Video summary
In this special episode of Impact Theory, legendary leadership expert Robin Sharma joins host Hal Elrod to discuss energy management and a specific morning routine designed for high achievers. Sharma argues that longevity among great figures like Picasso or Basquiat stems from superior energy management rather than time management alone. He introduces the "20/20/20" formula centered around rising at 5:00 AM, which consists of three distinct pockets: moving (sweaty exercise) to release neurotransmitters and reduce cortisol; reflecting through journaling or meditation to gain clarity on one's priorities; and growing by committing to daily learning. This routine allows individuals to handcraft their day before distractions arise, ensuring that consistent great days lead to a successful lifetime. The conversation then shifts to the role of values in defining identity and how to navigate personal setbacks. Sharma explains that humans are essentially an aggregation of what they choose to value; if one prioritizes money over family, those actions will define them. To change deeply ingrained values or behaviors, he suggests a visualization technique where individuals "try on" new values mentally before committing to them. This process involves asking oneself how life would look without current obsessions and visualizing the person they would become by adopting different priorities. By understanding that these values are choices rather than empirical truths handed down from childhood, people can consciously decide what matters most to their identity. Perspective is another critical theme explored through Sharma's concept of "arc detecting," a method used to prepare for any outcome before it happens. He advises visualizing the future goal in detail while simultaneously identifying every potential obstacle and scenario that could stop success or cause failure, thereby eliminating fear by preparing for all possibilities. This approach mirrors studying fight tapes in boxing; just as one analyzes opponents' punches from different angles, individuals must examine their own paths to ensure they are ready for any eventuality. Sharma emphasizes that thinking is a form of work that requires courage and preparation, noting that many people avoid the unknown simply because it feels uncomfortable rather than difficult. Finally, the discussion addresses overcoming deep-seated fears related to family expectations and mortality. Drawing from his experience with Tony Robbins' "Unleash The Power Within" (UPW) conference, Sharma reveals how he realized his drive for achievement was a mechanism to earn love that was conditional on performance in his childhood home. He learned to stop seeking external validation by filling himself with unconditional love first, making him immune to others' approval or disapproval. Regarding the fear of death and loss, particularly regarding his wife and children, Sharma shares how he made peace with inevitability by viewing birth and death as two sides of the same coin. While acknowledging that losing loved ones is painful, he uses affirmations not as lies but as tools to direct focus toward desired beliefs and behaviors, effectively programming himself to live in alignment with a vision of moving forward rather than away from fear.
Read the full video transcript
Welcome to Impact Theory. As you know,
Impact Theory has had an abundance of
amazing guests with advice on how to
bring yourself to the next level of
success. And on this special episode, we
have gathered together some of the best
tips and put them in one episode just
for you. And the best thing about these
pieces of advice is that they are things
anyone can do immediately. They're easy,
practical, obtainable, and when used
regularly can change your life. For
anyone who missed them the first time
round, here is a brief list of the
extraordinary people you'll hear from on
today's episode. Leadership expert Robin
Sharma, triple threat actress Meagan
Good, best-selling author Mark Manson,
media mogul Dame Dash, cultural
phenomenon Rachel Hollis, widely popular
keynote speaker Hal Elrod, personal
finance expert Ramit Sethi, and
world-renowned neuroscientist Sam
Harris. So, get ready for the secret
weapons of success to be unleashed with
our first guest, the one and only Robin
Sharma.
One thing that I want to talk about is
that level of energy and enthusiasm. And
you talk about that being something
that's common among high achievers. How
do we cultivate that?
Well, um first of all, congratulations
on all of your success with the show and
all the people that you're influencing.
[snorts]
So, one of the lines from right out of
The 5 AM Club is
one of the DNAs of legendary is
longevity. So, if you look at the
Picassos, the Jean-Michel Basquiats, you
look at the great sports champions, you
look at the great history makers.
They were much better at energy
management than time management.
