The School of Greatness - How To Think Like A Champion & Destroy Your Limits With Your Mindset

Episode Date: November 15, 2024

In this powerful episode, I bring together three extraordinary champions who share their insights on what it takes to develop an unshakeable mindset. We hear from boxing superstar Canelo Álvarez, who... reveals who he thinks will win in a fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, and how he's maintained his hunger for excellence across a 19-year career. Internet phenomenon turned boxer Jake Paul discusses his journey from Disney star to business mogul. And the legendary Mike Tyson opens up about the psychology of becoming and staying a champion. Each guest brings unique perspectives on mental toughness, self-belief, and the relentless pursuit of greatness. This masterclass in champion mindset delivers game-changing insights on what it really takes to reach the top of your field and stay there.In this episode you will learn:Who Canelo thinks will win a fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, and who is a more difficult matchup for himHow true champions maintain their hunger and drive even after achieving massive successWhy developing the mindset of a champion must come before the external achievementsThe power of proper timing and letting your path unfold naturally while maintaining focusHow to balance multiple ventures and optimize your time like a world-class performerWhy giving without expectation leads to greater long-term success and fulfillmentFor more information go to https://www.lewishowes.com/1694For more Greatness text PODCAST to +1 (614) 350-3960More SOG episodes we think you’ll love:Canelo Álvarez – greatness.lnk.to/1609SCJake Paul – https://lewishowes.com/podcast/e-jake-paul/Mike Tyson – greatness.lnk.to/1693SC

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey everyone, welcome back to the School of Greatness. Today we have a very special collection of episodes. And one of the biggest things people struggle with today in life is mindset. It's understanding their own mindset and how to go from a weak mindset that keeps people struggling in their career, their life, their relationships,
Starting point is 00:00:17 into a strong, powerful, foundational mindset that allows you to overcome the obstacles that are thrown your way. And a great famous quote is that everyone's got a plan until you get punched in the face. That is from the iconic Mike Tyson who we have an amazing excerpt from one of our interviews on the School of Greatness with Mike Tyson in this episode. But in this interview series we've got three powerful boxing experts and also business leaders. First we have Canelo.
Starting point is 00:00:52 Canelo is arguably one of the greatest boxers of all time, specifically in this generation. I had the opportunity of interviewing him while he was preparing for a fight and we talked about how he's learned to develop a mindset, a sustaining mindset of success for so many years. He's been in the game for a long time. And we go over really a little bit about his mindset. And also we ask him a big question. Who do you think would beat you in the boxing ring? Mike Tyson or Jake Paul?
Starting point is 00:01:25 And his answer and response was pretty interesting. I'm excited for you to see what he says based on that question and a big thing happening with both of those individuals fighting each other. Then we hear a clip from Jake Paul, who we had on seven years ago, before he got into boxing, before he became one of the most popular people on the internet, but also one of the most hated people
Starting point is 00:01:49 on the internet, he was a Disney star. He left high school, he came to Los Angeles. I met him in those early years when he came to LA, and I got to know him behind the scenes. I got to see a little bit about who he was, his character, his heart, his mindset. We played pickup basketball together. I went to his house little bit about who he was, his character, his heart, his mindset. We played pickup basketball together.
Starting point is 00:02:06 I went to his house when he had a whole house of creators that he was living with. I got to see him before all this stuff happened. I got to watch him practice boxing in the early days, and I watched his evolution over many years. We talk about the mindset he had, and really how he went from a high school kid making content to building a network of influencers and creating
Starting point is 00:02:31 expansive content to how he's learned how to persevere over challenges, developing self-belief in himself, and overcoming all the different things that he had to do. Now love him or hate him, it's hard to deny what he's created for himself. And he's constantly reinventing himself. And he talked about this idea of how can I continue to innovate and have continuous improvement on my content creation. That's what he talked about in part of this interview.
Starting point is 00:03:02 And you see that through his evolution, how he spoke it into existence, and then he went and created it and is creating it now it's pretty powerful to watch what he's created whether you love him or hate him it's interesting to see what he's created his creativity his dedication and how he's taken his boxing career this seriously he also talked about how he believes that by helping others, you eventually set up yourself for rewards down the line. So just note that when you're listening to the segment with Jake Paul.
Starting point is 00:03:32 And he also talks about his mindset and how it's at the center of everything he does. Then we do a clip from an interview that I did on the School of Greatness with the iconic Mike Tyson. Mike shared some powerful insights about the mindset required to be a true champion. And here's a kid who struggled immensely as a young adult who had huge success and fame and then it all came crashing down who's had to reinvent himself over and over and he talks about the mindset of a champion in this segment as well. Powerful stuff.
Starting point is 00:04:10 I'm excited to see what you think. And I would love your comments and feedback below on what you think about each one of them with Canelo, Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. Welcome to this special Masterclass. We've brought some of the top experts in the world to help you unlock the power of your life through this specific theme today. It's gonna be powerful, so let's go ahead and dive in.
Starting point is 00:04:40 I had Mike Tyson on twice on my show, and I had Jake Paul on. I know they're fighting. I'm sure everyone's asking you about it. I'm curious, who do you think would be a harder fight for you right now, Mike Tyson or Jake Paul? In a hypothetical scenario, who do you think would be tougher for you?
Starting point is 00:05:05 I think if you put them together in the ring with me, maybe it's gonna be a little complicated. But one or the other, they're about the same, you think? They're the same, you think, for you? Who do you think would win between them? It's hard to say, but you know, it's risky for Mike Tyson. Really sure. Yeah, because he's 57 and 58, I don't know. And boxing is no, it's not a joke.
