Couple Things with Shawn and Andrew - 252 | Our view of "success" and why it may shock you
Episode Date: March 19, 2025In today’s episode we dug into the topic of “success” and what that means to both of us these days. This was a pretty deep one! It was cool to reflect on how our views of success have changed ov...er time and talk about how we don’t usually agree with how the world defines “success.” We would love to hear your thoughts on this one so please let us know in the comments if you resonated with this one! We also share some books that have helped us with this topic—check out the links below. Love you guys! Shawn and Andrew Get the best pillow EVER from Lagoon! ▶ https://lagoonsleep.com/pages/lagoon-the-couple-things-podcast-from-shawn-johnson-east-andrew-east Get a free sample pack from LMNT! ▶ https://DrinkLMNT.com/EASTFAM Beam Kids is now available online at https://shopbeam.com/COUPLETHINGS Take advantage of our exclusive discount of up to 40% off using code COUPLETHINGS Our go-to books ▶ https://amzn.to/4eENfoT Follow our podcast Instagram ▶ https://www.instagram.com/shawnandandrewpods/ Subscribe to our newsletter ▶ https://www.familymade.com/newsletter Follow My Instagram ▶ https://www.instagram.com/ShawnJohnson Follow My Tik Tok ▶ https://www.tiktok.com/@shawnjohnson Shop My LTK Page ▶ https://www.shopltk.com/explore/shawnjohnson Like the Facebook page! ▶ https://www.facebook.com/ShawnJohnson Follow Andrew’s Instagram ▶ https://www.instagram.com/AndrewDEast Andrew’s Tik Tok ▶ https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewdeast?lang=en 00:00 – what’s today’s episode about? 01:30 – comment of the day! 02:00 – spring break update 05:00 – why success? 06:55 – shawn’s random thought 08:30 – the definition of success 12:00 – fulfillment vs. success 17:00 – our treasures vs. worldly definitions 21:30 – worldly fame, money, titles… vs. happiness and fulfillment 25:11 – setting your goals & finding your own “success” 28:08 – what success looks like now 30:00 – chasing other people’s definitions of success 34:25 – everyone has their own story 36:08 – is there such a thing as being “extra blessed”? 37:26 – is success a choice? 38:15 – how do you stay grounded? 40:38 – books that have helped us Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcript
Discussion (0)
What's up, everybody?
Welcome back to a couple things.
What's Sean and Andrew?
Today's podcast might be interesting because my brain is moosh.
Sean was in New York for the last two days doing two full days of podcasts.
Podcasts.
That's a lot of talking on it.
A lot of just deep thoughts.
I can't talk that much.
I applaud you for being able to talk that much.
Thanks.
I don't really.
I don't really.
Today's episode, though, we're going to talk about success and what it means to you, to us.
I'm excited about.
this one because last night I'm in this men's group with a bunch of older guys and this was
one of the topics of discussion that really sent us on this hour and a half exploration of like
man what is success how do you feel successful and those are kind of two different things and so
we've scripted this out for you and I think getting Sean's perspective on something like this is
always so fun for me to hear just because she's accomplished so many people's dreams in so many
different arenas. Like you've done all the things. So have you. No, I know. We're both. We've all,
honestly, everyone here has accomplished an amazing thing if you're listening. Yeah. Like that is
just true. And part of what I'm trying to inspire in people is recognizing like what you've done is
awesome. What you've done is awesome. What you've done is awesome. But like since you've done the extreme
cases that are most likely in the public eye, um, I just always think your take is super.
valuable. So thank you for sharing that.
Thank you. We do want to start with
a comment of the day. This one's from
Brooke 8997.
She says, Sean and Andrew, thank you both so much
for being open and sharing your lives and experiences
with us. We love to hear it and learn through
your experiences. Can't wait to see what the
New Year brings your family.
Also, Sean, you look absolutely amazing. We see
the hard work you put into yourself
and you look great before, but you also look great now.
