Video summary
The video centers on the urgent message that most individuals pass away before ever pursuing their dreams, urging viewers not to become part of that statistic. The speaker, Louis House, shares his personal journey from a young man paralyzed by fear to a successful entrepreneur and author, illustrating how early risks and failures were essential to his growth. He highlights that while technology like AI presents new challenges today, the core obstacle for many entrepreneurs remains the same as it was in 2008: the fear of the unknown and the uncertainty of starting something new. This psychological barrier often prevents people from taking action, causing them to feel left behind or inadequate when they do not immediately understand complex tools.
A significant portion of the discussion addresses the deep-seated human fear of judgment and the desire for external validation. The speaker explains that many people hesitate to pursue their passions because they are terrified of being disliked, criticized, or valued less by others. This need for permission from society creates a cycle of regret, which he connects to the famous "five regrets of the dying," where individuals wish they had been more authentic and less concerned with what others thought. He recounts a personal anecdote about dancing salsa at age twenty-two, where his ego prevented him from joining the dance floor despite his heart's desire, until a stranger encouraged him to realize no one was actually watching him. This moment taught him that overcoming the fear of embarrassment is often just about taking one small step into the unknown.
The speaker emphasizes that waiting for permission or perfect conditions is a trap that leads to a life lived in regret. He challenges the audience to recognize that they have been living by stories that require external approval, and it is time to rewrite those narratives by giving themselves the necessary permission to act. By standing up in front of an audience to acknowledge those who have dreamed for years without acting, he illustrates how crippling fear can be and encourages everyone to start their projects immediately, even if they are scared or unsure of the outcome. The core argument is that failure is preferable to never trying at all, as taking action allows individuals to look back on their lives with pride, knowing they played in the arena rather than sitting in the bleachers watching others succeed.
Ultimately, the video serves as a call to action for entrepreneurs and dreamers to embrace vulnerability and authenticity as pathways to success. The speaker argues that true growth comes from mastering inner fears rather than just acquiring new tools or knowledge. He shares his experiences traveling and connecting with communities, noting that serving others and sharing stories can inspire those around them to take their own leaps of faith. The conclusion reinforces the idea that this is a unique moment for each person to step up, take a chance, and go all out in pursuing their goals. Whether it involves writing a book, launching a business, or simply trying something new, the message is clear: do not wait for tomorrow, but start tonight by looking in the mirror and deciding to act despite the fear.
Read the full video transcript
Raise your hand if for the last year
you've had an idea for a project.
Whether it be I want to write a book, I
want to launch a podcast, I want to
launch this business, I want to do this
thing. It looks like 70 80% of the room
right now. Watch this. It's going to get
interesting. [music]
We just finished a week in Mexico for
the ambul tournament, but we've got to
go catch bus to get to the airport, then
go back to Los Angeles, get in around
midnight or 1:00 a.m., change, shower,
pack, head to the airport again
tomorrow. Go to Australia. I don't know
how long that flight is. 13 to 15 hours.
[music]
I got asked to speak in Sydney, [music]
Brisbane, and Melbourne
and it is the greatness in business
series to talk to entrepreneurs to help
them really unlock the different
challenges that are holding them back
from truly stepping into their greatest
potential in their business. I think
it's been 16 or 17 years since I've been
back here. This is my first speaking
tour, greatness in business tour.
excited to really see what the biggest
challenges and problems that
entrepreneurs in Australia are facing
right now. I think it might be similar
but probably some differences to what's
happening in USA. Obviously AI is the
big thing right now for a lot of people.
Probably 99% of people don't understand
it and they're not sure how to use it
because it's constantly evolving and
changing. So they feel so left behind.
And I remember the time that I got
started in business [music] was around
2008 and I had a big fear of the unknown
of just getting into business. I didn't
know how to start a business, what the
process was. I just got out of college.
So, it was the fear of the unknown, the
uncertainty. [music] And at that time,
social media was kind of the new
frontier. That was like AI back in the
day. And all these business owners and
entrepreneurs were afraid of it. They
didn't know how to use it. They thought
I'd be a fad. There have been so many
times along my journey where I just took
massive big [music] chances. And had I
not taken those risks, I would not be
where I am at today.