Starting point is 00:05:41 It's no joke. But you know, I know I get it. I get it. I get it. What they, why they do this. It's a business. It's a business. Yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:05:54 They're gonna fight with 18 ounces with no- Bigger clubs. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a business. Speaking of business, you've been getting into business more and more over the years, which I'm excited to talk about as well. Real estate, your own businesses, Canelo Energy,
Starting point is 00:06:12 all these different brands that you're building. What excites you the most about business and entrepreneurship? And is it a distraction to do all that as well as fight ever? No. No. No, no, it it a distraction to do all that as well as fight ever? No. No, no, it's a distraction because I have my correct people doing my team, everything. And I do what I need to do for my business and I care about every business I have. But I like it. I enjoy doing real stays, I enjoy being in my drinks,
Starting point is 00:06:48 and everything I do, I really enjoy it. Yeah. What is your vision for your- And I stations, everything. You got a lot going on. What is your vision for your future after boxing? Is it to be a business leader in the world? Or what is the main vision that you have for business? Yeah, that's that's my goal is being
Starting point is 00:07:14 one of the best businessmen in the world. Really? Yeah. Why does that excite you so much after boxing? I just I like I love to be involved in these kind of things and see how they go big and big and big and big, you know? Starting with some and then grow up. I like it so much. Because when I was young, I saw my brother Ricardo. He put ice cream store with $5,000.
Starting point is 00:07:59 We built in five, six months, like bring people, bring people, bring people, bring people, and then he sell it for 30, $40,000. So, and I saw him and I just start learning, start learning and I really enjoy that kind of things. Well, that's beautiful, man. Is there a difference between how you trained early on when you were a nobody the first few years in your teens? Versus how you train now
Starting point is 00:08:28 Mentally physically is there a difference if so, what is that difference mentally is I think is The same mentality the same Hungry, you know is for me is I train My mental my mind is always try to get more, try to get more history to my career and I never, it's never enough for me. Really? It's never enough for me. I always train so hard because, you know, I started like that, training so hard because in my mind
Starting point is 00:09:09 always when I was kid, I say, I want to be a champion. And then I realize I accomplished that champion. And I say, it's something else more. It's something else there. So I always, my mind is always, it's never enough for my mind. Right. I always train so hard and I, and I love boxing so much. I enjoy it. I enjoy it. I still enjoy it. You still enjoy it. But it's been almost 20 years, right? 20 years.
Starting point is 00:09:39 19 professional. 19 professional. What is the three greatest lessons that boxing has taught you in almost 20 years of boxing? It's going to be very difficult to pick three lessons, because I think the man I am right now, I learned from boxing, because my whole life, I give my whole life to boxing. I think boxing teach me everything, everything,
Starting point is 00:10:11 bad and goods and everything. I think boxing made me. It made you, yeah. What is the lesson that you would say to your younger self with all the wisdom and experience you have now is The only thing I can I can say to to them like I'm with Your 15 in front of you. I have my my my son and say you you you can do whatever you want It's just you just need to be able to to have able to sacrifices
Starting point is 00:10:42 Discipline and and hard work. And have a good mentality because if you have that three, three things, discipline, sacrifices, and- Hard work. Hard work, but if you don't have that mentality, it's gonna be very difficult. How do you keep the hunger alive inside of you for so long though?
Starting point is 00:11:04 Because you were starting out as a young man wanting to be a champion, you became a champion. But how do you continue year after year to stay hungry and love it so much? I don't know. I don't know. I always say because I love what I do. And I have that passion on me.
Starting point is 00:11:22 And I love what I do and I enjoy it and I'm that kind of man since I'm that kind of person say if I'm gonna do something I'm gonna do a hundred percent Yeah, no in the middle no ninety percent. No, I'm hundred percent. I always Try to do my best and try to do my everything and and I think because I love what I do. Mm-hmm How do you manage fear? Did you have a lot of fear growing up as you started fighting? And do you have any fear when you fight today? I never feel fear really in in in boxing I never feel how it's like to
Starting point is 00:12:01 Feel that the fear I always enjoy it. My, I just enjoy it a lot. My favorite day, my favorite thing is sparring days and a fight day is I just enjoy it a lot. I enjoy it and I never have that experience to feel the fear or something. When you became a champion, world champion, did you feel fear to lose that ever?
Starting point is 00:12:30 No. Really? No, never. Never feel that fear. Why not? Well, did someone teach you how to overcome fear? No. I don't know.
Starting point is 00:12:38 I just always say because I really enjoy boxing. I really love boxing. I really love being in the ring fighting. I never thinking about, oh, if this happen, I always go with that mentality to win and enjoy. Do you ever, when you're preparing for a fight, do you ever think about, well, what happens if I get knocked down or if I lose?
Starting point is 00:13:03 Will I feel bad or? I never think about lose. I never think about lose. I always think and train for the win. Yes. And yes I do. I think about if I get knocked out, how I'm gonna reaction and we train about everything.
Starting point is 00:13:21 You train it when you'll fall down and train. If I feel dizzy, what I'm gonna do. Really? We always train about everything. You train it. You'll fall down. If I feel dizzy, what I'm gonna do. Really? We always train about that. We prepare ourselves for everything, of course. But I never think about losing. Wow. What is the process like the day of a fight for you?
Starting point is 00:13:38 Mentally and emotionally, how do you prepare for that fight? For me, it's a normal day. Just like, grab a cup of coffee, relax, hang out. Relax, obviously very relaxed. But for me, in my mind, it's a normal day. Really? But the world is gonna watch you on these fights. There's so much money on the line that, you know...
Starting point is 00:13:58 I don't think about that. For me, it's normal. I'm gonna do my thing, and that's it. Obviously, I think I put everything together that day. We put in the whole training camp. I put, OK, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that. We train for this. But for me, it's a normal day.
Starting point is 00:14:27 It's like a... You wake up at the same time? If you see me in the locker room 20 minutes before the fight, listen music, chilling with my team, so for me, it's normal day. Are you not visualizing the fight? Yeah, always. You are?
Starting point is 00:14:45 I always visualize my fight in the night. I know, OK, this happen, I'm going to do this. Everything. How much energy does it take from you to visualize? There's a lot of energy to train, to run every day, to spar, to lift. But how much energy to actually think at night about what you're gonna do in the ring?
Starting point is 00:15:08 I just think, I don't put so much energy to think because I just, okay, I'm gonna do this and this, I train for this and that's it. For me, like, my life routine. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not like I do this to stress myself. No. It's relaxing.