Much love. Thank you. Thank you, Brooke.
Thank you. Very
kind. Yeah.
I guess we give a spring break update.
Yeah, there's been a lot going on.
We, Ander and I took a, like a solo trip, you and I for two nights, three days.
It was work, but play.
We went to Zell Pondekana.
Raphael and Nadal opened up this new resort, which was incredible.
We got to meet this guy.
We got to meet Roth.
He was incredible.
He was incredible.
He was a player, for those who don't know.
Andy Roddick was there.
It was a lot of fun.
So we got to have like this little getaway, which was incredible.
We came home for literally a day, and then we packed up the kids,
and we flew to very last minute impromptu spring break in Cancun, Plyamaharis.
I don't know how to say that, at the SLS, which was absolutely beautiful and stunning.
The kids were begging to go to the beach.
We didn't have anything planned, and we were like, you know what, let's just do it.
So I want to demystify this, too, because it sounds really exotic, making the kids to Cancun.
You're like, wow.
I will say we stressed out about getting the kids' passports last spring in preparation for the Olympics
because we were all going to go to the Paris Olympics so that we could be with Sean as she, like, worked and did her boss stuff.
Okay.
But so we already had the passports, so that was fine.
And then Nashville has a direct flight to Cancun.
So it had no idea.
Yeah.
So it was like two hours.
Boom.
We're in Cancun.
Southwest.
You're like, okay, here we go.
We might go to Cancun more often.
I want people to hear this and say,
okay, that sounds really overwhelming or, like, wild.
And for us, it was like,
we're just trying to demystify that
and also just realize that, man, we can do this.
And one of the only reasons we went to Cancun
was because we saw that they had a direct flight
and it was two hours.
We weren't going to be going anywhere, you know,
for a long, with a long trip.
Right, right, right, right.
So, got bear as a lap child, just clutch.
But I will say,
Cancun, I thought was a solid place for kids.
so many kids i agree we did all inclusive resort which i honestly don't fully understand how
it would work to be like it sounds so simple but you're like wait to i there's like premium at or
like i think all inclusive is great when you have kids i wouldn't choose to go to an all inclusive
if it's you and i interesting because i want some people love them i know but all inclusive you don't
really have the option to have like a fine dining dinner and then just go have like an easy
breakfast. It's all kind of within the same. Yeah. But we had some delicious food. We did. It was
incredible. And then we got back and Sean went to New York the next day. Literally the next day.
And then we have a really fun couple of weeks. I think we are in, in my mind, I am in
travel mode engaged. Yeah, because we have so much travel. This isn't just coast and chill at home.
This is like, all right, we're got to maximize it. I will say we're trying really hard with our
travel. We have like a new, we're playing with like some new rules and ideas of if it's a work
trip, only one parent will go if like that's allowed and we'll make it as short as humanly
possible. So like this trip that I had, I basically left at 8 a.m. and got back at 8 p.m.
Andrew and I are going to be hosting a make a wish gala next week. We're not going to even,
we're not going to be on for even 24 hours. And then I have my first. Um, board meeting.
board meeting for Children's Miracle Network at Disney World.
And then buckle up guys.
We're coupling that, though, with a trip with the kids.
Disney?
Yeah.
Buckle up for.
Well, we have some news.
We cannot tell you yet.
Oh, but it's going to be far.
Actually, we're going to have a lot to talk about.
Yeah.
Anyway, more to come.
I can't talk about it.
More to come.
Today, we wanted to touch on success because I think inevitably.
Inevitably, with the platform that you have, that I have as a derivative of you, people are like, wow, that's successful.
And you're kind of cherry picking, I feel like is what people do.
Oh, she's successful because she has Instagram followers.
She's successful because she drives a nice car.
She's successful because of her job title.
And it's like, I think we hopefully don't spark envy in anyone, but like people naturally view you as like.
successful woman, which is awesome.
And there's so many benefits of that, and I think it's necessary.
