A (1:53)

I mean, I think that matters for a lot of people.

B (1:57)

If there's one thing I've pushed as a parent, it's to make sure my kids can read. Imagine that. But no, it legitimately.

A (2:06)

Somebody give this man an award.

B (2:08)

It's one of the biggest things that's driven me crazy. Being a content creator is when you can say something clearly and then people just, you're like, here's this headline.

A (2:19)

It feels like we're not even speaking the same language.

B (2:21)

And then they're like, what? You know, and they, that's how they say it. And, and so here's some stats about literacy in the United States. And I, I'm, I'd love for you to react to these. An estimated 130 million U.S. adults read below a sixth grade level, which is about 54% of adults ages 16 to 74. In 2023, 28% of U.S. aD scored at or below the lowest literacy level, meaning they struggle with everyday reading tasks like basic forms and simple texts.

A (2:53)

That is wild.

B (2:54)

Here, you read these actually. Can you read these on your screen?

A (2:57)

Yeah. The share of adults in the, in the very lowest literacy band jumped 9 percentage points between 2017 and 2023 in the national average literary score. Literary literacy score dropped by about 12 to 13 points in the same span.

B (3:09)

I like how you struggled to read that sentence.

A (3:11)

Most ironic moment of the show.

B (3:13)

Like most people can't read good.

A (3:18)

Yeah, no, that's, that's no bueno. Can you, can you see what that means for people's ability to make money?

B (3:25)

Yeah. But keep reading these first. We can get into it in a second.

A (3:28)

Yeah. About 1/3 of 8th graders are now below the basic level in reading on NAEP, the highest proportion in the test's 30 year plus history. Separate reporting puts about 40% of fourth graders at below basic reading skills. A 20 year high. Not the thing that you want to have a 20 year high end basically ever. One literacy analysis estimates that 21 of US adults are outright illiterate and 45 million are functional. That's crazy, dude. Functionally illiterate. Reading below a fifth grade level. 45 million functionally illiterate US adults, roughly 44% of American adults do not read a single book in a given year. That's the one that doesn't surprise me. Out of all of these. But also reading the rest of these makes that make so much more sense. Like if you struggled to read a basic form, like imagine trying to just pick up a book and get like work your way through that entire thing. That's obviously a massive obstacle to reading anything at all.

B (4:31)

Every time I read the stat that like half of Americans don't read a book in a year. Yeah. One, America makes so much more sense. But two, that's like such a knife in the heart of like authors.

A (4:43)

Everywhere.

B (4:44)

Read. Read one book. Like, please, for the love of God, read a book.

A (4:49)

Yeah, don't be part of that. 50% of adults who don't. Because it takes such little effort to not be.

B (4:57)

Here's a money stat for you.

A (4:58)

Oh, there we go. Low literacy is estimated to cost the US economy up to $2.2 trillion per year in lost productivity and related. But that's. That's okay because it's not like we need more money right now.

B (5:12)

Right? Right.

A (5:14)

Children of adults with low literacy are 72% more likely to have low reading levels themselves, creating a multi generational cycle, which also makes sense because the. The bar is so much lower. Like, a parent would be like, you read that word? That's crazy good. You're killing it. You know what I mean? Like, they don't. They don't know that their kid is struggling because they also.

B (5:35)

Well, once. Once your kid passes you, they're a genius in your mind.

A (5:39)

Exactly.

B (5:40)

Like, that's. That's literally me right now with my kids math. Because, like, they are better at math than me, probably. And it's literally like, I'm like, wow. Yeah, you couldn't do that seventh grade. Yeah, but it's the same with books. It's like, you don't know if they're pronouncing something wrong. Also, like, you know, I see the trends of, like, kids whose parents didn't read to them never read to their kids.

A (6:02)

Yeah.

B (6:03)

It's crazy when I meet kids because, like, my parents read to me every night. Like, that was, like, part of the thing. Every day, the ritual. I, in turn, read with my kid every night. And it's crazy when I meet people and you're like, oh, what books did your parents read to you when you're a kid? And, like, none.

A (6:19)

What books did your parents read to you when you're a kid?

B (6:21)

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle was a great chapter book. I mean, a lot of stuff I had lots of, like, when I was little. Little. It was like. Like the regular monster at the end of the book. You know, Sesame Street, Dr. Seuss type. Dr. Seuss. My favorite Dr. Seuss. What's your favorite Dr. Seuss? Wait. Say it on three.

