Q&A on Modern Mythology and Holding Yourself to Results (Replay)

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Impact Theory Q&A – Modern Mythology and Holding Yourself to Results

Host: Tom Bilyeu
Date: April 15, 2024
Episode: Q&A on Modern Mythology and Holding Yourself to Results (Replay)

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Overview

In this vibrant Q&A session, Tom Bilyeu dives deep into the power of modern mythology, the impact of ritual, the mindset for transformation, and navigating real-world challenges in work and life. Emphasizing the need to see and shape the world clearly, Tom explores themes ranging from personal development and company culture to love, leadership, and adapting ancient narrative frameworks to the digital age. Listeners get actionable advice on how to become “so good they can’t ignore you,” build vibrant teams, overcome personal setbacks, and leverage both myth and logic to thrive in today’s disruptive world.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Myth and Ritual in Modern Life

Timestamps: [03:35] – [07:43]

• Tom attributes much of Impact Theory’s philosophy to Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth, which he calls “the foundation to impact theory.”
• Laments the lack of meaningful rituals and mythologies in modern society, suggesting this absence hampers personal transformation.
• Shares a personal story: Inspired by myth and ritual, Tom got a tattoo before marriage, despite needle phobia:

  “I loved the notion of a ritualistic scarification and so wanted to do that, but wanted to also face one of my biggest fears in the name of my love for my wife. And that was needles. … The idea of being scarred by a needle permanently was just—it was, you know, the early days of my belief: move towards what scares you.” ([06:32])

2. Building Community and Culture in Companies

Timestamps: [08:09] – [15:43]

• Discusses the challenge of inspiring millennials and building company culture, referencing Simon Sinek’s work.
• Stresses that myth can evolve too slowly to keep up with society, but that organizations must mindfully craft their own modern mythology and rituals.
• Key for creating culture: embrace open dialogue, avoid secrecy, define and reinforce clear core values, lead by example, and create visible career paths for growth.

  “You do it by leading by example. You do it by acknowledging the truth of the human condition, that people need to be able to talk about problems. They don't punish people for speaking up. ... Let them know what the code of ethics is. Let them know. ... Be hyper clear.” ([12:22])

• Tom’s three employee expectations: work hard, work smart, work long hours—with leadership modeling the way.

3. Holding Yourself Accountable to Results

Timestamps: [09:45] – [11:43]

• Tom gives a raw self-callout for tolerating ongoing technical issues, illustrating his practice of radical self-accountability:

  “Dear self, you continue to not make this a priority. … This is so fucking stupid. … And it just hasn’t been painful enough until right at this moment now, where I’m truly embarrassed because I’ve let this drag on for so long. So it will be addressed.” ([10:20])

4. Standing Up For Yourself and Defining Life Philosophy

Timestamps: [15:43] – [20:26]

• Advice for “peacemakers” who get walked over: create a personal “life philosophy” with bright lines for what you will and won’t accept.
• Tom shares his own journey from unease with conflict to setting and defending clear boundaries.
• Story of martial artist Faras Sahabi, who trained to become passive “by choice,” not weakness.
• Tom’s Churchill-inspired maxim:

  “Never, ever, ever, ever back down to something other than, you know, common sense and honor…” ([20:26])

5. Switching Careers and the “So Good They Can’t Ignore You” Mindset

Timestamps: [21:43] – [24:08]

• For those pivoting careers, Tom’s advice is to obsessively build skill until “so good they can’t ignore you”—regardless of background.

  “Dive in, get in way over your head. Say yes to everything and figure it out later. ... The courage to be naive.” ([22:20], [24:05])

• Encourages constant learning, relentless work, humility, and boldness in the unknown.

6. Impact Theory’s Role: Making Mythology for Modern Times

Timestamps: [26:14] – [28:54]

• Tom clarifies: they aim to create and adapt narratives but are constantly updating their approach based on what gets real, practical results.

  “Every story that we’re going to tell is going to be, you know, just the hero with a thousand faces. ... It’s the same story over and over from a thousand different angles, but it’s all about that moment of awakening, realizing that you control your own life and your destiny…” ([27:26])

7. Lessons from Family & Finding a Life Partner

Timestamps: [29:10] – [34:05]

• Best advice from his father:

  “‘Find something you would die for and live for it.’ That was powerful, man.” ([29:19])

• On finding a life partner: “Be aggressively yourself” while also being courteous and open.

  “You throw your freak flag up and see who responds.” ([30:30])

• Beauty of love: knowing you’ll get hurt and doing it anyway.

8. Emotional Intelligence & Self-Mastery

Timestamps: [34:18] – [36:07]

• Awareness of neurochemistry behind emotions has helped Tom transform his own reactions, including a humorous story of “storming out” and getting trapped by a locked door.

  “As soon as I was laughing, I wasn’t mad anymore. ... This is controllable.” ([35:17])

9. Are You a Scientist of the Mind?

Timestamps: [36:07] – [38:02]

• Tom doesn’t claim to be a scientist proper, but borrows scientific rigor as far as it’s practical for business and personal growth:

  “I’ve adopted some of the mindset of a scientist ... but that rigor is way too slow, and I want to move really, really fast.” ([36:36])

10. Adapting Modern Mythology Fast Enough

Timestamps: [38:02] – [41:50]

• Unsure exactly how mythology can keep up with societal change, but is committed to testing models and monetizing positive culture change in business (including wearable symbols, clothing, content).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ritual & Transformation:
  “It is the foundation to impact theory. … It really changed me, it made me take different actions.” ([06:04])

• On Accountability:
  “You’ve got to hold yourself to results.” ([10:08])

• On Leadership:
  “You have to create the culture. You have to lead by example from a work ethic perspective.” ([58:23])

• On Being Yourself in Relationships:
  “The best way to be interesting is to be interested in the other person and be open, man. … On the other side of whatever weird thing you’re trying to use as a shield … may lie the most incredible person of all time.” ([30:00]–[34:05])

• On Overcoming Setbacks:
  “What I have trained myself to do: there’s a moment of either anxiety, frustration, anger, whatever—when you have that moment, let that be the trigger…any obstacle can be overcome… And then that puts me back into my prefrontal cortex, and I start trying to problem solve.” ([49:27])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• The Power of Myth & Ritual – [03:35]–[07:43]
• Company Culture & Millennials – [08:09]–[15:43]
• Radical Personal Accountability – [09:45]–[11:43]
• Standing Up For Yourself – [15:43]–[20:26]
• Switching Careers & Results Mindset – [21:43]–[24:08]
• Modern Mythology & Practical Impact – [26:14]–[28:54]
• Best Life Lesson & Finding Love – [29:10]–[34:05]
• Emotional Mastery & Humor – [34:18]–[36:07]
• Scientist vs. Practicioner Approach – [36:07]–[38:02]
• Mythology for the Modern World – [38:02]–[41:50]

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Additional Insights

• Tom’s favorite fiction books include Stephen King’s Dark Tower series and Ready Player One, with Insomnia and Shoe Dog both making him cry.
• He’s committed to the “rep what you believe” philosophy—externalizing internal beliefs through tangible symbols (like clothing and jewelry).
• On time: John Silva’s quote, “the day is escaping me,” resonates deeply for Tom, inspiring urgency to “wring the potential out of every moment.” ([54:34])

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Closing Thoughts

Tom Bilyeu’s Q&A is packed with actionable wisdom, raw honesty, and deep dives into how to live consciously in a world of endless disruption. By blending ancient mythological wisdom with modern entrepreneurship, Tom gives listeners a playbook for resilience, growth, and leadership. Whether you’re facing a career pivot, building a company, or seeking more meaning, this episode offers anchoring principles and fresh inspiration.