And so, we're in a war against
distraction right now, and what we
really have to do is optimize our
energy. How do I do it? Well, I mean, I
get to the morning routine, which which
the whole book is based on. But, it's
really quite powerful because if you
start your day with sweaty exercise,
you're actually going to activate a
pharmacy of mastery that exists in every
human brain. I know you'll love the
neuro science. You're going to release
BDNF, which is brain-derived
neurotrophic factor. That's going to
actually accelerate your processing.
It's actually going to repair brain
cells that have been damaged by stress.
You're going to release the
neurotransmitter dopamine, which is the
the fire neurotransmitter, which we all
need as entrepreneurs and business
builders and and servants of humanity.
Um
cortisol, the fear hormone, is highest
in the morning. So, exercising first
thing in the morning is going to reduce
that. I'm getting into my 20/20/20
formula, but I mention it because it is
a way to maximize your energy.
So, talk to us about the 20/20/20. I
mean, you sort of um started it there
with the the sweaty exercise, but what's
the rest of that formula? Which is
pretty powerful.
Sure. So, the new book is all about
rising at 5:00 a.m., and that's because
if you look at the great creatives and
the great saints and the great
humanitarians and the great titans of
industry, many of them got up at 5:00
a.m. Even right now, you've got Tim Cook
and you've got Howard Schultz, and the
list goes on and on.
Before the sun rises is the time of
least distraction. Before the sun rises,
where you can build intimacy and fluency
with what you want to stand for in your
day. Before the sun rises, the luxury
and tranquility of the early morning
hours,
you can do that deep inner work that
will allow you to go out in the world
and and play at your best. So, what the
20/20/20 formula is is simply this.
There's
three pockets. The first pocket is move
5:00 to 5:20.
And you get into the sweaty exercise
because like I mentioned, releases
neurotransmitters,
it reduces the cortisol, increases your
metabolic rate, which gives you more
energy. So now and so it's serotonin as
well, which gives you joy.
So now it's 5:20. Fundamentally, you
feel different. You have energy. Your
state is strong. You've got a fire in
your belly and you've accelerated your
focus.
5:20 to 5:40 is the second pocket of the
20 20 20 formula, which is reflect. We
live in a world where a lot of people
are busy being busy, but what's the
point of being busy around climbing the
wrong Mount Everest? And so clarity is
one of the DNA's of mastery. You know
this. If you talk to the titans of
industry and you talk to the people who
are really getting traction around their
ambition.
These are people who have a monomaniacal
focus on the few things that matter.
They have an obsession bordering on a
possession around the few priorities
they want to build their life around.
And so 5:20 to to 5:40, the second
pocket, you're writing in a journal.
You meditate.
You visualize.
You do what I call in the book a
blueprint for a beautiful day.
Um or you just sit in solitude and you
think and you ponder and you reflect.
And then the final pocket is 5:40 to
6:00 and this is the victory hour. Um
the final pocket is grow. But if you
look at the greatest billionaires, I've
coached many billionaires over the past
20 years. If you look at the greatest
producers on the planet, these people
have one thing in common. They are
ridiculously curious.
And no matter how much money they make
and no matter how much impact they have,
they maintain a white belt mentality.
One of the keys to epic performance is a
relentless commitment to daily growth.
So, that's the 20 20 20 formula that the
5:00 a.m. method is built around. And
the premise is basically this. As you
begin your day, so you handcraft the
rest of your day.
And if you have consistently great days,
you're going to have consistently great
weeks, quarters, year, and a lifetime.
So, your days are your life in
miniature, and you got to get those
mornings calibrated if you really want
to win.
So, a door gets slammed in your face,
and
sometimes that's got to suck at a really
real level. How do you process through
that and get moving again?
[snorts]
For me in the beginning, it was like
very devastating and frustrating, and
then
I just fixed my mind to just say like
what's for me is for me. No one can take
it from me. And what's for someone else
is from someone else for someone else,
and I can't take it from them, and
that's how I taught myself very early to
not compete with other women, and just,
you know, I want to see them win. And
what belongs to them, I can't take it.