And they see you as a successful man.
Thank you, thank you.
But today we wanted to jump into the topic of success because I think our definition of
success is different than the world's definition of success and how they can actually
mutually benefit each other is actually kind of interesting.
But anyway, we've both had our fair share of successes, as you said.
Anyway, our view of it might not be what you expect.
So let's dive into this.
Can I give you a very random thought real quick?
That has nothing to do with this.
But I just need you to know.
And I think you guys might get a chuckle out of it or just be absolutely disgusted.
If I feel a little, if I seem a little preoccupied mentally, you want to know why?
Yes.
So this morning, I thought I would be a really great wife.
And I would run to the grocery store.
I would pick up groceries
and I come home
and I would make us a roast
and I did
and I prepped it
and do you know how you make a roast
you have to like massage it and the salt and pepper
onto the roast and then you sear it
okay well
as this process was happening I kind of
like finished putting it together
and you texted me and you were like
what's your ETA we have a call in like
three minutes
which was on the calendar
it was on the calendar but you see I was trying to over to you
So I sprinted back to our bedroom to, like, put on some makeup and some face lotion and stuff, and then jumped in the car and got here.
And it wasn't until we sat down to do this interview that I realized I forgot to wash my hands after massaging a massive raw piece of chakros.
And I keep smelling it, and it's because it's all over my face.
Oh, that's nice.
And so I am very disgusted, and I'm afraid my face is going to fall off with leg back.
bacteria. So let's jump into success. Okay, great. Thank you for that. I appreciate that. I'm excited
for the rest and appreciate the effort you did happen. The dictionary definition of success,
according to Oxford Dictionary, is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose, the opposite of failure.
Success is a relative term that means something different to everyone. What one person may consider
to be success may look entirely different than success to someone else.
the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.
What's the aim and what's the purpose?
And that defines the success.
I don't like the opposite of failure.
I like the first part.
Worldly success is usually measured in things like fame or income or job status or
marital status or material possessions.
But when you find your worth in these things,
you don't actually usually end up happy.
Why is that?
Because are those things an aim or an end goal in and of themselves?
No.
They're not.
You can make them that.
Yes, you can.
But does that make, all right.
All right, let's talk some antics here.
Success versus a feeling of joy or meaning.
I think there's a difference between success and fulfillment.
Okay.
I think you can feel, I think you can find success.
and fulfillment at the same time, which is amazing.
But I think you can also find success and be void of fulfillment.
And you can also find fulfillment and be void of success?
I don't think so because I think then if you find fulfillment, you have success.
Interesting, interesting.
But the definition of it is probably different, different people.
Does that make sense?
Interesting.
I would say finding fulfillment allows you to achieve
success in a way you otherwise wouldn't be able to because you're less desperate.
There's less of a, like, I need this, which when you're able to navigate more loosely like that in
life, I think it's like that, the way that conversation goes with the investor or the business
partner looks way different than if you're desperate. Like, I need this. I need it. And,
you know, if you're just like, hey, I'm saying this out of a place.
of fulfillment
and abundance, you know, people say.
I disagree.
Okay, hit me.
I disagree.
I think...
Oh my gosh.
There's too much here.
Because you're worth,
if it is in a success,
you will not feel fulfilled.
Okay.
