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Kevin Hart — The Unstoppable Combination of Positivity and Relentless Improvement (#435)

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Topics: CategoriesThe Tim Ferriss Show

“I don’t understand how you do something halfway. I did that through high school, and doing that, I saw the instant consequence.” — Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he launched his career as a comedian during an amateur night at a local comedy club. Over the years, Kevin has become one of Hollywood’s box office powerhouses, opening ten films as the number-one movie on opening weekend. Kevin’s memoir, I Can’t Make This Up, debuted at number one on The New York Times Best-Seller List and remained in the top 10 of the Print Hardcover Best-Seller List for ten weeks straight. The Decision: Overcoming Today’s BS for Tomorrow’s Success—an Audible Original launching May 21st and a follow-up to his memoir—helps people get mentally fit using the same tools and rules he’s developed to elevate his own life. 

Kevin can next be seen in Sony’s Fatherhood, a movie that he is not only starring in but also producing through his production company, Hartbeat Productions. He most recently starred in the Sony franchise Jumanji: The Next Level. In 2019, Hart reprised his role as the white-haired rabbit, Snowball, in Universal’s The Secret Life of Pets 2. Before that, Hart starred in STX Entertainment’s The Upside alongside Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman. In 2018, Hart co-wrote, produced, and starred in Universal’s Night School, all under Hartbeat Productions. 

His last live stand-up comedy tour, “The Irresponsible Tour,” was released as a Netflix Original Stand-Up Special in April 2019.  

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can also watch the interview on YouTube.

This podcast is brought to you by Theragun and Athletic Greens. More on both below. 

You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

#435: Kevin Hart — Life Lessons from a Comedic Powerhouse

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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear an episode with another 21st-century funnyman? Listen to my conversation with Jim Jefferies in which we discuss Australian birds, violent hecklers, gun control, Monty Python, the secret to comic longevity, and much more.

#428: Jim Jefferies on Comedy, Life Lessons, and the Magic of Filling Out Customs Forms

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Kevin Hart: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

SHOW NOTES

  • A mutual friend said Kevin Hart is “the person [he] would most like to be like.” How much of Kevin’s character can be chalked up to the upbringing his mother provided? [06:05]
  • How has Kevin developed the positivity to reconcile with his father — with whom he shares a troubled history — and reject the energy-draining impact of hatred? [09:11]
  • What does Kevin’s self-talk look like when he’s immersed in a situation beyond his control — as he was during recovery from his terrible car accident in 2019? [15:25]
  • How does Kevin maintain the discomfort he feels is necessary to fuel the drive to excel while appreciating the good things he already has? [18:32]
  • Has Kevin always had the drive to perform at 100 percent? If not, what made him step up? [24:39]
  • In what ways does Kevin say “no” in order to say “yes” to other commitments? [29:55]
  • How does Kevin choose his opportunities so they’re steps up rather than steps sideways or backwards? [34:00]
  • Kevin’s Monopoly strategy. [39:23]
  • What do the first 90 minutes of Kevin’s day look like? [41:15]
  • What Kevin considers to be the most unbeatable exercises anyone can do. [42:30]
  • The storytellers who really stand out for Kevin. [42:58]
  • Why is now the right time for Kevin to release The Decision: Overcoming Today’s BS for Tomorrow’s Success? [45:15]
  • For those familiar with Kevin’s first book, I Can’t Make This Up, how does The Decision compare? If the former was a memoir, is the latter more of a set of tools and principles? [50:15]
  • Parting thoughts. [56:36]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than 900 million downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.

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13 Replies to “Kevin Hart — The Unstoppable Combination of Positivity and Relentless Improvement (#435)”

  1. Tim – Fantastic job squeezing the most juice out of these 60 minutes with Kevin. Normally you have time to relax and explore in your 2+ hour interviews – this was different and you really rose to the occasion. Excellent questions and great job avoiding side streets that could have yielded no fruit. I’d say one of your best interviews ever. Thanks so much.

    Reply

  3. Hi Tim, great conversation with Kevin!
    The interim ads surprised me and took away a bit from the immersion. Is this a temporary change or permanent?

    Reply

  4. I just Need to tell you how much I fucking love and appreciate your podcasts and the 5 Bullet Friday!

    Reply

  5. 5 Bullet Friday, 5/22/20. Would you considering sharing your Evernote-saved article of the interview with Mary Karr? Really enjoyed the portion I had access to, but don’t particularly want to subscribe to Paris Review in order to read the rest.

    Reply

  6. Solid conversation, but the interim ad really disrupted the flow of the conversation. N=1, but I don’t listen to podcasts that have ads within the show. I’ll have to stop listening if it continues. I get that you have to pay the bills, and I’m fine with ads at the beginning of the show. But “commercial breaks” are awful.

    Reply

  9. Tim, I don’t normally comment, because there are already lots of praise, so no value add; rarely your shows are “average”, it happens but again don’t bother to comment, cos, well no value. This time, maybe my first time… I’m commenting… dude… too short… way too short… bring KH back, I’m sure you had WAY more to ask him!!! Obviously, I loved it and have forwarded it on to those who would benefit from KH words and energy.

    Reply

  10. Tim – I would love your advice. I had an email exchange with a podcast host in which he reveals racist tendencies and a belligerent attitude. His podcast is an interview style podcast and there has been some overlap with your podcast interviewees and his. My question: Is there anyway I could get this email exchange into hands of potential future guests. If I were to be invited to be a guest of his pod, I would really want to see this exchange before making that decision. I personally would not want to support this host knowing his position on race.

    Reply

  12. Love the poems, especially the Chinese one this week. Wonder if you could include the translator’s name as well as the poet’s. Thanks. 頑張って　（私は翻訳者です。）

    Reply