A (6:39)

Okay, wait, wait. Right now, from an adult perspective, you're

B (6:43)

like, I read a book a week. Dr. Seuss.

A (6:46)

I read a book every day or from when I was a kid.

B (6:50)

When you were a kid.

A (6:51)

Okay. All right, ready?

B (6:53)

Wait, hold on. I'm gonna pull it up.

A (6:55)

You're gonna pull up yours? Yeah.

B (6:57)

Okay, wait. On count three. One. Two, Three Green Eggs and the Butter Battle.

A (7:01)

You didn't say it at the same time.

B (7:02)

The Butter Battle book. Have you ever read this?

A (7:05)

I don't think so.

B (7:05)

Actually, this is a great book. And this. Actually, I love it more as an adult because it's so.

A (7:13)

See, you like it better. That's what I'm saying.

B (7:14)

No, but I'm saying. I'm saying, okay, because I. This was a book that I. I don't know if they still print this one or not, because I found a used copy. But it was so important for me to be like, here, read it. The whole premise of the book, and as a former fundamentalist, I love this book. The book is about this war between these two sides, okay? And they have a big wall in between them. They've got catapults launching into each other and all this sort of stuff. And the whole conflict is because one side on one side of the wall believes you should butter bread at the top, and one side at the other believes you should butter bread at the bottom. So functionally, they're both eating bread and butter. But this whole war is like, you butter your bread differently than I do. And it's such a good Dr. Seuss, man. Such a good book, that.

A (7:58)

Dr. Seuss.

B (8:00)

But anyway, that's. That's a great book.

A (8:01)

But the answer now for me is, oh, the places you'll go.

B (8:04)

That's a good book.

A (8:05)

That's a. Just a good message in that book.

B (8:09)

The. The one that.

A (8:09)

The waiting place part. Like that. That part, I was like. I'm always like, you guys paid attention. You guys paying attention. Reading this part about the waiting place like this is describing 90% of the people in the world right now sitting in the waiting place, just always waiting for something, never willing to do anything, just continuing to wait.

B (8:25)

The. The monster at the end of this book, though, is goated.

A (8:28)

I don't think I ever read that one either.

B (8:30)

I have a video of me doing a dramatic reading. Do you want to watch it? I would love to, but I really do. I'll show it to you later. But it's Grover and Elmo, and. But the book is, like, the way it's written. It's great reading with your kids. Do it quick before they get too old. But it's great when you go, because there's a monster at the end of this book, and so Elmo's, like, wanting to get to the end of the book, and Grover's like, no, no, no, no, no. So, like, every page, like, what a monster at the End of the book. And then Grover's like, don't turn the page. So when you're reading to your kids, they immediately start pulling the page so you can start yelling, don't turn the page. And it's like, I do.

A (9:08)

It's like a fun interaction.

B (9:09)

And he's like, taping the page. It's great. Good stuff.

A (9:12)

Good.

B (9:13)

But the one book Read to your

A (9:15)

books is the message.

B (9:16)

Read to your books.

A (9:17)

Read. Read to your books.

B (9:18)

Read to your books.

A (9:19)

Read to your kids.

B (9:20)

Kids to your reads.

A (9:21)

Read books to your kids.

B (9:22)

Read book.

A (9:23)

More.

B (9:23)

More. Smart. The center of kids who can't read. Good. No. And then the one book that scarred me as a child because my mom made it do that was I used to love the rainbow fish when I was a kid. Where have you read that book? It's about a rainbow fish. And he's all these beautiful. He's got all these beautiful rainbow things. And then everyone's kind of sad because they also aren't a rainbow fish. And. And getting an interruption right now.

A (9:54)

Hi, baby. What's up?

B (9:56)

I want hug.

A (9:57)

I give you a hug whenever you want.

B (9:59)

What's. What's your favorite book?

A (10:00)

What's your favorite book, baby? K Pop. K Pop's your favorite book?

B (10:07)

Is there a book?

A (10:08)

Well, we got books and comics and.

B (10:11)

Is there a book for that?

A (10:12)

For.

B (10:12)

Keep up.

A (10:13)

I want to say the rooms.

B (10:14)

Oh, my God. I have to get that book. Thank you. Is that your number one book recommendation for anybody listening? Okay.