Starting point is 00:15:34 It's relaxing. Wow, that's beautiful. And what do you think about after you win a fight, when you've prepared for months and you win a big fight and the whole world is watching, how does it make you feel? It's the best feeling. Yeah. It's the best feeling because you put your life there.
Starting point is 00:15:49 You put everything in the training camp. You left your family. You left everything for that moment. Yes. For that moment, for the win. You prepare yourself for the win, and it's the best feeling. Yes.
Starting point is 00:16:02 Then is when you realize everything, everything you do, everything, the sacrifices, the discipline you put in the gym, there is the result. It's worth it, yeah, yeah. Did you ever doubt yourself growing up? Never. Like self doubt, insecure? Never in my life.
Starting point is 00:16:24 How did you learn that though? So many people in the world are insecure about who they are, right? They doubt. I never doubt about myself. Was that your parents or your grandmother? Or did they teach you how to believe in yourself? My mentality is always like, I don't care who is there.
Starting point is 00:16:39 I'm gonna achieve my goals no matter what. So, and I just started professional boxing when I was 15 years old so Sometimes my trainer my trainers saw the opponent and say hey, he's too strong and he's 30 years old and I don't care. I Don't I don't I don't really care. And then two rounds and that. And you knock them out, yeah.
Starting point is 00:17:09 Do you have, I mean, do you ever have any insecurities outside of boxing, like starting business or in some other ventures? No. No insecurities. I think the the the priest time I jumped in the in the bus and tried to sell ice creams and in the bus, I feel a little I don't know insecure or I feel a little shame because you know, I'm red hair freckles and everything and I feel like a little ashamed, maybe insecure.
Starting point is 00:17:48 But you're like five, six, seven years old? Yeah, five, six years old. Selling popsicles. And then I say, oh, what happened? Nothing happened. And then I start feeling good. But I think that moment I feel like a little insecure because the people saw me
Starting point is 00:18:06 and say something about me. I don't know. But then I don't give a. So like, so 25 years ago, it was the last time you were insecure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:18:19 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like being on set and having that experience. It's priceless.
Starting point is 00:18:27 Yeah, it's priceless. And it was like so beneficial in the long run because you see how the acting classes then apply in real life because you're on set, you're kind of just chilling. Then it's like makeup, wardrobe, hear your lines, stand here, go. And it's like makeup wardrobe hear your lines stand here go and it's like that fast and before you know it you're like oh my god like I'm in front of camera like they're about to roll and then everything's on you like 50 people and you have to like nail your lines and nail your take so how did you do did you ever mess up a bunch when you were like what was rolling on you or you pretty prepared I was pretty I know I was pretty prepared
Starting point is 00:19:03 because I was like yeah this is my first thing like I Got to be ready nervous. So I can imagine really nervous. Just do a lot of takes or did you kind of get your groove? How did that work? I kind of got the groove I think the first couple takes I was like nervous and it wasn't just like a solo scene or whatever So there was like other actors messing up Oh, that's nice me, but then I would like mess up one and we found the rhythm. But after the first kind of scene, the nervousness went away and I got comfortable with the director and the crew and.
Starting point is 00:19:33 And then you landed your own show, right, with Disney? Yeah. So all those kind of like built up. Well, before before Disney, my brother and I kind of had this attitude like, why are we waiting for other people to cast us when we know we're talented? We wanna showcase our skills, why not write a movie? And I think, I don't know if you talked about this.
Starting point is 00:20:04 A little bit, but go ahead, yeah. So we sat down and we're like, okay, let's write a movie. And went into that process, learned a lot about writing from that, finished the project, and then went to go raise funds for it. And we had no idea what we were doing. But we paired with some some awesome people and Eventually we had Ron Burkle and Jonathan Ornstein fun the movie and
Starting point is 00:20:34 Like we got to see like our vision come to life and now it's like fully shot And edited and should be coming out like this this year sometime It's called like airplane mode and we have like all of our social media friends in it. But that was like the idea, like, you know, we could we could do this on our own because we have the built in audience. And I think we'll see it. We'll start to see like a lot more of that in the future. Yeah. And like, I know we want to continue to to do our own projects as
Starting point is 00:21:03 well as be in these like traditional films but Yeah, I actually could lead into your next one I actually couldn't be in that movie because it's like rated R really and I yeah, and I booked the Disney show You couldn't be an airplane mode I couldn't be in it because rated R cuz you're under 18 or what cuz how's that work because I booked the Disney show before Like what right before they're about to start shooting. I was like I can't pass up this opportunity So because you're on a Disney show you can't be in a rated R movie. Well, yeah, it's pretty I mean
Starting point is 00:21:35 There's like a gray line sure but the script was like it was pretty vulgar and they were like we we can't really have you But you see you don't want to pass up on Disney? Of course, yeah. No, definitely not. And that whole process of auditioning to be on Disney was like a whole other level of competition because there's so many kids and so many different rounds of auditioning.
Starting point is 00:22:02 How many kids were there? How many rounds? I mean, I think at the start there was like 10, but that was after it was narrowed down. I don't know what the initial search was. Might have been hundreds in the beginning, and then it got down to 10 finalists, and then you did a certain amount of rounds.
Starting point is 00:22:18 Was it like a month of rounds, or was it a couple weeks? It was like two to three weeks. And they would have you test with the other actors actors and you know figure out like who is vibing the best and I remember just like seeing the character and I immediately like understood who he was and when I went to go do my first test with the girls who were already casted as like the two lead roles I Walk into this room and there was like a giant table and like just 15 Like executive looking people like just staring at me suits. You're like, yeah, and I like walking I'm like, hey like what's up guys like trying to like crack the lower like break the ice and
Starting point is 00:23:03 We went into the test. We there is intimidated. It's very nervous. I was very nervous, but I practiced so much I had my lines like perfectly memorized. I knew exactly like you know the arcs. I was gonna take throughout the scene and Like halfway through the scene. I was like playing it so good that the girls I was testing with started laughing. They broke character, because I was making them laugh so hard. You were too good. And, yeah, the executives were laughing too.