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“Open yourself to being changed. … Everything is in your control.” — Tom Bilyeu ([07:41], [27:26])

Transcript

[A]

If you work in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need, all in one place, from H VAC and plumbing supplies to lighting and more. And all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock, so your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRAINGER visit grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. If you work in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need, all in one place, from H VAC and plumbing supplies to lighting and more. And all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock, so your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRAINGER visit grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. All right. Hey, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Impact Theory. Q and A. I am here flying a little bit solo. I think Cindy's going to be joining me in a minute, but right now I'm flying solo. I welcome you guys. Our beloved Agent Smith, I'm afraid, is stuck in traffic. He. He was desperately trying to get microphones for you guys so that it would be really easy for you to hear. We will continue our habit of speaking loudly. So thank you guys for joining us. I had an incredible, incredible meeting this morning which I haven't even told the team about. Oh, God, I can't wait to tell you guys. It was fucking awesome. It is going to be a game changer potentially. How about this? A door has opened and I'm a huge believer. In fact, what do I always say to you guys about opportunity around here? What do I need you to do for me?

[B]

Believe in you.

[A]

No, I never asked you in the room. There it is.

[B]

There it is.

[A]

Get me in the room. That's all I need. If you get me in the room, I'll do the rest. And today we took a huge step forward to getting in the room with something that is very, very important to this team. So, yes, I can't wait to tell you guys about it. I feel like the. Am I a little too hot on the mic? Something sounds. Maybe it's just turned up too much in my head.

[B]

It's literally my first time ever using this.

[A]

Oh, well. Welcome, Cindy. Welcome. Hello. There we go. That's where the crunchiness is. Hello, hello, hello. Much better. Hey. There we go. There it is. All right. Now we're good. Okay, so why don't we dive into some questions.

[B]

All right, cool. So we're actually going to kick it off for a Facebook giveaway, having everybody share and then comment below that you've shared to be entered to win another copy of Tools of Titans.

[A]

Nice. Tools of Titans by a one Tim Ferriss. It's a great book. I think you guys will love it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So get that share on.

[B]

Share, share, share it. Okay. And then so our first question.

[A]

Yo.

[B]

Is actually from John Smith last week. Wow. He's a big fan. First episode he watched was Jason Silva. Totally blew his mind. And thank you for giving us the tools of success. So I'm just finishing up the book Originals by Adam Grant. What's another book you would recommend just in general or. Yeah, like a follow up to that book. Like if you're interested in that.

[A]

Specifically to Adam Grant. So I have my entire book list and I highly, highly, highly recommend everybody to read every book on that list. I really put a lot of thought into it. It's 25 book. They're in order the way that I think that they should be read that I think that they'll be most impactful. There's many books though that aren't on the list, man, and that is the Joy of Discovery. And I'm actually rereading a book right now. I rarely, rarely reread books. But before I get into what I'm rereading, let me officially answer the question along the lines of originals. I don't know that there are a lot of books that I've read that explore that topic in particular. So I'll always point people back to mindset. If you haven't read mindset, you just absolutely have to read it so good they can't ignore you. Is is a little bit like originals in that it's going to help you discover that thing that's going to make you you all the weird idiosyncrasies and all that stuff. Agent Smith has joined us. Agent Smith in the building, everybody. So yeah, I would, I would throw it to that one. And man, another thing I would love if people in the comments, if there's something that you guys are reading that's really got you on fire, that would be awesome. I'm always looking for new books and the book that I'm rereading right now is the Power of Myth. Dude, this book, I am remembering how much it changed my life. Like I forget how much big book for you. Yes. I forget how much. Yeah, it, it is the foundation to impact theory. It. It really is. And when I think about something that I don't talk enough about was the tattoo that I got, which for me, I'm not a believer in tattoos. Personally. I never wanted to get a tattoo. I was super scared of needles. Like, really, really, like, phobic as a kid of needles. And. And I'm reading this book about to get married, and he starts talking about how part of what he thinks is really deeply problematic about modern society is the lack of rituals. And the lack of rituals comes from not having any relevant mythology. And that. That's, you know, a cause of a lot of problems. And one of them, he was saying, is, you know, divorce. That there's no really powerful ritual that tells you you're a different human being the day before you get married and the day after. And I really thought about that, and I really want marry once and marry for life. And, you know, that was going to be it. And. But really, really understanding that it's not a flaw of character to not stay married, that it's. It's really a flaw of strategy. And that may have just been a poor choice going in. You didn't marry somebody that fits you well, that you didn't grow together over time, which is a highly coordinated effort. That, to me, is like orchestrating the most complicated trick play in the NFL. I mean, it takes such a high degree of orchestration, communication, practice, rehearsal over and over and over to really get to that. And. Or it could be, you know, not understanding the mythology and ritual and all of that, that. That goes into changing who you are as a human being from one day to the next. So I asked, you know, I loved the notion of a ritualistic scarification and so wanted to do that, but wanted to also face one of my biggest fears in the name of my love for my wife. And that was needles. And I know maybe that's stupid, but that was the thing that, like, really straight freaked me out. And so the idea of being scarred by a needle permanently was just. It was, you know, the early days of my belief move towards what scares you. And because a tattoo scared me so much, that just felt like the perfect thing. And rereading the book, the Power of Myth just reminded me, like I'm. I'm re going through that psychological transformation and remembering, like, how much of that was born of that book, which I'm just so, so grateful for. And it really is one of those things that gave me that notion of open yourself to being changed. Like, that book really changed Me, it made me take different actions. And it is a big part of what I credit marriage to my wife is so stressed out right now. Every time I like, I'm so full of this love for her and I look over and she is like freaking the fuck out, like trying to figure something technical out right now. So it's a pretty funny juxtaposition.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, Agent Smith, I got love for you. Welcome to the table.

[B]

Welcome, welcome. All right, let's see. Next question comes from Chris. Wait. Jonathan Verder Rama. Sorry if I said that wrong. How do you create community in a corporation and inspire millennials to work hard?

