Last Lecture Series: “How to Live an Asymmetric Life,” Graham Weaver

Graham Weaver, Lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Founder of Alpine Investors, shares four ways to live an asymmetric life as part of the GSB 2023 Last Lecture Series.
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[@rahulbhatia1313]

1. Do hard things 2. Do your thing 3. Do it for decades 4. Write your story

[@grahamcweaver]

Yes! And writing your story is the most powerful of all those!

[@BreathFitness]

@@grahamcweaver I’m rewriting today!

[@vanshsharma6663]

5. No "Not me" 6. No "Not now"

[@harendrasingh_22]

100%!

[@Ricardo_Cordero]

Thank you for 30 minutes of my life back.

[@IkeSpeaksUp]

What a time we live in where we can hear such speeches for free

[@KonstantinAlekseenko]

1/ Do hard things: Embrace challenges and discomfort because life is not supposed to be easy. 2/ Do your thing: Choose a path that aligns with your passions and values, even if it involves uncertainty and risk. 3/ Do it for decades: Commit to long-term goals and keep improving over time, realizing that great achievements take time. 4/ Write your story: Create a compelling vision for your future and take action to make it a reality, regardless of obstacles or fear.

[@BreathFitness]

I’m not sure how many times I might listen to this but it will be many. Thanks, Graham!

[@sunleticonversations5784]

right 😊,

[@grahamcweaver]

Thank you for the kind note. So happy it's helpful.

[@johneerf5568]

Same.

[@JA-fj4yh]

​@@sunleticonversations578412:13 😮 13:27 😅 14: I y41 yf

[@shawnthomas3802]

Why do you say "might listen" rather than "will listen"? It baffles me that so many people talk this way.

[@charlesyamamoto4407]

It has been 25min since I finished watching the video and I already quit my job and broke up with my girlfriend.

[@SIMPLETRUTHS2012]

...and I've started dating her. Wow, she's a really special person!

[@giosasso]

​@SIMPLETRUTHS2012 I finished watching 25 minutes ago and i've already finished building my time machine with parts I had in my garage. It's unbelievable, because I've already gone out on a test run. I went back in time to 65 million years ago. I met an amazing Neanderthal woman. We fell in love and had 14 kids. Sadly 3 asteroids were about to hit the planet, so I had to travel back to earth. As I write this, i'm in a wormhole. It turns out the universe has amazing wi-fi, and it's free. Life is short when it's going well and far too long when it's not.

[@cwong1107]

I think you missed the main point lol

[@tomrutlandiv9339]

i think you nailed it.

[@CeeGeeZ]

Whaaaa⁉️

[@vishaalbhatnagar3924]

Brilliant talk! Never say, "Not me, not now." Now is the time to face your fears; the time to do hard things.

[@brrryan2908]

Probably the MOST inspiring and relatable video about MEANINGFUL goal setting that I've ever seen! Thank you for posting it.

[@DFridrich]

I am returning to this video a third time already in the last half a year. It’s priceless. Thanks, Graham!

[@BijanIzadi]

Whats great about this is Most of the people in the room forgot about this talk already But you are here, learning, and watching. So don’t feel bad that you werent there in person. You got this

[@Hdianvciadpei]

Yes, but “you” didn’t go to Stanford, so you might not “make it”. Still, play the asymmetric game.

[@BijanIzadi]

@@Hdianvciadpei i honestly like my chances better not going to a school like that, or any school at all. Most people are chasing something that they think only school can provide them. But its all so interesting. I would have liked to go though

[@HoraceMash]

Was this a final test for the Stanford graduates? * Did any of them notice that Graham’s rhetoric and message that “you can write any story you want“ was devoid of any ethical dimension? * Did anyone spot that this kind of thinking is entirely compatible with the behaviour and beliefs that brought us the global financial crisis and any number of corporate dumpster fires? * Did anybody see potential downside to giving future C-Suite Executives “an antidote to fear”? A belief that “there is no obstacle that will not yield”? Class of 2023, if now is your time, as Graham Weaver said, I sincerely hope that Stanford University has helped you cultivate the critical thinking and ethical compass you need to put this last lecture into perspective, so that your future endeavours do not come at an asymmetric cost to others.

