Michael Port Interview | Think Big Manifesto

September 3, 2009

Dr. Kent: Welcome back to Sound Authors. Well, it’s my real honor on the show to have the author, award winning author Michael Port on the show. He’s the author of Book Yourself Solid: Beyond Booked Solid, and the Contrarian Effect, and very soon the author of the Think Big Manifesto. And just today I joined the Think Big Manifesto social media site, and it’s very exciting. Welcome to the show, Michael Port.

Michael Port: Thank you so much for having me.

Dr. Kent: Well, tell me first about this new project, it’s so exciting, the Think Big Manifesto, and you’ve got this social networking site that I was able to get inside and mess around with.

Michael Port: Yeah, well the social networking site you’re talking about is thinkbigrevoluation.com, and we’ll get to that in a minute, what that is all about, but let’s just start with the Think Big Manifesto, and what it means to think big.

Dr. Kent: Absolutely.

Michael Port: Because I think that, you know everybody, we don’t want that defined for us by others. So I’m going to offer my own personal definition, and then if a listener wants to adopt it, that’s great, and if they want to create their own, even better. So to me, thinking big is knowing what we stand for so that we let it guide us in everything we do. So to maintain our integrity in a world filled often with slack thinking, lazy habits, flexible principles, so to imagine the possibility of the world and to go out and do them. To build a business, maybe cleaning the environment, rid the streets of crime, write a novel, run a marathon, protect animal rights, whatever you want to stand for. Raise a child, become a vegetarian, fight hunger, fight poverty, foster a peaceful and tolerant community. And the list never ends. So to think big is a personal thing, and it’s a global thing. Because it’s not about accumulating possessions or fame or friends or influence. It’s not about getting rich, though you may reap financial rewards in the process. But thinking big to me is creating a world of collaboration and cooperation instead of competition. To think big at the goal of life in which more is accomplished with others than you’ve dreamed of separately.

Dr. Kent: Wow. And it’s such a, just from reading a, I haven’t gotten through the book, but in reading the first couple chapters of it, it’s also not about you, and you go into depth about talking about gurus, and you say, “I’m not a guru.” I find that really refreshing, because there’s so many gurus out there that say, “My method is the method,” and this and that.

Michael Port: Yeah, absolutely. And look, the teacher tells you that they know the way, and that there was is the only way is not a teacher. A teacher is a leader and a follower, and most importantly is a learner. So I think we have hooked ourselves into this guru trap, this idea that somebody else has all the answers, and when we do that, we create a separation between us and them, and that separation is one of distance and difference. And if you have a separation of difference and distance with somebody who is doing something similar to what you want to do, you’re not going to do it yourself. So, I am not a guru, I’ve never met a guru in the way that we sometimes think of it here in the US. All I am is the author of this manifesto. Somebody had to write it, but it is not mine, it is ours. It’s my personal manifesto, it’s your personal manifesto, and it’s our personal manifesto. So this is very important to me that nobody guru-izes me, nobody guru-izes anyone else, and that together we can do big things. Yes, we learn from others. Yes we can honorably revere others, but that is different that guru-izing, and that’s a very, very important distinction, because nothing great, nothing transformative, nothing that every shaped the common good and inspired others has ever happened except by thinking big and we don’t think big just as a follower. We need to stand up as a leader as well in order to think bigger. And by the way, you mentioned one quick thing, you said you haven’t gotten through the book. It’s probably because you literally just got it, because it’s just become available, but the book is small, short, fast, and high octane. So for those of you who are thinking about this book, this is not a get through it over time kind of book. This is fast, and very, very friendly.

Dr. Kent: And what’s fun about it is, like the Book Yourself Solid, which was my first introduction to you, you immediately invite people to join the project, and not only do you say, “This is for you as well as for me,” but you also invite people into the fold. And in Book Yourself Solid, you said, “Well, here’s my workbook online, go download it,” and in this one it’s, “Join the social network.”