Starting point is 00:23:33 And sort of after that one, I came home and my brother was like, how did it go? And I was like, yo, I know I got the role. I know I got the role. And I kind of just had that mindset of like, yo, I killed that one, I know I got the role. I know I got the role And I kind of just like had that that mindset of like yeah, like I killed that one I just got to keep on killing it and eventually got the role But it was an awesome process and that was probably like one of the the biggest moments of My career getting the call like hey like you booked this Disney Channel show ha ha it was very very surreal
Starting point is 00:24:03 hey, like you booked this Disney Channel show. It was very, very surreal. It's crazy, that's like winning the state championship, national championship. Exactly, and I knew that I had to break into traditional media somehow, in some way, and if I was one of the first influencers to do so, then that would set me up for success in the future. Just cause like having that experience under my belt,
Starting point is 00:24:31 which is like the Disney, it's like a powerhouse and brand and their connections and they own Marvel and ABC and I was like, okay, this is the right place to be at. And the experience I gained from just the first season of being on Bazaarvark was massive. Shooting 21 episodes, I could memorize pages of lines in minutes.
Starting point is 00:24:59 And blocking and four cameras pointed at me. And I basically, throughout that process, I lost like all the nervousness I had as an actor. I completely like broke out of my shell. Which takes, sometimes it takes like a lot of actors a long time to get there and then once they get there, they're like, they're some of the best actors that we see today.
Starting point is 00:25:20 Wow. But yeah, I mean, it was such a huge moment to be able to have a series, regular job, something steady as an actor. And again, you're differentiating yourself from all the other big social media influencers who have maybe they have 10 million followers, but they don't have mainstream credibility. They don't have something consistent. They're schlepping like sweet tea or whatever it is. They're like, you know, like vitamins online Yeah, to like continue to make money. Yep, because they've got this audience, but they don't know how to build a business
Starting point is 00:25:51 They don't know how to build their own brand and traditional media around it Maybe they're getting a few press hits or some articles or features, but they're not doing something like this like a show a movie You know getting bigger brand deals the way you are, which is interesting. Exactly. And one thing that I noticed after like we finished filming or after the show started airing, a demographic that never previously came up to me in public started coming up to me. And it was an audience that was like five, six, seven years old that didn't even have cell phones. And so that was like five six seven years old that didn't even have cell phones And so that was like five real to come up to you. Yeah, and and this was what's your name on the show? Dirk Dirk, so they say you're they don't even know Jake. They don't say dark. Yeah, they say dark
Starting point is 00:26:36 Oh my god, like you're on bizarre bark and they don't even have cell phones. Wow, that's that and that moment I realized okay this decision to like spend a ton of time on making the show was so worth it because I'm building into that audience who like eventually will have phones, who can eventually follow me on social media and while I'm building out this like social media demographic. And so to me it was all worth it when that started to happen. Because you're probably not making as much money as you could Be on other things from the show
Starting point is 00:27:07 I'm sure it's making good money, but it's not like as big as a big brand deal could be for you just for one video No, of course. Yeah. No, you're right And so you're almost sacrificing a certain area of your your you know Finances and your business to have a huge upside later You're delaying the gratification. 100%. By reaching an audience again that really can't do much for you right now. But also tying yourself to Disney brand
Starting point is 00:27:30 and saying you're an actor on Disney is massive. Yeah, and that was like the thought around it. Like I'm gonna need to invest the time now and this is gonna pay off later. And the hustle on everything else is gonna have to increase because like even now I'm going to have to vlog every day while on set every day. So wow, it's going to it's a lot. How do you organize you know when I was 19 I was I couldn't
Starting point is 00:27:57 even get to class you know and all I was doing was focusing on football and I don't know like what I was going to eat that day like how are you as a, you're 20 now, right? How are you as a 20 year old organizing your day, your finances, your life, thinking about acting, businesses that we haven't even talked about, building your content every day. Like you're doing so much every day. How does someone at 20, when a lot of people are listening
Starting point is 00:28:22 at 30, 40, 50 50 are struggling with organizing a day How are you able to do that the number one thing two words time management? And how are you like thinking about that and and what did you have you learned how to do this so? as as like my day Started to fill up to the point where like I couldn't do anything else in the day. I had to just go to sleep I was like how do I prioritize this? And I studied a lot about time management and prioritizing the things that you need to get done on a day-to-day basis. What's more important?
Starting point is 00:28:58 Like you sitting on your phone and texting people back right away or getting your video done and to the editor and being on set and memorizing your lines and taking this specific meeting. And I then invested money to hire employees to like an assistant who can basically do a lot of these like small tasks for me that I don't necessarily need to be doing unless I have to be there
Starting point is 00:29:27 I'm not gonna do it and she's like scheduling my day and You know breaking down things as much as possible The biggest thing I can say is like habit the power of like habit and like doing things consistently, you know, waking up at this time starting your video at this time, having your weekly meeting on Monday at 10 with all of your employees so that you know you're gonna have to, you know, get a different piece of content for that day because you're not gonna have as
Starting point is 00:30:01 much time to film and kind of just like knowing all of these things but a lot goes into it and you really, like my saying is you got to want it and I think that's like the number one thing is like you got to want it. Like there's so much time in a day when I like pause and stop all of these things I'm like so bored and like the time like there's here. So I think I really started to realize like how much time there was in a day and you got to want it and cut out all the non the the stuff that doesn't matter yeah even like a lot of
Starting point is 00:30:38 influencers in particularly like they want to go out to eat for every single meal breakfast go to a breakfast spot lunch go to a lunch spot dinner go to a in particularly, they wanna go out to eat for every single meal. Breakfast, go to a breakfast spot. Lunch, go to a lunch spot. Dinner, go to a dinner spot. That right there is like, each of those activities is two hours. I'm like, yo, I'm just gonna get a personal chef
Starting point is 00:30:55 and have meal plans and microwave the stuff, cook it up, it's healthy, quick, done. So little things like that you have to think about. They are taking a lot of meetings, aren't they? Just like lunch and dinner meetings or just hanging with friends during breakfast. A lot of it is just like hanging out. Yeah, just hanging. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:31:11 That is six hours a day of just like eating. Exactly. And going to somewhere. Yeah. Yeah. Amazing, man. Do you study anyone who does this? Are you reading books?