[@someguy2885]

I noticed that life was charted as some inevitably increasing value over time. As if life gets better and better and better and then stops, as if childhood is our lowest of lows. It was very hard for me to stay engaged after seeing that.

[@HoraceMash]

@@someguy2885 …the “more is always better” mindset has a lot to answer for.

[@misterbeach8826]

This is not critical thinking. You are just some social media guy with no major life goals. How about you become a billionaire and make serious contributions to the economy and environment? So that other adults take you more seriously.

[@jsquire5pa]

Brilliant comment .. also it’s absolute rubbish that “there is no easy path” .. yes there’s a lot of human suffering but some people defo have easier lives than others .. and some people are happy go lucky and my experience of such people is that they are almost invariably happier than people who are endlessly goal oriented .. less successful but happier

[@anoushkas8726]

​@@misterbeach8826 No, " Mr Beach "!😂😂 His argument has a lot of merit but but you don't have enough brains to understand the nuance that both the lecture and this comment hold value and have their own pros and cons. But you're not developed enough to sit with the discomfort of knowing that life is complex and there are more truths than one.

[@tommyls4357]

"Don't write a story about what happened. Write a story and then make it happen". Thank you, G. His story with his wife was heartwarming.

[@steve_wk]

This was a really inspiring talk. I'm 68 years old and you moved me, Graham!

[@grahamcweaver]

So happy to hear that!

[@JosiahWarren]

You should go logarithmic

[@ethankelly8800]

sensational. It’s always amazing when things find you at exactly the right time. Let’s play big.

[@TreasuryTrader]

This was powerful, thank you Graham, you made a big difference for me, I'm going asymmetric

[@kp55634]

Graham! There’s no count anymore for how many times I have watched this masterpiece. Really appreciate you and want to thank you in person (whenever possible) for how graciously you have impacted and inspired a chain of thoughts that are in an upward spiral. Cheers to you!

[@davidh.65]

Love the commentary on doing your thing/playing big. Needed to hear that. Thank you!

[@benhall8629]

These guys may not realise how lucky they are to hear a speech like this before graduation. Could be life changing for many.

[@sajalkhanna7828]

You're right. But adding on to that, I think we should realise how lucky we are to be seeing this for free from our phones from a different corner of the world. Take a moment. This was the promise of edtech and youtube is here doing that for us. Cheers

[@noneofyobusiness7099]

Couldn’t agree more. Important life lessons like this are an invaluable thing to hear about at this age and will prevent some heartache

[@sakshibhatia3282]

This is one of the best talks from recent times. Thank you so much.

[@eonschuylerwhitney]

I would like to say thank you so much for this talk. 💗 It's exactly what I needed to hear today.

[@AmericaUnited]

One of the best, most inspirational story tellers I've ever heard. And he gives you his framework to lead a successful, happy life. It would seem that Graham has returned to and embraced his former self, Dream Weaver.

[@Whale15]

Just went all in on bitcoin. Thanks for the advice man.

[@felipeuzeda7155]

Huge returns, uh?

[@deftuncut]

I went full time crypto 5 years ago

[@vikasjain57]

Life Begins when Fear Ends !! How you identify that Fear and end it will define your story for the rest of your life. Privileged to be audience to such great orators sharing their Life experiences and summing it up for others to learn.

[@angelacaltagirone6020]

Thank you and excellent antidote framework to fear and ensuring to Play Big!

[@samghaffari4400]

Excellent speech. I have already listened to it twice in 12 hours. Not only the content is powerful but the way Graham express himself is very effective.

[@grahamcweaver]

Thank you so much!

[@winniethexi2184]

I, too, quit my job within 24h after listening to the lecture. Now I am fucked and cannot feed my children, thanks bro.

[@mdyoung515]

Wow, incredible. This talk will be a powerful catalyst for many who watch and listen.

