Guy Kawasaki

There is no case to be made that you should have the victim mentality. Now, do not get me wrong, okay? I have been very fortunate. I didn't come from a rich family, but I mean, look at the arc of my life. So I come from this lower middle class family. This elementary school teacher tells me to go into this college prep school. Guy gets to Stanford. His parents sacrificed, so he gets to Stanford.

There is no case to be made that you should have the victim mentality. Now, do not get me wrong, okay? I have been very fortunate. I didn't come from a rich family, but I mean, look at the arc of my life. So I come from this lower middle class family. This elementary school teacher tells me to go into this college prep school. Guy gets to Stanford. His parents sacrificed, so he gets to Stanford.

He meets this other guy. Nepotism gets him into Macintosh. Macintosh gets him into these other things, and pretty soon he's a writer and a speaker and chief evangelist of Canva and, you know, blah, blah, blah. Now, it was not easy, but I cannot tell you that I overcame, like— I have interviewed people from my podcast that they literally came across the American border as an illegal immigrant.

He meets this other guy. Nepotism gets him into Macintosh. Macintosh gets him into these other things, and pretty soon he's a writer and a speaker and chief evangelist of Canva and, you know, blah, blah, blah. Now, it was not easy, but I cannot tell you that I overcame, like— I have interviewed people from my podcast that they literally came across the American border as an illegal immigrant.

I have interviewed people in my podcast who spent the first, well, not the first, but they spent 22 years of their life in prison. I've interviewed people on my podcast who have ALS, and ALS typically is lethal after two years, and she's had it for 10 years. So Guy has not overcome anything like that, all right? So let's just get that out on the table in a rare moment of humility from Guy.

I have interviewed people in my podcast who spent the first, well, not the first, but they spent 22 years of their life in prison. I've interviewed people on my podcast who have ALS, and ALS typically is lethal after two years, and she's had it for 10 years. So Guy has not overcome anything like that, all right? So let's just get that out on the table in a rare moment of humility from Guy.

But I think you just have to keep trying. I'm not telling you that you deserve something and the world owes it to you because I think that would be deceptive too. But there is no case to be made to say that just understand you are a victim and feel sorry for yourself. That is not going to work.

But I think you just have to keep trying. I'm not telling you that you deserve something and the world owes it to you because I think that would be deceptive too. But there is no case to be made to say that just understand you are a victim and feel sorry for yourself. That is not going to work.

As my son often tells me that suffering and pain is mediocrity leaving your body.

As my son often tells me that suffering and pain is mediocrity leaving your body.

Sure. You can take me anywhere you want. I don't know.

Sure. You can take me anywhere you want. I don't know.

People have told me that I have a really great attitude about this, but honestly, honestly, one of the beauties of my podcast is that I have been able to see relative challenges that I have faced compared to other people, right? About four years ago, I lost almost all my hearing. And I use a cochlear implant. That's why we're having this conversation at all. I have a cochlear implant.

People have told me that I have a really great attitude about this, but honestly, honestly, one of the beauties of my podcast is that I have been able to see relative challenges that I have faced compared to other people, right? About four years ago, I lost almost all my hearing. And I use a cochlear implant. That's why we're having this conversation at all. I have a cochlear implant.

So technology has brought back my hearing from being deaf to just being really lousy. If you're out there and you have normal hearing and stuff, you're probably like, oh my God, it must be so hard to be deaf. Don't get me wrong. It's not like I said, yeah, I love being deaf. But I will tell you something that...

So technology has brought back my hearing from being deaf to just being really lousy. If you're out there and you have normal hearing and stuff, you're probably like, oh my God, it must be so hard to be deaf. Don't get me wrong. It's not like I said, yeah, I love being deaf. But I will tell you something that...

If you said, guy, you can either be deaf or you can have pancreatic cancer, what would you choose? Oh, deaf. Guy, you can have ALS or you can be deaf. What would you choose? Oh, deaf. Guy, you can go to prison for 22 years or you can be deaf. Oh, I choose deaf. Guy, your parents could be crack addicts and they could steal money from you and they could beat you. What do you choose? Deaf.

If you said, guy, you can either be deaf or you can have pancreatic cancer, what would you choose? Oh, deaf. Guy, you can have ALS or you can be deaf. What would you choose? Oh, deaf. Guy, you can go to prison for 22 years or you can be deaf. Oh, I choose deaf. Guy, your parents could be crack addicts and they could steal money from you and they could beat you. What do you choose? Deaf.

Guy, you could be homeless and you're in 30 different shelters over the course of your life. Or you could be deaf. Guy, what would you choose? Deaf, deaf, sign me up. And so, you know, with a combination of technology, and I guess I'm just an optimist. I'm just a happy guy. And listen, I prefer not being deaf, but I'm telling you, nobody ever died from being deaf.

Guy, you could be homeless and you're in 30 different shelters over the course of your life. Or you could be deaf. Guy, what would you choose? Deaf, deaf, sign me up. And so, you know, with a combination of technology, and I guess I'm just an optimist. I'm just a happy guy. And listen, I prefer not being deaf, but I'm telling you, nobody ever died from being deaf.