A (10:22)

Is there anything else? Any other books? No. No. Okay. Okay. We'll go back downstairs with Mom. Okay? Okay. We're going to the gym for parents. Oh, we are. Okay, I'll finish up then. Can you please close the door, baby?

B (10:37)

Yes.

A (10:37)

Thank you. Love you, too.

B (10:41)

Paid actor. Yeah, Daddy, I love when you read. Thank you, Daddy, for reading to me.

A (10:48)

And that was just a random girl that we paid to come in here.

B (10:50)

Yeah. Simon, your kid took auditions.

A (10:53)

She auditioned, but she didn't get the part.

B (10:54)

But anyway, through the book, he ends up giving.

A (10:56)

She wasn't convincing enough.

B (10:57)

He gives his rainbow. What are they called? Scales. Scales that fish have.

A (11:01)

Yep.

B (11:02)

And anyway, gives them out to everybody. And so eventually they all have a scale that's colorful. And my mom, from a very young age, was like, this book is about socialism. I don't like this book. And I was like, I love the colorful fish. No socialism.

A (11:18)

Nope.

B (11:19)

I didn't even know. That's how I learned what socialism was. Was like. She's like this. The moral of this story is that if you have all these colors. People are going to want it. You don't need to give it to them. You don't owe them anything. Okay. Thanks Mom.

A (11:31)

She's cooking though.

B (11:33)

Okay. The fact that what's funny is the fact that I turned out liberal is amazing.

A (11:42)

Yeah.

B (11:43)

But actually though, I was never allowed to have toy guns, so I think it all goes back to that. Anyway. Okay.

A (11:48)

I definitely was this episode of the show is brought to you by Chime. Chime is changing the way people bank. It's fee free and smarter banking built just for you. Not like old school banks that charge you overdraft fees and monthly fees and the like. It's built for for you, not the 1%. Chime is not just another banking app. They unlock smarter banking for everyday people with products like MyPay giving you access to up to 500 of your paycheck anytime and getting paid up to 2 days early with direct deposit. Some old banks still don't do this, so forget overdraft fees, minimum balance fees, monthly fees, all that stuff. Chime turns everyday spending into real rewards and progress. Plus they have the new Chime card, the new way to build credit history with your own money and get rewarded and every single day. So what that means is it is a credit card that is backed by your own money and not only and it helps you build credit which is something that's been around for a while, but you also get to earn rewards on that which has not been something that has happened. And now Chime is here to bring that to you. And with qualifying direct deposits you get 1.5% cash back on eligible Chime card purchases. I know my younger self would have benefited from a banking option like this just because it's so much more nimble and much much easier. Chime is not just smarter banking, it is most rewarding way to bank join the millions who are already banking fee free today. It just takes a few minutes to get signed up. So head over to chime.com travis that's chime.com travis Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services A secured Chime Visa credit card and my paid line of credit provided by the Bancor Bank NA or Stride Bank NA. MyPay eligibility requirements apply and credit limit ranges $20 to $500. Optional services and products may have fees or charges. See chime.com feesinfo advertised annual percentage yield with Chime+status only. Otherwise 1.00% APY applies. No min balance required. Chime card on time payment history may have a positive impact on your credit score. Results may vary. See chime.com applicable terms. This episode of the show is brought to you by Wayfair. Look, it is time for that spring cleaning part of the year. So refresh your space and make your home work better for you with Wayfair. From furniture and decor to organization solutions and outdoor essentials, Wayfair makes it easy to find exactly what fits your style and your needs, regardless of your home's unique style. Right, Your aesthetic. Whether you're mid century modern, farmhouse, contemporary, eclectic range, whatever it is that floats your boat, Wayfair's got you covered. If you need a spring refresh with outdoor furniture or patio decor, things like that, lighter bedding, maybe, you know those, those cloth cotton seats or sheets might be a little bit too, too warm for the springtime. Swap them out on Wayfair if you want closet systems, storage solutions, furniture upgrades. The kids spaces need something to be done to them. Maybe they're outgrowing some things. Maybe you need some, some desks in there for them to get some home homework done. Literally, whatever you think, whatever is on your mind right now, you're like, does wafer have that? The answer is yes, they have that. And they make it very simple to find exactly what you need. They have features like reviews, filters, visual tools that help you find the right fit and they're actually helpful. I've used it. It actually does what they say that, that it does. So. Not to mention they also have installation and assembly available. So that makes the process wildly, wildly more simple. We recently just got a shoe organizer on Wayfair, which is something I did not think that I would ever have to get. But when you have kids and they have a bunch of different pairs of shoes and they like to put those pairs of shoes everywhere except for the places that they go, then sometimes you might find yourself buying a shoe organizer. Whatever floats your boat, whatever you're looking for, for whatever style of home that you have, you can find it over on Wayfair. Find furniture, decor and essentials that fit your unique style and budget. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. That's W A Y-F-A-I R.com Wayfair Every style, every home.

