Rise & Shine Mis Amigos,

We’ve got a special guest this week on Coffeetalk, Dr. Rick Nason, one of my favorite university professors and a man who fundamentally changed how I approach life. That might sound profound and it is, but hear me out… In a world where we are continuously taught to just fit or blend in, conform to the norm, groupthink, and to not risk being different for the sake of being wrong, Dr. Nason flipped this notion on its head.

Dr. Nason has a very distinct brand, evident of his signature bow-tie, long hair, and incredible knowledge and passion on which the subjects he lectures on. He often referred to a John Maynard Keynes quote in his lectures, “Worldly wisdom teaches that it is better for reputation to fail conventionally than to succeed unconventionally” yet he seemed to buck the trend when it came to this quote. He drilled into our minds that you don’t necessarily need to be the smartest or most talented in the room to win or be successful BUT YOU HAVE TO BE DIFFERENT.

I’ll never forget when I read him back my own version of the quote in his office one day near the end of my time at Dalhousie “Rick – I’d rather succeed unconventionally than fail conventionally“. He responded “Mike – I think you may have Keynes quote backwards” and I cheekishly responded “Exactly.” To this day, I have never forgotten his life lesson on having the courage to be different, create your own distinctive brand, and embrace the challenges and opportunities that come with approaching your life in this manner. This is probably the single most important piece of wisdom I have taken with me from my university days, so thank you Rick.

Coffeetalk: Episode 4 with Rick Nason. Grab a coffee and read on!

• If you’re like me and read a lot of articles, watch a ton YouTube interviews and TED talks, but really struggle to pick up a paperback, I have tried something new this week. It’s an app called Audible by Amazon. They have a free one-month subscription for audiobooks that you can listen to on your smartphone or tablet. I am now getting a solid 45 minutes of reading in on my daily commute via audiobook and am loving it. I’m listening to Robert Greene’s “The 48 Laws of Power“. Highly recommended to give this app a shot!

• What’s the magic for cutting someone off in an important meeting? “Jellyfish”… Yep, you got it. “Jellyfish”.  Don’t take it from me. Take it from the many smarter individuals than myself at Harvard University who came up with this code word and frankly, I think it’s brilliant.

• Did you know that the profits in the late 90’s from olive oil trafficking were comparable to the cocaine industry? Or that  Mafia’s have been created to control the olive oil industry? Seems crazy but it’s true. I bet you also didn’t know how much counterfeit “extra virgin olive oil” there currently is on the market advertised as such but does not meet testing standards… Have no fear, Evoolution Olive Oils is here! A buddy of mine in Edmonton, Mark, started these boutique olive oil shops in 2011 and they have four locations: 3 in Edmonton and 1 in Canmore. Make sure you’re only cooking with real thing and make a pit stop for the real thing.

Song of the Week: A modern take on a classic Eddie Rabbitt tune “Driving My Life Away” – Chuck Allen Floyd. This is probably the perfect highway driving tune.

Quote of the Week: “As it stands, plan B is just to keep on given’er. Give’r: you just go and you give’r, you work hard… Ya that’s a plan right there.” – Dean Murdoch

Just Give’r,

Wilkesy