#117 : Chung Ju-yung founder of Hyundai (the most inspiring autobiography I've read)

**David Senra** (0:00)
I want to tell you about a one time only limited event that I don't think you're going to want to miss. I am doing a live show with Patrick O'Shaughnessy from the Invest Like The Best podcast in New York City on October 19th. Patrick has interviewed over 300 of the world's best investors and founders for his podcast. I've read over 300 biographies of history's greatest entrepreneurs for my podcast. We'll be talking about what we learned from seven years of podcasting, sharing our favorite ideas and stories, and doing a live Q&A. There will also be special event-only swag. If you live in New York City, I think it's a no-brainer. But if not, I think it's a great excuse to fly in. I've already heard from a bunch of people that bought tickets. They're flying in from other cities. Some people are flying in from other countries. That's setting the bar really high. So I will have at least four shots of espresso or four energy drinks before or during the show so we can make it a night that you'll never forget. If you're interested in attending this unique live event, I will leave a link down below. I highly recommend you get your tickets today. And I hope I get to see you in New York on October 19th. For a long time, I was known as the bulldozer. I don't think this nickname came from my hard driving work ethic. I imagine that comparing me to a heavy steel body that drives over piles of rubble was not meant to be flattering. It was meant to depict me as an uneducated upstart who dug up the ground first and thought about it later. It's obvious that I did not receive much schooling. But not receiving formal education does not mean one is lacking in wisdom.
It is a mistake to think that broad and deep knowledge can only be obtained through formal schooling. I think harder, work harder, have greater courage, and am more active than others.
Before starting any project, I spent an enormous amount of time and effort thinking, analyzing, and planning every detail.
When it's time to implement these plans, it may look like I'm working off the cuff, or even being reckless, but if I hadn't first sat down and planned everything out, the Hyundai group of today could have never existed.
When attempting something difficult, people utter the words wrong are impossible.
They said we couldn't build a highway so cheaply. They said it was crazy for us to build a shipyard. They said it wasn't possible to move heavy underwater equipment by barge. It wasn't just once or twice that I received this kind of treatment from people. People who only thought with their common sense and shunned adventure often found my ways of doing things ridiculous and ignorant.
But I am someone who believes that if a person limits themselves to the fixed ideas inherent in common sense, they will not be very creative.
People with a strong will to succeed have unlimited potential. By bringing together all of this potential, the collective energy of a people can be unleashed. My motto is, shorten the time. This was the surest way for improvement. If you search for a method, it will come to you. If you can't come up with a method, it's because you didn't think hard enough.
The Hyundai of today was built by pushing aside all of our problems like a bulldozer. My performance as a bulldozer in thought, calculation, and prediction was the product of a modest intellect. But by thinking and trying harder than others, I continued to push ahead in all of my endeavors.
And that was an excerpt from the book that I'm going to talk to you about today, which is Born of This Land, My Life Story. It's the autobiography and it's written by the founder of Hyundai, Chung Ju-yung. And this is another example of a book that I didn't even know existed. I don't even think I knew who Chung Ju-yung was before a listener recommended the book. So thank you very much. Please keep those book recommendations coming. I'll leave just in an effort to centralize all the different places that people are sending me book recommendations. I'm just going to leave my email address in the show notes moving forward. So if you have a book recommendation, use that. That's the best way to get in touch.
Okay, so I want to start in the preface. This book was translated into English after Chung passed away. And his son is the one that writes the preface and gives us a good overview of who his father was. And let me just start right there. So he says, My father was a nation builder, figuratively and literally. He built so much of the infrastructure and landmarks in Korea that we still use and see around us today. He was a businessman who built one of the most successful companies in the world. He established schools, hospitals, and one of the largest philanthropic organizations in Korea. However, for me, he was first and foremost my father, who showered me with love and made me who I am today.