#219 - The 3 Questions That Can Change How You Think, Lead and Connect | Eric Saperston

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To know the road ahead, ask those coming
back.

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So if anybody is trying to figure out how
to live an extraordinary life,

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go seek out people that are already doing
it and find out the values they live by,

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the struggles they've endured,

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and what advice and counsel they would
give to you to better prepare yourself

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for the road ahead.

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Hey you all, welcome back to the show.

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~ today's guest is Eric Saperston He's an
entrepreneur,

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filmmaker, author, and speaker who took a
pretty unconventional approach

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to building a career. After college,

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Eric hit the road in his Volkswagen bus,

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knocked on doors, and starting asking
people if they'd sit down and talk to him.

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But the funny story is he only had enough
money to get him a cup

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of coffee because he was selling grilled
cheese out of his van.

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Those conversations eventually became the
journey.

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An award winning documentary featuring
people like Jimmy Carter,

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Henry Winkler, and leading to a
development deal with Disney.

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But today, Eric has turned those
experiences into his three things
methodology

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and a new three things game designed to
change the way people connect

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and communicate. So we're going to talk
about how he created opportunities from

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nothing, what he learned from hundreds of
successful people,

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and why sometimes the most important thing
to do is simply ask.

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Eric, welcome to the necessary
entrepreneur.

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Mark, a pleasure to be here, my friend.

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Yeah, man. hey, if the previous 10 minutes
that we talked off camera is anything,

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~ I'm gonna enjoy it. This is gonna be one
that we look back on and

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and I'm thinking about for weeks,

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not just the audience. So to kick this
off,

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because this is gonna be a conversation,

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not just questions, but everything you've
done,

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I thought about like, what do we want to
know from Eric?

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And all your experience through these past
20 years and the life that you've lived

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and now building three things,

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what is it about a curious question?

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I I

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just I just think ~ curiosity is just so
important.

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It has become really easy in our world to
become cynical and jaded

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and know it all's and yeah, it's shut
down.

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And curiosity is such an important

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~ pathway for fulfillment,

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achievement, ~ satisfaction. It's it it's
it's

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It's one of our core values at the very
beginning of our of our birth is to

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be to be curious. So I I I love curiosity.

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I think it is a differentiator and I think
it is one of the pillars that enables

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people to become ~ fulfilled and
successful in life.

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Do you as you've grown and with the
experience,

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we're not gonna talk about age,

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both of us are starting to add some
numbers quicker.

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But you know, you you made this game,

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but I think the game came out of
everything you've learned in life

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and the opportunity you had to talk to so
many different people.

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And it seems like you wanted to extend and
give people the same experience,

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maybe develop the same confidence to ask
those questions,

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to get out in the world and maybe develop
more interpersonal skills when

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we become so tech and so focused on these
gadgets.

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But

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What'd you discover as we'll move through
why you built three things?

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What'd you discover about successful
humans?

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You've probably answered that hundreds of
times,

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but I think that's gonna lead us into what
we can discover from each other when

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we use your game that you've made.

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Gotcha. Yeah, you know, so I I I think a
little bit of b about

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my background may help too. So I I have
spent my career calling

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up essentially the most powerful people in
the world and asking them out for coffee.

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And to distill the common traits and
motivating factors and

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and beliefs that separate ordinary
achievement from legendary success.

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And I feel like, yeah, the the the the
question that you're asking,

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I I feel ~

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You quoted it. Yeah, so I think if you go
on like your website,

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it's awesome, all the things you've done.

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And I think the way it was laid out there
is what separates

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the ordinary from extraordinary.

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I don't know if I I hate to say that about
humans,

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but maybe experiences, maybe outcomes,

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maybe the actual human and their
attributes.

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But to you, what just separates everything
maybe in this world,

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not just us humans and what we achieve,

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the ordinary from the extraordinary?

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When I tell some what I love about that
statement is a long time ago

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in my real estate company,

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I wanted us to be a little bit extra,

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a little bit better, to raise the game a
little bit more,

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to give our customers and consumers a
little bit better experience and for

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all of us to live a better life.

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And I actually put that tagline.

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Yeah, I don't know if we can find it.

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It's 20 years ago it says the difference
between ordinary and extraordinary.

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And I said, you all, all I'm talking about
here is it's just extra in front of it.

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So it's what differ what what change
what's the what's the difference there?

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What have you seen, I guess?

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I guess some of the characteristics,

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well, and that's a really beautiful way
that you describe it,

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right? 'Cause really we're all ordinary
people.

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I mean, except, you know, I guess
somebody's born with some incredible skill
that's

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just a once in a lifetime, and so that's
that's an exception to the rule.

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But for the most part, when we look at
what it takes to be extraordinary,

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it's ordinary people who are choosing to
live by extraordinary principles,

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and that those compound over time.

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And so that's really one of the big aha's.

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I guess things that I've learned from
extraordinary people.

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Extraordinary people, ~ let's see,

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I'll I'll just I'll do it in three.

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number one, ~ extraordinary people,

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they ~

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They understand the word no. You know,

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there's a time where no means no and and
that's something to honor.

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But when it comes to an entrepreneurial
path,

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~ no alwaysn't doesn't always mean no.

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No no means that I haven't prepared well
enough,

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or that I haven't explained it well
enough,

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or that I haven't eliminated doubt enough,

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or I haven't figured out the benefit for
the other person enough.

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And so the first no is usually ~ an
indication that I have more work to do.

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And so I think one of the big things that
I've learned from extraordinary people

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is they don't take no personally.

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They use it as a tool to help them sharpen
their own sword and help eliminate doubt

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in others so that they can get to a yes.

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The second thing that I've learned about
extraordinary people,

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~ given the top of this call here,

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~ that that

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This was a big aha for me. I mean,

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I I have met with presidents, Olympic
athletes,

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rock stars, CEOs. I've met with some of
the most extraordinary people

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in the world to discover the common traits
that enable everyday people

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to produce extraordinary results.

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And one of the big aha's is that they're
living in wonder.

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They're they're living from a sense of awe
and marvel

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and astonishment and curiosity.

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It's easy in this world to become cynical
and jaded and to become a know

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it all and to become y sh yeah,

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shut down. Yet that is not gonna ~ create
an extraordinary life.

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It never has. The people that wake up
excited and go to bed fulfilled

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and live extraordinary lives, they're
still living in wonder.

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They're living in ~ in awe and marvel and
astonishment and ~

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Yeah, they're they're they're willing to
ask questions,

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not make assumptions. They're willing to
explore an idea.

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They don't have to be right. There's just
so many great qualities

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of living in wonder. And we all know it to
be intuitively true.

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If we've met somebody on our path that's
really extraordinary,

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they're like a ten-year-old kid still
playing and figuring things

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out and and interacting with the world.

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And so that's that's that's the second
thing I've learned about being
extraordinary.

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and the third thing that I've learned
about Extraordinary is that

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It's it's about principles. It's about
principles and living by one's principles.

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Most people, I met this guy, a
world-renowned architect,

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John Portman, who was famous for creating
the atriums.

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You when you go into a hotel and there's
the the the moat and the lake

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and the waterfall and all that.

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He was the one that created that.

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He was a genius. He he called he called
that vision Lungs for the city.

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Because when people were in New York City
walking around with the hustle

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and bustle and the banging of all the
concrete and the h horns honking,

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when you walked into a hotel, what would
you want more than anything in the world?

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And he said you'd want to breathe.

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Just go

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And so that's why he created those.

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He called them Lungs for the City.

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And he's a genius. And one of the things
that he shared with me was that ~ I said,

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I asked him, I said, what do you what do
you think separates,

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you know, the you know, the great from
from from the extraordinary?

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What's what what do you think is the
greatest challenge facing our world today?

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And he said, Well, I think the greatest
challenge facing our world today

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is that we've become a rudderless boat
society.

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And that

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We've got all these designer boats and
we've got these designer sails

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and incredible GPS systems and great
stereos,

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yet we become a boat without a rudder.

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And what happens to a boat without a
rudder is that it drifts and it's

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at the whim of the elements. Without a
rudder,

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we we react to everything. We react to the
news,

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we act to politicians, react to whatever's
happening.

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We're being pushed around by the elements,

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by the current.

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And most people are going to bed exhausted
and waking up tired,

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even with with good hearts and and and
well-intended people.

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They're just exhausted because it's it
life is hard and we're getting spun around

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a lot more now than ever. And the the
antidote to that is to figure

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out what our rudder is. And by defining
what our rudder is,

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it gives us depth of character and it
enables us to be able to

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be proactive with what's coming at us
instead of reactive.

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I get a chance to choose what I want to do
based on my principles,

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and that is a game changer. And so the
third thing that I've learned from

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all these extraordinary people is that
they're they're not living

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by blind chance and magic. They're living
by guiding principles.

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And those guiding principles, they take
time to define.

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I think that's one of the reasons why I
get invited to give speeches

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to companies all over and coach top
executives is because

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I'm helping people really get clear about
what governs their lives.

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Because if they don't know what governs
their lives,

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it's very difficult to live an
extraordinary life.

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~ so you're a guy of three things.

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That's why you named the game this.

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Is there anything beyond what you just
talked about about why and I want

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you to talk about it. It's your game that
you created,

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but it feels like to me, it feels like so
much more than a game.

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Well, three th is a great great intro.

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Th three things is an evolution ~ of a
journey.

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I mean, I took I took this journey and I
started interviewing people.

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That's where I that's where my background
is.

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I started calling up the president of Koch
and the chairman of UPS

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and the Jerry Garcia and Maya Angelou and
Jimmy Carter and Donald Keogue,

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the president of Koch, and Oz Nelson,

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the chairman of UPS and

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All kinds of people, who Woody Harrelson,

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on and on and on, just the actor,

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and just taking people out for a cup of
coffee.

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And the the game evolved out of my
interviews.

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So I would interview people, and when I
started off,

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~ I would ~ I'd I'd I'd I would like most
people.

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I'm I'm if if you were if you were the
listener gonna interview somebody,

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I would I would prep for it.

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You know, and I would write these long-ass
questions that were detailed

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and full of thought and energy.

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And then when I went to go do an
interview,

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I'd look at the questions and just would
get lost because there was just

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too much words there. ~ and then I would
ask people,

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~ yeah, like then I then I started going,

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okay, well, let me ask one question.

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What what's what's one thing you've
learned about leadership instead of making

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it so complicated? Then that was awesome.

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But people would then answer that
question.

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And they would start talking about
leadership and then all of a sudden their

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cat would come in and they'd start talking
about their cat and then they'd

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go back to leadership and then they'd talk
about something else and then come back

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to leadership. And then I learned as a
documentarian who made films that

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I'd have to go back and edit all that
material.

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I'd have to go back and grab the thing at
six minutes,

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00:12:51,898 --> 00:12:53,839
grab it at eleven, grab it at seventeen,

229
00:12:53,839 --> 00:12:56,742
put it together, and then I'd have to have
cutaways to figure out how

230
00:12:56,742 --> 00:13:00,665
to make the person look smart by pe
piecing piecing it all together and it

231
00:13:00,665 --> 00:13:01,665
was a lot of work.

232
00:13:01,996 --> 00:13:05,087
And so I realized after doing that for
years and years and years,

233
00:13:05,087 --> 00:13:09,268
I wanted to I wanted to capture people's
wisdom.

234
00:13:09,268 --> 00:13:14,380
I wanted to distill a life lived in a very

235
00:13:14,380 --> 00:13:17,830
~ succinct way that was

236
00:13:18,031 --> 00:13:21,852
~ catalogable and memorable.

237
00:13:21,852 --> 00:13:26,733
And so it it was just a natural evolution
where I started to realize instead

238
00:13:26,733 --> 00:13:29,874
of asking somebody one open ended
question.

239
00:13:30,336 --> 00:13:32,727
I can ask them a three things question.

240
00:13:32,727 --> 00:13:34,959
And if I ask them a three things question,

241
00:13:34,959 --> 00:13:41,022
all of a sudden, now I I tapped into a
universal gettable that every culture,

242
00:13:41,022 --> 00:13:42,483
three is the most powerful thing.

243
00:13:42,483 --> 00:13:45,574
It's w it's it's w it it it it transcends
everything.

244
00:13:45,574 --> 00:13:47,235
It's it's ~ it's the beginning,

245
00:13:47,235 --> 00:13:48,966
middle, and an end. It's the red,

246
00:13:48,966 --> 00:13:51,088
white, and blue, it's the ~ sex,

247
00:13:51,088 --> 00:13:52,748
rock sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

248
00:13:52,748 --> 00:13:54,950
It it it it's a it's a it's a trifecta.

249
00:13:54,950 --> 00:13:56,851
We communicate best in threes.

250
00:13:56,851 --> 00:13:58,902
It's it's it's grokkable, it's memorable.

251
00:13:59,264 --> 00:14:03,326
It's easy to and it distills. So I started
realizing,

252
00:14:03,326 --> 00:14:07,558
I can interview people like this and ask
them three things questions instead

253
00:14:07,558 --> 00:14:11,991
of just one. And we started playing with
this idea as my my lady Sarah and I,

254
00:14:11,991 --> 00:14:14,942
we were traveling all around the world and
we were walking up

255
00:14:14,942 --> 00:14:16,984
to strangers and saying, Hey, can we
interview you?

256
00:14:16,984 --> 00:14:18,164
And then we'd ask them, like, you know,

257
00:14:18,164 --> 00:14:20,005
hey, what are three things your dad taught
you?

258
00:14:20,005 --> 00:14:23,377
~ what are three lessons that your mom
taught you?

259
00:14:23,377 --> 00:14:27,149
What are what are three things that make
an extraordinary life?