Michael Port: Yeah, well, the Think Big Manifesto is the handbook for the Think Big Revolution. So we need a place, if we’re going to be revolutionaries, if we’re going to get together to move a big goal forward, we need a place to do that. So I created thinkbigrevolution.com, and it’s free, it always will be, nobody owns big ideas. And so since this manifesto is handbook to this revolution, you can go in there and start your own revolutions, join other revolutions in progress. You’ve got all the tools necessary to stand for something big and go out and do it. And look, revolution is more than just a political necessity, right? It’s a personal necessity. So this is about one person at a time experiencing his or her own personal empowerment against an existing and deficient small thinking system. And in order to do this, in order to revolt against the small thinking systems, we have placed, so do to a place that’s safe, a place that is secure, a place that is strong, and filled with other big thinkers. That’s why I wanted to create this environment thinkbigrevolution.com where you can go, join, you can meet others, and you can start your own revolution.

Dr. Kent: And so, did you think of, I guess in those terms when you sort of first floated to the top of the success ladder with your Book Yourself Solid Stuff?

Michael Port: Did I? What was the question?

Dr. Kent: Well you were certainly thinking big. Did you think of it as, this is my manifesto?

Michael Port: You mean this book? Did I think this is my manifesto?

Dr. Kent: Well, I mean, even early on, in your first success as an author, in business, in all of that. Did you always think big and then sort of move on from there?

Michael Port: Yes, absolutely. I have, I think it’s been a theme in my life to try to think big. But there have been many, many, many times, many times today even where I’ve had small thoughts. And I have even often let those small thoughts overtake the big desires that I have. I think it’s very difficult, if not impossible to never have a small thought, never to have a small thought win out over the big thoughts that want to bubble up to the surface, want to take hold. I think that is natural. So each time we do something bigger, we increase our capacity to do more. So I wrote book yourself solid, it was very, very successful, but there was more to do. I wrote another book called Beyond Booked Solid, there was more to do. I wrote another book called the Contrarian Effect, there was more to do. So every since thing that I look back on in my life, I see how I let some small thinking hold me back from doing even more for myself, for my family, and for the people around me, and then of course for the people that we share this world with. So you really, everybody has the ability to think big, right? We just need to stop making excuses for why we don’t. It’s risky, I’m not smart enough, I don’t have the energy, or my family, friends or colleagues will disapprove, I might fail, that’s the kind of small thinking it’s time to revolt against. And all of us think these small thoughts from time to time, but all of us have the potential to think big much, if not most of the time. And when we think bigger about who we are and what we offer the world, it results in others thinking bigger and benefits not just ourselves but as I said, our families, our communities. And then, of course, ultimately, how we’ll make the world a much better place.

Dr. Kent: So give us some examples of, and what I love about the book and just paging through it, and I did just receive it this afternoon, so you were right in that I got through a few chapters within about an hour or so, but talk about a couple of the major points out of the book. What does thinking big mean?

Michael Port: Well, look. To me, this is a revolution in the tradition of play dough. One of collaboration. The politics in the best and most effective sense, not the red and blue state noise that fills the airwaves. Neither is it about one person thinking big alone on a secluded island of his or her dreams. It’s about one person thinking big and showing family and friends and colleagues and others how to think big, and then on it goes. So inspiring others to think big is perhaps the single most important act of any one individual thinking big. So community activist and filmmaker Annie Leonard posted a 20-minute animated film on the impact of our consumer-driven society on the internet and became an environmental maverick. So Paul, who met with little success as an actor, he founded a program that uses performing arts to empower teens to become leaders and activists in their communities. So after a multiyear hiatus from a moderately successful acting career and secondary roles, Dan Kim landed a leading role on a prime time TV show called Lost. So it is never too late. (inaudible) above all else. Yes?

Dr. Kent: I actually really wanted to talk with you about that one, because I’m a huge fan of Lost, and in that first, in that paging through, I actually bookmarked that page to ask you about, because I’m a big fan of Daniel Day Kim, and you talk about him in the book. Do you want to reveal that story to us?