I think this probably goes back to our religion,
which is
I think it's hard for me
to talk about this
without talking about religion
because let me just skip ahead
and circle back
so it'll make sense
our first prompt says
what did you think success meant as a kid
my entire life
from like 3 to 16
my dream
was to be an Olympic gold medalist
coupled with
over the years
and reinforced by the world saying
if you get that
that is the epitome of success
there's no greater thing in the world
than like achieving
and holding an Olympic gold medal
like that is it
you will be not only fulfilled
you will sit on top of the world does that make sense
so I had the whole world telling me this
so it kind of reinforced it
fast forward not to like belittle a gold medal
but I'm standing on the podium with a gold medal
and I literally had the thought
like is this it
is this the epitome of
fulfillment I will ever feel
in my life
because this is what I've been told
and it felt so small
and I think it's because
if you put your worth
in a material item
or a milestone or a success point
or a title
or
did I say material item already
it's a
fleeting because in that moment I was like this is cool but if this is the greatest I'm ever
going to feel in my life crap like what do I do now I can't win an Olympic gold medal every day
of my life I'm trying to balance this I hear what you're saying it's interesting I'm trying to
balance this with the idea that I think people need to celebrate more you know because like the
world celebrates fame or they celebrate the gold medal right
Which I actually think is a good thing, mostly, as long as they're celebrating it because of the right reasons.
I would say celebrating the gold medal because it's the conclusion of a journey is a good thing.
Celebrating a gold medal because it is an award for like you displaying excellence, I think is a good thing.
But if it's like, hey, you did it because you're better than them or you did it.
because you needed it or you did it because we needed this from you,
then that gets a little hairy.
But it's a fine line.
But here's where I think my argument comes in,
which is standing on the podium at a competition
that has been deemed like the epitome of success by other people.
If I were to have removed those voices,
there were times back in the gym when I was 10, 12,
where I had been working relentlessly to, like, learn a new skill.
And the very first time I ever landed that skill,
it was pretty much equivalent to how I felt on the podium at the Olympics.
But the world didn't deem that small scale successful.
They deemed the Olympic success.
And what I'm saying is the world, worldly success,
is often, like, a wrong measure.
because you can feel success and fulfillment
in such tiny small things day in and day out
that the world could literally care less about.
So you're saying it's not bad.
It's just oftentimes over exaggerated and misplaced.
Yes, and you shouldn't diminish those times
when you feel like you have achieved success
and it might just be in something
that the world doesn't care about.
And that is totally fine.
I think when you achieve success,
success that the world defines as success, you can feel very unfulfilled because it might
mean nothing to you. But you can also achieve personal success in something that the world
doesn't deem as cool. And it feel so monumental and huge to you. And I think that is what
we as a world in society don't do a good job of promoting and celebrating. Has your definition
of success changed since you were
kid?
Yeah, massively.
What did you used to think was successful?
Everything we listed, fame, income, job status.
And what do you think is successful now, that you've achieved so many of those things?
I don't think any of those things make you happy or make you feel fulfilled.
What about successful, though?
I think it to the world makes me successful.
But it doesn't feel successful to me.
Like times where I felt successful.
When I got my Vanderbilt application,
I felt immensely successful.
Because I valued education.
When I had our first baby,
I felt really successful because I valued family.
I felt immensely successful when I qualified to the elite level.
That was probably my Olympic medal, my Olympic gold medal in my entire gymnastics career.
I have never in my life felt more proud of what I had accomplished and, like, I had done it than that moment in my gymnastics career.
I'm not trying to get too philosophical, but it's fascinating because, like, all right, so you've been, we talk about these treasures God's given us with our kids.
That's kind of how we view passions or, like, you know, occupations or jobs with the kids is how we're kind of talking about.
like God's given you a treasure.
And so one of Sean's was gymnastics, speaking.
And so those things are all the treasures you've been given.
Some of those align with the worldly definitions.
And there's a correlation there,
but it's not always if this, then that.
So like you're saying, like, a application to a school
is an example where it was a treasure of you.
Yours not necessarily acclaimed by the world.
So not directly correlated in that sense,
but the elite, like, achieving in gymnastics
was something that you wanted and the world wanted, right?
Or the world acclaims.
The gold medal that you won and talk about
is something that the world wanted or acclaimed,
but you didn't feel like that was actually a treasure of yours
because it wasn't your best performance.
said you've talked about.
Am I saying that right?
I just walked through three different iterations there.
Yes, this is very...
It's philosophical.
It is.
We're in uncharted territory.
