The Russell Brunson Show

Episode: Why You HAVE To Celebrate Others' Success

Host: Russell Brunson
Date: July 22, 2019

Episode Overview

In this episode, Russell Brunson dives into a key mindset shift that he believes separates successful people from those who stay stuck: the ability to genuinely celebrate other people's successes. Drawing on personal stories, psychological insights, and lessons from mentors like Tony Robbins, Russell explores how our reactions to the victories of others shape our own subconscious beliefs about success—and ultimately, our potential to achieve it. The episode is equal parts motivational pep talk and practical mindset advice, wrapped in Russell's enthusiastic, down-to-earth style.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Number One "Secret" to Success (01:45)

• Core premise: The biggest thing holding most people back in business isn’t tactics or strategies—it's their inability (or unwillingness) to celebrate when other people win.
• Russell’s summary:

  “If you want to be extremely successful in your life, you have to celebrate the successes of the people around you. That’s it. That’s the big aha.” (02:28)

How Your Mind Shapes Your Success (03:10)

• When you celebrate others’ achievements, your subconscious gets excited and starts finding paths for your own success.
• If you respond with jealousy or negativity, your brain associates success with negative traits (“Oh, I’m stuck up,” “I’m rich, I’m selfish,” etc.), making you subconsciously avoid it.
• Insight:

  “Whatever it is you’re inserting into somebody else’s story is what your brain will insert as the natural side effect of success.” (04:18)

• Even if you don’t like the person or think they deserve it, celebrating their win is about protecting your own mindset.

The Tony Robbins “Movie” Lesson (06:10)

• Russell recounts a formative Tony Robbins seminar moment where audience members groaned about a movie, and Tony urged them to appreciate the effort and risk behind creative work—even if the end result wasn’t perfect.
• Tony’s perspective (as paraphrased by Russell):

  “Literally, people spent hundreds of millions of dollars to entertain you, and it costs you 10 bucks. And you’re complaining about… the fact that you thought the movie sucked.” (07:10)

• The lesson: Stop minimizing or being negative about what others put into the world. Instead, celebrate the risk and effort.

How You Respond to Others is How You’ll Be Treated (09:30)

• Your attitude toward others’ creation—art, courses, products—sets an expectation, both in your own mind and in what comes back to you.
• If you’re harsh and critical to others, you’ll often get the same energy back.
• Russell’s personal commitment:

  “Ever since then, I try to celebrate movies… I’m always, like, freaking out, excited.” (08:30)

• Key takeaway:

  “How you react to other people's success or other people's art or other people's creation is how people will probably respond back to yours.” (09:31)

What Happens If You Don’t Celebrate Others (10:00)

• The consequence is not just negative feelings—it’s that your subconscious starts linking accomplishment to negative emotions, which can block or sabotage your own progress.
• Russell’s advice:

  “If you’re not positive in all these other things, your subconscious mind is going to start associating them with negative feelings, and it’s going to be harder and more difficult for you to go do it.” (10:14)

Russell's Challenge To Listeners (11:00)

• Direct challenge:

  “When people around you have successes, I highly encourage you guys to celebrate them—even if you don’t feel like they deserve them, even if you are annoyed by it, even if you don’t like the person… If you want to be more successful, you’ve got to celebrate their successes.” (11:44)

• The idea is to practice celebration as a habit, not waiting for people you love or admire, but extending it to everyone.

Personal Note: The Challenge of Summer and Staying Productive (12:07)

• Russell reflects on the difficulty of maintaining work-life balance during the summer when his kids are out of school.
• He humorously details his packed daily schedule (“from 1 to 1:05 you hang out with your wife!”) and how summer makes it harder to keep that rhythm.
• Relatable quote:

  “I’ll tell you what, we're one month down with summer, and I cannot wait for the next two months to be done so we can get back to normal!” (14:09)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On subconscious self-sabotage:

  “You're not celebrating someone else’s success, your brain instantly starts thinking… I don’t want to be successful because then I am stuck up…” (04:12)

• On gratitude for creative effort:

  “People risked hundreds of millions of dollars to make this movie for you with no guarantee of any success… and you come out like, oh, that movie sucked.” (07:08)

• On creative empathy:

  “If people are creating this stuff and I’m poo-pooing it… when I create stuff and put my heart and my soul and all my energy into it… I don’t know, it rubs off on you negatively.” (08:10)

Timestamps for Segments

• [01:45] – Introduction to the real secret of success: celebrating others
• [03:10] – How your mind and subconscious process your reactions
• [06:10] – Russell’s Tony Robbins story about movies and creative risk
• [09:30] – Why your reaction towards others’ creations determines what comes back to you
• [11:00] – The challenge: Celebrate even those you dislike
• [12:07] – Russell’s personal summer struggles and daily routine breakdown

Conclusion

Russell's message is straightforward but powerful: The fastest way to unlock your potential is to train your mind to celebrate other people's breakthroughs. This isn’t just about “being nice;” it’s about rewiring your subconscious to associate success with joy, possibility, and excitement—not resentment or fear. If you make this a regular practice, Russell argues, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your own progress accelerates.

“If you want to be more successful, you’ve got to celebrate their successes.” (11:44)

Perfect for: Entrepreneurs, creators, and anyone feeling stuck or frustrated by the success of others. If you struggle with jealousy, comparison, or negative self-talk, this episode gives you a practical—and mindset-shifting—way out.