And vice versa. And so,
um in terms of the grief of
you know, the frustration of certain
things not working out or not being
fair, I just fixed my mind to say,
"Okay, so sometimes these things aren't
fair, and I have a choice. I can be mad,
I can be upset, I can be hurt. Um I
could be, you know, jilted and have a
chip on my shoulder, or I can choose to
say, 'Let me just do what I can do to
change things for the little girl behind
me. Let me continue to push forward and
be very thankful and happy for the
things that I do get a chance to do,
because I could be doing something else,
you know? I could be working somewhere
where I'm not happy and not doing the
things that are really in my heart and
not following my passions, but I get to
follow my passion every day.' So, to be
grateful and to be humble and to have my
perspective really be about, 'I am
thankful to do this.'
You know, this is exciting, and um
to not get upset. If it was mine, I
would have it, you know? And so I I've
just changed my mind about how I look at
it and how I think about it. And of
course there's those roles you're going
for and you're like, "Ah, I really
wanted that."
But I just choose to say, "You know
what? I'm going to get really excited
for who did get it." You know? And get
excited for the thing that's mine that's
coming.
So.
I love that you say that's a choice.
Yeah.
That you choose to be excited for the
other person. I think that's really
strong.
Yeah.
Your attitude and the way that you carry
yourself and all that make you a hero to
a lot of a lot of people, first of all,
and then a lot of young women,
especially. You've said that your mom is
your hero.
Oh, yeah.
Why?
Uh,
mommy.
She's amazing. Sorry. I'm going to cry.
Um,
she's just
you know, she's done so much.
You know, she
was married when she was 19 and my older
brother
um,
he stopped breathing when he was a baby
and he got brain damage.
And she raised him by herself.
And then she got
remarried to my sister and I's father
and they were together for 10 years and
then my dad was LAPD for 26 years. He
was, you know, constantly working. So
she raised me and La Myia by herself.
So it was me and La Myia, my older
brother Colbert and then
she adopted my younger sister.
And she raised all of us by herself. And
there were times where you know, we had
this three-bedroom house and we had one
extra room built on the back.
And I look up and 18 people were living
with us because my mother would
literally take in everybody and
literally care for everybody. And she
really gave me that heart.
Um, but she is just an incredible
person. She's a lover, she's a giver,
she's given
every last thing that she can to my
sister and I, to my sisters and I, my
brother.
And um,
she's
my hero. I just love her and appreciate
her and
know I wouldn't be here without her and
when I was a kid, I asked her
me and my sister asked her
do you think you could quit your job and
maybe manage us so we could do this
full-time?
And she did.
Wow.
The thing that I found most interesting
is [music] the talk about values and
like how much values begin to inform
your identity and basically your values
are essentially who you are.
Yes.
Take us into that.
What does it mean and then how much
malleability is there in values?
Sure.
So, my my focus in my work has always
been
value-focused. Um I feel like
in the self-help and self-development
world there's so much focus on success.
You know,
getting ahead in your career, starting a
business, making more money, having
better relationships, but nobody's
actually standing back and defining what
success is. Like is our definition of
success
valuable or not? Um and I think
especially in today's
you know, crazy internet world where
we're exposed to everything, um
deciding what we're choosing to define
as success is is a more important
question than ever before.
Um
so that's kind of what got me started on
the whole value question in general. And
then when I started investigating and
doing a lot of research and writing
about it, I started to discover that
like
basically, you know, if you think of
like how how you define a person in
general,
um
as humans we we tend to define people by
their choices, by their actions. Um but
then what motivates their actions? Well,
often it's how they feel. And then what
what motivates how they feel about
certain things and it's their perception
of what's valuable and what's not. And
so, that's kind of how I drilled down to
to this idea that essentially what we
are is just an aggregation of what we
choose to value in this world. If I
value money more than anything else,
that will come to define me through my
actions, my behaviors, what I invest my
time and attention into. If I value
family, um that will define who I am
because everything else will flow from
that.