>> This is Louis House. And in this video,
I want to share with you how to
>> There are a number of different ways to
grow your business.
>> How's it going everyone? Louis house.
>> And luckily, that's kind of where I sunk
my teeth in early on. And that helped
launch my career. And at the time, I
didn't have any money. I really didn't
have anything to lose. So, I could put
myself out there and fail over and over
again until something stuck. And I think
a lot of times when people are already
accomplishing something, they already
have a set routine or set pattern,
they're afraid to try something new or
go into the unknown. And I think there's
a dance and a balance between how to
effectively build your personal brand
and promote yourself without having to
have a big ego or something. And so my
intention and my vision while being here
in Australia and serving entrepreneurs
is finding out where their biggest fears
and uncertainties are and not
necessarily teaching them the tools of
AI, but teaching them how to master the
inner fear inside of them that's holding
them back from taking the actions to use
AI and other tools to make a bigger
difference in their communities. I think
early on in my career, I thought I had
to project something in order to be
perceived a certain way. And quickly, I
just realized that's not me. And the
more authentic [music] that I can be,
the more real, the more vulnerable, the
more open, the more honest, once I
started to do that, everything started
to take off.
[screaming]
>> That's right. Le New York Time
bestselling author. He went from
sleeping on his sister's couch after a
career ending career to a multi-million
dollar business enterprise. He's the
host.
>> And it is risky because you don't have
the answers. People are going to make
fun of you. They're going to criticize
you. And one of the biggest fears that
we have as human beings psychologically,
emotionally, spiritually is we are not
going to be loved, [music] liked, or
valued. And we all want to be liked by
other people. It's part of survival. We
think we have to portray something in
order to be liked by someone else. But
usually that all comes crumbling down.
[music] And it's one of the biggest
reasons why people don't take a chance.
They don't take a risk on their dreams
because they're so afraid of what people
are going to say or think about them.
One of the common themes that I've heard
throughout is people living in regret
and not wanting to live on regret. And
one of the five regrets of the dying is
I wish I would have been able to be more
authentically myself and not worry about
what other people think about me or
living a life trying to appease other
people.
The one, the only, the man himself,
Mr.
[music]
>> [music]
>> I think most people have been living by
a certain [music] type of story their
entire lives where they've needed
permission for everything.
>> Most people never actually go for the
thing they want because they don't give
themselves the word that he said over
and over again, permission.
So this event series was really about
reminding people and being an
interruption for people that you [music]
must act now otherwise you will
constantly let yourself down. And this
is not about anyone else giving you
permission. It's about you remembering
how powerful you are as a human being.
[cheering]
Every person that shows up in this room
today has walked their own path. They've
been on their own journey. They've had
their own experiences. And they've shown
up today for a reason. And it's my whole
goal and intention to bring my
experience, to bring my stories, to
bring my lessons to hopefully inspiring
[music] those attending to take action
on their own goals and dreams as well.
Whatever the thing that is exciting
inside of your heart that kind of scares
you a little bit, that's the thing you
got to go for. whatever [music] it is.
When I was 22 years old, I was living in
a tiny little apartment and it was above
a jazz club. Every week they would have
a live salsa band. It was something
about the music that was just like it
woke my soul up. I would sit in the
corner and I was so terrified to like
get close to the dance floor cuz I
didn't know how to dance. I didn't speak
the language. I didn't look Latino. So,
I was terrified of feeling out of place.
My fear crippled me from taking action
on something that my heart desired.
[music]
Three months in, this one woman finally
just takes my arm and like yanks me onto
the dance floor. I'm literally trying to
pull myself back. My heart wants to go
and try it, but my ego is so afraid of
what people are going to think about me.
Kind of this whole stage right here is
probably the size of the dance floor
packed. And then a live band right in
front just like drumming and singing.