Michael Port: Sure. Daniel Day Kim and I went to graduate school together at NYU. I was an actor. I had a modicum of success as an actor, but I left the business for a whole host of reasons. Basically it boils down to I was thinking small about the industry, about myself in relation to it, and my future with it. And around the same time, and this was a number of years ago, at the same time Daniel left he industry and went and worked for a number of years at a dot com startup. Now, he had two kids and a beautiful wife, and conventional thinking, conventional wisdom tells you you can’t go back in your thirties to acting after taking a few years off, especially when you’ve got kids and a wife, and you’ve got bills to pay and responsibilities to adhere to. But he did, and he went back and said, “No more of these secondary roles,” he’s Asian American, the secondary roles that Asian American men usually get are of the forensic doctor, the scientist, lab technician, the medical doctor, you’ve seen it over and over and over. So he said, “This is it, something is going to change.” And just his flip of the mind, a flip of the switch, he went back, and within a few short months he was cast as one of the lead roles on Lost. And now he’s a major, major star. He’s part of one of the most successful franchises on television right now. He gets offers like you wouldn’t believe to do really cool things, and he has changed the way many Americans see Asian American men. Now he is seen as a sex symbol. Dan has no desire to be seen as a sex symbol, that is not interesting to him. But what is interesting to him is to change the perception of Asian American men. This is what he stood for, what he stands for, and what he keeps on working toward in his career. So that is important to him and that is revolutionary in and of itself.

Dr. Kent: And in a time like today, when people are, I guess, very nervous about how to get to the next day, and oh, I just lost my job, or I just…and on, and on, what does thinking big get them?

Michael Port: Thinking big gives them the opportunity to take the world by storm. This is no joke. Look, the society we live in, televised, advertised, media-saturated, politically compromised, and often corporate-controlled, does not have to be the way it is. It’s not the only possibility. And we can change things, starting with ourselves. So the biggest obstacle that stands in the way of our doing big things in the world, our own worst enemies is us. Me, I am my biggest enemy, my worst enemy to doing big things. Not you, not anybody else, but we inappropriately project onto other people this wall. They are standing in our way, and they are not standing in our way. So we all want to think bigger if we truly admit it, but it’s terrifying to let people in on our hopes and dreams. Sarcasm and irony feel just so much safer. They call it a comfort zone for a reason, you know, because it’s comfortable. But believe me, it is not worth it to pretend to have no inspirations, because we’re too fearful of being laughed at, or failing, or getting outside our comfort zone, so instead what we say we want, so we say we don’t want success, or that it’s not possible, or the economy won’t allow it, or there’s nothing out there. Call me crazy, but I believe in people, I believe in us. I believe in you and me, and all of those who want to make a stand and make a difference in this world. So I believe that we can think bigger about who we are and what we offer the world. So thinking big is easy. Well, and hard, too. The easy part is, just do it: think big. The hard part is dealing every day with our own small thoughts, and those of others that threaten to sabotage our own self-confidence. This is where the buck stops. This is our revolution, after all. So you think it’s trite? You think it’s silly to talk about being revolutionary, to be part of a movement, to do big things in the world? Well that’s sarcasm and that’s irony and that will not get you to where you want to go. That will keep you secluded on the island of small thoughts. I’d rather you be on the island of dreams by yourself than the island of small thoughts by yourself, because if you’re on the island of dreams by yourself, there is a boat, there is a ship that is waiting to take you into this revolution, to take you into this journey of doing big things, and that’s all of us, the people that have committed to this, that have made promises and are fulfilling those promises to think big today, tomorrow, and forever more.

Dr. Kent: Well, it’s been such an honor chatting with Michael Port, and I could talk to him all day, and the great thing about being a part of his Think Big Revolution social network is that I’m in touch with him now, and will be able to be in touch with all of the people that are wanting to think big, and that’s such a fantastic thing. And the book is coming out what, in about a month?

Michael Port: Well, actually the 27^th is the actual release date, but it just, it turns out that just yesterday the books showed up in stock at the online retailers, so they’re there early if you want to pick up a copy of the Think Big Manifesto, you can do it now. You can also join thinkbigrevolution.com. Just remember that you have to do it yourself, but you can’t do it alone, and we are here to do it with you.

Dr. Kent: I love it. And we’ve been talking to Michael Port. Check out thinkbigrevolution.com, and of course MichaelPort.com, and all of his books are there. I got into him with Book Yourself Solid, which is, I think, probably the best business book out there, and I really appreciate you talking to me today.

Michael Port: Yeah, you’re very welcome. It’s my pleasure.

Dr. Kent: And my next guest on the show is the author of another best selling book called How Starbucks Saved My Life, Michael Gates Gill. This is a New York Times bestselling book, and we’ll talk to him right after the break.

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