B (15:38)

So guns. So all this to say there's a streamer named Kai Sanat. Are you familiar with Kai Sinat?

A (15:43)

I'm familiar.

B (15:44)

He's big enough that I think everyone knows who he is. So he's. He started a second channel called Kai's Mind I want to say. And he's, he's. He. One of his things that he's been doing is he's forced himself to read 20 minutes a day. And his reasoning was he felt like he wasn't communicating. Like he would say something on his streams and he'd be like, it just didn't come out the way. Like what I thought versus what people heard was not right. He's like, I feel like I wasn't a good communicator. So he literally, on his streams now he'll like set a 20 minute timer and he'll just read a book. So he's reading through like atomic habits right now and all.

A (16:16)

That's awesome stuff. I love that.

B (16:18)

That's really cool.

A (16:18)

That's my favorite form of value creation is when it's like when it's from somebody who you don't expect it from because they have the ability to reach so many more people with a message impression.

B (16:30)

Kids.

A (16:31)

Yeah.

B (16:31)

Who will go, like, I'm gonna also.

A (16:33)

Who are used to consuming the brain rot style of content.

B (16:36)

And I love that he's gamifying it where it's like 30 minutes. Because, like it's so easy to be like, set a timer, 30 minutes, do that. You know what I mean? Like, it's kind of like, it's kind of like go to the gym for 30 minutes. It doesn't matter what you do, but just go and do something for 30. Like. But here's a little tease of it. So his title is literally reading for 30 minutes to help me talk better. Here's a little.

A (17:01)

All right, so I'm reading Atomic Habits yet again. I'm setting a clock for 30 minutes every day. I want to start to read more and more. I did not think 20 minutes is enough. That's why we're doing 30 minutes.

B (17:12)

That's how it goes. You start with 20 and then you're like, not enough reading.

A (17:17)

Because I want to improve and articulate myself better.

B (17:21)

I'm not happy with the way I articulate myself now.

A (17:24)

And I want to just keep getting better. 30 minutes. Here we go.

B (17:30)

And then he reads and then the author sues him for reading his book.

A (17:32)

Exactly. And monetizing.

B (17:34)

No, but so he started doing this.

A (17:37)

They probably got a pickup of. Of Atomic Habit sales after maybe.

B (17:40)

Yeah.

A (17:41)

Legit. Like Kai is no drop in the bucket in terms of attention.

B (17:47)

So here's what happened though. So he'd be reading the book. He's just started doing this and he started looking up words on stream. So I'll Play this when it happens.

A (17:54)

What a great. This is awesome, people. This is great.

B (17:57)

Started making fun of him because he was looking up words he didn't know. People are so stupid.

A (18:03)

I hate people for their spontaneous. Spontaneous. How do I pronounce that?

B (18:13)

Spawn.

A (18:15)

This is literally the process of learning. No, Travis, this is what great.

B (18:19)

This is embarrassing.

A (18:20)

And he should be pause real quick because, like, this is like a huge barrier that prevents people from reading. Is. Is that exact thing right there as they come up against the word and they're just like, ah, why am I doing this? It's like, it's not about getting through X number of pages, so you can check it off of your list. Because there's a lot of people who will read but have no idea what they're reading. They just are trying to check it off their morning routine list. And it's like. But you didn't get anything from that. Like, you didn't take one note. You didn't, like, write anything about what you learned afterwards. You didn't, like, you came across six of these words, but you didn't look up any of them. Yeah, like, my thought was always like, if I don't know what it means now, I'm not gonna just magically learn it. I may as well learn it while it's top of mind. Like, I made that rule for myself a long time ago. Or any. Anything, Whether it's like a random fact or it's a word that I should know how to spell or something like that. It's like, how would you do? I. I don't think I know. Three seconds later, I can have the answer. Right. Like that. That's the. Like before 20, 30 years ago. Whatever. You'd have to have like an encyclopedia next to you.

