Episode 10 – Dan Da Vinci: The Subtle Art of Hard Work

Today on the show we’ve got Daniel DaVinci.

Besides having a really cool name, Dan is an inspiring guy who’s gone through some incredible changes in his life.

I met him a few years back when we were part of the same social circle of running friends. I was told that he used to be overweight – but I had a hard time imagining it – because he was so lean and trim.

He was a much better runner than me, so it was hard to believe he had only started running the previous year.

A few months ago, I saw him again after a few years and even though he still runs marathons, he didn’t look like a trim runner anymore – he packed on a ton of muscle and looks big and strong.

All these transformations are just a sample… Dan has been working hard at changing his life since he was a teenager.

He grew up in pretty extreme poverty, and yet without a formal secondary education has created a successful career for himself as an IT consultant.

So Dan’s a hard worker. I know that’s a cliché that gets tossed around, but he’s is the real deal. I always wanted to hear Dan’s backstory and how he personally thinks about projects, self growth and challenges in life. Since Dan is a pretty private person, I only knew a bit – and I collected quite a bit from reading his answers to people’s questions he left on the popular Q&A site quora.com.

Either way, in this episode we chat about:

The moment that changed his life and sent him on a fitness journey
How he quit smoking, went for his first run and eventually ran his first marathon
The incredible influence the people you surround yourself with have on your life
Why he doesn’t like telling people what his goals are
How he grew up in a shed with no plumbing or floor, and learned the lessons of hard work from working on a farm
How – step by step – he managed to create a successful career for himself as an IT consultant without ever getting a formal university education
Why he decided to run 12 marathon one year
His two hacks to avoid running procrastination – the 60 second rule and “zombie mode”

Dan accepts no excuses from himself, and listening to his story was a great inspirational kick up the ass for me.

Enjoy this talk with Dan Da Vinci!