[A]

So obviously Simon Sinek touched so powerfully on the millennial question as it pertains to work environment that is unique to them. And while I'm on this ritual kick, mythology kick, I'll, I'll bring the two together. And I think that there is no ex childhood to adulthood anymore. And that's a big thing that I think we have all struggled with and certainly millennials. And I do want to just tip my hat for a second that every generation complains about the generation following them. I'm very, very aware of that. And I don't think that millennials are any exception to that. And I think millennials are a beautiful, powerful, amazing generation, just like every generation before them. But they do struggle, as we all did, with some identifiable problems that are unique to that generation. And I think talking about those things that are unique to millennials is pre fascinating. And one of the things in the power myth that he notes is society is moving and evolving too fast for mythology to keep up because mythology requires a certain amount of mystery to, to be ritualized. And I think that, that, that's a really powerful insight and it makes me ask the question, since I believe that Impact Theory's job is to be a modern day myth maker and to tell people how to interpret that, that mythology. And we have to do it through the lens of knowing that it's fake. Right? We have to do it through the lens of knowing Star wars is not real, that it's just a space opera. You know, that superheroes are real, but they tell these parables and tales that should be instructions for us how to live. So when I was thinking about culture creation in a corporation, I'm thinking of all those things. I'm thinking of that people are coming to this company, that I want them to be there for selfish reasons. It's just I know that about human nature is, you know, you can count on everybody to be selfish and that it's a really, really awesome feeling when you know that you're working for yourself and you're pushing really hard. You may be a part of a bigger ecosystem, you may be getting paid by somebody else, but you're driving towards you want in your own life. And so I wanted to create a structure where that was talked about and that was open. And I actually believe that the biggest traumas in our life, whether you were sexually abused or, you know, whatever the case may be, it's not being able to talk about it. That's. That's one of the most difficult things. And it's forcing that struggle. Oh, the. Okay, can we show that to camera? This is the. This. This is that thing that I fear that keeps me awake at night, that we have not figured out this problem. This. Doesn't it make you want to punch yourself in the mouth? Yeah, it makes me want to punch myself in the face. So here's the thing. You got to hold yourself to results. And so I'll speak only to myself. The following diatribe is about myself. Then we're going to come back to building a culture and a corporation. Dear self, you continue to not make this a priority. You continue to let this be a problem, and then you have the audacity and the laziness to be bitch about it when it bites you in the ass during a live feed. Stop doing it. This problem is very predictable. So at the end of this, dear self, you're going to actually take the time to prioritize this, deal with it, solve the problem and move on. It's going to be the last time I talk about it. I cannot believe I've tolerated this in myself. And this is me. Like, this is actually how I talk to myself. I'm just externalizing it right now. So if anybody wants to know how I deal with letting myself down, this is it. This is so fucking stupid. And I have no one to blame but myself. And it just hasn't been painful enough until right at this moment now, where I'm truly embarrassed because I've let this drag on for so long. So it will be addressed. So going back to building a corporation culture, so wanting to recognize that people are being selfish, wanting to create this beautiful environment where we could talk about it so that, you know, if somebody was unhappy that they didn't have the extra burden of and I can't say anything, or a culture of secrecy, which I really hate. And by the way, I don't think that I've been entirely successful with that. I Think we're small again here at Impact Theory. So it's a lot, lot easier. But it's something that I really struggled with and thought, you know, this is. I know what needs to be done, but actually building it into a culture as the company gets big is really, really difficult. So I think a key part of it is, and this is learning from nice 15 shares. Thank you guys. And maybe I'll tell more about the meeting story so you understand why this community is so important and the shares help us build that community. So learning from failure. One thing that I saw was when it was small, it was really easy because people could see my work ethic and because I make three demands. I need people that work hard, I need people that work smart, and I need people that work long hours to accomplish what we wanted to accomplish at Quest, certainly what we want to accomplish here. Those three things are just, that's how you win, that's how you get in pole position. There's. There just isn't another way. Because if, you know, everybody is working hard and smart, then the only thing left is long hours. And long hours is where everybody pushes back. And you know, that's where I say, hey, you should only be here for selfish reasons. And that was easy. When people could see how hard I was working, that I was the first one there, that I was the last one to leave, that I would ask, actually ask them to vote. What's the worst job on the line? This is when we were actually making the bars or when I was making the bars every day and you know, we just identified it and then that would be the one that I would do. And so then people knew that, like, okay, he's not playing around, he's not asking us to do anything that we wouldn't. That he's not asking us to do something he wouldn't do for himself. And we seem to do it every day. And on top of that, I didn't show up with a piss poor attitude, right? So I was leading by example, by being upbeat, by being energetic, by being excited, by being excitable, by thanking people, like. And it was really easy when we were small. And so I had ride or die when we were small, like for real. And I so am sad that I don't know how to. Like, I'm so proud of how I was then that I want to talk about it and I want people to see it. And I'm very sad that that's one moment in my life that will never be captured. And I was so different and so had to step outside of my comfort zone to be a leader of, you know, people that grew up hard and they were tough and, you know, fucking gang members and tattoos on their neck and teardrops painted or tattooed under their eye and, you know, to be able to thrive in that environment and give those people hope and get them excited and believe it, and some of them are, are still there and to see how beautifully it's impacted their life. That's how you build a culture, right? You do it by leading by example. You do it by acknowledging the truth of the human condition, that people need to be able to talk about problems. They don't punish people for speaking up. Don't punish people for a dissenting opinion and let them know, like, what the code of ethics is. Let them know. That's why we did the 25 bullet points. Let people know, like, what's acceptable here, what's not, what are the expectations? Be hyper clear. One thing that I was really bad at, but I think is also critical as you scale is giving people career paths. Progress is maybe the most fundamental building block to human happiness. And if people don't have a sense of progress in gaining mastery, they're going to get very, very frustrated. I could literally teach a master's class on this. I'll stop now. Not because I'm done, because we should move on to something else. But what an awesome question. I'm super excited that you're thinking about that. If you're in a leadership position, even just asking the question is going to go a long way. Look at camera when you can. That's very good tip. I actually feel weird about that. It's not just designed to be like this, so thank you and I will try to do that more. She basically said, stop looking at Cindy.

[B]

So this one comes from Facebook, from Ethan Smalley. I struggle with having others walk all over me. I'm a peacemaker and really don't like offending others. So I let people walk all over me. How can I keep that from happening? How can I stand up for myself?

[A]