Yeah, the thing that I find interesting
about values is people
often act as if they are empirical
truths, like money is valuable or family
is valuable, and they don't realize that
it was a choice often handed to them by
the way they grew up, their parents,
what their parents instilled in them.
And so, stepping back and recognizing
that all of this is a choice that you
can consciously decide what you're going
to value.
Yeah.
And I'd love to hear your thoughts on
how the process works of deciding to
value something. So, if somebody finds
themselves in a place where they feel
totally [ __ ] up, they don't like who
they are, and they buy into this notion
that, "Okay, a lot of this is being
driven by values." How do they actually
change that?
Yeah. It It's funny because I'm not a
huge fan of a lot of like kind of the
typical self-help tropes, but the answer
to this question I I think is kind of
classic visualization, but it's not the
visualization that we usually hear
about. So,
what I talk about in the book is that
you
Like let's say let's say I'm just really
superficial and I value money more than
anything Like I've got like a fleet of
yachts, and it's it's all I care about,
you know?
Um
And then something happens in my life,
and I realize that that's pretty
superficial. I should like grow up a bit
and you know, value something else. And
it's not as simple as just deciding.
Like we've all had that experience in
our lives where we wish we cared about
something that we don't, or vice versa,
we wish we didn't care about something
that we do. And you can't just stop. Um
And so, the the process that I describe
in the book is that essentially
before you can commit to a new value,
you kind of have to like try them on.
Like like it's like going to a store and
trying on a bunch of pairs of clothes.
Um
and the way you try on a new value is
you need to sit down and and visualize.
And you can even write it out if you
want. But it's like let's say all I care
about is my fleet of boats and
and I want to try on a new value
like charity or something.
I have to sit down and start asking
myself what would it mean for my life?
What would it mean for me as a person if
I didn't value those boats anymore? Um
and that's a very hard question. It it
really it messes us up cuz we realize
that a lot of our relationships would
probably fall apart, a lot of our
business commitments would probably fall
apart,
um
a lot of our understanding of ourselves
would be shaken up or or questioned. And
it's a very difficult thing to ask. Um
and so, you know, most of the times when
you see visualization taught in the
self-help industry, it's like they take
a guy who wants a fleet of boats and
they say visualize a fleet of boats. Now
go get it. And it's like no no no. What
you need to do is take a guy who wants a
fleet of boats and say visualize not
wanting a fleet of boats. What would
that say about you? Who would you be if
that thing you always desired was not
your desire anymore?
One of the things you talk about a lot
that I think is insanely powerful is
perspective.
And those to me go hand in hand. So,
talking about perspective, you've said
that I know every perspective from the
smart perspective to the dumb
perspective. One, why is that so
important? And two, how do you do that?
Okay, so what I'm able to do is if I
want something, I go into the future in
my brain which is powerful, and I
visualize exactly what I want.
So, I'm there. I'm in my future. And
then I think about every single thing I
need to do to make that happen
and every single thing that could stop
that from happening and what I need to
avoid. Then I go right back.
You understand what I'm saying? Like I
was just in the future thinking about
watching myself on my television
[snorts] network. So, because I do that,
that means I have to think
what would be the worst case scenario.
And then I have to think what would be
the best case scenario. And then I
eliminate every single thing that I
think could happen, which I call arc
detecting.
And then I put everything and every
single attitude and person around me in
my vision that's going to make me get to
what I want. And also, I try to get the
people around me to think about the same
exact vision. So, you wouldn't inspire
people and all that energy is focused on
one thing that they can visualize in
their head,
then it becomes a tangible reality. And
I know that to be a fact cuz it's
happened.