I'm in the middle sweating out of my
pits like so terrified. I'm looking down
at this woman's feet. She's trying to
lead me out of dance. I'm stepping on
her feet constantly. I have no clue what
I'm doing. I feel like the biggest loser
in the world. She grabs my chin. She
like lifts me up and she says, "Louis,
look around.
No one is looking at you."
>> Or you can do the salsa, which both look
dead. And then this left foot starts.
>> And it was that moment when I realized,
oh, all I needed to do is take one step
on the dance floor.
>> You just got to move the hips.
>> You got it.
>> That's it.
>> Yeah. You got it. Yeah. allow myself to
feel the extreme embarrassment and
humiliation that I'm feeling and allow
all the fear to just rush from my head
all through my body and experience it.
And now it's over.
Australia has been [music] a great
experience. We got to go to a zoo. We
got to pet a koala, hang out [music]
with some kangaroos. We took a boat ride
under the bridge in Sydney.
Today we got another event here in
Sydney. Excited to be up early, see a
little bit of the city. Now we're headed
to the Sydney Opera House. The sun is
starting to peek out, so we'll catch the
sunrise. And one of my [music] favorite
parts about traveling is collecting
memories and experiences that I'll
remember long after the trip is over.
And Australia has been full of so many
of those moments already.
It's also really cool to know that while
I'm out here exploring, someone can be
making memories [music] in my space back
home since I list on Airbnb.
And I love being able to play a small
part [music] in someone else's trip
while I'm out enjoying my own today.
Hopefully, I'll be able to show up of
service again and [music] read the room
and experience what this community here
in Sydney is looking for in their
entrepreneurial journeys.
There was a real appreciation uh of the
crowd in Australia. I just felt like the
entire audience the whole time was
[music] so present with me, so
connected.
[cheering]
>> Most of the time when I coach or mentor
someone or I'm speaking at a conference,
I like to ask them a question about
their entrepreneurial goals and dreams.
>> I flunked out of English class. I was in
the bottom of my my school all through
high school. I could barely read and
write and I was one of the first people
in my my high school to ever write a
book and it became a New York Time
bestseller. There's this one exercise
that I love doing at events like this
that makes people confront their own
truth and feel the pressure to take the
leap and finally start.
>> Raise your hand if you've had an idea
for a year that you've wanted to do
something like that. Maybe it's
something else. It looks like 70 80% of
the room right now. Watch this.
It's going to get interesting.
Whatever that project is, that same
thing, whether it's the book, I want to
write a book, I want to do a podcast, I
want to do this thing, whatever it is,
raise your hand if you've been thinking
about it for 5 years. How many of you
have been thinking about that same idea,
that dream for 5 years? It's probably
about 25% of the room. I hate to do
this, but if you have thought about
doing that book or project or dream for
10 plus years and you haven't done it
yet, raise your hand. Raise your hand.
And and now I actually wanted to have
you stand up real quick if you've been
thinking about it for 10 years. This is
the uncomfortable. No one wants to stand
up. Stand up. Stand up. So this is maybe
8% of the room. I don't know. And so
stay standing up. And I want to
acknowledge each one of you for standing
up. It is so crippling to do something
that you're afraid of. It's scary. Or
you make excuses or you find all the
restrictions that you can of why you
shouldn't be doing it. It's for
everyone. I think 80% of the room raised
your hand when I said, "Do you have a
dream that you've been thinking about
for a year that you haven't done yet?"
I'm telling you, whatever that is, start
it tonight. Don't even wait for
tomorrow.
But at the end of the day, [music] you
have to be the one to take action. You
have to be the one to look yourself in
the mirror in the eyes and [music] say,
"I'm going to take action even though
I'm scared. Even though I doubt myself,
even though I'm not sure of the outcome,
even if people laugh at [music] me and
make fun of me, even if it doesn't work
out, you will still be proud of the fact
that you acted on it. you will be able
to look back on your life and say, you
know what, I went for it and I failed,
but at least I played in the arena. And
most people only sit in [music] the
bleachers and watch other people play.
And at the end of the day, I want to
remind you that this is your moment.
This is your moment to step up. This is
your moment to take a chance. This is
your moment to go all out and play big.
[music]