What You'll Learn:
Out for an early morning run after returning home from graduate school at Stanford, Phil Knight felt lost. There he was at 24 years old, and he still had no clue what he wanted to do with his life. As he ran harder, he began to see; his idea rose like puffs of breath before him, and he chased it with intensity. In 1962, the young Nike founder decided that normalcy wasn’t for him. Knight desired a purpose as striking as the emblem he would champion, traveling to Japan, Greece, and back again to pursue it. In his poignantly crafted memoir, Knight unfolds the story of young Nike, a tale of endless setbacks, trifling triumphs, and an idea that would leap from the darkness of his parent’s basement onto the feet of millions of people all over the world.
Key Insights:
- If your idea seems insane or completely random, don’t ignore it. You may have stumbled upon genius.
- The pursuit of a meaningful idea makes work more fulfilling.
- Companies can’t run the course alone—Knight’s team ran the whole race with him.
- For a truly impactful company, the number is never the finish line.
- A waffle iron pressed Blue Ribbon into Nike. Willpower and accident craft purpose.
- Our callings are contagious; they carry us through our lives and echo into the lives of those around us.
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