[@utahrockz3305]

This is one of the most positively life changing talks I have ever seen! Thank you so much for sharing this!

[@lotannaobika6153]

This is such an enlightening video. Thank you Graham

[@summmmmmable]

I wish I have a lecture like this! So inspiring and true, and I’m glad Im blindingly following the 4 rules he was saying!

[@motorxplorer]

Thanks for sharing this, for those of us that didn’t make Stanford, it’s appreciated 🙏

[@bindhiyabandral]

This is so inspirational ✨." Do something that's worth suffering" .The things he has talked about in this video are just to the point and are really an eye opener for all of us . Really amazing 👏👏

[@gaurav29107]

Life changing speech I have been longing to hear these words.. Don't miss this video for anything! Graham love you man!

[@grahamcweaver]

Thank you so much for the kind words!

[@vijayganeshk6315]

Very Inspiring & motivational....

[@subropreneur]

So much of clarity. And now is the time ❤

[@nwoka]

Absolutely amazing talk

[@fryderykchopin1381]

I am currently starting a software business with a cofounder and there is so much hard work coming, I was feeling really unhappy earlier this day. This talk helps me so much! I will listen to it tomorrow again after waking up!

[@tuanhawaii]

Thanks so much for a great inspiration, right to the great points

[@ambition112]

1:07: 💡 The speaker shares his experience of losing half of his largest investor's money and the lessons he learned about investing. 5:08: ✨ The speaker shares four principles to live an asymmetric life and improve one's life dramatically. 8:06: 📚 Life is suffering, so choose something worth suffering for. 12:36: 📚 The speaker shares four principles for success in business and life. 16:44: 📈 Despite facing financial difficulties and uncertainty, the speaker hired an executive coach who helped them create an aspirational plan for their business, leading to the successful hiring of a CEO and significant growth. 20:25: ✨ The speaker shares their experience of how they changed their story and made their dreams come true. 25:36: 💔 The speaker reflects on the loss of their friend Monty and decides to live life without fear of failure or loss. 29:51: ✨ The biggest obstacle in life is fear, but the antidote to fear is to play big and do hard things. Recap by Tammy AI

[@JosiahWarren]

You forgot thw logarithmic explosion

[@rxcjhd]

Thanks

[@MoyaFedora]

Thank you 🙏🏼

[@vishalnangare31]

Thanks

[@EdT.-xt6yv]

Fear /asceticism?

[@maurosobreira8695]

Nailed it! Thank you so much!

[@shankers1a2b]

Fantastic orator and practical. Would have watched number of times and i keep repeating

[@SimpleEnglishLearningVideos]

Amazing speech, "How big would you dream if you knew you can't fail?" this line changed my perspective. Thank you!

[@yasminkhan2067]

I needed to watch this today. Glad that I am here.

[@networkingpaysdividends]

Love the lecture! I’m in the process of transitioning from a poverty mindset, into an individual that can build a solid foundation of wealth for the long term. I spend so much time playing not to lose vs defining the criteria I want & playing the game to win. Thanks for the value given here !

[@MatheusCosta-lm7ml]

Hands down, one of the best lectures I've seen in a long time and that make me feel motivated on changing. Thanks for the words Graham, amazing!

[@hatimalmaghrabi7034]

This was phenomenal

[@Stella-se1lg]

I am really thankful for your talk! It’s really touching!

[@grahamcweaver]

So happy it was helpful for you!

[@thebranclan4826]

Wow, what an incredible presentation from Devin Weaver! Made me think of things I gotta do now 🤙🏽

[@santoshoommen9209]

Inspiring for sure, do hard things that you love and do it for decades, but began It with the story you want in 5 years!

[@aqidatulizza7661]

this is the exactly the video that I have been looking for 2 years. thank you for the video -and I got it for free-, it really moved me..

[@user-xu4rz1ti7c]

This was such a beautiful talk. Hello good morning sir.