This is why I told Andrew,
my brain might not be good enough
for a philosophical debate today.
I just think the world
put such an emphasis on success.
Success defined as money,
titles, status.
And I think,
think rather than putting an emphasis on success in that sense, we should be putting an emphasis
on fulfillment. And I think back to, I used to tour college campuses and give speeches to college
kids and told them the story of like the gold medal, how I reached worldly success. And I didn't
feel fulfilled. I felt more fulfilled when I got my acceptance letter. And I think
we spend so much time
and so much of our lives
chasing what the world will approve of
only to maybe sometimes achieve it
and be like what the frick
what do I do now
like that doesn't feel good
now I actually have to go find something
that feels good and feels fulfilling
and feels meaningful to my life
and I think what I used to tell
college kids all the time was
you've been sent to college
and put on some sort of path
majority of the time
inspired or encouraged by someone else.
So become a lawyer,
become a doctor,
find a field that pays well.
Like, get your straight A's,
get whatever it is.
And I can tell you from experience
that, like, you can go down that route,
but if it's truly not like your passion
and what makes you feel fulfilled,
even if you find success in it,
you won't be happy, which I know you hate that word.
You won't feel purposeful.
If you're looking to wake up refreshed and ready for the day,
which who isn't, you need to be sleeping on the right pillow.
And thanks to Lagoon, they make it easy to find the right pillow
that's right for you with their simple two-minute sleep quiz.
And all moms out there, I know you can agree, sleep is everything.
I am a side sleeper and constantly tossed and turned at night to get comfortable.
But now that I've been matched with Lagoon's otter pillow, my sleep has been so much better.
Lagoon pillows are adjustable, which I didn't even know was a thing until I tried it.
You can remove some of the fill to make it the perfect height for your neck and spine alignment,
which makes it a huge difference.
Not to mention, the pillow has a cooling technology, which is a dream.
Research has shown that athletes who are sleep deprived tend to get exhausted 11% sooner than those who slept well.
And endurance athletes who sleep for under seven hours a night are 50% more likely to
to get injured over only a two-week period.
That number increases to 70% in adolescents
who aren't getting proper sleep.
Good sleep is key, you guys.
You need to try a lagoon pillow for yourself.
It's truly worth it.
Go to lagoon sleep.com forward slash eastfam
and take their quick two-minute sleep quiz
to find your pillow match.
And use the code Eastfam for 15% off your first purchase.
I'm imagining a Venn diagram with two circles, right?
And there's overlap somewhere in the middle.
There is.
And...
The fame and the money and all of these, the title are not bad, right?
Nor are they good.
Does it unlock more opportunities?
Yes.
And it can come as a result of fulfillment, but it's not always overlap.
So like in the one circle, it's fulfillment and meaning or the treasures that we're talking about, I think.
And then the other, it's like all these fruits of that or like the outcomes of that, meaning how many people follow you.
how big is your house how much money you know whatever what title is yours and there can be an
overlap but you're you should pursue the fulfillment side of things yes and that might lead to
some of these things maybe it does maybe it doesn't but you should not just pursue the success part
of it in hopes that that will lead to fulfillment and that overlap with the Venn diagram
because the worldly description of success so fame title status
take any one of those and give it to a person who has none of it just like give it straight out
it will not make you happier it will not fix your problems it will not make you have more value
it will not make like just having that doesn't change anything you literally have to have
and have to find fulfillment and something and if you don't have fulfillment
along with
fame,
money, material,
status, whatever,
then you are
literally where you were
when you began.
If not worse, because now you
should be happy, but you aren't.
Well, said.
That was good. I think I repositioned mine.
I'm not sure what I said,
but I,
I just stand by.
There are so many,
people along every generation of history who have said money will not make you happy
titles will not bring you you know fulfill like but a meaningful job can yes a
meaningful job can bring with it you feeling fulfilled in your job you know
guarantees that you'll feel fulfilled yes and it might bring money yeah but if you're
fulfilled with it, you, you might not feel the need for money.
