Summary3 min read

Podcast Summary: The Russell Brunson Show – "DON'T Become A Person Of Success..."

Host: Russell Brunson
Original Air Date: August 25, 2017
Guest Speaker (Clip): John Lee Dumas (JLD) of EO on Fire
Episode Theme: Rethinking Success – Why You Should Pursue Value, Not Just Success

Episode Overview

In this thought-provoking episode, Russell Brunson challenges traditional notions of success, urging listeners to shift their focus from the pursuit of personal success to becoming a person of value. Drawing inspiration from a powerful Albert Einstein quote shared by fellow entrepreneur John Lee Dumas, Brunson explores how true, lasting achievement comes from delivering value to others—whether in business, relationships, or life. The episode combines practical insights with personal stories and actionable advice on building a meaningful path to success.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Success vs. Value: The Core Mindset Shift

Russell opens with a lesson from a recent affiliate mastermind event, relaying JLD’s transformative perspective on success.
He emphasizes that many entrepreneurs, including himself, chase success directly—acquiring jobs, studying hard, putting in the hours—but often feel unfulfilled.
The episode’s central message hinges on Albert Einstein's quote:

“Try not to become a person of success, but rather a person of value.”
(John Lee Dumas quoting Einstein, 01:22)

2. John Lee Dumas’ Story: The Turning Point (01:18 – 02:18)

JLD reflects on his early career and how striving for conventional markers of success didn’t bring satisfaction.
The realization hit at age 32 upon discovering Einstein’s quote, catalyzing a search for ways to add value instead.
JLD noticed podcasters added free value to his life, inspiring him to start his own podcast, built on three principles:
- Free
- Valuable
- Consistent Content
Notable quote:

“...That's my three special ingredients for success. Because I deliver free, valuable and consistent content, I was able to grow an audience.”
(John Lee Dumas, 02:12)

3. Russell’s Personal Anecdote: The “Long Route” to Connection (02:18 – 05:08)

Russell tells a story about his efforts to succeed in business, motivated by a desire to create more love and connection at home.
He admits that his hard work and travel, though well-intentioned, only left his wife missing him; the direct path—just being present—would have fulfilled the same need.
Key insight: People often take indirect, convoluted paths to their desires (success, love, fulfillment), missing simpler, more effective approaches.
Memorable reflection:

“...Sometimes as humans we go on this route. I think that this is one of the things I really got out of the [affiliate] Mastermind was just like, if you want to be a person of success, like, don't pursue success. Pursue being a person of value. And the person who provides the most value to the audience are the people who become successful. When you understand that, the game changes.”
(Russell Brunson, 04:22)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Albert Einstein via JLD (01:22):
"Try not to become a person of success, but rather a person of value."
JLD on what drove his podcast’s growth (02:12):
"I deliver free, valuable and consistent content....I was able to grow an audience."
Russell’s advice on value vs. success (04:22):
"If you want to be a person of success, like, don't pursue success. Pursue being a person of value. And the person who provides the most value to the audience are the people who become successful. When you understand that, the game changes."

Important Segment Timestamps

00:00 – 01:18 – Russell sets up the episode and introduces JLD’s story about striving for success.
01:18 – 02:18 – JLD shares the Einstein quote and his value-focused transformation.
02:18 – 05:08 – Russell shares a personal story about indirect paths and reiterates the core message on providing value.

Episode Takeaways

Pursuing value creation—not merely personal success—leads to deeper fulfillment and genuine achievement.
Providing value, especially through consistent and meaningful contributions, naturally attracts an audience and opportunities.
Self-reflection is vital: Are the actions you take about creating real value, or just chasing arbitrary standards of “success”?

Recommended for: Entrepreneurs, creators, and anyone seeking purpose-driven success.

Russell’s final call to action:
If you found value in this episode, share it or comment—your insights are appreciated!

Note: All timestamps refer to the original podcast audio content, excluding advertisements and promotional segments.

