Productivity Smarts 053 - American Grit with John Suzuki

Ease is a greater enemy to progress than hardship. These powerful words from Denzel Washington highlight a fundamental truth: real growth comes from embracing challenges, not avoiding them. By confronting obstacles head-on, we unlock our true capabilities and potential for growth. Embracing life's difficulties leads to continuous improvement, personal evolution, and ultimately, success and fulfillment.   This episode of the Productivity Smarts Podcast offers a refreshing and deeply insightful take on what it truly means to be resilient. Host Gerald J. Leonard is joined by John Suzuki, author of American Grit: From a Japanese American Concentration Camp Rises an American War Hero. Through engaging conversations and inspiring anecdotes, they explore the power of resilience, grit, and having a clear vision for success in today's world.    John Suzuki’s journey, marked by desire, discipline, and goal orientation, illuminates resilience as not just an admirable quality but a necessary trait for achieving productivity and success. His narrative, coupled with Gerald’s philosophy, demonstrates that even small acts, when driven by compassion and vision, can create ripples of significant change.   Tune in to this episode for a refreshing take on resilience and discover how embracing challenges can lead to unparalleled personal and professional growth.   What We Discuss [00:02:01] Introducing John Suzuki [00:06:17] The story behind American Grit [00:13:00] Overcoming productivity challenges from an individual and book perspective [00:18:04] The dynamics when dealing with leadership for productivity [00:20:38] Leadership lessons from Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft [00:22:15] The role of resilience in overcoming challenges and personal growth [00:30:57] Learning from the past and preventing history from repeating [00:33:36] The power of determination and vision   Notable Quotes [00:08:53] “We have the ability to make the decision of the direction we want our lives to go irregardless of what society or the all the chaos that's out there.” - Gerald J. Leonard [00:07:08] “It's okay to be different. It's okay to disagree. It's okay to want more for yourself. It's okay to not go with the flow.” - John Suzuki [00:24:34] “Failure leads to success. It's okay to keep going.” - John Suzuki [00:25:26] “If you want things to be easy, it's not going to challenge you to become your best.” - Gerald J. Leonard [00:28:41] “One of the top three character traits that is really important is the ability to persevere.” - John Suzuki   Resources John Suzuki Website - johnsuzuki.com Book: American Grit: From a Japanese American Concentration Camp Rises an American War Hero   Productivity Smarts Podcast Website - productivitysmartspodcast.com   Gerald J. Leonard Website - geraldjleonard.com Turnberry Premiere website - turnberrypremiere.com Scheduler - vcita.com/v/geraldjleonard   Kiva is a loan, not a donation, allowing you to cycle your money and create a personal impact worldwide. https://www.kiva.org/lender/topmindshelpingtopminds