What's Tarantino's Secret of Self-Discipline?

Quentin Tarantino is one of the singular voices in all of Hollywood. He has a unique perspective on life and an even more unique perspective on movies. One thing I've always admired about Tarantino was that he was just a guy working at Video Archives when he started writing screenplays. He didn't let the lack of education or connections stop him from pursuing his dreams, and he hit the right time when he was able to continue to make those dreams into wonderful movies for the next few decades. But none of this would have happened without him sitting down and doing the work. So what's the secret to his self-discipline? Let's dive in. Tarantino's Secret of Self-DisciplineTarantino was recently on the Joe Rogan Experience with his friend, Roger Avary, talking about his and Roger's podcast. The above clip is taken from that appearance. And I think it's actually a really important thing to watch. Not only because you get a great Tarantino story, but you also get a lot of motivation. In the slip, Tarantino discusses a period in his 20s when he felt stuck working at a video store. While the job allowed him to be around movies, it wasn't his goal of actually making movies. He felt he had lost his ambition until a conversation with his roommate about the pitfalls of minimum wage jobs and wasting one's life sparked a change. This led Tarantino to conduct a harsh self-assessment where he laid bare his shortcomings without making excuses. After that, he had the ability to create a plan of action to get himself out of this rut, and to get him into the movies. His plan involved moving to Hollywood, immersing himself in the film industry, and taking odd jobs to pursue his dream. Within a year and a half after that, he was making a living as a writer. So what's the secret lesson in all this? According to Tarantino, the secret to self-discipline is to confront your own shortcomings without making excuses and then develop a plan to change your situation. You have to be inherently honest with yourself, no matter how bad that makes you feel. You need to be brutal, because the plan you make from recognizing these shortcomings has to be accurate and has to address all of this in full. Once you're willing to take that step, you can begin to move forward. Life may not change as fast as Tarantino's, but it will change. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Apr 3, 2025 - 21:16

What's Tarantino's Secret of Self-Discipline?

Quentin Tarantino is one of the singular voices in all of Hollywood. He has a unique perspective on life and an even more unique perspective on movies.

One thing I've always admired about Tarantino was that he was just a guy working at Video Archives when he started writing screenplays. He didn't let the lack of education or connections stop him from pursuing his dreams, and he hit the right time when he was able to continue to make those dreams into wonderful movies for the next few decades.

But none of this would have happened without him sitting down and doing the work. So what's the secret to his self-discipline?

Let's dive in.

Tarantino's Secret of Self-Discipline

Tarantino was recently on the Joe Rogan Experience with his friend, Roger Avary, talking about his and Roger's podcast.

The above clip is taken from that appearance. And I think it's actually a really important thing to watch. Not only because you get a great Tarantino story, but you also get a lot of motivation.

In the slip, Tarantino discusses a period in his 20s when he felt stuck working at a video store. While the job allowed him to be around movies, it wasn't his goal of actually making movies.

He felt he had lost his ambition until a conversation with his roommate about the pitfalls of minimum wage jobs and wasting one's life sparked a change.

This led Tarantino to conduct a harsh self-assessment where he laid bare his shortcomings without making excuses. After that, he had the ability to create a plan of action to get himself out of this rut, and to get him into the movies.

His plan involved moving to Hollywood, immersing himself in the film industry, and taking odd jobs to pursue his dream.

Within a year and a half after that, he was making a living as a writer.

So what's the secret lesson in all this?

According to Tarantino, the secret to self-discipline is to confront your own shortcomings without making excuses and then develop a plan to change your situation.

You have to be inherently honest with yourself, no matter how bad that makes you feel. You need to be brutal, because the plan you make from recognizing these shortcomings has to be accurate and has to address all of this in full.

Once you're willing to take that step, you can begin to move forward. Life may not change as fast as Tarantino's, but it will change.

Let me know what you think in the comments.