B (19:27)

Yeah.

A (19:27)

You know, like the. The barrier to learning those things was so much higher now. It. It's. There's just. It's inexcusable.

B (19:33)

Yeah. So. So I love that.

A (19:35)

That's awesome.

B (19:35)

Yeah. So he's looking at the words. And so, like, there were some people that are tweeting, like Kai, to keep looking up what certain words meant during his reading journey to become a better speaker. And then people would do like a laughing emoji or whatever, similar tweets like that. And. And so some of the responses. This is literally how you teach yourself things. Lol. Nothing to mock here. The world would be genuinely a better place if more people humbled themselves like this. Yeah, I think. I think it was Hassan the Hasan Minaj. Hassan Piker. Okay. Did a post about this. He's like, one. This is how you learn. He's like, you don't come out of the womb knowing all these words. Yeah. But he's like, to. This is like a super vulnerable thing to, like, put online to be like, I don't know what this means. And. And I agree. It would be a better place if. Yeah, so. So there was a couple different responses. People like, this is the curiosity, humility, and vulnerability that's far short supply. Someone said, this is exactly what kids need to see. It's great influence. Someone said, never hate on a man who's trying to better himself. Yeah, I read it. I was like, this is such a cool thing to see, like an influencer. Like, of all the things you can influence people to do. I was like, reading objectively, a pretty good one. I was like, reading a book and then also, like, googling. When you don't know something is awesome.

A (20:50)

So, wait, what did Jimmy Foxx say?

B (20:51)

Oh, Jamie Foxx called him and said it was very Jamie Foxx. This is very Jamie Foxx coded. Here's. He called him to encourage him because people were giving him crap about it. I just wanted to let you know you are. You're. You're amazing. You're unique. You're different. And I want you to continue to have fun. You young. Don't take it too much. Don't take every single thing. Take the same, but you different. So that's why them little things don't be touching. You different, but you. Bless you. Necessary. And I. I was like, I don't even think he gonna answer this phone, but if he does, I just got to let you know that, man, I love you. Thank you, bro.

A (21:30)

Thank you, man. Yeah, that's dope. This episode of the show is brought to you by Shopify. Starting something new isn't just hard, it's terrifying. So much work goes into this thing that you're not entirely sure it'll work out. And it can be hard to make that leap of faith. Trust me, I know this. When I started my podcast, I wasn't even sure what I was doing, to be honest with you. What if nobody listens? What if I make a fool of myself? What if I'm embarrassed? You know, what if nobody buys stuff that I put out there? Now I know that I was right in believing myself in launching this podcast and subsequent businesses that have come along with it, despite all the fears and hesitations. It also helps when you have a partner like Shopify. Shopify on your side to help. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names like Magic Spoon to brands just getting started. You can get started with your own design studio. With hundreds of ready to use templates, Shopify helps you build a beautiful online store that matches your brand's style. Accelerate your efficiency. Whether you're uploading new products or trying to improve existing products, Shopify is packed with helpful AI tools that write product descriptions, page headlines, and even enhance your product photography. There's really no excuses anymore, people, because Shopify literally does all of this stuff for you. And did I mention that the iconic Purple Shop pay button that's used by millions of businesses around the world is from Shopify? It's why Shopify has the best converting checkout on the planet. It also helps boost conversions, meaning less carts going abandoned and more sales for you. It's time to turn those what ifs into with Shopify today. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.com TMM go to shopify.com TMM that's shopify.com TMM. This episode of the show is brought to you by Factor. Got big goals but no time to cook? Factor makes healthy eating easy with fully prepared meals designed by dietitians and crafted by chefs. So eat well without the planning or the cooking. Inside you will get quality functional ingredients including lean proteins, colorful veggies, whole food ingredients and healthy fats. No refined sugars, no artificial sweeteners, no refined seed oils. Get that stuff out of here. Meals that actually fit your goals and your schedule. Healthier eating, calorie management, more protein, et cetera, et cetera. With over 100 rotating weekly meals to keep things fresh and delicious through the winter. Your options include high protein Calorie, smart Mediterranean diet, GOP1 support and ready to Eat salads, plus the new Muscle Pro Collection Support, strength and recovery. And it's always fresh, it's never frozen and it's ready in about two minutes. No prep, no stress, just delicious nutritious food. So head over to factor meals.com TMM50OFF and use code TMM50OFF to get 50% off and free breakfast for a year. Eat like a pro this month with Factor New subscribers only. Varies by plan. One free breakfast item per box for one year while subscription is active. It's such this, this is, this is proof to me like every, every you ever get in these rabbit holes sometimes where like you post some content and then it feels like there's like a phase of a few days where you just, like, you're just getting exhausted by the, the vitriol that you receive for something that's just so. You know what I mean? Like, you, you, you start allowing it to influence you to some degree where you're like, maybe, maybe I shouldn't say it. Maybe I shouldn't, you know, speak my opinion about this certain thing. Because you know, these people, every once in a while, it's so good, it's, it's almost helpful to see the hate on something like this because it reminds you that, like, some of these people are just, they're gonna. It doesn't matter what it is.

