There is a famous Iraqi idiom which states that if you think your opponents can eat you for dinner, then you'd better eat them for lunch. If your opponent is too big and powerful to eat you right-now, you'd better eat them for lunch before they eat you. Commitment problems from our opponents lead us to act, and that's another reason why rational man can go to war.
— Christopher BlattmanDespite my anxiety and the constraints that sometimes hold us back, acting connects us to something larger. It's a business, sure, but there's a steep thrill in the moments of performance. The thrill of feeling truly alive, of connecting deeply with someone else, even in imaginary circumstances. That thrill of creation is my guiding star.
A great entrepreneur always acts with full intention and without limitation, always striving for the best in everything they do. From an early age I knew I had to rely on myself, look after myself, to not be afraid of anything. It gave me huge confidence and unshakable belief.
If we treat the mind and body as one unit, then wherever we put the mind, we necessarily put the body—and that opens up enormous possibilities for control.
We have to interact with everyone so no one feels left out or ashamed; these negative emotions can kill curiosity and creativity.
I started to get concerned about the natural world as a child and there are 2 images that I remember always from my childhood. In London Zoo, I remember the sound of the iron doors that clanged behind us as we went in. And there they were… these wretched creatures, walking up and down their very small caged area. I hated it! I absolutely hated it without knowing why really, at that age. Later in the Kruger, I saw a group of lions, obviously a pride, sitting peacefully and calmly under a tree. And these two contrasting images in a way became symbols for the rest of my life and the way I think about wildlife. One is how not to keep them, and one is how to leave them alone where they should be.
Climate change is a real, and present, threat to the economy – and to all classes of national and private assets. If you manage other people's money, you have a fiduciary duty to de-risk it by managing for climate change.
Ernest Becker proposed that we still worship, it's just that we worship money and political leaders or become members of cults, conspiracy groups or yoga! These are just different ways of dealing with death and anxiety.
You can't stop risks completely, that's the whole point of a free market.
Releasing trauma has not only rejuvenated my appearance but also lightened the energetic burden on my soul and body, allowing me to become more authentically myself. It's amusing when people comment on how young I look and ask about my skincare routine. I tell them it's the result of healing my trauma.
We are facing the mother of all debt crises. When you look at the data on private and public debt, the debt to GDP ratio was near 200% of global GDP in 1999, today it's more like 350% and rising. In advanced economies, it's over 420% and in China, 330% and rising.
We're starting to realise that business is a major force in deciding the sort of society we live in- and so the role of business must be more in tune with political, social and moral norms of the day.
For me- I think we're all here to uplift the human condition, making lives better for ourselves and others.