It's a fact for me. So, I continue to do
that. I know that anything I can imagine
I can make happen. So, I am really
careful about how small my thoughts are.
Cuz I don't feel like wasting time
in a 24-hour day making this much.
And I could spend the same amount of
time with the same amount of energy if I
arc detected right at this much. And
with this much, I can help so many more
people that I love.
You understand what I'm saying? So,
that's how I look at all perspectives.
It's the only way to prepare yourself.
It's like when you, you know, when you
box, you look at tapes. So, you see
where that person punches. That's one
perspective. You look at it from
another. You might want to fight from a
left, from right. You might want to
fight from southpaw. You know, it's just
studying. And the more you're prepared,
the easier your time is. What I tell my
staff and everyone that works with me is
the more you care, the more you prepare.
Period. And thinking is a part of that.
You'd be surprised how many people are
scared to think. Most of my arguments
don't come from me pushing somebody
physically. It's from me pushing them to
think. I'm like, "God damn, you don't
want to think?" Like that doesn't eat
Like it harder to run a [ __ ] mile
than to think. So, why is it less
scarier to work out than to just think?
And it doesn't take any physical effort.
It's about a perspective. Why are people
so scared of the unknown?
Just cuz you don't know an answer. Like,
Google was so far into me up to a couple
years ago, as surprising as that may
seem. But, Raquel, who's wifey for
lifey, remembers the moment that I was
like, "Holy [ __ ] I can find out
everything! All this time, you know, uh
all I would have had to do was look, and
I would have seen how easy it was. But,
because it was unknown in the moment, I
thought it was complicated. How many
times do you get a remote control? You
it does 3 million things, but just cuz
you don't know how, you can't figure it
out. You're like, "Fuck all those other
things." Even though if you look at it,
it will make life a bit easier.
So, how did you go from being paralyzed
by your mother-in-law's expectations or
what, you know, your eighth grade friend
was going to think of
to to really owning that?
Well, I think first of all, it was over
a you know, a decade. I I know everyone
sort of in nowadays, we see social
media, we're always kind of looking for
the magic bullet. And I if you want
business advice or life, I mean, I can
tell you what worked for me, but none of
it's fast. And I I don't think that the
things that are lasting are ever quickly
accomplished. So, for me, a couple of
things. I had really pivotal moment, and
like at some point, I'll stop quoting
him, but I'm a huge fan of Tony Robbins.
He Going to UPW changed my life. Um
that's not an ad, and I don't actually
know him. It just really was a huge deal
for me. Uh but, I was at that conference
years and years ago, and um he they do
this thing where it's a question he asks
everybody, like, "Oh, which parent uh
did you crave love from most?" And if
you've seen his documentary, he he does
the same thing in the documentary. Not,
"Who did you love most?" "Who did you
crave love from most?" And for me, it
was my dad. And he said, "Now, who did
you have to be for him in order to get
his love?" And for me, I I knew the
answer. This was nothing new. I'd done a
ton of therapy. So, I'm like, I So, I'm
an achiever. Like, I had to perform. In
my family, nobody paid attention to you
unless you were doing something good.
So, if you got an A on the test, if you
scored a goal in the soccer game, then
we all clap for you and we love you. And
the second that that achievement is
done, we're back over here doing our
thing. And what that teaches a child is
that in order to get love, you better
keep achieving. Now, I don't regret that
cuz gosh, it's manifested into something
really powerful as an adult. But, so we
ask that question, "Who do you have to
be?" And then he says, "And who else did
you have to be?" And I had never
consciously had this thought and it fell
out of my mouth. Small.
So, my dad was little girl. Little girl,
you don't know what you're talking
about. Little girl this. Little girl.