260
00:14:27,149 --> 00:14:28,690
You know, what are three things

261
00:14:29,036 --> 00:14:31,688
that you've learned about meeting new
people.

262
00:14:31,688 --> 00:14:35,330
And it was just fascinating, talking to
complete strangers.

263
00:14:35,330 --> 00:14:37,051
They would think about that question.

264
00:14:37,051 --> 00:14:40,093
And then I kid you not,

265
00:14:40,093 --> 00:14:44,576
it was like a tiny TED talk from an
individual who just shared what it

266
00:14:44,576 --> 00:14:46,218
is that they learned from their life.

267
00:14:46,218 --> 00:14:48,249
But by being able to distill one,

268
00:14:48,249 --> 00:14:50,681
two, and three, it tells a story.

269
00:14:50,681 --> 00:14:55,284
It's it's fascinating. It's it's easily re
mem rememorable.

270
00:14:55,284 --> 00:14:57,545
~ and it yeah, it's just incredible.

271
00:14:57,545 --> 00:14:58,666
So we started doing that.

272
00:14:59,372 --> 00:15:02,104
And Sarah and I were working on the series
where we were cataloging

273
00:15:02,104 --> 00:15:07,008
the the wisdom of strangers. And then ~ we
created a wonder summit,

274
00:15:07,008 --> 00:15:10,862
Sarah and I did in San Diego, where we
brought 65 of the top leaders

275
00:15:10,862 --> 00:15:14,715
and rock stars and visionaries and
pioneers that we knew in the world

276
00:15:14,715 --> 00:15:17,337
and brought them to San Diego to have a
wonder summit.

277
00:15:17,337 --> 00:15:20,079
And while we were at the Wonder Summit,

278
00:15:20,079 --> 00:15:21,481
it was like 11 o'clock at night,

279
00:15:21,481 --> 00:15:23,082
the night before, like, hey, you know what
we should do?

280
00:15:23,082 --> 00:15:25,664
We should grab these questions that we've
been asking people,

281
00:15:25,664 --> 00:15:27,926
throw them in a hat and let people pick
them.

282
00:15:28,512 --> 00:15:30,563
And so we sure enough, we grabbed a hat,

283
00:15:30,563 --> 00:15:33,025
wrote down the questions, and then as
people arrived,

284
00:15:33,025 --> 00:15:35,747
we had each person pick out a three things
question.

285
00:15:35,747 --> 00:15:38,889
And the assignment was during the course
of the next three days,

286
00:15:38,889 --> 00:15:41,691
ask as many people as you can your
question,

287
00:15:41,691 --> 00:15:44,293
and then you a that they're gonna ask you
theirs,

288
00:15:44,293 --> 00:15:48,056
catalog that wisdom, and then at the
closing ceremony,

289
00:15:48,056 --> 00:15:50,768
we're gonna have everyone go around and
share what their question was,

290
00:15:50,768 --> 00:15:53,330
what they learned, and then ~ reflect
back.

291
00:15:53,330 --> 00:15:56,242
And it was one of the most riveting
experiences.

292
00:15:56,482 --> 00:15:57,572
People would get up and say, Hi,

293
00:15:57,572 --> 00:15:59,734
my name is. I my question was,

294
00:15:59,734 --> 00:16:02,586
~ what are three things you've learned
about getting into trouble?

295
00:16:02,586 --> 00:16:06,449
And I interviewed 17 people and then this
is what I found out,

296
00:16:06,449 --> 00:16:08,111
you know, and it was just riveting.

297
00:16:08,111 --> 00:16:11,833
And it was just we had a moment that was
like just an exploration

298
00:16:11,833 --> 00:16:13,304
of something popped out in front of us,

299
00:16:13,304 --> 00:16:16,157
going, wow, there's other mediums that we
can do this in.

300
00:16:16,157 --> 00:16:18,718
And then two weeks later I got a phone
call from the head

301
00:16:18,718 --> 00:16:22,531
of leadership and development for Hilton
Hotels Worldwide that said,

302
00:16:22,531 --> 00:16:23,531
Hey, would you come out?

303
00:16:23,744 --> 00:16:27,495
and be a keynote speaker at our conference
for the global analytics team

304
00:16:28,015 --> 00:16:29,576
and you know share what you've been
learning,

305
00:16:29,576 --> 00:16:32,396
you know, cataloging all this wisdom from
extraordinary leaders.

306
00:16:32,396 --> 00:16:34,747
And and I said yes. And they said,

307
00:16:34,747 --> 00:16:37,138
by the way, do you have a team building
experience?

308
00:16:37,138 --> 00:16:41,219
And we hadn't done it yet. We just did
this thing two weeks ago with pieces

309
00:16:41,219 --> 00:16:43,479
of paper, you know, like written pieces of
paper in a hat.

310
00:16:43,479 --> 00:16:45,400
We don't and and we said, Yeah,

311
00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:47,020
we're we're creating this game.

312
00:16:47,020 --> 00:16:50,631
You know, we're we're gonna make cards and
and and and and I was speaking,

313
00:16:50,631 --> 00:16:52,482
you know, like it was already done in my
head.

314
00:16:52,948 --> 00:16:57,021
And and he said, Great, I'll buy two
hundred and fifty of but we hadn't made
yet.

315
00:16:57,021 --> 00:16:59,233
But I was just realizing that we can make
them.

316
00:16:59,233 --> 00:17:02,315
So he helped fund the first ~ the first
thing.

317
00:17:02,315 --> 00:17:05,247
So we made five hundred games in our first
printing of them.

318
00:17:05,247 --> 00:17:10,000
Two hundred and fifty went to the to
Hilton and we did this exercise with them.

319
00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:14,844
We did a corporate training where we had
the people play three things as

320
00:17:14,844 --> 00:17:19,377
a way to become better public speakers and
better leaders and to build ~

321
00:17:19,530 --> 00:17:22,171
a a team community and ~ yeah,

322
00:17:22,171 --> 00:17:23,451
just so many great things out of it.

323
00:17:23,451 --> 00:17:25,102
We got, you know, on a scale of one to
ten,

324
00:17:25,102 --> 00:17:27,362
they gave us a twelve for what the
experience was.

325
00:17:27,362 --> 00:17:31,473
And we've done that now for Virgin and for
Amazon and a bunch of companies.

326
00:17:31,473 --> 00:17:34,574
And that was experience that just kind of
birthed out of that.

327
00:17:34,574 --> 00:17:38,405
And then from there, we ended up kind of ~
yeah,

328
00:17:38,405 --> 00:17:40,586
seeding the game a little bit and testing
it out.

329
00:17:40,586 --> 00:17:44,317
And then now we have a a deal with Simon
and Schuster and the game

330
00:17:44,317 --> 00:17:47,688
is gonna be everywhere and it's already
impacting people's lives.

331
00:17:47,688 --> 00:17:48,688
So we

332
00:17:48,270 --> 00:17:51,029
evolved it into making it into a a game
for everyone,

333
00:17:51,029 --> 00:17:53,216
as well as a a corporate team building
experience.

334
00:17:53,752 --> 00:17:56,084
What'd you find back at the Wonder
Conference?

335
00:17:56,084 --> 00:18:00,207
It seems like if that individual had one
question,

336
00:18:00,207 --> 00:18:03,769
asked 17 people, I don't think they
probably,

337
00:18:03,769 --> 00:18:09,093
whoever it was, I don't think she probably
~ articulated all 17 answers.

338
00:18:09,093 --> 00:18:12,135
I'm assuming the mental brain distilled it
down.

339
00:18:12,135 --> 00:18:17,208
Did it did it automatically come out as
here's three things I've garnered from
these

340
00:18:17,208 --> 00:18:22,092
17 people? How was the distillation on it
being presented at the conference?

341
00:18:22,062 --> 00:18:23,062
Great.

342
00:18:22,683 --> 00:18:24,274
So just to just to walk people through.

343
00:18:24,274 --> 00:18:30,690
So three things is ~ it's a very unique
way to distill information just in
general.

344
00:18:30,690 --> 00:18:33,372
I mean, I've spent my whole career asking
single-based questions.

345
00:18:33,372 --> 00:18:34,633
Hey, what's one thing you learned?

346
00:18:34,633 --> 00:18:37,336
And then people will go on and share a lot
of things about what they learned.

347
00:18:37,336 --> 00:18:39,268
Saying what are three things you learned,

348
00:18:39,268 --> 00:18:43,642
that's a whole different beast because
that helps people distill their collective

349
00:18:43,642 --> 00:18:48,376
wisdom in in threes. And so the first
answer kind of comes quickly.

350
00:18:49,374 --> 00:18:52,066
or can the second answer takes another
minute,

351
00:18:52,066 --> 00:18:54,819
boom, and then po but the third one will
take a second.

352
00:18:54,819 --> 00:18:59,663
And then that third one is this incredible
organic moment that bubbles

353
00:18:59,663 --> 00:19:02,145
up and pops out and it's just brilliant.

354
00:19:02,145 --> 00:19:04,116
People are brilliant. When they get out of
their own way,

355
00:19:04,116 --> 00:19:07,469
people are brilliant. And ev the the
questions in our game and the questions

356
00:19:07,469 --> 00:19:09,431
we use are universally gettable.

357
00:19:09,431 --> 00:19:12,733
Everybody can answer We play with kids all
the way to eighty,

358
00:19:12,733 --> 00:19:16,136
ninety year olds, and it's so fascinating
to hear what people say.

359
00:19:16,136 --> 00:19:18,498
The first so the first thing is that

360
00:19:18,786 --> 00:19:21,039
The the the first elements is that there's
three things,

361
00:19:21,039 --> 00:19:24,114
right? So that's that's ~ yeah,

362
00:19:24,114 --> 00:19:26,191
the first, second, and third. And then
your question was what what did

363
00:19:26,191 --> 00:19:27,191
you want me to clarify?

364
00:19:26,808 --> 00:19:27,808
Well,

365
00:19:27,038 --> 00:19:31,982
it's it's when when it was their part of
their role over the Wonder Conference

366
00:19:32,363 --> 00:19:36,166
to ask this question to as many people as
they could.

367
00:19:36,166 --> 00:19:40,319
And that was a lot of information from a
lot of different humans that

368
00:19:40,319 --> 00:19:44,392
was coming at that one person that then
needed to present it to the group.

369
00:19:44,392 --> 00:19:47,105
How how did that just in turn,

370
00:19:47,105 --> 00:19:51,679
how did it show up distilled down how the
person asking the 17 folks,

371
00:19:51,679 --> 00:19:52,930
and they had all this information,

372
00:19:52,930 --> 00:19:54,341
because they're not gonna give,

373
00:19:54,341 --> 00:19:55,682
hey, this person said this.

374
00:19:55,970 --> 00:19:59,164
This person said this, this person How did
it come out naturally

375
00:19:59,164 --> 00:20:02,318
and organically from people that didn't
set up the conference,

376
00:20:02,318 --> 00:20:04,540
that maybe weren't comfortable doing this
in the past?

377
00:20:04,540 --> 00:20:05,822
How did that come out of them?

378
00:20:06,222 --> 00:20:09,885
It's so great. Yeah. So what's what it's a
great question.

379
00:20:09,885 --> 00:20:14,188
So the the the process of three things is
it's universally gettable.

380
00:20:14,188 --> 00:20:15,810
You know, it's just it's very clear.

381
00:20:15,810 --> 00:20:17,511
And even though we think we can't do it,

382
00:20:17,511 --> 00:20:22,455
if we if we minimize the internal dialogue
that says we can't do it and push

383
00:20:22,455 --> 00:20:26,028
it to the side, everybody has the ability
to distill three things.

384
00:20:26,028 --> 00:20:27,680
So it's it's it's it's awesome.

385
00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:30,572
And I think what ends up happening in this
case you're talking about.

386
00:20:30,572 --> 00:20:35,046
So I interviewed 17 people, and then how
do I distill that down to three,

387
00:20:35,046 --> 00:20:36,046
right?

388
00:20:35,602 --> 00:20:39,003
But it was incredible. I you we had we had
all those people and they went around

389
00:20:39,003 --> 00:20:42,815
the room and it's it it it doesn't it it's
it's I don't know how to explain

390
00:20:42,815 --> 00:20:46,236
it any more than it's there's an organic
natural cadence to it.

391
00:20:46,236 --> 00:20:48,147
It's not complicated. Somebody just says,

392
00:20:48,147 --> 00:20:51,829
Okay, I interviewed seventeen people about
this topic,

393
00:20:51,829 --> 00:20:56,050
and then I thought about it, and then
here's the first thing I learned talking

394
00:20:56,050 --> 00:20:59,232
to seventeen people. Here's the second
thing that I learned talking

395
00:20:59,232 --> 00:21:02,213
to seventeen people and then wait a
minute.

396
00:21:02,213 --> 00:21:05,204
And then here's the third and that one
like pops up.

397
00:21:05,536 --> 00:21:07,939
And bubbles out and then everybody's like,

398
00:21:07,939 --> 00:21:10,402
Whoa, that's incredible and it's and yeah,

399
00:21:10,402 --> 00:21:12,154
it it it it's it's it's ~

400
00:21:13,710 --> 00:21:15,611
The process almost automatically filters
it.

401
00:21:15,611 --> 00:21:19,395
As you were talking about it, they said
the process almost automatically filters
it.

402
00:21:19,395 --> 00:21:21,036
That's what I was thinking about this.

403
00:21:21,036 --> 00:21:23,578
It probably filters down probably to like,

404
00:21:23,578 --> 00:21:25,520
these are the three biggest things I took
away.

405
00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:28,332
You don't even have to think about the
seventeen.

406
00:21:28,844 --> 00:21:31,897
Right. It just comes it comes for it's
it's an amazing thing.

407
00:21:31,897 --> 00:21:33,578
Three things is very very powerful.