B (25:10)

Yeah.

A (25:10)

It could be something objectively super helpful, very valuable, a great influence to have on a younger generation. And there's still going to be some morons out there that are like, well, you can't, you don't know. Spontaneous. What are you, stupid? It's like.

B (25:25)

And the person commenting doesn't know what it means either.

A (25:27)

Yeah. Or they. The problem is like, because you know the thing that the other person doesn't know, you're patting yourself on the back and thinking that you're really smart. But everybody has blind spots and everybody has knowledge gaps. Like, there's always been. There's always a moment where as an adult, you know, you're. You're in a room with a few of your friends and somebody says something and you're like, what, what, what's that? What's that? And they're like, you don't know. You don't know what this is. And then all your friends, like, start dogging on you, whatever. And it's like in a friend group, it's whatever. But when there's this, like, overall vitriol online, it's like everybody had like. It's like being in a room full of mechanics and them making fun of you for not knowing the inner workings of an engine or whatever. It's like, well, you're looking at it like I'm dumb because this is like second nature to you. But there's also an entire world of things that I know about that you know nothing about. Does you dumb or does that make me dumb? Which topic is more dumb to not know about? You know what I mean? It's like, this is a. This is an unhelpful, like, terrible way to go throughout life, is just only seeking out confirmation that you're smart rather than allowing yourself to admit that you're just as dumb as everybody else. Like the. We don't even know the total volume of knowledge in the universe. We, we're like, what, like estimated 1% or 2% of total available like knowledge is how much we know now in of terms 20, 26, with all of the technology information that we have at our fingertips. It's like, how much does each individual person know of the total available knowledge in the world? Like, nothing. The answer is nothing, no matter how smart you are. So making fun of other people for learning and getting better is part of the reason why people don't do it. It is objectively a low IQ move and they probably are low IQ people that are saying this type of stuff.

B (27:04)

Yeah, yeah. No, I thought it was cool and I know it's not a. I know this isn't money related. I mean, but it also to me is like, like when it comes to, when it comes to people, like, at the end of the day, the amount of stigma around bettering yourself and educating yourself is insane. Yeah. And also like, I think this type of mentality where it's like one, I'm gonna have the public accountability of just doing this, but also like, if I don't know something, I'm gonna take a second. Actually, you me posted a clip of you the other day where you were talking about that, where you said, you know, why are the things that are most important to know the things that are most taboo to talk about.

A (27:45)

Yeah.

B (27:46)

And it's like. It's exactly that. It's like, why aren't you asking the questions about things you don't know about? Why is 99% of our conversations trying to sound like we know what we're talking about instead of admitting that we don't and trying to get better in those areas.

A (28:00)

Yeah.

B (28:00)

So I just thought was a really cool story and I thought it was like, it's. It was tangential to a lot of these conversations, but also so clearly.

A (28:07)

Well, it's about self improvement, which ultimately is what all of my shows and content is about, which is, I think one of the highest callings in life is just to make yourself a better version of yourself than you were yesterday. You know, it's just like the, it's funny because I just came off of this cruise and. And obviously the majority. And for those listening education Workaholics Cruise. Yeah, it was very basically all comedy fans and a bunch of, you know, comedy people all together in one place.

B (28:30)

Just, Just curious, what do you think the average reading level of the people on the Workaholics Crew cruise was?