Starting point is 00:31:20 Are you... How are you learning these things? I forget the guy's name. Yeah, I was studying it. What's his name? Are you reading books? How are you learning these things? I forget the guy's name yet. I was studying it. What's his name? Lee Clark, Lee something? I don't know.
Starting point is 00:31:31 He has a program called like Thrive 15. But have you heard of that? So I watched a couple of videos on there that really like talked about how- Time management and all these things, setting up your day. Exactly and the way I think about it is like, yeah, I'm doing all of these things,
Starting point is 00:31:50 but people are doing more. There's celebrities doing more. So how can I do more? There's business people who are doing more. I just think about the CEO of uber or No, snapchat like imagine how much stuff is on their to-do list And they have to prioritize it And so I think about it in the same way as much as possible
Starting point is 00:32:17 Five years ago before you got into all this stuff. Did you? Imagine you'd be here right now No, what do you think you'd be doing, like finishing school and going to college and have a girlfriend? Or what was your vision then? My vision then, I was actually training. I was starting to train to become a Navy SEAL. Really?
Starting point is 00:32:37 Yeah. That's typical Ohio. You know, it's like. Of course. No, I was like, I didn't know what I wanted to do. Right. My grades weren't that good. Of course. No, I was like, I didn't know what I wanted to do. My grades weren't that good, but I was athletic, I knew how to work hard, and I was smart, I just didn't ever apply myself.
Starting point is 00:32:55 And so, started in the Navy SEALs, everything that I loved, competition, mental toughness, brotherhood. Yeah, exactly. And so I was like fell in love with that and started putting in a lot of effort into like figuring out how I was gonna do that. And I mean, it's still something I wanna do, but business class. Maybe you can play Navy Seal on a movie.
Starting point is 00:33:18 Exactly, that's the great thing about Hollywood is like you can do everything. Yeah, so you're on that track and then these things kind of unfold. When you started to get the traction, did you realize like, oh, I wanna be like this influencer person and this is what I'm gonna do now or did you think you'd be this big?
Starting point is 00:33:39 I don't think so. I think part of where we found success is not thinking too much. Which is like, I think a lot part of where we found success is not thinking too much Yeah, which is like I think a lot of people overthink like okay I need to do this this and this and you know, it's super hard to become an actor So I'm not even gonna try we didn't know how hard it was, but we just like went for it I think that's like part of where we found success or like we didn't know, you know Exactly, you know the exactly, you know,
Starting point is 00:34:05 the formulas for creating like the best videos online. At this point, like we were still young and like green, but we just went for it and posted content. Yeah. And I think as I, you know, started to progress, I sort of like was learning a lot and then started to see like where this could go. But definitely from the start, I was like, there was kind of just like,
Starting point is 00:34:32 growing followers and like making money from it. Right. Um, eventually I, uh, I realized I needed to have like a vision. Yeah. Yeah. And what is the vision now? Vision now I, uh, I like to think of myself as like a young Ashton Kutcher, like the modern young Ashton Kutcher where like he takes his acting presence and grows that becomes like a huge star but is also on the business side of things and the tech side of things and is an investor and you know if
Starting point is 00:35:06 Ashton doesn't want to act he doesn't have to And I think a lot of actors are trying to like take that route now But they don't know how to do it like maybe just good at acting but the spin on it is like now there's the social media element involved and like now there's a social media element involved and the acting space is a little bit different and like getting to the top is no one's really done it in like today's space now, so there's not like a paved set path.
Starting point is 00:35:36 But yeah, like I wanna have this big presence in the world and be able to launch different businesses and products and charities and give back to the fans and just have fun along the way. I think one of my very specific goals is I'd like to be a superhero or a super villain in a huge action movie. Like a marvel? Yeah. Really sweet. The Green Goblin. super villain in like a huge action movie like a marvel yeah this sweet yeah
Starting point is 00:36:05 the Green Goblin I like I want to play like a like the Joker or something like a hard role that's really hard yeah I could see that huh that's cool man I'd see as the the young Ashman Kutcher for sure I mean that guy's really paved out an incredible career for himself great brand and he's you know invested in multiple. You know companies as well I'm an investor in one of the companies. He's an investor in and It's been incredible to see what he's done. I don't know him personally, but he's always impressed me so yeah No, same and that could do that. I mean hey, that's great vision man. Thank you. That's awesome And so you're it's what's fascinating now is you're 20 years old and you've got
Starting point is 00:36:44 You started a couple of companies already and you have this thing called Team Tan, is that correct? Yeah. And what is Team Tan and what was the vision for creating this? So sort of right when I, backtracking, like before the acting stuff, like that's one side of me.
Starting point is 00:37:00 Social media side's one side. The business side is like, I was sitting here in LA, I was like, how do I become bigger than just myself? Or how do I create an empire? And I asked myself, and a couple of my mentors were like, think of how you can create money while you're sleeping. Like mailbox money, where you're just getting checks for not doing anything necessarily. And I started to think of how this would be applicable and I was like studying the entertainment space and I
Starting point is 00:37:34 saw what Dr. Dre did where he was a big artist himself, he had a skill set and he would find people with the potential to be like him you teach them that skill set help them like cultivate it and Then put them in front of his audience And from that they would blow up Outcomes M&M 50 cents Snoop Dogg Tupac and he starts to create this network and dr. J becomes bigger than himself but then what he did did that was special was like takes that network of influential people that he's very close with and puts a pair of headphones on them and then that's his
Starting point is 00:38:14 billion dollar exit. And so I was like okay is this same model applicable in social media? Can I find someone else who has potential, small following and make them massive online? So I put it to the test and it immediately worked. I found these kids, they had like 30,000 followers at the time and their brothers, their twins, yeah. And brought them out to Los Angeles for like a month, started making videos with them, taught them like, little tips and tricks to add to their content, taught them how to post across the different platforms,
Starting point is 00:38:56 like all the little things that go into it. And I put them in front of my audience, and they were young, good looking, and good at making videos. And so they immediately went from like 30,000 followers like 500,000 in a matter of weeks Wow and so I was like okay this worked What are they at now now? They're like 15 million what yeah on one channel on all channels. Just all their channels come by yeah but at the time it's kind of just like a test and I
Starting point is 00:39:24 Was seeing if it would work So and I was still 17 at the time it was kind of just like a test and I Was seeing if it would work So and I was still 17 at the time. It's crazy. It sounds cliche but what I found in Growing out the the network that I had with other influencers is like at the start I was just always giving and giving and giving and seeing nothing in return. And then later on, that's when the rewards come. And so I think as much as you can give to people without expecting anything in return,
Starting point is 00:39:55 whether that's giving to charities, whether that's giving people advice, whether that's giving people promotion in a video, or giving back to your fans and thanking them, I think that always comes full circle and what goes around comes around and I think life will then give back to you. Because at the start of growing Team 10 alone, it was just a lot of giving and nothing in return until
Starting point is 00:40:29 like very recently actually. And so I found out that if you can give in relationships or in business or in life or to charities that I really think that whatever the higher power is, I think there's something up there that then gives you that back in greater form. That's great, man. What does it take to be a true champion, to be the best in the world at something? You lived it for a long time. What does a mindset have to be like if someone wants to be the best at what they do?