And he wanted you to be bigger than life
when other people were watching, but he
also believed that children should be
seen and not heard. You Little girl, you
better shut your mouth. So, how do you
carry that? How do you carry be as big
and achieving as you can possibly be and
then shut up because nobody wants to
hear what you have to say. And I found
myself as a grown woman sitting there
realizing that this had become my
career. So, I had in the dark, like
behind the scenes in a way that it
wouldn't bother anybody, I'm building
and dreaming and an entrepreneur and
super proud of what I'm doing. But, if
you had asked me, "What do you do?" I'd
be like, "Oh, I have this little blog."
And it was at the time I'm like by
myself, it's over six figures. I was
really proud of what I was But, I never
said that. Family parties, "Oh, oh,
Rachel, she's a little blogger. She's a
little DIY." But, I I wouldn't claim
what I was doing because I just thought,
"I've got to be big and I've also got to
be small." So, for me, it was A,
understanding why. That's why I think
therapy is so freaking powerful. It's
not that time that you sit in the chair
with someone and and cry about all the
things. It's that moment where you're
like, "Oh my gosh. That's why." If you
know why, you can learn how to navigate
around something, but I think if you
don't know the core of the problem, you
can't move past it. So, understanding
why I felt that way,
and also making the decision as a people
pleaser that I would no longer seek love
from others in negative ways.
And the only way I know how to do that
is I'm going to be so filled with love
myself. I'm going to be so filled with
love for my in-laws, for my parents, for
for everybody else that it doesn't
matter if you love me back. I'm going to
love you so hard it doesn't matter if
you love me back. Because if I've got
enough love for both of us, then I don't
need to try and shape myself into
someone new in order for you to approve
of me.
Talk to me about fear. Like it I I have
a
um from an emotional standpoint, I'm I
will put myself in the almost
emotionally invulnerable invincibility
at position. Like I I've spent an
inordinate amount of time on that.
Yeah.
But I would have to process through some
real fear. Even if it was just, okay,
now what happens to my wife? What
happens to my family? So, how did you
deal with that?
Um
here's an important piece of this is
when it comes to accepting all things
that you can't change, death is one of
those things.
So, I made peace with death a long time
ago. And and I think that death is a big
fear for all of us. And to me it I've
gotten to the point where I realized it
doesn't even make sense for it to be a
fear for for anything that's inevitable
or that you can't change. Right? That
there's no point in in in resisting it
and wishing it weren't going to happen.
And and the way that I look at death is
it's the other side of birth. And we
don't fear birth,
right? But birth and death are both just
as inevitable, and they're two sides of
the same coin that is life, right?
But I Oh man, I It's That's the one
thing I've heard you say where I was
like,
And and I'll say why. Birth gives, death
takes. Or such is my perception right
now, and maybe you're about to give me a
breakthrough, and I'm so [ __ ] open to
that you can't imagine.
Yeah.
But like
the the thing that that I really want to
understand, like how you've dealt with
it internally, is that that um what and
maybe I'm packaging it wrong when I say
it out loud, but that sense of I want
something so badly, and thusly I am
terrified to lose it.
And the the wanting is so powerful and
so important and so beautiful that I
know I don't want to give that up. But
yet it creates the fear. It It is the I
mean, like the old Buddhist notion of
life is suffering because you want
things. Because you want things, and you
may not get them. Because you want
things, and you may lose them. Like the
love for a child, I imagine, I'm not a
parent, I imagine is transformatively
profound.
But it [ __ ] sucks you in, dude, and
it gets you to the point where now, like
right now, I'm not afraid to die except
for my wife. Legitimately, for myself,
eh, whatever. Like I I won't say that
I'm not bothered, but it's like not a
grand fear of mine, even though I talk a
lot about living forever. That's me
moving towards something, not away from
I don't I'm not moving away from death.
I'm moving towards the things I would be
able to do if I could live forever.
But dude,
the thought of having kids or the
thought of leaving my wife behind, that
[ __ ] makes me emotional.
Yeah.
And so
I really want to know, like how did you
process through that? Because in there
somewhere
is is a breakthrough for me if nobody
else.
Yeah. So that was the hardest thing.
