Couple Things with Shawn and Andrew - 252 | Our view of "success" and why it may shock you

Episode Date: March 19, 2025

In 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)
Starting point is 00:00:00 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.
Starting point is 00:00:16 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
Starting point is 00:00:34 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
Starting point is 00:01:21 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
Starting point is 00:01:42 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.
Starting point is 00:01:58 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.
Starting point is 00:02:21 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.
Starting point is 00:02:39 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.
Starting point is 00:03:11 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.
Starting point is 00:03:21 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
Starting point is 00:03:39 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.
Starting point is 00:03:55 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
Starting point is 00:04:39 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.
Starting point is 00:05:24 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.
Starting point is 00:05:35 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.
Starting point is 00:06:03 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.
Starting point is 00:06:27 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.
Starting point is 00:06:58 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
Starting point is 00:07:21 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
Starting point is 00:07:36 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.
Starting point is 00:08:06 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.
Starting point is 00:08:48 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,
Starting point is 00:09:13 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.
Starting point is 00:09:31 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?
Starting point is 00:09:59 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
Starting point is 00:10:29 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.
Starting point is 00:10:56 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,
Starting point is 00:11:16 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
Starting point is 00:11:29 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
Starting point is 00:11:50 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
Starting point is 00:12:06 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
Starting point is 00:12:24 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
Starting point is 00:12:39 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
Starting point is 00:13:16 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,
Starting point is 00:13:56 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.
Starting point is 00:14:32 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.
Starting point is 00:15:00 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
Starting point is 00:15:25 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?
Starting point is 00:15:56 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.
Starting point is 00:16:27 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.
Starting point is 00:17:15 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.
Starting point is 00:17:48 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.
Starting point is 00:18:13 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,
Starting point is 00:18:24 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
Starting point is 00:18:51 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
Starting point is 00:19:26 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
Starting point is 00:19:42 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.
Starting point is 00:20:02 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,
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Starting point is 00:21:17 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.
Starting point is 00:21:36 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.
Starting point is 00:22:01 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
Starting point is 00:22:53 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
Starting point is 00:23:19 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.
Starting point is 00:23:36 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,
Starting point is 00:24:15 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
Starting point is 00:24:59 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
Starting point is 00:25:39 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.
Starting point is 00:26:08 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,
Starting point is 00:26:43 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
Starting point is 00:27:12 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.
Starting point is 00:27:58 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.
Starting point is 00:28:23 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?
Starting point is 00:28:58 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
Starting point is 00:30:00 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
Starting point is 00:30:37 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.
Starting point is 00:30:54 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
Starting point is 00:31:05 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.
Starting point is 00:31:19 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.
Starting point is 00:31:36 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.
Starting point is 00:32:02 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.
Starting point is 00:32:28 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.
Starting point is 00:32:42 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
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Starting point is 00:34:00 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.
Starting point is 00:34:28 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
Starting point is 00:34:48 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
Starting point is 00:35:03 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
Starting point is 00:35:14 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
Starting point is 00:35:30 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,
Starting point is 00:35:49 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.
Starting point is 00:36:08 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.
Starting point is 00:36:30 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.
Starting point is 00:36:50 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.
Starting point is 00:37:35 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,
Starting point is 00:38:05 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
Starting point is 00:38:48 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.
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Starting point is 00:39:55 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.
Starting point is 00:40:31 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
Starting point is 00:40:44 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
Starting point is 00:41:00 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

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