Guy Kawasaki on “Thinking Remarkable” (and what founders should steal from it)

About the Guest: Guy Kawasaki is Apple's original chief evangelist, where he helped launch the Macintosh in 1984. He is currently the chief evangelist of Canva (170M+ users), host of the Remarkable People podcast, and author of 16 books including The Art of the Start and Think Remarkable.

A while back, I hosted Guy Kawasaki on my podcast.

He's done a lot: early Apple, "Chief Evangelist" roles, 16 books, Canva today, and he's interviewed hundreds of "remarkable people" on his own podcast.

But what stayed with me wasn't the résumé.

It was the mindset.

1) Nobody becomes "remarkable" instantly

Guy told a story about Kristi Yamaguchi.

As a kid, she finished 12th in a competition and asked her mom why the top 3 got ribbons and she got nothing.

Her mom's answer was simple:

If you want a ribbon, you need to finish top 3.

Kristi started practicing every day (early mornings, structured life, real sacrifice). The point wasn't "talent."

The point was showing up.

That's the part founders underestimate.

Not the idea. Not the pitch. The boring repetition.

2) Doubt is normal. The test is what you do next.

Guy said something I agree with deeply:

Everyone has moments where they think, "This is too hard. I should quit."

If someone tells you they never feel doubt, they're lying. Maybe to you. Definitely to themselves.

The real test isn't "do you doubt?" The test is: can you push through it and keep going?

This is not motivational poster stuff.

This is the job.

3) Passion is overrated. Start with interest.

One of my favorite parts:

Guy made a sharp distinction between interest and passion.

We pressure young people (and founders) to "find their passion" like it's a light switch.

It's not.

Passion usually comes after sampling. Trying things. Scratching curiosities. Learning what you can tolerate doing for years.

Start with interest. If you're lucky, one interest becomes a passion. And even then, it might change later.

That's normal too.

4) You'll know you're onto something when you enjoy the "hard part"

Guy shared a concept from Mark Manson: the "shit sandwich." The painful, tedious part that most people avoid.

• In writing: it's editing
• In podcasting: it's editing (again 😄)
• In building startups: it's… everything that doesn't look cool on LinkedIn

If you can tolerate the hard part — and even enjoy it — you're probably on the right track.

5) Say yes and learn when to say no

Guy also said something that sounds contradictory, but is true:

Remarkable people can hold two conflicting thoughts at once.

• Say "yes" to explore and learn
• Say "no" to protect focus once you find your lane

Early stage: more yes. Later stage: more no.

Both are tools. The trick is knowing which season you're in.

My takeaway for founders

You don't become "remarkable" by deciding you are.

You become remarkable by making a difference — for users, for customers, for a team, for a community.

That's it.

And it's harder than it sounds. Which is why it matters.

If you want the full conversation with Guy, here's the episode: https://youtu.be/lP9CqtgCf6c