[@GirishVenkatachalam]

Amazing content amazing body language and very honest speech

[@dchangebegins]

What a speech! Worth coming over again & again

[@mohamedachrafmrabet4523]

commenting to get you back to watch again :D

[@ATCagil]

Wow, that’s amazing advice! Great story

[@Nashadelicable]

Fantastic talk!

[@lankisaari]

The best possible speech to watch at the end of this year.

[@zerofox87]

Pure gold!

[@Me_Mab]

Thanks for this valuable knowledge sir. I am always thankful for this... and I want you to say, I love you... ❤❤

[@DrAshishBamania]

Super insightful! 🎉

[@christinazhang2164]

Thank you for sharing your vulnerability and wisdoms. Truly words to live by.

[@grahamcweaver]

Thank you!!

[@ripscrewzu]

Really solid. Blessings

[@Skylar13]

It’s been a long ride, but a glorious one. This is going to be the very line on my tombstone. ✅

[@veerkasliwal3993]

Everything you want is on the other side of the ‘worst part’ Life is suffering. So choose something worth suffering for. Write your story and make it happen. Biggest obstacle is fear who disguises itself as being practical mostly it’s disguised as ‘Not me, not now’

[@SerendipityLuo]

A friend died young, giving Weaver the courage to change career, end relationship, etc. There is a lot psychology to unpack there.

[@dapobelieve]

Best talk I've heard in years...

[@ChristianFenner]

Great talk, very inspiring! is there a template for how you write your story or an example to look into for a business story? That would be helpful. Cheers!

[@locaterobin]

Loved the lecture. He did misrepresent what Budha said though. Budha said life is suffering, but also that there is a path for that suffering to stop.

[@user-ho6nk4hr4x]

Quite inspiring as a motivational speech!

[@Kanchankhanduri]

Your talk was motivating & guiding , Graham. Though, in terms of numbers the number of folks who follow what you say will be no doubt be many but those who actually achieve what you have, may again be asymmetric:)

[@markmckendry2151]

Fantastic speech

[@ewandao2630]

Do your hard thing for decades, like you are the hero of your story.

[@digvijayankoti1708]

Wow! Prediction- This speech will be one of the most watched graduation speeches in a few years time and Mr Weaver’s star will only ascend. What a master storyteller!

[@lexsite]

Why do Indians get so over-the-top emotional over stuff like this? This comment section is full of funny comments from them lol

[@Bonitawrites]

Excellent speech worth the 35 minutes.

[@grantchen2324]

I am so glad I came across this

[@r.s.334]

this is spot on. wish i knew this years ago

[@johnr.duenas7165]

Thank you Graham! Great life lesson and story.

[@Ivnitin]

Thank you 🎉

[@captainreza1]

Greatest success comes to those who can afford to fail. The rest is a facade, a dramatic presentation, a censured story cut the real impactful connections to elite circle and capital.

[@ankurmehrotra6506]

Pretty well said. The access to PE partners and ability to afford failure makes all the difference.

[@EklabSdoow]

Walked out of there with quite a few lessons learned but sadly the take-away I can't get over is how incredible the nickname Dream Weaver is

[@johnalmeida1483]

This is Gold.

[@TimGriess]

The meditating on goals, what you desire, and believe you have it (its done), may be the most important part of the equation.

[@arsalanmustafa1563]

“Fear disguises itself as I’m helping you. Not me not now”

[@roberthocking9874]

Great character - humble and accomplished.

[@ishajoshi5954]

Thank you very much for this video. explained in best way possible.

[@grahamcweaver]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@calebaw]

a😊a@a@@@@

[@0f897]

Amazing 🎉❤😊

[@monikanegi6328]

Thank you !

[@ashokmehta9520]

Done that and it works! Just do it!

[@jesseobonyo6073]

This was one of the best information I’ve heard in many years

[@jesseobonyo6073]

Coincidentally, I’m also graduating in November. Daystar University- Kenya. Stanford has been one of the places where I dream to do my post grad. I wish I had the finances to make it work.