Yeah. So Pete Carroll, the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, has really put into modern terms what I think mythology was always meant to give us. And what I think is really part of the duty of impact theory, and that is to. You have to have a life philosophy. So you have to know what you will put up with and what you won't put up with. And I am the same. I very much get massive anxiety when it really has to be like die hard conflict. And I think that's why I was so proud of myself during the era when I was on the line and working with guys that were so aggressive and so jockeying for alpha status. And so I really had to be on a much more visceral, like sort of base human level of having to assert myself and play a, you know, a dominant role, even from just a physicality perspective, of holding myself differently, of, of taking up more space, of letting people know that I won't back down, or more importantly, be back down. But at the same time, you know, having the deafness of a leader and being able to listen and knowing when somebody needs to be heard and never fighting to be right, even when you have to let people know that you're strong and that you're going to be there. So here's the thing. You have to have a life philosophy. That life philosophy needs to include that you don't let people back you down. And if you know that you're prone to that, then you may have to force yourself to err on the other side, that you may be, you know, a little too quick to stand your ground until you can find balance. And the balance is key and you're going to hurt yourself in the opposite direction. But what it' prove to you is that you're willing to stand up for yourself. And, and I think that a lot of times the, you know, you have two types of aggressive people, those who are just aggressive and those who are nervous aggressive. And, and if you're having to employ aggression out of nervousness, which I actually think is better than just receding into yourself. So while it's not a good strategy, it's a way better strategy than being a doormat. But if, you know, like, I'm just being nervous aggressive, you need to be working your ass off to find that balance. Now one thing that you can do, and I know this is super weird, but the interview with Faras Sahabi, he talked that he got into martial arts because he so felt that he, in a moment of passivity, he wanted to know that he was being passive at a choice. He wanted to know that at any moment that he could choose to fight if that's where it needed to go. And that gave him such confidence and stability in himself that he was never nervous aggressive. And I love that. And you see that a lot in guys that are really well trained fighters. They have so much confidence that if something were to escalate, that they only escalate like if something's really at risk because there is no nervous aggression. So I wish there were better, a better answer than that. The path that I chose was not as much physicality. The lifting and getting strong really, really helped me because I knew that I'd be able to hold my own more. But for me, it was having a life philosophy, knowing what I was willing to put up with, what I wasn't, and that I would never allow myself to be a sub version of myself. So I just have a line where I won't be pushed around, I won't be bullied. And, you know, I've had people, very, very powerful people try to bully me, and I just click into, you know, I'm not going to fucking let that happen. And once you like, I have such. I've allocated so much mental real estate to never being bullied that that's like the worst thing you could do with me. Like, if in a negotiation or something, you try to bully me, like, I'll fucking flip. And that get like. And I don't lash out. I'm not going to raise my voice, but I will become so aggressive. Like, in a business context aggressive. Not like physically crawling across the table, but just like, okay, well, now what you're trying to do is bully me. So now I'm not going after what's reasonable anymore. I'm going to try to dominate you. And I'm not even saying that's a great strategy. I'm just saying that that's the reaction that I have to bullying because I've had to carve out so much mental space to not let that happen. So that's another strategy. But it all comes down to life, philosophy, bright lines. I won't be bullied, I won't be pushed around. And, you know, I'm like, you won't hear me say, I won't embarrass myself. I'll embarrass myself. I just won't be bullied, right? So you just have to decide what's critical to you and never, ever, ever. And this is my favorite quote from Winston Churchill, I got it in the

[B]

end, there it is.

[A]

Is never, ever, ever, ever back down to something other than, you know, common sense and honor, whatever the exact quote. But that idea of never giving in, never, never, never. And I have that right.

[B]

And don't forget, you can start small. Like, saying no to things is totally your right. Like even to, like a candy bar or whatever. And then keep pushing yourself to, to achieve and get to that bright line, right Word.

[A]

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[B]

All right, so our next question comes from Palka on Facebook. Any tips for those of us who want to start a career in a different field? I was working in E commerce, but I want to pursue my career in team project management.

[A]

I love this question and I know I need to speak louder so I'll self censor. Yes, I have all kinds of advice and it goes exactly like this. The only thing that matters is getting so good they can't ignore you. That's it. I don't care if you went to school for it. I don't care if you spent 20 years in another field. You can do a 180 at any time in your life. And all you have to do is get better than everyone else. And all that is, is about practice, learning, growing, acquiring new skills. Get relentless about that shit. Dive in, get your in. Way over your head. Say yes to everything and figure it out later. I, I literally, as I'm. I was in this meeting this morning and the guy's like, what? Would you ever consider this? And I was like, yes. And I'm literally inside, I'm like, this is so funny. I actually, everything I tell people to do, everything is exactly what I've trained myself to do. Like, this shit is real. The words you hear coming out of my mouth are because, because it is like my what I have so trained myself to do and saying yes all the time and just believing in yourself that you will figure this shit out. Like, that's everything. So in the meeting I was like, 10 years ago, I would have panicked right now because I know I have to say yes, right? To get where I'm trying to go. I have to say yes to this. But I have absolutely no idea how to cross the chasm. But I so trust myself to do the research, to figure it out, to do the deep work, to put on headphones, to wake up, up eight hours before anybody else, literally eight hours before anybody else. And just think about this. Like, look at historical examples, Read on it, interview people, ask, like, be humble. Accept that. I don't know, like drilling into that world and, and knowing that on a long enough timeline, I'm going To win. Because other people, first of all, if they are already good at it, then I know that they've already succumbed to dogma. So now all the world that was open to them when they were a novice has now solidified into, like, 10 things, and they think that's it. And blow past that. Because I'm always going to have the courage to be naive, which is a quote from somebody who I'm forgetting right now. But don't think that's mine. I don't want to steal that because it's so good. But have the courage to be naive. And then.

[B]

A.J.

[A]

hawk. No, no, it's somebody like a longtime thinker. What? Yes, because I sent it to you yesterday. My man. My man. Agent Smith, pulling it out of the Matrix. Buckminster Fuller question from ig.

[B]

Awesome.

[A]

Tom. Are you a cleaner? If so, when your career did you transition from Clover to cleaner? So if you. If you watch that episode with Tim Grover, he says there's something beyond a cleaner. I think when I asked him if he was a cleaner, he said, no, I'm, you know, whatever's beyond the cleaner. So I like to think I'm beyond the cleaner. But of the three, yeah, I'd. I'd say I'm a cleaner. When did I transition? Nothing's binary. It's never one minute, yes, the next minute, no. And it was so funny. I was. Recently we published a photo of me. I've got my head down. It's like this really cool. In fact, we're gonna repost it right where it's more raw and they can see the environment.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I had my head down at that moment because I was being asked something in an interview, and I knew what they wanted. They wanted me to, like, give some, like, highly mythologized answer that was, like, true, ish, but was so packaged in a story that it would be, like, emotionally reson it. And my head is down because I'm like, how do I give them what they want and not lie? Because I'm not willing to lie. And then I picked my head back up and gave them an answer that was total. And I bet they never use it. Not that one, though. And I just thought I would rather give them a answer now that's real. And that the one person who's really listening to what I'm saying, while it might not be that jazzy, emotional answer, it's actually true. And if you implement it in your life, then you know it'll work.

[B]

Work.

[A]

So the truth is, there was no binary moment. It was me relentlessly acquiring skills and getting better and better and better every day. So, yeah, it's no binary moment and you're not a cleaner until you can say you're a cleaner. And so there's the sort of final test of being a cleaner is can you own it? Can you say, I'm a fucking cleaner? And I'm going to show up and I'm going to be in the gym at, in my case, 3am and rock it out, rock it out, rock it out every day. Put in the work grind, grind, grind mind, you know, that's it. There's no magic.

[B]

Cool. Any more IG questions? All right, so this one comes from Ian Pet. Itsounds.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

While creating new mythology, will impact theory take a critical position against the larger cultural narratives which feed the epidemic of the mind?