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Transcript3 lines

[00:00]
A
What's up, everybody? This is Russell Brunson and the Marketing Secrets podcast. I've got another really cool thing to share from you from our recent affiliate Mastermind. So the big question is, how are entrepreneurs like us, who didn't cheat and take on venture capital, who are spending money from our own pockets? How do we market in a way that lets us get our products and our services and the things that we believe in out to the world and yet still remain profitable? That is the question, and this podcast will give you the answer. My name is Russell Brunson and welcome to Marketing Secrets. Alright, everybody. So this is one that I thought was really powerful. This was also a really cool strategy shared by jld John Lee Dumas from EO on Fire. And he talked about how when he was growing up, he wanted to be successful. So he was doing things, making him successful. He's going to school, he was getting jobs, he was like, trying to become successful. And somewhere in this journey he said that he heard a quote from Albert Einstein. And the quote, and I'm probably going to mess this up. Actually, let's do this. I'm going to cut to the clip so you can hear him actually say it and tell the story, because he'll say it more articulate than I can. So let's listen to that clip right now and then we'll come right back.
[01:19]
B
And so at 32 years old, I kind of had this realization when I read this quote by Albert Einstein, which was, try not to become a person of success, but rather a person of value. And I was like, ooh, I've been trying to become a person of success my whole life and it hasn't really worked. So what is this value thing? So I started kind of really doing some research on what it meant to be a person of value. And that's when I started looking around my world and saying, what are people or what people are adding value into my life? And those people really in 2012, were podcasters. And I was like, man, these people are adding free value to my life and they're amazing. Maybe this is something I can kind of look at. And so that's kind of what led me down the path of launching my own podcast so that I could then create free, valuable and consistent content. Like, that's my three special ingredients for success. Because I deliver free, valuable and consistent content, I was able to grow an audience.
[02:18]
A
So I thought that was such a key because I know that for most of us, like, like, for me, I want to be successful. And it's like, if we're running towards success, a lot of times we don't realize that that's not what makes you successful. It's figuring out how to provide value, how to be a person of value. Like, that is the key. And when you do that, then you'll get the success that you want. There's so many things in life that we have that problem where it's like, there's a direct path to success, but instead of just going and getting it, we go and we do things on these huge loops to try to get the success we want. You know, one of the funny ones, when I first started working with Tony Robbins, started learning all his six human needs and things like that. It was interesting because prior to that, my wife and I had a conversation and I remember I was out there, you know, trying to build this business, trying to, like, do all these cool things and try and impress her so that we would have more love and connection between me and her. And I was going on this huge route, trying to get more love and connection. I remember one day I came home and I was like all excited about stuff. And my wife, you tell that she missed me and she was like, I just wish you'd come home. And I was like, what? I was like, but I'm doing all these things, you know, for us, as sometimes we say. And as I thought more about it, I was like, I'm doing these things for myself. I'm trying to feel more significant, more all these kind of things so that I can impress her, so that we can have love and connections. I'm going this huge route, take a love and connection where I could have just came home and could have gotten the same level of connection. And it's just interesting how sometimes as humans we go on this route. I think that this is one of the things I really got out of the fleet. Mastermind was just like, if you want to be a person of success, like, don't pursue success. Pursue being a person of value. And the person who provides the most value to the audience are the people who become successful. When you understand that, the game changes. So hope it helps. Hope you guys enjoyed this podcast. Thanks again for listening to Marketing Secrets. Please, if you like this episode or any of the episodes, share it, comment it, love to hear it. I appreciate you guys listening and we'll see you guys on the next episode. Bye. Want more Marketing Secrets? If so, then go get your copies of my two best selling books. Book number one is called Expert Secrets and you can get a free copy@expertssecrets.com and book number two is called Dotcom Secrets and you can get your free copy@dotcomsecrets.com Inside these two books you'll find my top 35 secrets that we've used to become the fastest growing non VC backed SaaS startup company in the world.