408
00:21:33,578 --> 00:21:38,192
It's very very very powerful. not
something that that we developed,

409
00:21:38,192 --> 00:21:39,893
something that we backed into and went,

410
00:21:39,893 --> 00:21:43,006
Wow, this is three things. We developed
the game,

411
00:21:43,006 --> 00:21:46,419
but the concept of three things is it's un
it's a universal gettable.

412
00:21:46,419 --> 00:21:48,811
Every you know, most cultures talk in
threes,

413
00:21:48,811 --> 00:21:53,164
we understand in threes. ~ it it it helps
people distill,

414
00:21:53,164 --> 00:21:55,336
it it it it makes it memorable.

415
00:21:55,336 --> 00:21:57,408
~ it's very very powerful.

416
00:21:57,518 --> 00:22:00,660
And businesses and communities the
opportunity to sit around and celebrate

417
00:22:00,660 --> 00:22:01,660
a lived life.

418
00:22:01,441 --> 00:22:09,106
~

419
00:22:10,242 --> 00:22:13,742
That's what I was wondering. I'm wondering
like if if tomorrow I don't know

420
00:22:13,742 --> 00:22:14,907
how many people are on the earth,

421
00:22:14,907 --> 00:22:16,709
eight billion, I I don't know what the
real number is,

422
00:22:16,709 --> 00:22:18,631
but none of us do, I don't think.

423
00:22:18,631 --> 00:22:22,265
If everyone tomorrow, on September fourth,

424
00:22:22,265 --> 00:22:25,338
could be gifted the game three things.

425
00:22:27,448 --> 00:22:31,743
How do you think how would we be impacted
if we all did it at the same time?

426
00:22:31,743 --> 00:22:34,506
How would the world change the next day?

427
00:22:36,302 --> 00:22:38,233
~ that's a great one. I'll answer it.

428
00:22:38,233 --> 00:22:42,845
see I'll do it in three. ~ the first thing
I think that what ends

429
00:22:42,845 --> 00:22:46,196
up happen the first thing that I think is
if if if the world if everyone

430
00:22:46,196 --> 00:22:48,167
in the in the world played three things,

431
00:22:48,167 --> 00:22:54,449
which I think the first thing is that it
builds community

432
00:22:54,449 --> 00:23:00,792
in a very powerful way. It's it's it's
very different than than other games

433
00:23:00,792 --> 00:23:05,504
of this magnitude. A lot of games in this
this this lane they're

434
00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:09,311
They're about sharing. Right?

435
00:23:09,311 --> 00:23:12,933
The conversation starter kind of games are
about me getting a chance

436
00:23:12,933 --> 00:23:16,134
to share something. You know, it's like w
whatever that might be,

437
00:23:16,134 --> 00:23:20,546
you know, the ~ what's on my bucket list
or you know,

438
00:23:20,546 --> 00:23:22,417
what what's my favorite food or something.

439
00:23:22,417 --> 00:23:27,159
It's it's about sharing, which is
beautiful and and the world needs ~ more
of that.

440
00:23:27,159 --> 00:23:31,781
Our our game is is it's about providing
value to each other.

441
00:23:31,781 --> 00:23:34,762
It it the answers uplift each other.

442
00:23:35,500 --> 00:23:41,499
So the first thing I think is that ~ yeah,

443
00:23:41,499 --> 00:23:43,712
I think the first thing is that it's it
provides value.

444
00:23:46,210 --> 00:23:52,737
The second thing that I think Three Things
does is that it it transfers wisdom,

445
00:23:52,737 --> 00:23:57,241
which is helpful. Transfers wisdom back
and forth between people.

446
00:23:57,241 --> 00:23:59,347
That's we need it. We all need it.

447
00:23:59,347 --> 00:24:01,225
It's so nourishing. It's so helpful.

448
00:24:01,225 --> 00:24:03,158
You've lived a life, I've lived a life,

449
00:24:03,158 --> 00:24:06,611
and if we get a chance to to help each
other on the journey,

450
00:24:06,611 --> 00:24:08,783
it's it's it's it's it's intoxicating.

451
00:24:08,783 --> 00:24:09,783
It's it's

452
00:24:09,358 --> 00:24:10,358
Just

453
00:24:09,518 --> 00:24:10,819
to stop me there on the second one,

454
00:24:10,819 --> 00:24:14,821
what you said wisdom. A lot, very often in
this world,

455
00:24:14,821 --> 00:24:15,821
we're trying to calculate. You know,

456
00:24:15,798 --> 00:24:19,354
we say, is someone smart? And I've been
having a lot of conversation.

457
00:24:19,354 --> 00:24:22,726
Like, what do you mean smart? Do they know
how to build that rock wall better than

458
00:24:22,726 --> 00:24:28,269
other people? Did they score the highest
in their getting their master's degree

459
00:24:28,269 --> 00:24:31,150
and their top three and they're gonna be
hired by some firm on Wall Street?

460
00:24:31,150 --> 00:24:33,232
Are they best to interacting with humans?

461
00:24:33,232 --> 00:24:37,194
But you used wisdom. And so if the world
woke up,

462
00:24:37,632 --> 00:24:41,007
On September fourth, after we played your
game today on September third,

463
00:24:41,007 --> 00:24:44,854
if we're all more wise, what would that
do?

464
00:24:45,390 --> 00:24:51,814
I think well, I I think w w wisdom is I
just think it's so important.

465
00:24:51,814 --> 00:24:55,677
It's easy to spin around. yeah,

466
00:24:55,677 --> 00:25:00,821
I think a lot of people wake up exhausted
and go to bed tired because they're

467
00:25:00,821 --> 00:25:04,043
not wise. They're they're reactive to
everything.

468
00:25:04,043 --> 00:25:08,947
They're they're spun around, they're being
controlled by all the exterior forces.

469
00:25:08,947 --> 00:25:13,610
And wisdom enables somebody to get clear
about their operating

470
00:25:14,318 --> 00:25:16,700
principles and what governs them.

471
00:25:16,700 --> 00:25:20,092
It's it's it's a it's a like a boat
without a rudder.

472
00:25:20,092 --> 00:25:22,194
The rudder is the is the is the
principles.

473
00:25:22,194 --> 00:25:24,305
And so when somebody has the rudder,

474
00:25:24,305 --> 00:25:27,488
it will enable them to sail wherever they
want to go.

475
00:25:27,488 --> 00:25:30,470
And so I think w wisdom is important.

476
00:25:30,470 --> 00:25:34,663
And and I think that yeah, I think we we
we all have it.

477
00:25:34,663 --> 00:25:38,196
It's not something that's just for
successful people.

478
00:25:38,196 --> 00:25:41,338
That's that that's why the three things
game is so powerful is that it's

479
00:25:41,938 --> 00:25:45,061
I I've met some of the most powerful
people in the world and had

480
00:25:45,061 --> 00:25:48,103
the privilege of having them share their
principles with me,

481
00:25:48,103 --> 00:25:51,386
share their their the lessons they've
learned and the struggles they've endured

482
00:25:51,386 --> 00:25:55,089
and and now we've created a game for
everyone to have that exchange.

483
00:25:55,089 --> 00:25:56,780
That is it where everybody

484
00:25:57,966 --> 00:25:59,226
I'm sorry. Yeah, I I interrupted you.

485
00:25:59,226 --> 00:26:00,988
I was going say before you get to the
third one,

486
00:26:00,988 --> 00:26:02,489
don't don't go there yet, right?

487
00:26:02,489 --> 00:26:05,961
But I wanted to go here on, you know,

488
00:26:05,961 --> 00:26:09,003
the idea of wisdom and and knowing and,

489
00:26:09,003 --> 00:26:11,495
you know, making impacts and calming down
society.

490
00:26:11,495 --> 00:26:16,308
It seems that sitting here listening to
Eric,

491
00:26:19,586 --> 00:26:23,382
Were you wise before you sat down and
talked to all these people?

492
00:26:24,878 --> 00:26:26,737
I mean, if you talk to my my my lady,

493
00:26:26,737 --> 00:26:28,143
she'd tell you I'm still not wise.

494
00:26:28,143 --> 00:26:29,921
I don't know, I'm still working on being
wise.

495
00:26:30,904 --> 00:26:32,705
But the wiz but the wisdom of the
principles,

496
00:26:32,705 --> 00:26:34,265
because I think what a lot of people,

497
00:26:34,265 --> 00:26:35,716
and and you know, we're all in this world,

498
00:26:35,716 --> 00:26:37,116
if you're in a leadership position,

499
00:26:37,116 --> 00:26:40,527
not manager, if you're if you're leading
folks and and hopefully taking

500
00:26:40,527 --> 00:26:44,439
the responsibility to help them live
better lives and maybe make these
incremental

501
00:26:44,439 --> 00:26:47,420
improvements and just have your community
around you improve and get

502
00:26:47,420 --> 00:26:50,461
a little bit better. A lot of people hear
the word principles.

503
00:26:50,461 --> 00:26:54,142
And a lot of folks say, What is that?

504
00:26:55,758 --> 00:27:01,814
Great. Yeah, so principles, so wisdom is
accessible to us all.

505
00:27:01,814 --> 00:27:03,545
That that that's first and foremost.

506
00:27:03,545 --> 00:27:06,428
That that you know, I've met the Olympic
athletes and rock stars

507
00:27:06,428 --> 00:27:11,422
and CEOs and entrepreneurs and some of the
most successful people in the world,

508
00:27:11,422 --> 00:27:15,736
and they're clearly wise. I've also met a
construction worker that

509
00:27:15,736 --> 00:27:18,439
no one knows who's also as wise as that
person,

510
00:27:18,439 --> 00:27:21,842
and I've met horse trainers and

511
00:27:22,284 --> 00:27:23,284
Whatever, all kinds of people.

512
00:27:23,264 --> 00:27:25,005
There, there's wise people everywhere.

513
00:27:25,005 --> 00:27:30,878
So it's not just about affluence and being
in in a in a in a in a big position.

514
00:27:30,878 --> 00:27:37,161
I I also think that that that wisdom is is
is available to anyone.

515
00:27:37,161 --> 00:27:40,442
Anyone. We all we all carry wisdom in us.

516
00:27:40,442 --> 00:27:43,343
You carry it, I carry it, everyone carries
it.

517
00:27:43,343 --> 00:27:47,866
It the question is, do does do I have the
ability to access their wisdom?

518
00:27:47,866 --> 00:27:48,906
Do I know how to do that?

519
00:27:49,602 --> 00:27:51,465
And that becomes asking people questions.

520
00:27:51,465 --> 00:27:55,971
I could sit in the in a in a in an Uber
ride and and seek wisdom from

521
00:27:55,971 --> 00:27:59,817
the Uber driver because that Uber driver
has a has a lens to the world that

522
00:27:59,817 --> 00:28:03,853
I have that I'm not doing. And so it's
it's based on our ability to

523
00:28:03,853 --> 00:28:05,836
ask ~ powerful questions.

524
00:28:06,350 --> 00:28:11,044
So, this idea about these principles that
really lead folks that you've been able

525
00:28:11,044 --> 00:28:13,062
to interact with that have these
extraordinary outcomes.

526
00:28:13,062 --> 00:28:14,256
So we talked about principles.

527
00:28:14,256 --> 00:28:21,132
If someone isn't waking up every morning
and going about their day based upon maybe

528
00:28:21,132 --> 00:28:22,782
three foundational principles,

529
00:28:22,782 --> 00:28:25,996
maybe they're going through their day
without knowing what they are.

530
00:28:25,996 --> 00:28:30,910
But what do you think the beginning of
documenting those are or figuring out,

531
00:28:30,910 --> 00:28:32,161
hey, what are your principles?

532
00:28:32,161 --> 00:28:36,034
Because if the extraordinary folks are
principled in everything they do,

533
00:28:36,396 --> 00:28:38,228
And all their actions tie to those,

534
00:28:38,228 --> 00:28:40,671
it's really important that we document our
principles.

535
00:28:40,671 --> 00:28:45,176
So what do you think that looks like on
being the the wise Eric on somebody
saying,

536
00:28:45,176 --> 00:28:47,969
Hey, like I need to figure out like what
are my principles?

537
00:28:47,969 --> 00:28:50,462
What are those? Where do where do I garner
those from?

538
00:28:50,786 --> 00:28:54,969
That is exactly what I do coaching ~ top
CEOs and executives,

539
00:28:54,969 --> 00:28:57,601
is that I I help them figure out what
their principles.

540
00:28:57,601 --> 00:29:01,695
It's not it's not as yeah, it it seems
like it's obvious to me now after

541
00:29:01,695 --> 00:29:03,877
all the work that I've done, but for most
people,

542
00:29:03,877 --> 00:29:08,761
they are living their lives, ~ working
their their their butts

543
00:29:08,761 --> 00:29:14,565
off and sacrificing and are disciplined
and are doing all

544
00:29:14,565 --> 00:29:17,908
the right things to to to live a
fulfilling life,

545
00:29:17,908 --> 00:29:20,200
except they don't know what their
principles really are.

546
00:29:20,386 --> 00:29:23,279
They have a sense of them, they think they
know what they are,

547
00:29:23,279 --> 00:29:28,415
but they really have not taken time to
define them like we like our country

548
00:29:28,415 --> 00:29:30,397
has a constitution that we come back to.

549
00:29:30,397 --> 00:29:33,200
What what's your individual constitution?

550
00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:35,703
If somebody doesn't have those at the
ready,

551
00:29:35,703 --> 00:29:39,297
then they don't have a constitution that's
active and working.

552
00:29:39,297 --> 00:29:41,960
They're just they're they're more they're
more reactive than anything.