Starting point is 00:41:06 It's just that dedicating and sacrificing your life to be in a particular way you want to be. Like, you want to conduct it. Say you want to be like Tony Robbins. You get all the information you can about Tony Robbins, and you conduct it. This is how I want to live my life. This is almost like, um...
Starting point is 00:41:24 What do we call this place? This is your I want to live my life. This is almost like, what do we call these things? This is your manuscript. Yeah. You know what I mean? Your blueprint, yeah. Yeah, this is what I'm going to do. Yeah. And I'm going to live like Tony.
Starting point is 00:41:34 I'm not going to be Tony Robbins, but I'm going to live it. I'm going to conduct myself like Tony Robbins. Yeah. So you got to live it. You got to breathe it. Yeah. And you have to be that before you actually become the person. Interesting.
Starting point is 00:41:46 You're not gonna become the person over there. You think you're prepared to be Tony Robbins right now, right? Tomorrow you're Tony Robbins. You didn't know. It's gonna take time, so I'm gonna become this guy. You know, I'm gonna be this guy before, cause you're not ready. But when the time comes, you're gonna be ready. You're gonna be Tony Robbins.
Starting point is 00:42:00 This is my life. I'm accustomed to this. Of course I got this role. Of course I got this job. Of course I got this rate. I prepared for it. You wouldn't even be surprised. Before you became the champ the first time, were you visualizing and imagining?
Starting point is 00:42:12 Not ever since I was 14. This is who I am. This is who I'm going to be. This is the guy. You have to be the champ before you be the champ. You understand? Does that make sense? Yeah. Does it really? Because it sounds like you have to be him before you can be him. You can't just pop this by training
Starting point is 00:42:29 and doing push-ups and knocking people out. This is how I'm gonna be the champ. No, you have to be the actual champ. Your conduct, your lifestyle, have to be the champ before you actually wear the belt. Maybe that's better. You have to be the champ before you can even wear a belt. Wow. So you were saying, I'm going to be the champ.
Starting point is 00:42:45 You were living like the champ. One more lifetime before I did. I would read books about them. That's all I did. I would read books about them, watch them fight. That's my life. When I wasn't in school and I wasn't training, I was watching them and reading about them.
Starting point is 00:42:57 Watching the greats. Yeah. Wow. What's the best advice you ever got from a champion before you? What's the best advice you ever got from a champion before you? I don't know. Most of them, the advice they give me about life is that they say you have to live your own life. You can't live your life like me. I can't live my life like you. We're just all different. Some of them say, care your money, you know
Starting point is 00:43:28 Right But I used to learn from a farce a lot of these guys. I just watched the way they conduct themselves dignified Let's go have some mental issues. They had damage from boxing. They're a little bit outrageous Other than that most them were very dignified. I think that's the thing. What was your biggest weakness when you were the champ for so long?
Starting point is 00:43:50 As you were knocking guys out in the first round, first few seconds, what was the biggest weakness in your game and also in your life? I don't know. I think I was a gut and I just wanted everything. Material things to win, women, this, everything. Everything's wanted, everything, yeah. You wanted the world.
Starting point is 00:44:09 Right now, no, that's only the one that's... No, I didn't want it yesterday. Tomorrow, I want it right now. It's instant. Wow. And if you can't give it to me, I don't want it no f***ing more. If I can't get it right now?
Starting point is 00:44:22 Yeah, I don't want it no f***ing more. Yeah, any day I couldn't have, any day I couldn't have, I despise and hate it. Wow. Yeah, I don't wanna know. Yeah, any day I couldn't have, any day I couldn't have, I despise and hate it. Wow. Yeah, if I couldn't have that girl, I hate her. Wow. Can I have that car?
Starting point is 00:44:32 Those cars, anybody that drives that car. Why do you think that was? If you couldn't have it right now, you didn't like it anymore. Because I didn't need no distractions. Oh, wow. That make me feel anything that I'm less than immortal. Wow.
Starting point is 00:44:46 Yeah. So if you couldn't get it right now, it made you feel less than immortal. Yeah. So you were like, get it out of my life. Exactly. Wow. What's the craziest thing you wanted
Starting point is 00:44:57 that you got right now? That you were like demanding everything and what did you, someone, I mean, what was something flew in from Dubai overnight and you got like a steak dinner from somewhere or? I never thought about that. But I'm sure it was bizarre or something. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:45:14 I want a tiger right now. Give me my tiger. It's just the mentality. It's just the way I was raised as a fighter. I think it's because it would, if you couldn't get it, it would distract you. Why can't I possess that? If I'm so great, why can't I possess that? Wow.
Starting point is 00:45:30 It'll distract you from your goals in life. What do you think is your greatest weakness right now, this time of your life? I don't know, my friends and my kids and stuff, family. It's a weakness? Yeah, because people are losing so many people. They're saying that he's dead, she's sick, my friend's mother just died yesterday. Everybody's started dying, everybody's so sad and they're wow.