A (28:37)

I don't know the average reading level, but I assume most of them are in that, you know, 50% of people who haven't read a book in the last year, it was. It was a great time. We had a lot of fun with everybody that was on the cruise. However, it was one of those things that. That I was looking at. It was like, almost like the danger of being a strictly comedy fan, because what happens is, like, you see comedians talk about things or portray themselves to be a certain way, and then you. You engage in those activities. But if you actually, like, follow the people's lives and how they live their life, like, especially the successful ones, it's like, they're not doing any of this stuff. They just use it for material because it's relatable and because maybe some portion of their life, they did do that. But it's like the Workaholics crew, they're not unproductive stoners. Yeah, exactly. Like, they were.

B (29:26)

They're productive stoners.

A (29:27)

They made a television show when they were like. Like 20. You know what I mean? Like, they. The. The amount of work that was required from them to write as much as they did to get a show pitched and accepted by Comedy Central to, like, then leverage that into the careers that they've done. Like, they're all in really good shape. Like, they. Obviously, they all looked older because it was like, 20 years ago, but they all look better in terms of their health. All of them are in better shape than they were when the show aired. It's like you. You looking at how they. How they live their lives in the show is not a direct reflection at all of how they actually live their lives in person. But you can kind of like delude yourself into believing just because this is sort of like the generally accepted thing. But, like, we saw Nick Schwarzen on the cruise, and he was drinking water the whole time. It's just like, guys, I'm not. I'm not. I'm not drinking right now. You know, it's been a while since I drank. And he had a whole bit tied around it, basically saying that, like, I won drinking. He's like. Which is why he doesn't drink anymore. But even then, it was like, you see. You see the people who are the most successful people here, it's like, well, they. They live their life differently than the what's in their material. Like, this is not supposed to be, like, the step 1, 2, 3 of how to have a good life. This is just supposed to be funny because it's funny. But also, that does not mean that you should just adopt all the things that they're like, joking about and pretend like it's just totally fine to, you know, drink yourself into a stupor every day and never read a book and don't take care of yourself. So. Yeah, but that sort of top of mind for me, because we just came off of that. But, yeah, no, that was. I love. I. I appreciate you bringing this story up because I do. I. I really. I respect. I respect Kai for. Because the thing is, whatever he did, he would have a bunch of viewers on it.

B (31:09)

Yeah.

A (31:10)

You know, and there's no shortage of things that he could do.

B (31:12)

And he's done plenty of silly, goofy things, of course.

A (31:15)

And he will continue to do that because that's who he is.

B (31:16)

He's in the new Scary Movie, which

A (31:18)

I'm sure that's my point, though, is like some of the funniest people, some of the best entertainers, all these people are genuinely people who are trying to make their lives better as well as the lives of the people around them. They just have a different way of, like, you know, entertaining people. And sometimes you can. You can see what they're doing in the skit or the sketch or the movie or the show and be like, that's how I'm gonna live.

B (31:40)

Yeah.

A (31:40)

Like, you know, party never dies, you know, and it's like. Yeah. But they were in the gym the next day.

B (31:47)

Yeah.

A (31:47)

After they partied till 2am you know what I mean? Like, they. They still are trying to make their lives better, which is something that we should all be striving to do.

B (31:53)

But.

A (31:53)

Yeah. Anyway, sorry, did you have something else to say?

B (31:57)

No.

A (31:57)

Okay, well, that's it for today's episode. Thank you to the two child actors who we hired to come in and talk about.

B (32:04)

It's just me doing a voice. Yeah, you're listening. It was just me going, thank you, Daddy. We've got to go now.

A (32:10)

Yeah, that. No difference.

B (32:12)

I love that. Your kids just sound like Bobby Lee. Yeah. Thank good daddy.

A (32:15)

Thank you, Daddy. He was also great on the cruise anyway.

B (32:18)

And the size of a small child.

A (32:20)

Yeah.

B (32:20)

Which is great.

A (32:21)

Yeah. Honestly. For those listening, thanks so much for tuning in. Remember, money only solves your money problems, but it's easier to solve the rest of problems of money in the bank. So let's start there. Go read a book. Don't be a part of the four. If you're listening to this podcast and you're not reading a book a year, that's your challenge. That's the new challenge. Read a book this year and don't be a part of the 44% who are not. Anyway, that's it for this episode. Thanks for tuning in. Catch you next time. Peace.