[A]

Unintentionally. So that feels a little bit like a political question. And I'm not a political guy. So the way that I think about it is this. There are things that work and there are things that don't work, work, and I'll get behind anything that works. I judge myself on results. So all I know right now is I have a theory and that theory almost certainly will not be true as I see it now, and that I'll adapt that theory as we go. Which, by the way, is why it's called Impact Theory. I've talked about this before and part of my life philosophy is you have to repeat things a lot. And we were going to call it Impact Machine. And the truth of the matter was that that made it sound like we believed that we knew the answer to have impact. And the truth is we have a theory theory, and we're going to rock that theory until we have reason to believe that it isn't true. And then we will switch it up immediately and begin rocking our next theory until we believe that one's no longer true. Switch it up, keep rocking it, and, and that'll be the, the deal. That'll be how we, we pull this off. So, yeah, all the mythology that we're going to create, all the stories that we want to tell, all the companies that we want to help bring into the world are all going to be things that work, that are real. And, and you know, we're looking at a couple companies right now. One of them is a medical device. I think I talked about this before. They could be very interesting, but only if it's real. And if it's real, we'll get behind it. And what it does is stimulates the vestibular nerve to have impact on weight loss. And there's a really strong physiological reason why it might be working. And it has FDA approval, which is fascinating. But I used it, so I don't know. I can't tell you that it's real yet, but I'm super intrigued by what they're doing. It, you know, was introduced me. Introduced to me by VS Ramachandran, who is one of the absolute brightest minds ever, in my opinion, in neurology. So the fact that it's, you know, even sort of distantly associated with him means a lot. But if it's not real, we won't do it. And if it's real, we will. And then on the mythology side, yeah, I mean, we'll be. I'm trying to pull people out of the Matrix and every story that we're going to tell is going to be, you know, just the hero with a thousand faces. So it's the same story over and over from a thousand different angles, but it's all about that moment of awakening, realizing that you control your own life and your destiny, that everything is in your control. Every bad thing that's happened to you is your fault in a great way. Just meaning that you're in control. And we're going to tell that narrative over and over and over from a thousand different angles and try to give people what they need to actually implement it in their own life. So if it's real, we'll do it.

[B]

Cool. All right, quick giveaway pause. So this is for Facebook and Instagram. Repost your favorite Tom quote and tag tomb Bill you to be entered to win another copy of Tools of Titans.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

All right, and this question comes from Jimmy. Tom, what was the best lesson you learned from your father?

[A]

Wow. The best lesson I learned from my father goes like this. He bought me a plaque one time, and it said, find something that you would live for. Sorry. Find something you would die for and live for it. And that was powerful, man. Man, like, that was one of those that hit me right away. Some have to take time to sink in. But that one, that one, really, that was worth its weight in gold. So mad respect to Pops on that one. It certainly wasn't about cars. I didn't learn any lessons about cars. No. He tried and tried to teach me.

[B]

Oh, it's okay. I don't know anything about cars either. So this one comes from Francisco. How would you go about finding your life partner if you didn't already have a one?

[A]

The Internet, man. There's no two ways about it. Like the Internet, like it is. It's a numbers game, first of all. So you just have to see a just unbelievable number of people. But, okay, so that's useless. So now let me give, I think where could really be useful to you. What you have to do is be aggressively yourself. You really have to be aggressively yourself. And that doesn't mean that you buck social norms. It doesn't mean that you don't show kindness and open doors and do things to get people's attention. Like, don't be a dumbass. Do what works. So of course you're going to put your best foot forward. Of course you're going to adhere to social norms. But when Lisa and I first began dating, I was so myself. I was so myself. Like, you wouldn't believe how myself I was, which is a tale for another day, but I was aggressively myself. And because of that, I had just gotten out of a relationship, by the way, where I just felt like the person had been a little nutty. And I was at that moment convinced I was never going to get married. So imagine that. Meet my wife, convinced I will never get married. And so I felt like I had nothing to lose. She was leaving the country. She was legally obligated to leave the country. And it just seemed perfect. So I thought, well, I'm trying a new strategy. I'm so in the mode of I don't give a shit. I'm going to see if it works for myself. So, I mean, she was a beautiful woman and a human being and deserve the utmost respect. So I. I want to make sure people understand. Like, I was opening doors for her. I was showing her the, you know, some chivalry and real kindness. But at the same time, I'm not going to you. So I think that's. That's such a powerful strategy because it will. It's. I believe in life, a big thing that you're doing is throwing a bat symbol up into the sky. Not to attract everyone, everyone. To attract fucking Batman. Like, you throw the symbol up into the sky to attract something specific, right? So you throw your fleet freak flag up and you see who responds, like, who's into it? But yeah, just never. And my wife raised her hand. She definitely responded, but at the same time, like, don't be a dumbass. And I needed to find that to make that useful. Be courteous, be respectful, be interested, right? Like, the best way to be interesting is to be interested in the other person and be open, man. Be open. Like, that person may not be what you think, but on the other side of whatever weird thing you're trying to use as a shield to protect yourself from being rejected may lie like the most incredible person of all time. But you won't know if you don't go into it defenseless. And here, you ready for my diatribe on love?

[B]

Ready.

[A]

And I wish that I could give it super quiet, intimate to the microphone because this, this is the. The business, the beauty of love, the thing that makes it so special is knowing you're gonna get hurt and doing it anyway. It's knowing that some percentage of the people that you put yourself out there, you fly your freak flag, it really is you. You're totally yourself. They're gonna kick the shit out of you and it's gonna suck and it's gonna hurt and it's going to run the risk of making you want to clam up. And when you don't, when you take the shot to the teeth. Teeth and go back for more, that's the beauty, that moment right there. Your very willingness to get back in and open yourself up again is what makes it amazing. That, like, that's what you should pride yourself on, that's what you should be impressed with, is that you don't let that scar tissue build up. And that's where people have trouble. They get later in their life, they've had a couple failed relationships, they feel really vulnerable, raw. They start building armor around that, that scar tissue, right? To hide their heart from anything. You gotta break that down, man. Like, that is what makes it impressive when you know that part of the rule of the game is that it's gonna hurt, that you're going to get yourself into a situation that will suck and still being able to go back in with arms wide and loving your heart.

[B]

Awesome. Okay.

[A]

Mike Burkhart, winning People posted what they've learned from impact theory so far. Mike Berkley asked, what did he learn?

[B]

Congratulations.

[A]

I want to hear this. Impact theory taught me to pay more attention to what is actually happening in my brain in different scenarios. It really helps to look at the neurochemistry behind emotions. Nice.

[B]

I like it.

[A]

Nice. That's good. That's good. And if you. If that didn't come in loud and clear, he's learned to pay attention what's happening in his own mind and that, you know, really understanding the neurochemistry helps. And it changed my life for sure. I have so many clear memories of my wife, you know, being my partner. As I went through all this and really learning about myself and because I used to Be pretty hot headed. And I had a long fuse. But once I got angry, then I would just stay angry for like a long time. And you know, little moments like in England. This is so embarrassing. In England they have two doors. This is back when we were just dating. And I'm not used to that because in America there's just one door. Like you open a door and you go outside there, you open a door and you go into like a little mudroom and then there's another door to get out of the house.

[B]

House.

[A]

And I didn't know this, but you actually need a key even on the inside to open the last door. So you can open the first door without a key, but the second door you can't. But when you pull the first door closed behind you, it locks. And now you need a key to get back in. So I literally trapped myself in the mud room. So we'd gotten in this huge fight and I stormed out. I was going to storm out of the house and I stormed my way right into the mudroom and I couldn't go anywhere. And it was so stupid that I started laughing and I was like, oh, this is so embarrassing. But how can you not laugh at that point? So I had to knock and she had to come let me in. And we both burst out laughing. And you realize right then this is just brain chemistry. It's just brain chemistry because as soon as I was laughing, I wasn't mad anymore. And none of it seemed serious just because I was laughing. So that was one of those first clues of, huh? This is controllable.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So God bless my long suffering wife.

