John Miles

Been thinking a lot recently about Jimmy Carter, given he's kind of at the ending stages of his amazing life. He's a Naval Academy grad, and I remembered this story. He was interviewing to become part of the Spurgeon Nuclear Power Program in the Navy, and this is back in the early 1950s. And during this time, you had Hyman Rickover, the longest standing military officer of all time.

Been thinking a lot recently about Jimmy Carter, given he's kind of at the ending stages of his amazing life. He's a Naval Academy grad, and I remembered this story. He was interviewing to become part of the Spurgeon Nuclear Power Program in the Navy, and this is back in the early 1950s. And during this time, you had Hyman Rickover, the longest standing military officer of all time.

He ended up being a military officer until his 80s. He was known and feared for how demanding he was in interviews. People would lose their minds trying to think about how to prepare themselves for these interviews. In this case, Jimmy Carter had already graduated from the Naval Academy. He was in the fleet already, and he applied.

He ended up being a military officer until his 80s. He was known and feared for how demanding he was in interviews. People would lose their minds trying to think about how to prepare themselves for these interviews. In this case, Jimmy Carter had already graduated from the Naval Academy. He was in the fleet already, and he applied.

And he has this interview with the admiral, and the admiral is talking to him for about two hours. And he doesn't really do this in a set interview style. He asks questions. Carter to start talking to him about areas of interest and areas that he knows best.

And he has this interview with the admiral, and the admiral is talking to him for about two hours. And he doesn't really do this in a set interview style. He asks questions. Carter to start talking to him about areas of interest and areas that he knows best.

And as Carter is going through everything from navigation to propulsion systems to stoicism and everything else, he realizes that Rickover is a master in every single one of these topics and an expert in them, and that he is basically being put to task. And so as they're ending the interview, Rickover asks him one final question.

And as Carter is going through everything from navigation to propulsion systems to stoicism and everything else, he realizes that Rickover is a master in every single one of these topics and an expert in them, and that he is basically being put to task. And so as they're ending the interview, Rickover asks him one final question.

And he said, while you were at the Naval Academy, did you always do your best? And Carter was about ready to answer yes when he reflected on the conversations that they had been having. And the demand for excellence that Rickover wanted out of the people who were part of the nuclear Navy, and he said, upon thinking about it, no, I didn't. I could have studied harder for tests.

And he said, while you were at the Naval Academy, did you always do your best? And Carter was about ready to answer yes when he reflected on the conversations that they had been having. And the demand for excellence that Rickover wanted out of the people who were part of the nuclear Navy, and he said, upon thinking about it, no, I didn't. I could have studied harder for tests.

I could have performed better in athletics. I could have learned more about our enemies. And then Rickover ended the conversation with, Well, why didn't you? And that really became this moment for Carter of realization that by him not always trying to do his best, it was limiting him in so many different ways. And it changed his whole approach on life.

I could have performed better in athletics. I could have learned more about our enemies. And then Rickover ended the conversation with, Well, why didn't you? And that really became this moment for Carter of realization that by him not always trying to do his best, it was limiting him in so many different ways. And it changed his whole approach on life.

So, I mean, that's just one example, but I've had so many mistakes and misfortunes and bumps along the way. And that is what has allowed me to learn and become better.

So, I mean, that's just one example, but I've had so many mistakes and misfortunes and bumps along the way. And that is what has allowed me to learn and become better.

I guess if I would say I wrote it for anyone, I wrote it for my two kids and their generation. This world that they're entering professionally is so far different from the life that I entered. I mean, we both walked into it feeling that we were facing change and things were happening faster than they were for those before us. But change is happening at such a rapid pace now

I guess if I would say I wrote it for anyone, I wrote it for my two kids and their generation. This world that they're entering professionally is so far different from the life that I entered. I mean, we both walked into it feeling that we were facing change and things were happening faster than they were for those before us. But change is happening at such a rapid pace now

But not only that, I think we're at a huge inflection point where the world tends to be cyclical. And I write about something in the book called social impact theory, where over periods of time, history tends to repeat itself. And I think we're at the state now of going into one of these cycles.

But not only that, I think we're at a huge inflection point where the world tends to be cyclical. And I write about something in the book called social impact theory, where over periods of time, history tends to repeat itself. And I think we're at the state now of going into one of these cycles.

And we have over the past hundred years been in the cycle where we are breaking out of people being entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship has been on a decline ever since the 1970s. More and more people are unwilling to make the risk. And instead, they're going for the comfort of joining a more established company.

And we have over the past hundred years been in the cycle where we are breaking out of people being entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship has been on a decline ever since the 1970s. More and more people are unwilling to make the risk. And instead, they're going for the comfort of joining a more established company.