553
00:29:42,392 --> 00:29:43,603
Someone that you're coaching recently,

554
00:29:43,603 --> 00:29:46,595
obviously to remain nameless, give me one
of the best principles.

555
00:29:46,595 --> 00:29:48,647
You're like, wow, that I I I like that
one.

556
00:29:48,647 --> 00:29:50,318
Not that's best or anything. You're like
that,

557
00:29:50,318 --> 00:29:54,452
so we can give people an idea of one of
the top pre three principles that really

558
00:29:54,452 --> 00:29:55,733
drives someone that you coach.

559
00:29:55,733 --> 00:29:56,994
What's one of the good ones?

560
00:29:58,466 --> 00:30:01,749
let's see, one of the principles that's
let me think a juicy one.

561
00:30:01,749 --> 00:30:04,320
One of the big principles well first of
all,

562
00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:06,572
I'll just k I'll just kind of freeform
here.

563
00:30:06,572 --> 00:30:10,275
W pr principles only work if they're
articulated.

564
00:30:10,275 --> 00:30:12,206
So they've got to be articulated.

565
00:30:12,206 --> 00:30:14,858
If they're not articulated and written
down and like right there

566
00:30:14,858 --> 00:30:16,720
is my guiding operating procedure,

567
00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:18,641
then I'm not living by principles.

568
00:30:18,641 --> 00:30:22,684
So that's the number one. People don't
have them clearly articulated,

569
00:30:22,684 --> 00:30:25,066
then they're more reactive than anything.

570
00:30:25,548 --> 00:30:28,580
That they're just they're responding to
things versus having a clarity

571
00:30:28,580 --> 00:30:32,582
of of principles. So principles enable
people to move with velocity.

572
00:30:32,582 --> 00:30:34,390
Right? If I don't have a principle,

573
00:30:34,390 --> 00:30:35,714
it just makes sense, right? Intuitive
sense.

574
00:30:35,714 --> 00:30:37,985
If I if I don't have a principle and
something comes at me,

575
00:30:37,985 --> 00:30:40,786
I'm in my head, I'm trying to figure out
what to do.

576
00:30:40,786 --> 00:30:45,749
I might ~ impulsively react, I'll I'll
screw it up even more.

577
00:30:45,749 --> 00:30:47,830
All that stuff creates more chaos,

578
00:30:47,830 --> 00:30:53,573
it it drains the battery, it it it it it
it it has us be a boat without a rudder.

579
00:30:53,573 --> 00:30:54,804
We're just kind of spinning around.

580
00:30:55,394 --> 00:30:57,435
But having a rudder, that's what
principles are,

581
00:30:57,435 --> 00:31:00,327
is being really clear about the what the
rudder is so that I can sail

582
00:31:00,327 --> 00:31:01,968
my vessel anywhere I want to go.

583
00:31:01,968 --> 00:31:03,999
And so most people don't define that.

584
00:31:03,999 --> 00:31:07,081
So then they're reactive to what's
happening.

585
00:31:07,081 --> 00:31:08,591
They're reactive to their environments.

586
00:31:08,591 --> 00:31:12,403
They're reactive to bad news. They react
they're they're reactive versus being able

587
00:31:12,403 --> 00:31:14,745
to go, I'm sailing that way and I know
where I'm going.

588
00:31:14,745 --> 00:31:16,886
And these are the principles that govern
me.

589
00:31:18,242 --> 00:31:20,032
I think it takes work to so that's number
one.

590
00:31:20,032 --> 00:31:22,495
Number two, I think it takes work to
figure out what those are.

591
00:31:22,495 --> 00:31:24,897
That's I mean, one of the things that I
that I've been really blessed is that

592
00:31:24,897 --> 00:31:28,229
I get to coach some of the top people in
the world around helping them

593
00:31:28,349 --> 00:31:29,910
get clear about their principles.

594
00:31:29,910 --> 00:31:32,672
Because that it it it it's so freeing.

595
00:31:32,672 --> 00:31:35,314
It it to live by our principles is yeah,

596
00:31:35,314 --> 00:31:38,356
it that that that's what enables us to
wake up excited and go to

597
00:31:38,356 --> 00:31:40,458
bed fulfilled is knowing what our
principles are.

598
00:31:40,458 --> 00:31:43,590
We don't know what those are. It's it's
it's very exhausting and tiresome

599
00:31:43,590 --> 00:31:46,242
and and a lot of regret and and

600
00:31:46,646 --> 00:31:50,229
Yeah, we just get kind of spun around for
a long time and then then it's over.

601
00:31:50,710 --> 00:31:53,095
Is the golden rule is the golden rule a
principle?

602
00:31:53,095 --> 00:31:55,215
Treat other people the way you want to be
treated?

603
00:31:55,215 --> 00:31:56,215
I guess

604
00:31:57,090 --> 00:32:00,202
The golden rule is undeniably a a
principle,

605
00:32:00,202 --> 00:32:05,161
right? So that at the at the core level of
society,

606
00:32:05,161 --> 00:32:09,787
I mean, that is one of the most profound
ideas is that ~ to treat people

607
00:32:09,787 --> 00:32:11,488
the way I would like to be treated.

608
00:32:11,488 --> 00:32:13,198
I mean, that is at the core essence.

609
00:32:13,198 --> 00:32:16,821
Th there's a I you know, I think if
somebody wants to live an extraordinary I
mean,

610
00:32:16,821 --> 00:32:18,321
if you want to live a mediocre life,

611
00:32:18,321 --> 00:32:20,383
you want to lead a good life, you wanna
lead a know,

612
00:32:20,383 --> 00:32:22,334
what but i then you could do whatever you
want.

613
00:32:22,334 --> 00:32:24,067
But if you want to live an extraordinary
life,

614
00:32:24,067 --> 00:32:26,636
it it really is about honoring the other
too.

615
00:32:26,818 --> 00:32:27,980
You know, it's not just about me.

616
00:32:27,980 --> 00:32:31,786
So do on to others you like done onto
yourself for sure.

617
00:32:32,268 --> 00:32:36,360
Yeah. So if we ~ we talked about to get
back to this third thing I said,

618
00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:40,153
what would the world if we played the game
three things and I think the one was,

619
00:32:40,153 --> 00:32:41,583
you know, community matters, I think,

620
00:32:41,583 --> 00:32:45,115
and then about wisdom. What do you think
the third thing we'd wake up tomorrow

621
00:32:45,115 --> 00:32:46,766
if we all played your game today?

622
00:32:46,766 --> 00:32:48,447
Is there a third thing? There might be
ten,

623
00:32:48,447 --> 00:32:51,219
but since you're the d distillation of
three guys,

624
00:32:51,219 --> 00:32:53,110
you're you're you're Eric the three.

625
00:32:53,110 --> 00:32:56,532
Like so what do you th is there another
good third one that you're like,

626
00:32:56,532 --> 00:33:00,064
Hey, I really think that the Imperim the
world would be impacted this third way?

627
00:33:00,714 --> 00:33:06,378
~ the the third thing, for the p playing
the game that you were saying,

628
00:33:06,378 --> 00:33:07,719
like the benefit of playing the game.

629
00:33:07,719 --> 00:33:12,588
The the the the game is i it's an incr you
I just I feel very lucky.

630
00:33:12,588 --> 00:33:15,795
I feel very lucky and very blessed that
we've created this game and

631
00:33:15,795 --> 00:33:18,577
the impact it's having on people's lives.

632
00:33:18,577 --> 00:33:20,048
I mean, that's really the greatest joy.

633
00:33:20,048 --> 00:33:23,951
The the impact this game is having is ~
tremendous.

634
00:33:23,951 --> 00:33:28,434
~ it it it builds community, it transfers
wisdom.

635
00:33:29,038 --> 00:33:31,889
~ it it it honors a lived life.

636
00:33:31,889 --> 00:33:34,520
I mean there's there's so many magical
things that happen.

637
00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:41,093
The the the third thing that I think that
that the game does third thing that

638
00:33:41,093 --> 00:33:46,225
I think the game does is that it allows
the transference of wisdom.

639
00:33:46,225 --> 00:33:50,197
And that's super helpful. I just think
it's so incredible.

640
00:33:50,197 --> 00:33:53,368
Just to be able to sit around and transfer
wisdom.

641
00:33:53,368 --> 00:33:54,403
We do all kinds of stuff. I mean,

642
00:33:54,403 --> 00:33:56,050
I'm I I like everything. I like music,

643
00:33:56,050 --> 00:33:57,050
I like going

644
00:33:56,972 --> 00:33:58,722
To parties, I like having a lot of fun.

645
00:33:58,722 --> 00:34:01,612
I like everything. Yeah, and this game is
very fun.

646
00:34:01,612 --> 00:34:03,454
It it surprisingly. It doesn't seem like,

647
00:34:03,454 --> 00:34:05,624
you know, to ask people what's a three
things.

648
00:34:05,624 --> 00:34:11,264
It doesn't seem fun, but it's it's so
funny and insightful and and joyous.

649
00:34:11,264 --> 00:34:14,646
And it's cool when there's multiple
generations playing.

650
00:34:14,646 --> 00:34:17,507
~ six year olds have great wisdom.

651
00:34:17,507 --> 00:34:19,907
Ninety year olds have great wisdom.

652
00:34:19,907 --> 00:34:24,789
just you know, just it when people just
allow themselves to share what's true

653
00:34:24,789 --> 00:34:26,389
for them, it's it's it's riveting.

654
00:34:27,009 --> 00:34:29,371
So the the the game is very intoxicating.

655
00:34:29,371 --> 00:34:32,844
~ people love to play it. It it it it ~
yeah,

656
00:34:32,844 --> 00:34:38,251
it's it's it's Yeah, I think the three
things is that it helps people

657
00:34:38,251 --> 00:34:41,985
on their journey. It it li it's it's a
it's a rising tide that lifts all boats.

658
00:34:42,542 --> 00:34:45,945
Hmm. The did this feel natural to you?

659
00:34:45,945 --> 00:34:48,928
Cause your lived life is what's created
this game,

660
00:34:48,928 --> 00:34:51,069
the things you've learned from and what
really helped you.

661
00:34:51,069 --> 00:34:54,953
In two thousand three, when you went out
driving the VW bus,

662
00:34:54,953 --> 00:34:56,043
I think that was two thousand three.

663
00:34:57,357 --> 00:34:58,697
I think I d yeah, sure.

664
00:34:59,180 --> 00:35:00,180
Somewhere around in there, right?

665
00:35:00,094 --> 00:35:02,946
Selling your grilled cheese sandwiches to
survive and to fill it with gas.

666
00:35:02,946 --> 00:35:03,946
~

667
00:35:04,717 --> 00:35:05,717
Yeah. Go ahead.

668
00:35:06,210 --> 00:35:10,014
The when you started out on that journey,

669
00:35:10,014 --> 00:35:13,368
was there a destination in mind then?

670
00:35:14,862 --> 00:35:18,393
So I set out on a trip. So when I just to
kind of rewind for a second,

671
00:35:18,393 --> 00:35:22,465
I graduated from college from San Diego
State University and

672
00:35:22,525 --> 00:35:25,807
I studied speech communication with an
emphasis on leadership.

673
00:35:25,807 --> 00:35:28,128
And I'd been a student body president,

674
00:35:28,128 --> 00:35:30,309
a fraternity president, a resident
advisor.

675
00:35:30,309 --> 00:35:36,091
And when I graduated, I wasn't sure if I
wanted to go off to corporate America

676
00:35:36,572 --> 00:35:39,933
or I wanted to ~ go back to graduate
school.

677
00:35:39,933 --> 00:35:41,624
So I decided I'd take a year off

678
00:35:42,590 --> 00:35:46,973
~ and my plan was to follow the Grateful
Dead and work a ski season in Aspen.

679
00:35:46,973 --> 00:35:50,285
And I th I was really stoked on that idea.

680
00:35:50,285 --> 00:35:54,838
And then my mentor pulled me back by the b
by by the scruff of my collar

681
00:35:54,838 --> 00:35:58,511
or my neck and said, hey man, I I think
going out and partying and having

682
00:35:58,511 --> 00:35:59,682
a good time, that'll be great,

683
00:35:59,682 --> 00:36:02,384
you know, but you're already good at
partying and playing.

684
00:36:02,384 --> 00:36:05,686
So for the year, what else can you do to
make the trip more meaningful?

685
00:36:05,686 --> 00:36:09,719
And on a dare from him, that's when I
decided that when I wasn't following

686
00:36:09,719 --> 00:36:11,220
the Grateful Dead and working a ski
season,

687
00:36:11,220 --> 00:36:12,220
I'd call up

688
00:36:12,076 --> 00:36:15,248
some of the most powerful people in the
world and take them out for a cup of
coffee.

689
00:36:15,248 --> 00:36:21,213
And that's what I set out to do was to go
interview people and to catalog wisdom

690
00:36:21,674 --> 00:36:27,488
and to bridge generation gaps and be able
to ~ help young people increase their odds

691
00:36:27,488 --> 00:36:32,182
of success by learning the guiding
principles that govern successful lives.

692
00:36:32,888 --> 00:36:38,380
Hmm. What's the ugly part behind the
scenes of that journey that we don't see?

693
00:36:40,864 --> 00:36:47,106
I don't know, I think f back then it would
have been just

694
00:36:47,106 --> 00:36:52,213
i i was I was ~ I was pioneering back
then.

695
00:36:52,213 --> 00:36:55,766
I was traveling around in a Volkswagen bus
with my dog.

696
00:36:55,766 --> 00:36:59,949
I picked up three other travelers and we
were on the journey,

697
00:36:59,949 --> 00:37:05,374
and that journey was riveting and
exhilarating.