Starting point is 00:45:51 You know? Yeah. We should always look at death as something glorious, you know? Because listen, life is very interesting. Listen, we got it for nothing. Look at what we received. We have kids, we have grandkids, all of a sudden, boy, it's your mother and father,
Starting point is 00:46:11 and they saw each other, and they, hey, we in love, we love now, we're here. Look at all we got, look what you're doing, if you just show. It's because these people were in love. You know what I mean, this is glorious. Yeah. For free.
Starting point is 00:46:25 We have to pay anything to be here. Nothing. You can't get mad when it's not time to go. It's free. What do you think about with death? Death is beautiful. You know, how could life be beautiful if death is not beautiful? Because there wouldn't be life if there wasn't death.
Starting point is 00:46:42 Wow. So death isn't something you're afraid of? At one stage in my life, you know. And then you reach 52, you say, well, I'm not going to get another 52. Wow. And then you know, wow, what happened to that time? My whole perspective on life is different. My whole perspective is what I needed, what I wanted.
Starting point is 00:47:02 That was all about what I needed, what I needed for someone else that I love. What am I leaving, when I'm gone. It's really bizarre, right? We have the actual confrontation and aspect of immortality no longer existing. Huh. What do you think is your biggest superpower right now? Like your biggest strength?
Starting point is 00:47:26 I think it's me who I am. My essence, my existence. When I'm no longer here, it doesn't no longer exist. How do you want to be remembered now? Just remember. It doesn't matter how. You know how many thousands of years are gonna go by once I die?
Starting point is 00:47:50 It's no longer gonna matter. No one's gonna remember then, yeah, a couple thousand years, yeah. So what is the biggest fear for you right now? You know how many big fears right now? Besides, eventually I worry about my kids getting sick. I want them to have a life like I had. And see the world like I see.
Starting point is 00:48:16 No, I'm prepared to be God, yeah. Wow. What was the biggest mentor you had when you were in jail? Was there any one in jail that taught you anything or no one? I was just, um, I was just radical in jail. My mentor, I need to run this all. Really? You were like, I'm gonna run this whole place?
Starting point is 00:48:42 I want to be in control. I want to do this. I want to have my food brought to this. It's just stupid. It's a mindset you get once you get put in that situation. I wanna make the mania of it. Wow. What was the biggest thing you learned about yourself during that time? I don't know. Back then I learned that I didn't want to be there.
Starting point is 00:49:10 I was afraid. To be there? No, I was afraid that I lost everything that I had at once. You lost a lot of your money at one point, right? Yeah, but no, not that time. That time I still had money. When I was in prison, I still had money. I wasn't in the bank or stuff, but I couldn't do nothing.
Starting point is 00:49:32 So I would call my account and send money to her. If somebody needs money, I would still take care of my friends and their bills and stuff. But, um... You were afraid you lost everything else? Yeah. Like the titles, like the respect, or... No, no, just, um...
Starting point is 00:49:51 Things you could've done if you didn't have the... And, um, what do you call it? Garbage bun, you know? What is garbage, yeah? You didn't have this garbage that you could've coughed off. It's a lot of things, a lot of people, you screwed it up. I said, oh, man.
Starting point is 00:50:10 What do you think you could have accomplished had you not gone to jail? Really good stuff, but I've accomplished it when I came out. And I still wasn't happy. It was just all in my mind. All the things I thought I could accomplish, only if I didn't win the jail, was just all hallucination in my mind.
Starting point is 00:50:32 I went to jail, I still accomplished everything. It's not more than I thought I would accomplish. Because you came out and you still won the title. Yeah, it was just... You made a bunch of money. It was just an illusion. You know, I was chasing an illusion. It was just... illusion. You know, I was chasing an illusion. It was just, it never existed, but it was in my head. You know, it was in my head.
Starting point is 00:50:49 I was getting revenge. Fuck, who? I'm no one, no one got you in jail with you. Who am I getting revenge on? It's in my head. It was, you know. What happened to your life when you started studying spirituality more?
Starting point is 00:51:02 I don't know. Spirituality is pretty tricky. It's pretty much just letting it wing. It's like, just imagine if it was like this. And then you realize, I can make it like this. Spirituality, I don't know. It wipes everything. This is what spirituality is.
Starting point is 00:51:23 It wipes everything that I ever believed. It makes it a lie. Hmm. You know? Hmm. What did you used to believe that makes it a lie now? I believed just what anybody else had underneath. Yeah. I believed everything I had. So I believed. You know?
Starting point is 00:51:42 I believed all that crap. Wow. And everything then, so that's the paradigm shift. When everything you've been taught your whole life, and then it comes the time you realize it was a lie. Now, how do we start from there? Well, we live in our lie. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:52:02 We have to make up our own lie and live in this lie. It's going to take a... Until you find if you checked and try to figure out until the day you die, you would never figure it out. It's based thousands and thousands and how many millions of lies and years of lies. And some people just dedicated their whole lives to try to figure out the lies and what this world about is.
Starting point is 00:52:25 They found out nothing. They have this big encyclopedia of mind about wonderful things and history of the world and stuff, but we don't have to answer still. It's just a beautiful ride. Just enjoy the ride. Yeah. Don't try to figure everything out. No way. It's a beautiful ride. We don't do that. That's what it means we don't do that. We. Just enjoy the ride. Yeah. Don't try to figure everything out. No way.
Starting point is 00:52:45 It's a beautiful ride. We don't do that. That's what it means we don't do that. We don't enjoy the ride. See? All right. Not right. We got to figure this out.
Starting point is 00:52:53 This is not right. This is not. That's how we are. Do you think if you had. We would've spoiled something. Yeah, I know. Do you think if you had more peace in your heart, more love in your heart in your 20s,
Starting point is 00:53:05 30s, do you think you would have enjoyed the ride more? And do you think you would have been able to be successful in the boxing world if you had peace and love in your heart? I didn't know. All my life I read about the Conker, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Charlamagne, all these crazy guys, Clovis, I read about these guys, you know what I mean? They had declared themselves gods. You know, depend on, if things are great prophecies,
Starting point is 00:53:34 think of Jesus, of Prophet Muhammad, Justin's partner was in the time of Alexander the Great, he would eliminate them. They wouldn't exist anymore. Everything is proper timing. You know, in certain worlds, in certain times, they would never have existed. Wow.