That's what I'm saying.
And it might be, but it might be the only appropriate, healthy way to navigate money,
like a life with money too.
I agree.
But I, what I'm saying is like, once you reach a fulfillment in something, which is
finding a passion and running with it, you will redefine what success looks like.
Because if you truly find a job or a partner or a title that,
brings you like true, like joy in your life, then you will find yourself in a position
where you're like, I don't need more money. I don't need more fame. I don't need more
followers because that won't matter. Yeah. But if you have a void in your heart towards
fulfillment, you will think by the world's definitions that a little bit more money or a higher
status or a few more followers will fix that problem. And it won't. So putting a definition to
what your goal is or your passion is, I think is really important to, based on what you just said.
And I'm thinking of one small example that I just recently had a revelation with or like saw
differently. We're talking with
Christian Huff and Sadie Robertson talking
podcasts and she was like, what's your goal with your
podcast? And it used to be
make it as big as possible, meaning
have the most views and downloads and
whatever, just like vague, ambiguous
more, right? But what I realized over the last
12 months and how I answered the question is,
is like, actually, our goal with the show is for Sean and I to have really fun conversations
we otherwise wouldn't have and to be able to meet other people that we otherwise wouldn't meet.
Mm-hmm.
And that, honestly, was always kind of how I enjoyed the show most and explicitly stating that
was like really refreshing and it felt right, you know, like that is what my main purpose is.
and it's also way more attainable.
It's like, okay, sweet.
Let's have some people on we hadn't otherwise known
and let's talk about things we otherwise wouldn't talk about.
And so it then allows us to do more of that thing.
And I just go back to, you know,
we talk about goals all the time or the vision.
And like this is part of it where it's like,
it's a little bit of defining enough,
which means you define success,
which means you're almost able to achieve it more
because you know what that,
thing is you know i'm saying the a bigger podcast is like unending does that make sense but i am curious
too you said you your definition of success changed or changes is what you said what are the
points in your life where your definition of success has changed yeah i think one of the hardest
things for me was looking past the Olympics standing on the podium and being like what the
frick do I do now because the way I calculated it is like there was nothing I could do to be on
par with what I just accomplished right if that was the epitome then anything else I did was
a step down which felt like a world failure no matter how I
swung it.
But it was cool.
And I had to live with that for a while.
I had to figure that out for a decent amount of time before I could.
Years.
Years.
Yeah.
Trying to figure out what that meant.
But like, seeing Drew smile for the first time.
Felt like such a bigger moment than the Olympics will ever be.
and buying our first house.
Because it was like a reflection on where we were in our relationship.
And really with the community.
Yeah.
It was just, I think up until the Olympics, I defined success as material items,
monetary, status.
After the Olympics, since I knew I couldn't achieve that again,
I learned how much more beautiful, fulfilling success was.
Does that make sense?
So the three moments you mentioned are after you got a gold medal and achieved success,
you achieved service level success and you realize there's a deeper success, meaning the fulfillment.
So there's like you achieved level one success, which then pushed you towards trying to think
what level two success looks like having kids change that for you that's almost like a legacy
type change it seems like or all identity change and then yeah I think the house
represents a community like so plugging into looking outwards outside of yourself
in many ways which kids do that too but yeah
yeah that's good it's good do you feel like you uh do you feel like you chase other people's
definitions of success still yeah i think we all do i think we get lost doing it i think we live
in our world where every day social media pushes fame title success
you know all of those things and their definition
and I think having millions of voices
kind of feed into that can distract us easily
I think about how many times we've taken a step back
from our jobs and reflected on what we post on YouTube
and what we're doing and how we're
you know our philosophy on how we partner with companies
and I feel like we kind of steer off of our line
every once in a while
and say, you know what,
this feels icky.
This isn't,
we're not chasing it
for fulfillment right now.
We're chasing it for money.