698
00:37:05,674 --> 00:37:11,307
And also scary and uncertain. And we had
to be very resourceful and we had to,

699
00:37:11,307 --> 00:37:16,797
yeah, overcome our own fear of whatever
was limiting limiting us and be able

700
00:37:16,797 --> 00:37:21,624
to push beyond what was comfortable to and
stay committed to something that

701
00:37:21,624 --> 00:37:25,226
we really cared about and finish what we
started.

702
00:37:25,226 --> 00:37:28,178
That was a big deal. That we started
something and then there was

703
00:37:28,178 --> 00:37:31,630
all kinds of hiccups and upsets and
breakdowns and

704
00:37:32,182 --> 00:37:36,785
staying committed to something even though
you know it was tumultuous and not easy.

705
00:37:36,785 --> 00:37:40,477
~ finishing what we started was a was a
commitment we all had.

706
00:37:40,477 --> 00:37:44,019
So that was powerful and we worked hard to
and it took a long time,

707
00:37:44,019 --> 00:37:45,950
took ten years to to make a movie.

708
00:37:45,950 --> 00:37:51,243
~ and it yeah, it was we end it ended up
becoming a feature film.

709
00:37:51,243 --> 00:37:53,194
So that was something that that we didn't
set out to do.

710
00:37:53,194 --> 00:37:56,817
I I set out after college to bridge a gap
between young people and elders.

711
00:37:56,817 --> 00:37:58,398
That was my mission after college.

712
00:37:58,398 --> 00:37:59,398
I just wanted to

713
00:37:59,714 --> 00:38:03,086
to increase my odds and help my friends
increase their odds of being successful

714
00:38:03,086 --> 00:38:06,879
by talking to those that had already
succeeded and find out the values they
live

715
00:38:06,879 --> 00:38:10,261
by and the struggles they've endured and
what advice and counsel they would give

716
00:38:10,261 --> 00:38:13,634
to a younger generation to better prepare
ourselves for the road ahead

717
00:38:13,634 --> 00:38:15,345
and that's what I ended up doing.

718
00:38:15,345 --> 00:38:17,897
I set out on that mission and there's a
great line,

719
00:38:17,897 --> 00:38:21,309
Sometimes you take a trip and sometimes
the trip takes you.

720
00:38:21,309 --> 00:38:24,751
~ this trip took me well beyond anything I
had imagined.

721
00:38:24,751 --> 00:38:28,344
I that year long I I took a sabbatical for
a year and thought I would

722
00:38:28,610 --> 00:38:31,541
talked to a couple people and then all of
a sudden I was meeting some

723
00:38:31,541 --> 00:38:33,481
of the most powerful people in the world
and taking them out

724
00:38:33,481 --> 00:38:37,092
for coffee and cataloging their collective
wisdom and that led

725
00:38:37,092 --> 00:38:41,984
to giving speeches and working with brands
and doing cool things and all

726
00:38:41,984 --> 00:38:45,625
of a sudden ~ the journey took me in a way
that I'd never dream and

727
00:38:45,625 --> 00:38:48,845
got invited to give speeches to
corporations all over the world

728
00:38:48,845 --> 00:38:53,357
and coach executives and yeah it's been a
it's it's been a real blessing.

729
00:38:53,357 --> 00:38:58,168
But it but it started from real humble
beginnings and and just having the

730
00:38:58,626 --> 00:39:02,722
the desire and the commitment to to bridge
a gap between those that wanna learn

731
00:39:02,722 --> 00:39:03,894
and those that wanna teach.

732
00:39:04,386 --> 00:39:05,841
Where'd that desire come from?

733
00:39:05,841 --> 00:39:08,641
What was the origin of you feeling that as
a cause?

734
00:39:10,668 --> 00:39:13,859
Well, I I th that the the origins for that
for me,

735
00:39:13,859 --> 00:39:19,683
I I grew up in a very ~ I grew up in a
house that ~ my my mom and

736
00:39:19,703 --> 00:39:23,145
my dad were married and had ~ two kids
before me.

737
00:39:23,145 --> 00:39:28,798
My mom was a stay at home mother and my
dad was an executive at Barton Brands

738
00:39:28,798 --> 00:39:32,670
in Chicago, Illinois, that they import
corona beer and he played minor league

739
00:39:32,670 --> 00:39:37,132
baseball for the White Sox and he was a
stud for all practical purposes.

740
00:39:37,132 --> 00:39:40,404
And then at twenty eight years old he had
a stroke.

741
00:39:41,634 --> 00:39:44,997
That left him paralyzed on the entire left
side of his body.

742
00:39:44,997 --> 00:39:49,020
And so my dad walked around. If you've
seen people with their arms shriveled

743
00:39:49,020 --> 00:39:50,942
up and they kind of dragged that whole
left side,

744
00:39:50,942 --> 00:39:55,856
so his whole life got ripped out from
underneath him and what he envisioned

745
00:39:55,856 --> 00:39:59,790
for his ~ his his journey changed ~
quickly.

746
00:39:59,790 --> 00:40:03,473
And then I came four years after my dad's
stroke.

747
00:40:03,473 --> 00:40:09,418
And so I was born into a house with a with
a with a funny dad and a and a and a

748
00:40:09,538 --> 00:40:13,579
Big heart dad, but he was also bitter and
frustrated and angry and and

749
00:40:13,599 --> 00:40:16,890
and you know his whole life got you know
shriveled up and shut down on him.

750
00:40:16,890 --> 00:40:21,221
And so it wasn't easy. So I came into an
environment where ~ yeah,

751
00:40:21,221 --> 00:40:23,542
I my my dad wasn't like other dads.

752
00:40:23,542 --> 00:40:26,783
My dad wasn't ~ able to go be successful.

753
00:40:26,783 --> 00:40:30,934
He was he was on disability, he was
grouchy and frustrated because

754
00:40:30,934 --> 00:40:33,565
he couldn't do things that he wanted to
do.

755
00:40:33,565 --> 00:40:36,565
And so I had a front row seat to
suffering,

756
00:40:36,565 --> 00:40:38,746
and that suffering.

757
00:40:39,534 --> 00:40:43,986
gave me a strength of spirit that most
able bodied people never know because

758
00:40:43,986 --> 00:40:47,768
I saw how much he struggled and I realized
that I'm gonna live life on

759
00:40:47,768 --> 00:40:50,089
my terms and I'm gonna go for it.

760
00:40:50,089 --> 00:40:55,782
And so that was a big part of ~ the origin
of my story is that I I wasn't

761
00:40:55,782 --> 00:40:59,774
as afraid as most people are to go make a
fool out of myself and to go risk

762
00:40:59,774 --> 00:41:04,256
and to go ~ ask and to go try and to and
to go experiment to

763
00:41:04,652 --> 00:41:08,865
the the the I I I I I d I have no idea how
long my life is gonna be and

764
00:41:08,865 --> 00:41:12,537
I don't know if tomorrow or this afternoon
I'm gonna have a stroke myself

765
00:41:12,537 --> 00:41:14,688
or something's gonna stop my life.

766
00:41:14,688 --> 00:41:19,311
I got I had a front row seat to suffering
and so I wanted I made a commitment that

767
00:41:19,311 --> 00:41:23,584
I would go live my life to the best of my
ability and do it on my terms.

768
00:41:23,584 --> 00:41:28,377
And so I'm I w I was sad growing up in
that environment and then grateful that

769
00:41:28,377 --> 00:41:29,978
I grew up in that environment because

770
00:41:30,956 --> 00:41:36,020
Yeah, it it it it has given me a a very
powerful North Star to sail my boat to.

771
00:41:37,528 --> 00:41:40,419
A lot of those people, and maybe this ties
back to the game too,

772
00:41:40,419 --> 00:41:45,080
three things. ~ a lot of those people that
you spoke to on the road,

773
00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:46,381
some of them we know their names.

774
00:41:46,381 --> 00:41:47,681
I bet there's some that we don't.

775
00:41:47,681 --> 00:41:50,442
And before we were they were introduced to
us from you,

776
00:41:50,442 --> 00:41:52,542
if you would go back and watch the
documentary.

777
00:41:52,542 --> 00:41:59,224
~ did a lot of their wives come out from
massive adversity as well?

778
00:41:59,224 --> 00:42:03,115
Is that something I think I already know
the answer to the question,

779
00:42:03,115 --> 00:42:04,906
but I want to know it from the guy that
was sitting in the seat.

780
00:42:05,782 --> 00:42:06,933
Well, that's a good one. So yeah,

781
00:42:06,933 --> 00:42:12,365
you know, it's interesting. There there
are there are a few different categories

782
00:42:12,365 --> 00:42:13,784
of extraordinary people, right?

783
00:42:13,784 --> 00:42:18,848
There there are there are people who are
in a long lineage of extraordinary people.

784
00:42:18,848 --> 00:42:23,390
So they've been trained and and they've
seen what it looks like and then they they

785
00:42:23,390 --> 00:42:26,551
they they've been modeled by other
extraordinary behaviors,

786
00:42:26,551 --> 00:42:29,792
so then they know how to do it and they
become extraordinary.

787
00:42:29,792 --> 00:42:33,204
There are other people out there that come
from nothing.

788
00:42:34,210 --> 00:42:38,342
They come from nothing. They come from
some terrible situation and they come from

789
00:42:38,342 --> 00:42:41,083
nothing and they go on to become
extraordinary,

790
00:42:41,083 --> 00:42:46,666
right? And then there are people who have
a personal tragedy where they're living

791
00:42:46,666 --> 00:42:49,047
their life and then all of a sudden they
get into a car wreck

792
00:42:49,047 --> 00:42:53,409
or something crazy happens. And then now
they're stuck in a hospital bed

793
00:42:53,409 --> 00:42:58,181
for a year contemplating life and all the
things that they've done.

794
00:42:58,181 --> 00:42:59,262
And then they turn around and go,

795
00:43:00,246 --> 00:43:02,300
I'm not gonna be stopped by those things
anymore.

796
00:43:02,300 --> 00:43:03,792
I'm gonna when I get out of here,

797
00:43:03,792 --> 00:43:06,677
I'm gonna go do this thing that I've
always wanted to do and then

798
00:43:06,677 --> 00:43:07,989
go live an extraordinary life.

799
00:43:07,989 --> 00:43:11,936
So there's there's lots of pathways to to
to to make that happen.

800
00:43:13,848 --> 00:43:15,699
How much do you think luck plays a part?

801
00:43:15,699 --> 00:43:18,829
So if we go, because we're gonna we're all
gonna go get your game,

802
00:43:18,829 --> 00:43:20,171
we're gonna playing this as a company,

803
00:43:20,171 --> 00:43:21,842
I think. I c I can see this happening.

804
00:43:21,842 --> 00:43:25,324
We'll have our own wonder experience
ourselves.

805
00:43:25,324 --> 00:43:28,205
And I can s I can see the brilliance
that's gonna come out of it.

806
00:43:28,205 --> 00:43:29,458
And it's not necessarily

807
00:43:29,678 --> 00:43:30,678
You

808
00:43:29,758 --> 00:43:31,324
want to have me c have me come out.

809
00:43:31,324 --> 00:43:33,714
Have me come out to your team and I'll
help facilitate it.

810
00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:36,315
Okay, here's what I said though before we
got on.

811
00:43:36,315 --> 00:43:39,923
I said, You all, I think we would change
places physically with him today.

812
00:43:39,923 --> 00:43:42,670
~ Hawaii coming to Cincinnati,

813
00:43:42,670 --> 00:43:44,243
you know, that feels like work,

814
00:43:44,243 --> 00:43:45,243
Eric.

815
00:43:44,758 --> 00:43:47,212
It's I I'm not normally one to go to
Cincinnati,

816
00:43:47,212 --> 00:43:48,904
but if you throw in the skyline chili,

817
00:43:48,904 --> 00:43:50,066
it's a good deal. I'll come.

818
00:43:50,380 --> 00:43:52,421
Here we go. The pineapples and coconuts
from you,

819
00:43:52,421 --> 00:43:55,054
the skyline from us. I think you're
getting a better deal.

820
00:43:55,054 --> 00:43:56,896
I think we are. I think we are.

821
00:43:56,896 --> 00:44:02,491
Okay, you're right. So I think I don't
think it's necessarily correct

822
00:44:02,491 --> 00:44:03,902
me if I'm wrong. This is your game,

823
00:44:03,902 --> 00:44:05,223
this is your life you've lived.

824
00:44:05,223 --> 00:44:10,077
But for me, being in a seat where I have
to ask cu I ask curious questions

825
00:44:10,077 --> 00:44:12,750
way before a podcast. And then I wanted to
grow.

826
00:44:12,750 --> 00:44:15,392
I wanted to learn. I wanted to share the
types of things that you've gone

827
00:44:15,392 --> 00:44:17,344
out and learned, and maybe from average
people.

828
00:44:17,560 --> 00:44:19,712
Like how can those that think they're
average,

829
00:44:19,712 --> 00:44:20,761
how can they say, you know what,

830
00:44:20,761 --> 00:44:25,649
there is more possible? But I don't think
it's necessarily what we learn from other

831
00:44:25,649 --> 00:44:30,874
people. I think it's gonna be the growth
from within us that engages

832
00:44:30,874 --> 00:44:32,506
in this is where I'm processing this.

833
00:44:33,528 --> 00:44:35,259
Copy that. Yeah. You know, I think the,

834
00:44:35,259 --> 00:44:38,962
you know, w one one can say that all the
answers lie within ourselves,

835
00:44:38,962 --> 00:44:40,574
right? I I know I know all the answers.

836
00:44:40,574 --> 00:44:42,525
You know all the answers. We already know
the answers,

837
00:44:42,525 --> 00:44:44,127
and then by talking to people,

838
00:44:44,127 --> 00:44:48,811
and another person's ability to frame it
or to identify it,

839
00:44:48,811 --> 00:44:52,834
~ guides somebody back to themselves to
know their own truth.