Like I said, because I've made peace
with death, I was imagining my wife and
my kids losing me. Um Um especially my
kids. Like the the most important thing
in my world, in my life, is that I can
influence my children in a positive way
to set them up for a great life, right?
Um and so that that I might not have
that opportunity was the the hardest
thing to deal with.
I think that part of it is
I didn't spend a lot of time on thinking
about that, right? So, that's the thing
is people that have a lot of fear,
you're thinking about the things that
you're afraid of, right? You don't have
the fear of And if you're not thinking
it, right? If you're not thinking about
the thing you're afraid of, but as soon
as you're thinking about it, you're the
fear comes up.
So, for me, um I use affirmations a lot,
too. That's one of the Miracle Morning
practices is affirmations. And
affirmations I think have a kind of a
bad rap, you know, like Stuart Smalley,
you know, I'm good enough, I'm smart
enough, and people like me, and then
they're taught by like a lot of
self-help pioneers is like lie to
yourself. You want to be a millionaire,
just say I am a millionaire over and
over and over until you believe it,
right? But
we're If we know the truth, you're like,
I am a millionaire, you know, your
brain's like, dude, no, you're not,
right? You're like, shut up, I'm doing
my affirmations, right? Like So,
[snorts] anyway, the point is
the way that I view affirmations is they
simply direct your focus on wherever you
want your focus directed. So, you can
literally, like a computer program, you
can go, okay, what are the beliefs that
I want to focus on so they expand inside
of me? Even the thoughts that I want to
focus on. What are my values? What are
the behaviors that I need to embody?
Right? So, so you read these
affirmations every day and you're
programming yourself to live in
alignment with that program that you've
designed.
So, let's talk about the job stuff
because I talk about jobs, it's a little
unusual. I think that it's become very
popular online to say like, screw jobs
and like be an entrepreneur. And I think
entrepreneurship is great, but I also
think most people have a job and you can
create amazing value by working with a
team and I have employees and they do an
incredible job. So and I've had jobs. So
um I think that uh when it comes to a
job, there is a totally counterintuitive
way to approach it.
Uh I I routinely show people how to
negotiate 10, 25,000 dollar raises all
the time.
And you're like, that's crazy, there's
no way, etc. etc. Excuse, excuse. Here's
the different approach. The first way
that most people think is like, if I'm
going to negotiate for a raise, which
like, oh, they might just like fire me.
That's problem number one. That's That's
the wrong way to look at it. If you go
in and ask for a raise, you're not
devaluing yourself, you're actually
increasing your value. Because what type
of person would go in and ask for a
raise? A top performer. So the second
thing is, they believe that they have to
kick down the door of their boss and say
like, give me money. Well, if you do
that, of course they're going to kick
you out. That's a very impolite way to
do it. A third way is much more
effective. So I'll just give you like
the quick lay of the land.
If you want to get a raise, for anybody
watching,
this is how you do it. You send an email
to your boss, you say, you know what? I
would love to meet with you and I would
love to discuss what it takes to be an
absolute top performer in this role, to
make your life easier.
Could we set up some time in the next
week or two? Of course, 100% of bosses
are going to say, yes, I'd love to see
you. So you go in there and you say, hey
boss, really appreciate you taking the
time. I've enjoyed my role. I just want
to tell you that I don't want to just do
a fine job, I want to be a top performer
here. And I would love to know exactly
what it takes for me to be a top
performer. Okay, so let me just pause
right here. If I'm the employee and
you're the boss, how do you feel right
now with me walking in and asking this?
So [ __ ] good. Like this is the
greatest advice of all time.
Okay, the because we're creating value,
right? And I'm not coming in saying
like, give me money. I'm like, please
advise me. You're the boss, I want to
learn from you. So the boss is going to
say, they're going to give you some
generic answer cuz they weren't prepared
for this. Oh, you need to show up and
blah blah blah blah blah, whatever. You
say, I really appreciate that. I'd love
to get really specific. In fact, I did a
little bit of research before I came in.