[B]

All right, so this next question comes from Michael Foster.

[A]

Do you see yourself, who is, by the way, like one of the impact theory all stars. This guy is on there all day, every day. Dope comments, Michael.

[B]

You know, he's like everywhere.

[A]

We love you.

[B]

So do you see yourself as a scientist of the mind and your experiments involving mind constructs and behaviors that test your construct of what your current reality is?

[A]

I think it would be really unfair of me to consider myself a scientist. Scientists do very rigorous studies. I like to adopt some of the mindset of a scientist to approach problems, you know, from the same angle that I don't know the answer to this. And so I have a hypothesis, I want to test it, I want to see, I want empirical data, I'm looking for evidence. But part of the reason that I'm not a scientist is all of that rigor is way too slow and I want to move really, really fast. So I will definitely eschew some of the traditional scientific rigors to move fast, to get an answer, to test it in real time. Be moving. Go, go, go. You know, look mom, I can't say that enough. And that's something in science. They don't prize momentum like I do. I don't think business could survive in, in that world if you had to be that cautious and that slow. It's like I'm just, if, you know, we're like in non scientific endeavors you can be close enough. Right. And so like for instance, if you put me on a panel like for as much as I can talk about the brain, if you put like VS Ramachandran and I on national television and people got to ask us questions about the structures of the brain, I would look like an idiot. Right. But I know enough, I know enough to get by. Exactly. And so that to me is, is, is why I would never say that like I'm a scientist. But yeah, I try to use some of their tactics.

[B]

Cool. All right, so this is a follow up on the myth mythology question from Chris Welch. How, okay, so you mentioned that myths can't keep up with society anymore. How will our mythology adapt fast enough to, with modern society?

[A]

I don't have the answer to that question yet. And this is something I just started exploring today. So I'm, I'm really fascinated to go deep and to answer this question. And it's going to be fun, like to have this company that's predicated on our ability to monetize this meditation. Right. Like that is so interesting to me. And when I think about, you know, all the young entrepreneurs out there who, you know, want to put at the center of their life something they really, really care about, but they can't think about how to actually make it a business business. You know, we're going to be a case study for you. And if you could crawl inside my mind and see how I'm approaching this problem. Right. So we have this very sort of soft esoteric thing. We want to impact culture. We want to do it in a positive way. I'm, I am really, really unnerved. I won't say I'm frightened. I'm unnerved by the division that we have in American society. And for anybody that's read the comic book dmz, you'll know why I'm so unnerved because I think that's such a prophetic example of what happens if keep down this path. So I really, really think deeply about like how we affect people's ability to feel in control of their life, which is a building block of happiness. And when everybody, I think, is happy and feeling like they're in control and they're working towards something they believe in and all of that, that. That we really can just have a better world. And there will be more people doing things that are awesome for humanity, protective of humanity, protective of longevity, like, all the things that weigh into what we really care about as human beings. Um, but answering the question of how we are going to actually pull this off from a mythological perspective and make that relevant, I don't know. Also, that's a path and not necessarily the goal. I think that using mythology is going to be the answer, but I'm not married to that path. And so we would abandon that path if it. If it proves not to work, but going back to. To really finish the thought. If you could crawl inside my mind and see what I'm doing. I'm looking at things from a hyper, like, tactical standpoint. So we've got this grand vision, influence culture in a positive way. But at the end of the day, I have to sell, right? We have to sell shit. So at some point, this all has to translate into things that you can buy. And so the meeting that I had this morning was about making things that people can buy. And as I'm, like, sitting there explaining, like, how we're going to do this and how it's going to work, I was getting so amped up because I really think it's real. And so I'm pitching this guy, and I can see he's like, holy shit. Like, he's never thought of it like this. He's never thought of his own universe like this. And so literally, in the meeting, these guys haven't even heard this yet. In the meeting meeting, homeboy picks up the phone, not going to give any names, picks up the fucking phone, calls the person that we would have to win over and was like, hey, I'm sitting across from this guy. He's, like, totally freaking me out. Like, you've got to hear his vision. Like, let me get a meeting. I want to get you, and I want to get him in front of. Because I said the same thing to him. Get me in the room, dude. Get me in the room. And so, boom, right there. He's like. He got half the answer that we need. I was like, oh, my God. Like, this is fucking nuts. So, yeah, it's. We may hate, by the way, the answer that they gave us, but we got an answer. I was over the moon, everything. You know, there's always hair on the deal, as they say. But if we can structure it in a certain way, oh my God. Could be amazing. It would give us stuff that would be really powerful, really will let us test out whether mythology is going to be a play. And it will let us sell shit. Oh, God. Babe Ruth. Colin, shots. That's all I have to say. That's all I have to say right now. Discover top rated stays Loved by guests.

[B]

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[A]

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[B]

All right, so this one has disappeared off my screen, but I remember it, it. Tom, when are you going to have a clothing line?

[A]

Yeah, so that was part of what today's meeting is about. So we're soon, very, very soon. And I think one of the things that I'm on repeat about is I need, I need a new technology to exist or if it exists and they just don't know how to market it yet. We need ultra high quality direct to garment printing. I can't stress that enough. I know there is some just tech savvy wunderkind out there, there man. I want to help in any way that I can make this happen. If we can make this happen. I'm telling you it's a billion dollar business. But it's got to be ultra high quality. It cannot be better than what we've seen. It has to be ultra high quality. This is a zero to one moment. So for anybody that knows direct to garment printing, you're going to say what? What are you talking about? There's so many direct to garment printers. That's how confident I am that what needs to come into existence is so is exponentially better than what exists right now. That it would be a zero to one moment. It's a quest bar moment. Right? Quest bars came in there, other protein bars, but it was still a zero to one moment. We need that in direct to garment. I know someone is working on this because the demand is just so, so there and I'm not willing to invest the time in learning the technology, I just think that that would be stupid. So I know someone out there is working on it. I know one of you knows one of those someones. And if you guys could put them in touch, I will buy them or invest in them or at a minimum, mentor them to make sure that that technology exists because it would scratch my own. It this to exist because the only thing you'll see, I've totally switched up my style in the last two years and I've moved almost exclusively to what I call rep what you believe. So you're going to see me at all times wearing something that says something about my internal life. So I'm wearing one you guys have seen way too many times. But this is very important in the meeting that I just came from. So as a subliminal cue, I needed to be wearing this. If, if I hadn't literally returned, run up and, and sat down, I would have changed it. So it's not such a recycle on you guys. Um, but yeah, giving people a chance to reinforce shit in their mind, that is the key. Repetition, repetition, repetition. You've got to reinforce the stuff in your own mind. Which is why, that's why I'm so hell bent to. Even though what we're about is creating this empowering mythology, I really believe, like, I'm also wearing a necklace that is the Rebel alliance from Star wars because it reminds me of all the, you know, the mythology and iconography from that film, which is really, really important. And when Joseph Campbell was asked, are there any modern, modern myths that could actually help people in today's society, his answer was Star Wars. So, like, this stuff is real. I really believe that it can play. And people need something that's wearable, that's tangible, that they can take out of the ether and make a part of their life. And that's what we're going to be delivering. The easiest way, it's not the only way, but the easiest way to pull that off would be ultra high quality direct to garment printing. So.