840
00:44:53,538 --> 00:44:57,430
Yeah. Cause then I'm thinking because I we
ask these questions.

841
00:44:57,430 --> 00:44:58,830
We'll listen to podcasts. I mean,

842
00:44:58,830 --> 00:45:00,379
the life you lived is amazing.

843
00:45:00,379 --> 00:45:02,872
~ this game is just like another piece.

844
00:45:02,872 --> 00:45:04,963
It's just another piece of the pie on what
you've built.

845
00:45:04,963 --> 00:45:07,534
This is probably really fun. It feels like
maybe I'm gonna give back to

846
00:45:07,534 --> 00:45:12,596
the world a little bit. But so often
everyone's asking these questions because

847
00:45:12,596 --> 00:45:17,068
I do think there's an internal dialogue
that they want to know how,

848
00:45:17,068 --> 00:45:19,889
or that person's getting that outcome and
I haven't yet.

849
00:45:19,889 --> 00:45:21,218
And where that comes from is.

850
00:45:21,718 --> 00:45:24,680
I think we all do want to live a little
bit better lives.

851
00:45:24,680 --> 00:45:28,241
And so then we're looking for the answer.

852
00:45:28,241 --> 00:45:30,623
And then the book back in the day that was
written,

853
00:45:30,623 --> 00:45:32,574
The Secret. And if you just believe,

854
00:45:32,574 --> 00:45:35,886
if you just think of it, is there a core
principle?

855
00:45:35,886 --> 00:45:36,886
And you're going to say, well,

856
00:45:36,556 --> 00:45:40,688
there's three things, but is there a core
principle or an approach from

857
00:45:40,728 --> 00:45:42,389
all of us that you've seen? It's like,

858
00:45:42,389 --> 00:45:46,471
hey, if you know, you mentor already very
successful CEO level people,

859
00:45:46,471 --> 00:45:49,883
is there just a piece of general advice
that's like,

860
00:45:49,883 --> 00:45:51,264
hey, just start here?

861
00:45:54,872 --> 00:45:57,103
Just go just just go and do this thing.

862
00:45:57,103 --> 00:46:01,476
Like if if you don't have, if you're a
rudderless boat and you're going through

863
00:46:01,476 --> 00:46:04,147
the world and we're pulling up Instagram
and we're watching YouTube

864
00:46:04,147 --> 00:46:05,858
and we're hearing from Eric today,

865
00:46:05,858 --> 00:46:07,289
living this extraordinary life,

866
00:46:07,289 --> 00:46:09,470
him and Kelly, I think that was your
that's your lady,

867
00:46:09,470 --> 00:46:11,391
right? Sarah, Sarah. Sarah, Sarah,

868
00:46:11,391 --> 00:46:14,753
I apologize. I'm horrible. Take me to a
bad place.

869
00:46:14,753 --> 00:46:17,905
So, but is there just one general place?

870
00:46:17,905 --> 00:46:20,817
Because what I've found is you've
distilled it down to three things,

871
00:46:20,817 --> 00:46:22,688
trying to make it a little bit more
simple,

872
00:46:22,688 --> 00:46:23,688
the approach.

873
00:46:24,194 --> 00:46:26,770
What I've found is and correct me if I'm
wrong,

874
00:46:26,770 --> 00:46:29,646
but that rudderless boat just needs one
direction first.

875
00:46:30,734 --> 00:46:32,915
Great. Yeah, I think the guiding principle
for that,

876
00:46:32,915 --> 00:46:35,817
for me, is has been to know the road
ahead,

877
00:46:35,817 --> 00:46:40,619
ask those coming back. To know the road
ahead,

878
00:46:40,619 --> 00:46:44,021
ask those coming back. So if anybody is
trying to figure out how

879
00:46:44,021 --> 00:46:45,802
to live an extraordinary life,

880
00:46:45,802 --> 00:46:49,995
go seek out people that are already doing
it and find out the values they live by,

881
00:46:49,995 --> 00:46:51,125
the struggles they've endured,

882
00:46:51,125 --> 00:46:54,447
and what advice and counsel they would
give to you to better prepare yourself

883
00:46:54,447 --> 00:46:56,979
for the road ahead. In many regards,

884
00:46:56,979 --> 00:46:59,152
that's what the game is. The game is an
opportunity to

885
00:46:59,352 --> 00:47:02,664
to distill lived experiences that people
have had and to be able

886
00:47:02,664 --> 00:47:06,206
to share that wisdom with each other and
that everybody's carrying wisdom.

887
00:47:06,206 --> 00:47:09,057
My mom's carrying wisdom, your mom's
carrying wisdom.

888
00:47:09,057 --> 00:47:11,589
It doesn't have to be some CEO or a famous
rock star.

889
00:47:11,589 --> 00:47:15,550
Everybody's carrying wisdom and what this
game does is this game opens

890
00:47:15,550 --> 00:47:19,233
up that portal so that we all get a chance
to help uplift each other on our journey.

891
00:47:19,233 --> 00:47:21,894
And it's fun, surprisingly, talking about
life,

892
00:47:21,894 --> 00:47:25,479
talking about lessons, talking about what
people have learned on their journey.

893
00:47:25,479 --> 00:47:28,408
It it turns out to be very funny and
insightful and

894
00:47:28,916 --> 00:47:29,985
And uplifting.

895
00:47:31,234 --> 00:47:33,578
What do you think? This is something we
all can really take away,

896
00:47:33,578 --> 00:47:36,673
other than like go buy the game and play
it with your companies and friends

897
00:47:36,673 --> 00:47:38,135
and do that stuff, right? Yeah,

898
00:47:38,135 --> 00:47:41,611
but what do you think you've learned about
getting these people

899
00:47:41,611 --> 00:47:43,214
who were strangers to say yes?

900
00:47:43,640 --> 00:47:46,582
W you know, when we say that the game
turns strangers into friends

901
00:47:46,582 --> 00:47:49,954
and friends into family, ~ that's what we
say about the game.

902
00:47:49,954 --> 00:47:52,896
The game is a game that turns strangers
into friends and friends into family,

903
00:47:52,896 --> 00:47:58,040
and that these fifty-two cards will help
you get to know people better while

904
00:47:58,040 --> 00:48:01,042
discovering that everyone has something
extraordinary to contribute.

905
00:48:01,042 --> 00:48:04,734
And I think that is probably the at the
essence of what it is that we love

906
00:48:04,734 --> 00:48:07,086
so much about this game is that it it
yeah,

907
00:48:07,086 --> 00:48:09,687
it it creates a community quickly.

908
00:48:09,687 --> 00:48:13,190
~ it it celebrates ~ a lived life.

909
00:48:13,942 --> 00:48:16,526
And it's very fun to play because life is
funny.

910
00:48:16,526 --> 00:48:20,261
And so it's it's it's i and people who
play this game repeat back

911
00:48:20,261 --> 00:48:23,757
to us how meaningful that and beautiful
and funny the night was.

912
00:48:23,757 --> 00:48:25,860
It it it it it's an uplifting game.

913
00:48:25,860 --> 00:48:27,432
It uplifts and inspires people.

914
00:48:28,408 --> 00:48:29,609
On all those interviews over the years,

915
00:48:29,609 --> 00:48:31,739
you're traveling around the country and
people that you meet now,

916
00:48:31,739 --> 00:48:35,811
what caused them to say yes and not no?

917
00:48:35,811 --> 00:48:37,982
Is it as simple as open-ended questions?

918
00:48:37,982 --> 00:48:42,084
What approach did you take when you're at
a payphone and you stopped somewhere

919
00:48:42,084 --> 00:48:45,566
in the middle of Nebraska for some reason
and you're thinking,

920
00:48:45,566 --> 00:48:47,987
We're gonna be in, I don't know,

921
00:48:47,987 --> 00:48:50,988
Atlanta in a day and a half, and
Coca-Cola's at our feet.

922
00:48:50,988 --> 00:48:54,089
And I need someone at that executive or
CEO level.

923
00:48:54,089 --> 00:48:55,200
What caused

924
00:48:55,382 --> 00:48:57,761
What why'd they say yes? Was it your
approach?

925
00:48:57,761 --> 00:49:00,281
Was it a specific question? Was your why'd
they say yes?

926
00:49:00,974 --> 00:49:02,535
What a brilliant question, Mark.

927
00:49:02,535 --> 00:49:05,766
The So let's let's use that example.

928
00:49:05,766 --> 00:49:08,007
So I'm I'm calling the president of
Coca-Cola,

929
00:49:08,007 --> 00:49:13,229
which I did. And I I'm I'm I I back then
I'm calling

930
00:49:13,229 --> 00:49:18,401
the switchboard down below to see if I can
get put up to the higher levels

931
00:49:18,401 --> 00:49:20,962
of the of the of the of the office
building.

932
00:49:20,962 --> 00:49:25,304
So when I would call ~ yeah,

933
00:49:25,304 --> 00:49:27,985
there's some things I could just kind of d
riff with you.

934
00:49:27,985 --> 00:49:29,714
So the one one thing to

935
00:49:30,264 --> 00:49:31,414
For people that are listening,

936
00:49:31,414 --> 00:49:34,395
that there's a lot of work on the front
end.

937
00:49:34,395 --> 00:49:37,716
Like I'm not just calling just to call and
hope for the best.

938
00:49:37,716 --> 00:49:41,267
There's a lot of I call it whittling,

939
00:49:41,267 --> 00:49:43,078
you know, whi whittling, like a piece of
wood,

940
00:49:43,078 --> 00:49:44,128
whittling, whittling, whittling,

941
00:49:44,128 --> 00:49:46,358
whittling, and figuring out, well,

942
00:49:46,358 --> 00:49:49,939
before I make that call, what's the
problem?

943
00:49:49,939 --> 00:49:54,131
What's the need, and how am I the
solution?

944
00:49:54,131 --> 00:49:56,371
And that's applicable for a lot of things
in our lives.

945
00:49:56,371 --> 00:49:57,582
What's the problem? What's the need,

946
00:49:57,582 --> 00:49:58,962
and how am I the solution? So

947
00:49:59,244 --> 00:50:00,525
Before I get on that phone call,

948
00:50:00,525 --> 00:50:05,619
I've got to be able to clearly articulate
in a very fast amount of time those three

949
00:50:05,619 --> 00:50:09,421
things. If I can't do that, then the
phone's gonna hang up.

950
00:50:09,421 --> 00:50:11,703
They're gonna tell me no. And they might
tell me no anyway,

951
00:50:11,703 --> 00:50:14,345
but I've gotta be able to articulate that
very quickly.

952
00:50:14,345 --> 00:50:18,578
So I was able to do the heavy lifting
before I made that call.

953
00:50:18,578 --> 00:50:22,071
And so the the first thing I would be able
to do is articulate what's the problem.

954
00:50:22,071 --> 00:50:24,722
Well, I would say there's a problem
between there's a there's a problem,

955
00:50:24,722 --> 00:50:26,734
there's a breakdown between young people.

956
00:50:26,996 --> 00:50:30,029
And elders of proven depth and character
in our country.

957
00:50:30,029 --> 00:50:33,352
That's what I believed. I believe that
there was a breakdown between those

958
00:50:33,352 --> 00:50:36,435
two groups. There was young people that
wanted to live an extraordinary life,

959
00:50:36,435 --> 00:50:39,158
and there were elders, but we didn't know
who they were at that time.

960
00:50:39,158 --> 00:50:41,410
They they they ran businesses and they
were out there,

961
00:50:41,410 --> 00:50:42,441
but we didn't have much access.

962
00:50:42,441 --> 00:50:44,783
Social media and all the stuff that we
have now didn't exist.

963
00:50:44,783 --> 00:50:47,266
So they were much more in their ivory
towers.

964
00:50:47,266 --> 00:50:48,987
And so I knew they were there.

965
00:50:48,987 --> 00:50:51,490
And then ~ yeah, so there is

966
00:50:51,790 --> 00:50:53,271
How how do I do that? That's the problem.

967
00:50:53,271 --> 00:50:55,853
The problem is there's a breakdown between
young people and elders

968
00:50:55,853 --> 00:50:56,883
of proven depth and character,

969
00:50:56,883 --> 00:50:58,605
especially in my life. My dad was
crippled,

970
00:50:58,605 --> 00:51:01,667
so I didn't have access to going to him
for fatherly advice on how

971
00:51:01,667 --> 00:51:02,897
to live an extraordinary life.

972
00:51:02,897 --> 00:51:07,470
So I thought I'm gonna go seek out the
people that are living extraordinary lives

973
00:51:07,470 --> 00:51:09,802
and get wisdom from them and advice from
them.

974
00:51:09,802 --> 00:51:11,113
So the pro that was the problem.

975
00:51:11,113 --> 00:51:13,314
The problem is there's a breakdown between
young people and elders

976
00:51:13,314 --> 00:51:14,345
of proven depth and character.

977
00:51:14,345 --> 00:51:15,616
The need is that

978
00:51:15,830 --> 00:51:19,211
Wow, could young people benefit from the
wisdom of these wise elders?

979
00:51:19,211 --> 00:51:23,173
And would wise elders benefit from the
enthusiasm of the young people?

980
00:51:23,173 --> 00:51:27,175
And I thought they would. And then the
solution is that I could be a conduit.

981
00:51:27,175 --> 00:51:30,977
I could open up a dialogue between the two
and then have that discussion

982
00:51:31,217 --> 00:51:34,668
and then catalogue that information and
not only improve my life,

983
00:51:34,668 --> 00:51:36,574
I can also share that and help other
people.

984
00:51:36,574 --> 00:51:38,680
A a rising tide lifts all boats,

985
00:51:38,680 --> 00:51:43,042
if you will. So I would call the so I
would call Coca-Cola.