Starting point is 00:53:54 When do you think was the moment you started to feel more peace in your heart? Like, inner peace? I don't know. When I had the responsibility of just taking care of my family. That's when it shifted more? Yeah, after I tried to destroy it, it didn't work. And I said, well, I have to take care of this stuff.
Starting point is 00:54:12 I have to really confront what am I going to do here? You know, and then I said, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to dedicate my life. And that was a mess too. And then eventually we have 10 years. It worked out. We have a great deal of respect for one another. Where do you think it'd be if you had no kids right now?
Starting point is 00:54:32 I wouldn't exist. Really? No way. Where would you be? I don't know. Probably, I'd be dead with AIDS or something. Really? Yeah, I wouldn't exist.
Starting point is 00:54:43 Or maybe somebody would kill me for what their wife or girlfriend. Really? Yeah, it wouldn't exist. Or maybe somebody would kill me with their wife or girlfriend. You never know. Unless I be a junkie. Wow. With a kid, that's something that stable me. Wow. That's something that gave me any kind of meaning.
Starting point is 00:54:57 When I have kids, the world, I don't give a. Wow. Yeah, man, talk. Do you wish you would've had kids younger then, or? No, I wouldn't have accomplished my goals. Everything's proper timing. Proper timing, yeah. You think you're playing checkers, and you think you're navigating your life, but you're not.
Starting point is 00:55:20 You think you're, I know you say, why don't I just go ahead and do some joking, and just f*** my life up there, and Mike don't think I'm navigating my life. I'm just, you're just not, you're not programmed to do that. And if you were programmed to do that, you're programmed to come back and rebound. Your life is not meant to go there. It's just not meant to be. Wow.
Starting point is 00:55:37 What do you think is the lesson you still want to learn for yourself? Like the challenge you want to overcome still to make you a better person? I can't, I can't never find that. to challenge you when it overcomes still to make you a better person? I can't. I can't. I never find that. You know, because that lesson, that's the thing I want to realize is,
Starting point is 00:55:51 why me? Why is this happening? I'm never going to figure it out. What's the question you wish you could have answered? Why is this cool in mind? Why is my purpose here? You know, but I can make something. I can say my purpose is to be the best person I could possibly be before I die. Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? That could be my purpose in life.
Starting point is 00:56:12 See how far we can go in life before we die. Yeah. You know? But so, but suppose, um, people don't think in that perspective. That's what LL Cool J told me, because I'm talking some, I think I'm talking some glamorous, I'm talking some fly.
Starting point is 00:56:30 And he was telling me on mic, you know, there's some people that live in the outskirts of Ohio or somewhere, they just live simple lives and that's all they wanna do, Mike. Enjoy their life. You're talking about something, not Mike. They just ready to die, ready to meet God, taking care of the kids, the people they love,
Starting point is 00:56:47 or maybe going on vacation. Maybe never going on vacation. I'll leave the town, but this is just a simple life. This is what makes them happy. And I really can't, you know what I mean? I come to the place, if you're nothing, if you're something, you're nothing. You know, the internet's so, shower.
Starting point is 00:57:04 If you're not something, you're nothing. What-hmm. You know, this is not some shower. This is not something, you know, what's my definition of something? Mm-hmm. Somebody with a motherfucking water, money in their pocket. I have no concept of humanity is what life is. Does that mean I have a water? I should be able to violate that person that does it.
Starting point is 00:57:21 Wow. I don't know. Yeah. I'm lost again. Wow. I shouldn't know. Yeah. I'm lost again. Wow. I shouldn't have started to think. We have to go with the flow. How did you learn to finally start forgiving yourself? Oh, that happened.
Starting point is 00:57:31 Excuse my language. That must have happened yesterday or something. That stuff, you just don't do that stuff overnight. It doesn't work like that. At least for me, it doesn't work like that. It took a long time to forgive yourself? Yeah, so that took, because I was a little bit of a wimp. I was a little bit of a wimp.
Starting point is 00:57:39 I was a little bit of a wimp. I was a little bit of a wimp. I was a little bit of a wimp. I was a little bit of a wimp. I was a little bit of a wimp. I was a little bit of a wimp. I was a little bit of a wimp. I was a little bit of a wimp. I was a little bit of a wimp. I was a little bit of a wimp. And that stuff, you just don't do that stuff overnight. It doesn't work like that. At least for me, it doesn't work like that.
Starting point is 00:57:47 It took a long time to forgive yourself? Yeah, because I only, I know my demons, and I realize in life everybody's going to really find them out eventually. You think you're gonna hide that it doesn't work that way. So you just started to forgive yourself on things? Or is it happening every day? It comes around, yeah. Wow.
Starting point is 00:58:11 I'm not going to hate my... You know it's cool, man. God loves you. I don't function, I don't think that. God leaves you to figure it out. You're living on yourself. If it's cool, it's cool. If it's not, it's not. You figure it out. Yeah. And what are you most proud of in your life that you've done?
Starting point is 00:58:29 I'm proud that I'm existing. Yes. I love to be alive. I know this makes sense. I'm proud to be alive and existing. I hope you enjoyed today's episode and it inspired you on your journey towards greatness. Make sure to check out the show notes in the description for a full run down of today's episode with all the important links. And if you want weekly exclusive bonus episodes with me personally, as well as ad free listening, then make sure to subscribe to our greatness plus channel exclusively on Apple podcasts. Share this with a friend on social media and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts as well.
Starting point is 00:59:06 Let me know what you enjoyed about this episode in that review. I really love hearing feedback from you and it helps us figure out how we can support and serve you moving forward. And I want to remind you if no one has told you lately that you are loved, you are worthy and you matter. And now it's time to go out there and do something great.

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