’s Driving California’s Political Decline?
(01:50:14) Is Socialism the Worst Idea Ever?
(02:06:18) Why Modern Society Feels So Pessimistic
Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
-
Get In Touch:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast
Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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