986
00:51:43,530 --> 00:51:46,113
And see if I could get access to them and
I would have to call

987
00:51:46,113 --> 00:51:50,197
the receptionist desk and be able to
articulate those three things very quickly

988
00:51:50,437 --> 00:51:52,319
about what I'm doing to a receptionist.

989
00:51:52,319 --> 00:51:55,352
And I believe in my heart that doesn't
happen all the time.

990
00:51:55,352 --> 00:51:56,854
But if I do that level of work,

991
00:51:56,854 --> 00:52:00,017
if the listeners here do that level of
work and figure out what

992
00:52:00,017 --> 00:52:02,970
the problem needs solution is in their own
lives and can articulate

993
00:52:02,970 --> 00:52:04,451
it very quickly and powerfully,

994
00:52:04,451 --> 00:52:06,634
that's a door opener. And so

995
00:52:06,990 --> 00:52:08,101
If I talk to the right person,

996
00:52:08,101 --> 00:52:09,392
they'd be hold on just a second,

997
00:52:09,392 --> 00:52:12,814
put me on hold, and then I'd get bumped up
another floor and another floor

998
00:52:12,954 --> 00:52:15,936
and keep pitching it until I could get to
the top of the food chain.

999
00:52:15,936 --> 00:52:17,847
And when I got to the top of the food
chain,

1000
00:52:17,847 --> 00:52:20,339
there was there's there's there's value.

1001
00:52:20,339 --> 00:52:23,241
There's value in in in and interviewing
people.

1002
00:52:23,241 --> 00:52:25,963
I recommend that for everyone that's
listening to become,

1003
00:52:25,963 --> 00:52:28,244
you know, the I I I'm not special.

1004
00:52:28,244 --> 00:52:30,686
We're we're we're all capable of
interviewing people.

1005
00:52:30,686 --> 00:52:31,927
Anybody that's listening here,

1006
00:52:31,927 --> 00:52:35,679
stop and think for a second. Who in your
life is waking up excited and going

1007
00:52:35,679 --> 00:52:36,679
to bed fulfilled?

1008
00:52:36,886 --> 00:52:38,467
And living an extraordinary life.

1009
00:52:38,467 --> 00:52:41,768
And then whoever's in your immediate
circle,

1010
00:52:41,768 --> 00:52:45,940
s ask that person out for a cup of coffee
or a sandwich or go for

1011
00:52:45,940 --> 00:52:50,462
a walk or whatever. And then come up with
questions that you're struggling with

1012
00:52:50,462 --> 00:52:53,252
right now and ask that person for advice
and counsel.

1013
00:52:53,252 --> 00:52:58,365
And then ~ it will significantly increase
our odds of success.

1014
00:52:58,365 --> 00:53:00,416
Mine, yours, anybody that's playing this
game.

1015
00:53:00,416 --> 00:53:02,467
And that three things game does that too.

1016
00:53:02,467 --> 00:53:05,418
It helps it helps distill wisdom and helps
people on their journey.

1017
00:53:06,198 --> 00:53:08,460
me make an assumption here and correct me
if I'm wrong.

1018
00:53:08,460 --> 00:53:14,052
I'm assuming it was harder to get to the
CEO person that you wanted to interview.

1019
00:53:14,052 --> 00:53:19,821
It was harder to get to their phone than
it was that once you got to them

1020
00:53:19,821 --> 00:53:22,573
for them to say yes. I bet it became
almost

1021
00:53:24,748 --> 00:53:27,526
guaranteed that if you got to them and
they were listening,

1022
00:53:27,526 --> 00:53:28,829
that you were getting in front of them.

1023
00:53:29,550 --> 00:53:32,583
Haha well that that's that's being a good
closer,

1024
00:53:32,583 --> 00:53:34,825
right? We all want to be a good closer.

1025
00:53:34,825 --> 00:53:37,694
I don't you know, I think ~ f you're
you're correct.

1026
00:53:37,694 --> 00:53:40,901
I mean if I if I made it all the way up to
the to the seventeenth floor

1027
00:53:40,901 --> 00:53:42,643
or the thirty seventh floor, whatever that
was,

1028
00:53:42,643 --> 00:53:46,258
and I'm I'm I'm pitching my ass off as you
say as as as we say.

1029
00:53:46,258 --> 00:53:49,830
Like I'm pitching hard and and and and
time is the essence.

1030
00:53:49,830 --> 00:53:54,154
You got four I got forty five seconds to
plead my case and and

1031
00:53:54,570 --> 00:53:56,191
And I had to learn to be tenacious.

1032
00:53:56,191 --> 00:53:58,903
I mean, sometimes there was a no and then
I'd call back a week later

1033
00:53:58,903 --> 00:54:02,095
and pitch it again and and tenacity is
rewarded,

1034
00:54:02,095 --> 00:54:04,807
clarity is rewarded. Doing the homework.

1035
00:54:04,807 --> 00:54:07,939
I mean, being able to clearly articulate a
problem needs solution,

1036
00:54:07,939 --> 00:54:11,332
that that sings on a phone or on a on a
message.

1037
00:54:11,332 --> 00:54:13,193
That that there's clarity to that.

1038
00:54:13,193 --> 00:54:16,505
Clarity opens doors. ~ Yeah,

1039
00:54:16,505 --> 00:54:17,536
I mean I got I got I got

1040
00:54:17,646 --> 00:54:19,997
Pretty high up there. I mean it it's a
numbers game.

1041
00:54:19,997 --> 00:54:21,938
That's the reality of it is it's a numbers
game.

1042
00:54:21,938 --> 00:54:24,539
I met some of the most amazing people and
continue to meet some of

1043
00:54:24,539 --> 00:54:26,170
the most amazing people on the planet.

1044
00:54:26,170 --> 00:54:29,581
And there's a whole bunch of reasons why
somebody says yes and

1045
00:54:29,581 --> 00:54:31,652
it just streamlined and I got right there.

1046
00:54:31,652 --> 00:54:34,073
Sometimes it's a no and it's a no and it's
a no,

1047
00:54:34,073 --> 00:54:38,025
and then tenacity plays a role and being
able to eliminate other people's doubt

1048
00:54:38,025 --> 00:54:40,436
and staying the course, that could turn a
no into a yes.

1049
00:54:40,436 --> 00:54:42,757
And other times a no is just a no.

1050
00:54:42,757 --> 00:54:44,778
Sometimes it has to do with I didn't

1051
00:54:44,930 --> 00:54:48,254
do a good job pitching it, and other times
it's a no because that person's

1052
00:54:48,254 --> 00:54:50,476
dad just died, and I have no idea that
that happened.

1053
00:54:50,476 --> 00:54:52,839
And it's just a no. And whatever it is.

1054
00:54:52,839 --> 00:54:54,520
And it's just it's it's a numbers game.

1055
00:54:54,520 --> 00:54:59,646
It's about being clear about my mission
and being able to articulate that easily

1056
00:54:59,646 --> 00:55:01,187
for other people to grok it in.

1057
00:55:01,187 --> 00:55:07,134
And it's about tenacity and not taking no
for an answer without being too pushy.

1058
00:55:08,770 --> 00:55:15,677
So what's the responsibility of us when
we're asking questions?

1059
00:55:15,677 --> 00:55:17,960
What's then our responsibility?

1060
00:55:17,960 --> 00:55:21,003
If that person's gonna take the time,

1061
00:55:21,003 --> 00:55:24,767
the person playing the game, the CEO
you're talking to,

1062
00:55:24,767 --> 00:55:28,051
somebody, then what's the person at cause
we're asking something?

1063
00:55:28,051 --> 00:55:30,634
What's then our responsibility?

1064
00:55:32,460 --> 00:55:34,927
As the interviewer or as the conversation
person,

1065
00:55:34,927 --> 00:55:37,324
that's what you're saying, as the person
who's engaging the conversation?

1066
00:55:37,324 --> 00:55:38,558
I you

1067
00:55:37,740 --> 00:55:38,740
Yep.

1068
00:55:38,558 --> 00:55:39,558
know, I I think

1069
00:55:39,659 --> 00:55:40,995
If there isn't any, there isn't any,

1070
00:55:40,995 --> 00:55:41,995
but that's

1071
00:55:43,322 --> 00:55:47,033
I think some things that I that I you w
when I engage in a conversation,

1072
00:55:47,033 --> 00:55:49,626
I think I think listening is underrated.

1073
00:55:49,626 --> 00:55:53,849
I think a lot of people are talkers but
they're not very good listeners.

1074
00:55:53,849 --> 00:55:58,783
And so I think listening is very important
and and allowing space for people

1075
00:55:58,783 --> 00:56:03,516
to to formulate their ideas and to be able
to reflect back to them what

1076
00:56:03,516 --> 00:56:06,478
it is people have heard and th there's a
lot there's a benefit there.

1077
00:56:07,020 --> 00:56:08,890
You got here to this place at life.

1078
00:56:08,890 --> 00:56:10,913
I'm not even going to dare to ask the age.

1079
00:56:10,913 --> 00:56:15,943
Not even going to dare. ~ but it feels
like from your experience through

1080
00:56:15,943 --> 00:56:18,538
the research, it's like this guy's lived
multiple lives.

1081
00:56:18,538 --> 00:56:23,071
And I mean multiple lives in that how much
you've packed into it and

1082
00:56:23,071 --> 00:56:24,863
the life you're getting to live on your
terms.

1083
00:56:24,863 --> 00:56:30,146
But what's so fascinating about this is
you created it.

1084
00:56:30,146 --> 00:56:35,000
This wasn't a path that anybody had carved
in front of you.

1085
00:56:35,852 --> 00:56:37,395
that you you said before, hey,

1086
00:56:37,395 --> 00:56:38,637
if you see where you want to go,

1087
00:56:38,637 --> 00:56:40,992
ask the people that have already been
there and listen to them.

1088
00:56:40,992 --> 00:56:45,420
I don't know if there's anybody that you
had access to that had been

1089
00:56:45,420 --> 00:56:46,420
to where you've gone.

1090
00:56:46,892 --> 00:56:48,553
You're s I'm sorry, I misunderstood that.

1091
00:56:49,036 --> 00:56:52,650
Yeah, so I don't think that what's so
fascinating about your experience

1092
00:56:52,650 --> 00:56:56,804
and your story is there wasn't anybody
else that already paved this path that

1093
00:56:56,804 --> 00:56:59,056
you were looking to to say, like right
now,

1094
00:56:59,056 --> 00:57:01,779
if somebody wanted to, if they want to be
an influencer,

1095
00:57:01,779 --> 00:57:04,302
whatever that means now, right?

1096
00:57:04,302 --> 00:57:07,345
But there's many people, the Paul
Brothers,

1097
00:57:07,345 --> 00:57:10,007
a Gary Vee, you know, just all these
folks.

1098
00:57:10,007 --> 00:57:12,440
And you could say, let me read their
books.

1099
00:57:12,694 --> 00:57:16,255
If I wanna be Eric and and interview all
the people and this guy,

1100
00:57:16,255 --> 00:57:18,085
the school of hard knocks or if I wanna be
them,

1101
00:57:18,085 --> 00:57:22,297
you can go back and listen and look and
see exactly the way that they did it.

1102
00:57:22,297 --> 00:57:24,397
And if you do it exactly that way,

1103
00:57:24,397 --> 00:57:26,058
even though you might be a little bit
unique,

1104
00:57:26,058 --> 00:57:28,048
a little bit different, different
personality,

1105
00:57:28,048 --> 00:57:30,299
you're probably gonna get a similar
outcome.

1106
00:57:30,299 --> 00:57:35,880
I don't think you looked at anybody to
follow this path that you've traveled.

1107
00:57:35,880 --> 00:57:40,101
It seems like that you just set forth on
the journey.

1108
00:57:40,101 --> 00:57:42,132
Am I correct about that? That's what's so
fascinating.

1109
00:57:42,558 --> 00:57:44,760
You you you you well, y you are correct.

1110
00:57:44,760 --> 00:57:47,662
There's a lot more people doing all kinds
of things today.

1111
00:57:47,662 --> 00:57:52,225
I was definitely an early adopter or
beginning of of something.

1112
00:57:52,225 --> 00:57:57,009
~ when I set out, I mean people have been
people have been studying

1113
00:57:57,169 --> 00:57:59,274
and and seeking out wise people forever.

1114
00:57:59,274 --> 00:58:02,463
I mean, that's not new, but in the sense
of when I first came up with

1115
00:58:02,463 --> 00:58:05,855
the idea of making a a a film called The
Journey where we were gonna bridge

1116
00:58:05,855 --> 00:58:09,098
a gap between young people and elders and
set off with our

1117
00:58:09,820 --> 00:58:11,582
with our cameras and go record that,

1118
00:58:11,582 --> 00:58:15,376
that was very pioneering at the time that
we were we were at the very beginning

1119
00:58:15,376 --> 00:58:18,999
of MTV. Like we T V was just happening
with road rules and we were

1120
00:58:19,059 --> 00:58:22,372
we were right there and we kinda did our
own version of that where

1121
00:58:22,372 --> 00:58:26,997
we were actually out and about and started
before that and started bridging

1122
00:58:26,997 --> 00:58:28,899
the gap between young people and elders.

1123
00:58:28,899 --> 00:58:31,701
And so that was very unique to us back
then.

1124
00:58:31,701 --> 00:58:33,913
And and ~ yeah I think

1125
00:58:35,042 --> 00:58:39,243
Talking to wise elders and bridging the
gap has been ~ at the core essence

1126
00:58:39,243 --> 00:58:42,923
of my work. And we set out to go do that
and it was yeah,

1127
00:58:42,923 --> 00:58:44,625
it was very pioneering at the time.