We're chasing it for greed and title
and to gain more followers
and that doesn't feel good.
Let's get back on track.
And it's like,
whenever we get back on track,
we start viving again
and we feel good about it.
It feels different.
It feels different.
It feels different.
It feels like a success
you're proud of.
And when you're proud of your success,
it's that self-fulfilling prophecy.
It's like you want to pour more into it
and you want to work harder at it
and because you work harder at it
you gain more success with it.
Whatever that looks like,
that might not be more money
but that usually brings more fulfillment
because you're doing more of what you love.
And I think for me right now
that's pouring into our kids
and that's seeing them try new sports
and new hobbies
and start lighting up with their personality
and that looks like conquering sourdough for the first time.
And it's just, it's like small things that are beautiful to you
that make you feel fulfilled.
And at the end of the day,
it aligns with like our goals that we've done annually.
Like this year, if I start cooking more,
if I make sourdough, if I pour into my children and pour into my husband,
I will feel successful.
Now, none of that brings in more money
or helps my job title status
or brings more material items.
So, like, worldly success.
That is truly personal success.
And that means more than what the world would define.
Because that's part of your DNA,
like your desires to want to do all those things.
And that's...
I think so.
Yeah.
And so what that looks like,
for you is going to be totally different than the neighbor and as it should be yeah 100% every single
person in this entire world was created differently for a reason and i don't think if we if we aren't
tapping into the god-given unique passions and desires and talents we have been born with
and we are not doing ourselves justice if we are just feeding into this whole wheel of what the world
thinks we should do. That's not a fun and happy life. Let's talk about a game changer. Electrolites.
If you've ever hit that midday slump with headaches, brain fog, feeling wiped out, the culprit could
be an electrolyte deficiency. Since I started adding electrolytes to my daily routine, my energy levels
have been through the root. Absolutely. I especially feel it after workout. And our go-to for
electrolytes is element. What I love is that their stick packs give you all the electrolytes you need without
any sugar, artificial colors, or weird additives.
Honestly, electrolytes should be a part of everyone's daily routine.
I didn't realize that just drinking water wasn't enough to hydrate me, but I was constantly
feeling like I was dragging around like that 2 p.m. mark and couldn't figure out why
until I started adding in electrolytes and felt so much better.
And that's why Element is trusted by everyone from professional athletes and sports teams to
Navy SEALs and Neuroscientists.
These people know how to stay hydrated and they rely on Element for a reason.
Get your free element sample pack with any purchase at drinklminti.com forward slash eSfam.
Also try the new element sparkling, which is a bold 16 ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water.
Try element totally risk-free.
If you don't like it, they'll refund your order.
No questions asked.
I used to say this all the time in regards to social media and I actually have been resurfacing this idea because of AI.
But it's like I really do believe that everyone has a story to tell that no one else can tell.
And everyone has something to say that they need to say because of no one.
has your set of interest
with your backstory, with
your ambitions. You know what I'm saying?
Like, and that's
important because there's so many
different inputs that make
you, you, and there's so many different
places you're trying to, like,
you're trying to go with those.
That
social media needs it
or like there's a community that could benefit
from hearing that. And also, AI could
never replicate that. It's like
people talk about AI agents
and they're meant to do one thing
and their program
with certain amounts of inputs
to do that one thing.
It's like you were meant
you were placed
with so many different inputs
with so many potential unknown outcomes
that it's like, wow,
it's alchemy with what happens.
What do you apply that to?
There's a million different ways
you could go, which one are you going to choose?
Kind of really exciting.
But I also think at the end of the day
you can be the most famous person in the world.
and be fulfilled by that.
100%.
I agree.
And I also think you could be the most unknown person in the world
and be fulfilled by that.
I agree.
I think it's different for everyone,
and I think that should be okay.
I don't think there's, like, one definition of success.
Yes.
Which the world tries to shove it into fame, money, whatever.
Yes.
And then also some people try to say that fame money and whatever are bad.
which I also don't agree with.