[@manishsharma2211]

this video is incredible, i also love his attire

[@hardiksheth7437]

What an inspiring video

[@YasinArshad]

This was spectacular - thank you for posting to share with others who weren't there. Sad to see other commentors projecting their self anger in the comments.

[@chrislandgraf1926]

Thank you Graham.

[@govkadaba]

Truly amazing ❤

[@ashishbhong5901]

Asymmetry is Amazing !!!

[@sunleticonversations5784]

Wonderful

[@someoneinmyhead]

With full respect to the personal stories and great achievements of Graham, I'm looking forward to at least one of those motivational speakers to tell - and have the same amount of luck I had in my life. You can definitely improve your chances, but even learning how you do it usually comes to you by luck

[@mfawls9624]

You're speaking of material/financial success I assume?

[@AutoMattOn]

never have i ever heard a motivational speaker from the investment world go through 1/10th of what most people go through. this guy had an easy life, was bouyed up by systemic advantage and now claims it was all down to his brilliance. it was just luck all along. just another investor-bro with a book to sell

[@tencido]

"Chance favours the prepared mind"

[@someoneinmyhead]

@@tencido, I agree you can best your chances, same as you can squander them. But even before you get conscious of that so many things have to align. Even when you're there, chances disperse randomly. That's why you don't see all the humans aiming there but getting there even keeping to pep talk themselves like you do

[@tencido]

@@someoneinmyhead What you're telling is only one part of the equation. It's not just that a prepared person will be able to better utilise a lucky break or a good chance; the more important thing is that the 'Likelihood' of getting good opportunities can dramatically improve if you are aiming at a goal single-mindedly - more visibility, better knowledge of factors and knowing what areas to focus on etc; even the probability that you would recognise a good opportunity would improve if you are well prepared

[@wolfgangschwerdt2429]

4:10 : "they stack logarithmically" -> Nope, they stack "exponentially". ;-) Still the glitch does not discount the value and quality of the talk. Thanks so much for sharing this!

[@optimizedpran1247]

He also called the returns equation (1+r)^n quadratic but its exponential. All good though.

[@SarahCrowder]

Ali tells me to watch a video, I watch the video. Excited to learn!

[@wemakeweb]

The Recap as text: The biggest thing that you're going to face as you graduate, for most of you and through your lives, like the biggest obstacle you really have, is going to be fear if you really boil it down. And fear is very manipulative and it shows up in all these kinds of different ways and it tries to disguise itself. Okay, it disguises itself as being practical. I'm being practical right now. It disguises itself as I'm helping you. It disguise itself as I'm saving you. And most of all, it disguises itself as not me, not now. What I have given you today is the antidote to fear. That's been my goal. The four things that we talked about are ways that you can tangibly and tactically throughout your lives look fear in the eye and say to fear, not today. Today I'm going to play big. Today I'm going to play for this asymmetric life. Now is the time to do hard things. There's something that you fear right now, that's exactly where you should go. You should be doing that thing. There's something you're putting off right now, you should be doing that thing. Everything that you want is on the other side of worse first. Now is the time to do your thing. There is suffering, you will suffer, so pick something worth suffering for and realize that you are underestimating yourself at your full power when you're excited about something that's not going into your equation. Do it for decades because you excited for a decade knows no bounds. There is no obstacle that will not yield to you excited for a decade. And finally, write your own story. No matter where you're starting and no matter what your role you have after school or where you are right now, it doesn't matter. You can start today writing your story. Inside of you, you have magic, you have your own life, you have something that's special for you and there's really only one question you need to answer, which is, are you going to give yourself permission to lead that life, to live that life and to let that out? That's a question you're going to answer over and over and over in your life from now on. Are you going to give yourself permission? It's permission you need.

[@srisundarihardiyanti]

Thanks a lot

[@grahamcweaver]

Wow. Love that recap. Thank you!

[@rochakchitrakar7635]

Beautiful ❤

[@VanAnhNguyen-bf8wy]

Its so greattt

[@shrikantpawar8269]

Thank you so much sir 🙏

[@grahamcweaver]

You're welcome!!