1128
00:58:44,625 --> 00:58:46,645
People hadn't heard of it, people hadn't
done it,

1129
00:58:46,645 --> 00:58:49,506
and we were we were forging new ground.

1130
00:58:49,506 --> 00:58:53,027
And then when we came out with our movie
and we sold our short film

1131
00:58:53,027 --> 00:58:55,728
at Sundance and our feature one South by
Southwest,

1132
00:58:55,728 --> 00:58:59,369
it was because we had tapped into
something that that people really love.

1133
00:58:59,369 --> 00:59:01,770
It w there's there's there's an honesty to
the film,

1134
00:59:01,770 --> 00:59:02,870
it's very inspiring.

1135
00:59:03,598 --> 00:59:07,401
it's very revealing. People tell me that
they'll watch it once a year

1136
00:59:07,401 --> 00:59:09,973
and go back and watch it again just for
what they can get out of it.

1137
00:59:09,973 --> 00:59:12,786
It's ~ it's chalkful, a lot of wisdom.

1138
00:59:12,786 --> 00:59:17,069
~ and it's very helpful. It's hell it's
helpful for entrepreneurs,

1139
00:59:17,069 --> 00:59:20,682
it's helpful for visionaries, it's helpful
for pioneers to watch it

1140
00:59:20,682 --> 00:59:24,706
and and and people tell us all over the
world that it's been very impactful

1141
00:59:24,706 --> 00:59:27,498
and they've used it to succeed on their
own journey.

1142
00:59:28,622 --> 00:59:31,106
So you can get back to your awesome Maui
life.

1143
00:59:31,106 --> 00:59:33,782
~ send send us on our way. you know,

1144
00:59:33,782 --> 00:59:35,174
what's the what's the best place?

1145
00:59:35,174 --> 00:59:38,540
We'll give you all the tag, but what's the
best place for us to go find the game?

1146
00:59:38,540 --> 00:59:39,540
That's number one.

1147
00:59:39,468 --> 00:59:41,389
the game, so if anybody loves the game,

1148
00:59:41,389 --> 00:59:45,042
please pick it up. The best place to get
that is ~ on Amazon.

1149
00:59:45,042 --> 00:59:48,165
You can buy it on Amazon and you can also
buy it at ~ at

1150
00:59:48,165 --> 00:59:51,187
my site at EricSaperston.com. you can get
it there.

1151
00:59:51,187 --> 00:59:53,619
And ~ the game has been a blessing.

1152
00:59:53,619 --> 00:59:56,101
It's been ~ something that that I'm really
proud of.

1153
00:59:56,101 --> 00:59:59,414
Our team is really proud of. ~ I've spent
my whole life bridging a

1154
00:59:59,414 --> 01:00:01,926
gap between young people and wise elders.

1155
01:00:01,926 --> 01:00:04,468
That's what been my b base level of my
work.

1156
01:00:04,940 --> 01:00:08,102
And then now we've created a game that
enables families and friends

1157
01:00:08,102 --> 01:00:09,693
and communities to do that too,

1158
01:00:09,693 --> 01:00:13,606
to bridge the gap between those that those
that you love and to be able

1159
01:00:13,606 --> 01:00:18,770
to share life lessons and be able to help
one another on each other's journey.

1160
01:00:18,770 --> 01:00:21,882
And it's it's it's the feedback that we're
getting from the game

1161
01:00:21,882 --> 01:00:25,815
has been extraordinary. ~ it's it's it's
it's impactful.

1162
01:00:25,815 --> 01:00:28,958
It's it's fun to play with ~ a loved one,

1163
01:00:28,958 --> 01:00:30,359
it's fun to play with a family,

1164
01:00:30,359 --> 01:00:31,970
it's fun to play with your

1165
01:00:32,512 --> 01:00:35,545
a team. It's fun to play. We we use it
corporately.

1166
01:00:35,545 --> 01:00:39,128
I'm able to come in and and help
facilitate a three things experience

1167
01:00:39,128 --> 01:00:42,862
for companies that helps ~ do amazing
things for them.

1168
01:00:42,862 --> 01:00:45,044
They we're we're getting rave reviews,

1169
01:00:45,044 --> 01:00:49,287
like I said, from Amazon and from Virgin
and from really cool companies that they

1170
01:00:49,287 --> 01:00:53,311
really think it's amazing. It it it it
brings a community together quickly.

1171
01:00:53,311 --> 01:00:57,545
It distills wisdom and ~ builds trust.

1172
01:00:57,545 --> 01:00:58,545
~ it it it

1173
01:00:58,698 --> 01:01:00,689
It creates a powerful team dynamic,

1174
01:01:00,689 --> 01:01:02,741
so many so many upsides to it,

1175
01:01:02,741 --> 01:01:04,762
both professionally and personally.

1176
01:01:04,762 --> 01:01:09,646
So I I highly recommend the game to play
and yeah,

1177
01:01:09,646 --> 01:01:11,467
I'm just I'm delighted to to meet you,

1178
01:01:11,467 --> 01:01:14,969
Mark, and to have the opportunity to as we
like to say here in Hawaii,

1179
01:01:14,969 --> 01:01:19,382
we like to say ~ talk story. That's what
the Hawaiians like w you and I

1180
01:01:19,382 --> 01:01:21,824
got a chance to to talk story today,

1181
01:01:21,824 --> 01:01:26,197
which is ~ such a sweet thing and I'm
grateful for the opportunity to know

1182
01:01:26,197 --> 01:01:27,558
you and to to be on your

1183
01:01:27,906 --> 01:01:31,929
on your podcast and ~ yeah, my my name's
Eric Saperston.

1184
01:01:31,929 --> 01:01:35,641
~ please come find me on all social media
links or come to

1185
01:01:35,641 --> 01:01:36,641
our site at EricSaperston.com.

1186
01:01:36,572 --> 01:01:40,084
If there's anything I can do to help you
on your journey or help you

1187
01:01:40,084 --> 01:01:43,957
get clear about your guiding principles or
to have us facilitate

1188
01:01:43,957 --> 01:01:47,579
a three things experience or coach or
speak to your organization,

1189
01:01:47,579 --> 01:01:51,702
please let us know. We'd be more than
happy to help uplift and inspire your
people

1190
01:01:51,702 --> 01:01:52,702
too.

1191
01:01:52,258 --> 01:01:53,258
Such an awesome guy. All right,

1192
01:01:53,198 --> 01:01:54,859
give us one final piece of advice.

1193
01:01:54,859 --> 01:01:57,191
Because you seem you're a guy who wants to
tell stories.

1194
01:01:57,191 --> 01:01:58,962
You're like, I don't know if you're an
advice giver.

1195
01:01:58,962 --> 01:02:00,502
I don't know. You're a listener,

1196
01:02:00,502 --> 01:02:02,464
you're a conversationalist, a storyteller.

1197
01:02:02,464 --> 01:02:06,736
But you said if you if you want to go and
if there's a journey that you want

1198
01:02:06,736 --> 01:02:08,738
to set out on, if there's something you
want to achieve,

1199
01:02:08,738 --> 01:02:10,208
find the ones who have done it before,

1200
01:02:10,208 --> 01:02:12,590
right? Read about them, listen about them,

1201
01:02:12,590 --> 01:02:14,811
~ open up your mind to how they did it.

1202
01:02:14,811 --> 01:02:19,894
But Eric went out on a journey that nobody
else had paved before.

1203
01:02:20,544 --> 01:02:23,346
Is there something that you can give the
now the 20 year olds,

1204
01:02:23,346 --> 01:02:28,230
the 22, the 25 year olds, if they can't
see anyone around them or

1205
01:02:28,230 --> 01:02:30,382
an example that has done what they want to
do?

1206
01:02:30,382 --> 01:02:34,185
What's a first step? What's a first
principle step that maybe helped

1207
01:02:34,185 --> 01:02:37,368
you when you were in your early twenties
that they should do if they can't

1208
01:02:37,368 --> 01:02:39,229
see anybody else that's done the thing
they want to do?

1209
01:02:39,229 --> 01:02:40,229
What should they do?

1210
01:02:40,396 --> 01:02:45,209
First thing I think is increase your odds
of success by seeking people

1211
01:02:45,209 --> 01:02:49,531
who have already succeeded. So to to
bridge that gap and open up

1212
01:02:49,531 --> 01:02:55,424
a dialogue between those that are gone
ahead of you and to sick to to talk to
them.

1213
01:02:55,424 --> 01:02:59,657
Success leaves clues. So to to really talk
to people and to to have

1214
01:02:59,657 --> 01:03:03,679
the courage courageous conversations with
people ~ that can help

1215
01:03:03,679 --> 01:03:06,480
you on your journey. I think the second
thing,

1216
01:03:06,480 --> 01:03:07,861
~ I believe is to

1217
01:03:09,868 --> 01:03:12,180
Do what you can with what you have where
you are.

1218
01:03:14,198 --> 01:03:17,499
lot of people make excuses. A lot of
people are hoping for all

1219
01:03:17,499 --> 01:03:22,541
the resources to come. ~ they they they
want to do something extraordinary

1220
01:03:22,541 --> 01:03:28,684
and at the first hiccup or upset they're
it it's too much and they they back down.

1221
01:03:28,684 --> 01:03:32,946
And I don't believe that all the resources
come at once.

1222
01:03:32,946 --> 01:03:38,638
resources in my experience come in motion
and so someone has to be on

1223
01:03:38,638 --> 01:03:42,850
the journey to get the next key and then
keep going on the journey and get the next

1224
01:03:43,434 --> 01:03:46,827
~ gold coin or whatever it is that needs
to keep moving somebody along

1225
01:03:46,827 --> 01:03:49,889
on the adventure. So do what you can with
what you have where you

1226
01:03:49,889 --> 01:03:54,362
are is super helpful. It's been one of my
core guiding principles that yeah,

1227
01:03:54,362 --> 01:03:56,233
start where you are and and just keep
going.

1228
01:03:56,233 --> 01:04:02,658
~ and the third thing I would say about ~
advice is extraordinary is a choice.

1229
01:04:02,658 --> 01:04:07,932
It's a choice. We're not guaranteed to be
extraordinary,

1230
01:04:07,932 --> 01:04:09,523
but extraordinary is a choice.

1231
01:04:09,523 --> 01:04:10,934
It's a choice that we make.

1232
01:04:11,738 --> 01:04:15,701
~ every person is ordinary, but we're all
ordinary.

1233
01:04:15,701 --> 01:04:18,124
And then it comes down to, well,

1234
01:04:18,124 --> 01:04:19,515
how do I want to live my life?

1235
01:04:19,515 --> 01:04:20,886
What are my guiding principles?

1236
01:04:20,886 --> 01:04:25,350
What what what's my definition of of of
the things that matter to me?

1237
01:04:25,350 --> 01:04:28,753
What are the top values that push and
drive me to do what I do?

1238
01:04:28,753 --> 01:04:33,687
The more clarity that I can have around
that those those things that govern my
life.

1239
01:04:33,687 --> 01:04:35,589
It's like my own constitution.

1240
01:04:35,589 --> 01:04:38,682
A lot of people are living their lives.

1241
01:04:39,246 --> 01:04:43,249
trying to please everybody and run around
and are reactive and it's exhausting.

1242
01:04:43,249 --> 01:04:46,181
But the people that wake up excited and go
to bed fulfilled,

1243
01:04:46,181 --> 01:04:49,893
they're really clear about what governs
them and they live out those principles.

1244
01:04:49,893 --> 01:04:52,255
And that's what that is what I've learned
on my journey.

1245
01:04:52,255 --> 01:04:55,868
That is what I've I've taken my principles
and juxtaposed them against some

1246
01:04:55,868 --> 01:04:58,980
of the most extraordinary people in the
world and debated whether

1247
01:04:58,980 --> 01:05:02,342
my principle was better than theirs or
theirs and and and str and

1248
01:05:02,342 --> 01:05:06,465
and grappled with them all so that I got
really clear about what governs me.

1249
01:05:06,465 --> 01:05:07,926
And I invite

1250
01:05:08,160 --> 01:05:11,273
everyone that's listening to get really
clear about what governs you.

1251
01:05:11,273 --> 01:05:13,665
That is the the rudder to the boat.

1252
01:05:13,665 --> 01:05:16,777
If if the the the if somebody doesn't have
a really clear rudder,

1253
01:05:16,777 --> 01:05:21,151
then their boat is adrift and is at the
whim of the elements and that

1254
01:05:21,151 --> 01:05:25,284
the elements will will will spin them
around and then then the ride's over.

1255
01:05:25,284 --> 01:05:29,468
so I would I would hope that everybody
would take advantage of getting clear
about

1256
01:05:29,468 --> 01:05:33,411
what governs them so that they can wake up
excited,

1257
01:05:33,411 --> 01:05:37,034
go to bed fulfilled, and produce
extraordinary results in their life.

1258
01:05:37,966 --> 01:05:40,132
All right, you're the man. Thanks for
joining us.

1259
01:05:40,132 --> 01:05:42,509
If you can't be excited about listening to
this guy,

1260
01:05:42,509 --> 01:05:46,509
~ maybe you need to go get the game the
three things.

1261
01:05:47,150 --> 01:05:52,374
Please do. Come come to EricSaperston.com
or check out three things

1262
01:05:52,674 --> 01:05:57,117
on Amazon and send us a note. Let us know
what your experience was playing the game.

1263
01:05:57,117 --> 01:05:58,117
We'd love to hear it.

1264
01:05:58,382 --> 01:05:59,569
Appreciate you, man. Thank you.

1265
01:05:59,884 --> 01:06:00,884
Mark, what a pleasure.

1266
01:06:01,061 --> 01:06:02,061
Yeah, man, thanks.