No.
This was the question that we were trying to answer
as a group of men last night.
Does God bless people who pursue him in their profession?
Like, does God extra bless that profession?
If I prayed to God, will we win the football game?
Does he, like, allow that kind of vibe?
And our answer was?
Ultimately, yes.
In the sense.
In a different way.
In the sense that...
he allows you to think about what being blessed means in a different way.
It's an alternate reality.
It's a parallel universe.
It is a different definition.
And so it's like, I can feel blessed when I have nothing.
I can feel blessed when I have everything.
Both are a choice.
Yeah.
I don't think God outwardly, like.
No, I don't think he lets you win more football games because you're a follower of him.
No. But I do think being a follower of him allows you to feel more peace, more fulfillment, more joy in any circumstance in life, which will ultimately make you feel more successful.
So is success a choice? Is feeling successful a choice? I think so.
I think so too. I think so too. And I think people who don't believe that are one.
who will never be successful.
Yes, and I think that people who do think that feeling success is a choice
are more likely to have worldly success.
Yes.
Because they don't care about it in the sense of like it's not going to cure their problems.
Yes.
But if you don't believe success is a choice,
and if you happen upon worldly success,
it's not going to make you feel any different.
Yeah, nor should it.
No.
All right, so how do you stay grounded and remind yourself what truly matters in life?
What's truly, like, we're big on daily routines, and we have all these weekly rhythms and monthly habits that we have shared before.
You know, the daily disciplines of doing the things that you love to.
to do or that you feel like need to be done it is like your in your arena to help bring order to
that chaos where that means working out in the morning and bring order to the chaos that is
human health or going to work and bringing order to chaos that is your industry whatever that means
like doing that no matter what the outcome is or no matter what the context is that's how you stay
grounded it's like you stay focused on the thing that you need to do and you keep doing it it's not
you're doing it because you got the money and then you get the money you stop doing it that's ungrounded
that's my thought anyway okay guys if you've been following along you know ander and i launched
beam kids and it has been such a meaningful project to work on together beam kids if you didn't know
is a simple way to pack over 40 essential nutrients into one super delicious drink for your kids that
taste like chocolate milk.
Let me say that again, 40 essential nutrients in a delicious chocolate milk flavor.
It really is tasty.
No more trying to bribe your kids to finish all their broccoli so you can sleep at night
knowing they got some vitamins.
With Beam Kids, you get everything they need, greens, probiotics, fruits, vitamins, all in one.
And the best part is that even the pickiest eaters are hooked.
It's a game changer for both the kids and the parents.
Truly is.
Trust us, we get how tough it is to find the right supplement.
Before this, our kids were eating way too many sugary gummies.
But now we just mix one scoop of Beam Kids with water or milk, shake it up, and they're good to go, thinking they're drinking a treat while getting all of those nutrients.
BeamKids is now available online at shopbeam.com slash couple things.
Because you're a listener to our show, you can take advantage of our deal of up to 40% off plus two free gifts using code couple things.
That's shop, B-E-A-M-com forward slash couple things, and use code couple things for up to 40% off.
and off.
Anyway, that was a good topic.
I like this conversation.
A couple of books that we have read
that helped frame our perspective on this,
ruthless elimination of hurry.
Amen.
Yeah, really altered our
like productivity mindset
to hell with the hustle by
Jefferson Bethke.
Another interesting one.
Margin is a book that we read
that comes in mind.
There's a lot.
We'll hopefully make a list and put in the newsletter.
But anyway, thank you guys for listening.
would love to hear your input on this do you agree disagree what's your definition
definition of success i'll be curious to see what the comments are please give us your
thought i honestly love the topics like this where it's like there's no right answer it's all
philosophical and it's maybe we should do a podcast responding to people's definition yeah
yeah yeah this is fun if you made it this far subscribe to the show give it a rating and we'll
see you next time i'm andrew i'm sean out