Here are three things I think would be
Look at that. Look at the face. Because
bosses don't hear this. Most of their
employees just show up, do what's
expected, and then they're like, how
come I'm not getting a $10,000 raise
like Ramit said? Cuz you don't deserve
$10,000 unless you go above and beyond.
So, you know, hey boss, uh I know that
I'm currently working on this sales
project and we're slated to have a 3%
improvement. I really think we can do
six. Would that be part of top
performing role here? Yes. What about
this? Da da da. So, you you have a
little discussion and you say, okay, am
I reading this right? These three things
would help me really outperform at this
role. Yes.
Okay, I'll tell you what. I'd like to
get to work on this. I'm going to commit
to sending you an update every week or
every 2 weeks. And at the end of 6
months, I'd like to come back and show
you what I accomplished. If I do it,
I'd like to discuss a salary adjustment
at that time. But let's not even worry
about that right now. Let's have me
focus on this. What do you say?
[ __ ] yeah.
[laughter]
One of the things I struggled with with
meditation was it felt decidedly
feminine,
um and in a way that as somebody who I
felt I felt that um certainly growing up
that I was far more on the feminine end
of being a guy than anything else. And
so, for me, my journey certainly to
being an entrepreneur was one of
toughening up. Um and so, anything that
that made me sort of feel that old
school sort of gentle way,
um
I would push back on. And it's why I
didn't meditate for a long time. Um but
I see you you doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,
you're somebody who obviously cares
about martial arts and being able to
fight and defend yourself. I've heard
you talk very eloquently about um
violence. And clearly in your
professional life you've just even just
what you've done in the writing let
alone the lecturing you've already
achieved such massive success refuse to
believe that there wasn't a just massive
amount of energy behind that.
So how do you think about meditation in
that context? Is this like going to war
with your mind and you're I'm going to
come out the other side having faced
demons
and having won some sort of victory that
allows me to perform at a higher level
or am I totally missing all of this and
it needs to be a letting go a more
peaceful relaxed sort of transient
experience?
Yeah well I mean first it's a very
common association
I totally understand it and it's
presented in many ways
where yeah you under that framing you
can just feel the testosterone leaving
your body you know.
So
yeah that's [clears throat] not my
orientation it is a lot like
Jiu-Jitsu for the mind and it's and it's
a lot like it
I mean what's so beautiful about
Jiu-Jitsu in particular is that
you can have this massive effect in the
domain of violence
while being relaxed. It is what Aikido
off you know advertises itself to be but
it's a much more you know at least in my
estimation a much more effective version
of that same
underlying ethic where you can like like
you can control someone
and
use as little violence as as necessary
and basically just use
a superior knowledge of physics and
leverage and position against them. So
it's it's a very it can be incredibly
relaxed and yet
um
given what what the circumstance is it
can be a
very high testosterone experience you
know it's not it's a kind of
quintessentially
um
a masculine thing to be doing
but
uh uh, you can internalize the same sort
of structure
and that's largely what meditation is
because I basically the the default
state is one of being attacked and
ambushed all the time by your thoughts
and by your reactivity and by uh,
you're being taken in
by assumptions and and illusions and not
know you just you just you you're in a
fog and not you personally but you know
one is and um,
you know, even when you learn to
meditate you're in this fog most of the
time. I mean and so you're
so the practice
is one of continually breaking the
spell.
Everybody, I hope you enjoyed that
episode as much as we enjoyed putting it
together. I think some of the advice
that was laid out is some of the most
extraordinary advice that you will hear
anywhere and I promise if you put it to
consistent use in your life it will
change you for the better forever. All
right, until next time my friends. Be
legendary. Take care.
called Hero of 1,000 Faces
[music]
and basically he described that, you
know, everybody crashes and then you're
faced with
[music]
that crash.
And you either have an epiphany or you
don't.
Now, you either