[B]

All right. Okay. Any IG questions? Throwing it out.

[A]

Alfredo from Ecuador says, tom, you use anything like a reminder when you feel unmotivated or weak about achieving your goals. So the one thing I never feel is unmotivated, that's not helpful. So what would the. I have. I have made it a part of my identity that I am motivated. Motivated. But I often get super fearful. God, I didn't want to say that, but that actually is true. I get fearful that I'm not going to be able to pull it off. So in those moments, I always fall back on two things. Beauty and rage. And what I mean by that is I really, really believe that there is a kid out there right now, or an adult, a 75 year old, whatever. There's somebody out there right now who, if I can get through to them with the idea that they can acquire skills, that they can set their mind to something and accomplish it, that they can do whatever it is that they want to do through really, really hard work and discipline. Like really simple, not easy, but very simple things. That is so beautiful to me because it will make their life better. Like that is. I just, I love that the world works that way. And every time I see evidence of the fact that the world works like that, like it fills me beauty. I, I don't know how to explain it. It's. It's beautiful and I want to bring that to the world and I want that to be. Not that I think a lot about legacy, but that's, that's a good word to sum up. Like I want that to be what I'm about. And so that's beautiful to me. And then on the other hand, there are all these people who doubt me. There are all these people who have, they have chosen the dark side and they have chosen to, to fill themselves with hate, contempt, disregard, doubt, like all these negative emotions and people that try to chip away at other people. Like I was interviewing Mel Rob Robbins and Mel Robbins is so inspiring, man. And if you let her inspire, like she's really working to try to help people and she's like, I'm on cnn, so people make fun of my neck because she has like creases in her neck. The fuck. Like there are actually people out there who waste time like trying to, to make her feel bad to get attention. Like that's so insane to me. So I feel myself and obviously I'm thinking of the people who've touched my own life, that have, you know, doubted me, hated on me, tried to stop me, hurt me. People that have su that right. And I, I fill myself with rage and I let that anger like be a push, pull mechanism. So on the one hand I'm moving towards beauty and on the other hand I am hell bent to prove something. I've got a chip on my shoulder. It's that simple. And you know, I'm, I'm a big believer in that. And I know it's a little bit controversial, but the truth is once you understand how to leverage that without it consuming you, without it, you Know, becoming, letting it turn you into Lord Vader. It actually is useful. And it's something that not a lot of people talk about. And so on those days when I'm feeling tired or fearful, anger actually helps. And they've done. They've done studies on this. If I want to make you hold your hand in, let's say they usually use cold water. If I want you to, to endure that pain longer than other people, all I have to do is let you get angry. So let you swear, let you yell. And in channeling that rage, people can endure more pain. Like, think about that. And that's why I think it's totally under you utilized.

[B]

That's cool. All right, so this one comes from Milo. Sorry about that. So Mil, Joe, Milo. Mil, Milo, perhaps Milco. All right, so, hey, Tom, how do you get over roadblocks without losing momentum?

[A]

That's the fun of it, man. And when you fall in love with that process of going, okay, I actually don't see the way around this problem. What, what I have trained myself to do is there's a moment of either anxiety, frustration, anger, whatever, when you have that moment, let that be the trigger. If you guys have read Near Eyal's book Hooked, he talks about a habit loop trigger. And I use that as the trigger to remind myself that any obstacle can be overco. And then that puts me into this, like, back into my prefrontal cortex, and I start trying to problem solve. And a lot of times I'm using thinkitation to come up with a very creative solution to that. So I put myself through meditation into an alpha wave state, which is where your brain is making unique connections from very disparate parts of your brain. I stay in that meditative state, and I go into what I call thinkitation, where I'm actively thinking about a problem. So meditation is normally about turning off the thinking part of your brain as much as you can. And that whenever you catch yourself thinking about something, you remind yourself to breathe. So with thinkitization, I want to leverage that the creative state. But to actually attack a problem. And it's the same sensation you get when you're either falling asleep or just waking up where you feel like you may just a moment of inspiration hits and you have an answer to a big problem. So I'll do that a lot. And then sometimes I just brute force it and I start making lists of what are all the possibilities. Write down things stream of consciousness without ever filtering or censoring. And, you know, a lot of times something will pop up and then when all else fails, I just chip away at it over time.

[B]

Cool. All right, so this one comes from Chris Welch. So you give a lot of great nonfiction book recommendations. Are there any fictional books that help you grow?

[A]

I'm going to guess that there are tens of thousands of books. Fictional books that'll help you grow. I'll give you a very limited number from my side mustache. It's limited because I have the overwhelming feeling that I'm not getting information fast enough from fiction books, even though I love them, and I love them in a way that I can't explain. I absolutely. Like, once a year, my wife and I go away for our anniversary, and that is the only time I allow myself to read fiction. It's once a year, I pick a book. Picking that book is like, it's. I scrutinize it almost as hard as I scrutinize my wife before I decided to propose to her. Like, it's a big deal. And. And when one hits, it's unbelievable. So books that have really had a big impact on me. You have to remember a lot of times I had an impact because of the age, because all I used to read was fiction. So a lot of these books from when I was younger, the Gunslinger, had a huge impact on me. The whole Dark Tower series, in fact, had a big impact on me. I'm super excited they're finally turning that into a movie. I've talked a lot about Stephen King. He had a big impact. It had a huge impact on me. And we all float down here. Yeah, yeah. God, I love that. That book was incredible. What a great coming of age tale. Love, love, love. There were a lot of Stephen King books. Insomnia had a big impact on me. It was the first book that ever made me actually shed a tear. And I was like, what just happened? Like movies for sure, but books. In fact, I think there's only two books that actually made me shed a tear. You guys ready?

[B]

Ready.

[A]

Insomnia by Stephen King and Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. The story of Nike actually made me fucking cry.

[B]

I'm like a crier, so I can'. Make that list.

[A]

The end.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. The end was like.

[A]

It ruined me. I was. And. And it was because of everything leading up to it, right? Like the grind, the way. I don't want to give it away. It Just the beginning or the whole book leading up to it. And then that moment, I was like, oh, wow. Like. And it was one of those

[B]

where

[A]

it was even in the sorrow, the. It's the knowing the joy of being alive, you know, like, and because I think his book was so like, you're so on that journey with him and just really feeling like alive and then, ah, wow. So anyway, great book those two. And see, I brought it back to non fiction again. There I go. But insomnia, yeah, that had a big impact. I loved, though I won't say it changed me. I loved more than I could possibly tell you. Ready, player one. Ready, player one. That book's. If you haven't read that book, like, you're missing out.

[B]

All right, any more questions? Well, some people are asking if we're still planning on printing the do shirts.

[A]

Most definitely. That'll. That'll forever be our most important shirt. Like that's the, the everything boiled down to it essence.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

It's one of those simple but not easy. But yeah, that, that'll forever be like the quintessential impact theory shirt do 100%.

[B]

And then a general question from Catherine. What are your thoughts on time?

[A]

Wow, that's open ended.

[B]

I was like, no other.

[A]

Well, let me. Oh, this is a fiction book that you should all read this one. This had a lasting impression on me. I can't believe I didn't remember this one called Einstein's Dreams. And it's a collection of short stories that talk about like different aspects of time. So one of them, and, and this one really, really sums up how the, the sort of most common thing that I think about time when I'm not thinking about it from a like, physics perspective. But what if everyone could live forever? Right? So if you. If the. Everyone was immortal, the world would fall into two camps and camp A would never do anything because there would always be time to do it tomorrow. And then Camp B would do everything because there was. There would actually be enough time to pursue all of your passions. And that really resonated with me because that's what I saw around me. Like most people, like, they always seem to be putting things off, whereas I want to do them right now. Like, that's why I was so excited in this meeting with the guy. Twice. Wait till you hear that whole story. Twice picked up the phone, he was like, do you want me just call him right now? I was like, yes, please. So he was just literally calling them right there in real time. So. Awesome. Awesome. I'm, I. And that brings us to the last point I'll make about time. I have the sense Jason Silva and I were talking about this in our most recent interview where he introduced me this great quote in Spanish In English, the translation is the day is escaping me. And that's how I feel. The day is escaping. Like, it feels like it's just falling through my fingers. Like, and it's because every moment, there's so much potential. When you don't ring the potential out of every moment, it feels like it has escaped.

[B]

This is true. And then we have one more from John Biggs, best and worst advice you've gotten or you've been given in the last year.

[A]

I so rapidly discard bad advice, I actually have no memories of specific bad advice. I really want to come up with something for you. God, I don't have any great examples of bad advice. Good advice. I'm in a position now where I'm more collecting knowledge than advice. What's a great piece of knowledge that I picked up? This type of question I'm really bad at answering, and I try not to ask them in interviews because it sends your mind spinning for any. Anything. Like, I. Now I'm just trying to remember any piece of advice that I've gotten in the last year. Guys, can you help me out? Like, what's something that we've discovered as a team?

[B]

And now.

[A]

Yeah, see, now everyone's deer in headlights on this one. I, I, I don't know. I. So my life boils down to the. The idioms that I'm throwing out all the time. Some of them maybe did come in the last last year. I'm not sure. Every time I'm with Jason Silva, I feel like I'm getting more nuggets of gold. And I've written many of them down, and of course, I'm blanking on each and every one of them for you right now. So. Yeah, sorry, I got nothing. I'm just gonna sit in the discomfort of this. What was that? Yeah, yeah, that's good. I like that. I keep notes. So I'll pour back through the notes and see what I've come over in the. The last year. Very grateful for the question. I apologize for the horrific answer.

[B]

All right. And so Milko has another question, and he says, how would you define a leader? Tony Robbins says leaders do two things. Optimize resources and solve problems. What are your thoughts on this?

[A]

Well, they definitely solve problems, but I think a leader is somebody that is painting the vision. Vision and organizing everybody and galvanizing them around, the execution of that and, and giving them, like, the, the life philosophy to steal from Pete Carroll that we're all going to abide by. And that, to me, is like, the big thing you've got to set the tone for the culture. So you have to create the culture. You have to lead by example from a work ethic perspective. So there's a great quote about kids. Don't worry if kids are listening because they always watching. And that's how I feel as a leader is people. Maybe they don't seem like they're listening to what you say, but oh dear God, they are watching everything you do and they will emulate it. If you're showing up late, leaving early, they're going to show up late, they're going to leave early. If you hit an obstacle and stop, they will hit an obstacle and stop. If you never congratulate people, then they're never going to congratulate people, you know, so you really have to lead by example. But to, to boil it all down, you have to have the vision and you have to galvanize people around the belief system and the execution path. That to me, is it nice? Yeah. And failing to make people feel good about themselves would be a real mistake. All right, so we have one more.

[B]

The signal.

[A]

Wrap it up.

[B]

Last one from Brian Kim. When did you realize that this is what you wanted to do?

[A]

What's this? This Impact theory.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So Impact theory really began to. So Impact theory is the collision, a lot of things. I've always known that I wanted to be involved in myth making, which is, I've been obsessed with filmmaking since I was probably 12. So that, and then that collided with realizing that until you can control your own destiny financially, that you're coming to the world with your hand out, which was a discovery really about just about 15 years ago, a little bit less probably. So putting those two things together, that's why, you know, I wanted to make sure that this was a commercial business that made money that could be a self sustaining engine. And it really began to take shape about 10 years ago when Zuda comics came out and I saw what they were trying to do, which was leverage the crowd to trade something. Which is basically. We can't come up with every great idea. Every business knows that no matter how many amazing people you have in your company, the. The vast majority of the world's smartest and most talented people don't work for you. So finding a way to leverage the crowd crowd and what we trade is our ability to nurture that and market. So in doing that, it becomes a, a pretty powerful exchange of value. And I think because we're not predatory, because we're not trying to milk everything that we can out of these Creators, whether they're creating a company or content, because we're always very happy to give more value than we receive. I. I think that will be unprecedented in this arena. I just don't think people think, like, we think the way this team is the way that we want to see other people succeed. Like, I'm for that. And I really believe that the timing on this is so perfect. And never before in human history has there been a moment for a group like us to shine. I truly believe that. Because now people that want good things for other people that aren't predatory can build a massive business because the world now can talk to each other. And so within seconds, somebody in Nairobi is going to know whether we treated somebody well or not. And that. And like today, you know, showing up and. And. And being myself and painting a vision that I think is unlike a vision anybody else is painting. I was able to have an impact on this guy and get him to make phone calls right there in the room, literally, just to be helpful. Or yesterday, when Wyclef John was here and pulled us aside at the end. Think about how many times Wyclef has been interviewed, right? How many times. But pulled us aside on the way out and was calling his family, which, of course, is something that he uses a lot, but nonetheless was awesome. But when they said, you know, this is the best interview we've ever done, and invited me to join him in New York and just, you know, was so, so kind to everybody here because he felt so welcomed and so respected and loved, and it was just awesome, man. It was awesome to. To see him walk in, you know, to sort of another interview, but then walk out like, whoa, this is different. And, you know, that's. That's our motto here. Get him in the room. Get him in the room. And. And. And when we're at our best, when we're high, touch. And so I love that. I think it's. I think it's a unique time. And with that, we will bid you guys adieu. Thank you so much for joining us, everybody. You can't imagine how much this is our favorite part to interact directly with you guys, answer your questions, talk about what we're doing, means the absolute world to us. We live to serve, truly. So if there's anything that we can do ever to help you guys, let us know. Submit and help us keep growing this community. Our big push right now is itunes, baby. Itunes. So go to itunes. Subscribe. That will be very, very helpful to us to climb the ranks, to get more visible and we promise to leverage that to do incredible things not only for you guys, but for the world at large. So until next time, my friends, be legendary. Hey everybody. Thanks so much for joining us for another episode. If this content is adding value to your life, our one ask is that you go to itunes and stitcher and rate and review. Not only does that help us build this community, which at the end of the day is all we care about, but it also helps us get even more amazing guests on here to share their knowledge with all of us. Thank you guys so much for being a part of this community. And until next time, be legendary, my friends.