Josh Shipp on Why You Should Humiliate Yourself

We talked about the illusiveness of success and the exhaustion of always trying to attain it, as well as what happens when we finally let go and just be who we are.

For Josh, it comes down to being willing to ask for help and "humiliate" oneself.

I can't even describe how great this conversation was (all due to Josh). Whether you're struggling or not, this one is worth your time.

Josh has been a public speaker since he was 17. He toured with Bill Cosby when he was still a kid, used to be on MTV’s Total Request Live, and just recently had his own TV show with Oprah’s executive producer.

He now runs a seven-figure business as a “youths” speaker and founder of Youth Speaker University.

Here are some of my favorite bits from the show:

On Success

"One thing I’ve done that I really think has made a difference, it isn’t sexy, it’s not the answer that people would like, it’s just I’m willing to be self aware enough to where I’m great and where I’m terrible. And I don’t wallow in it. That means I can go and get a little bit better at that."

"Here’s what it comes down to to me: timely selfishness. To me selfishness is something that has negative connotation, but if you’re gonna be selfish, you need to be selfish at the start of the road, not once you’re down the road. From the get go, be very clear on who you are, who you’re not, what you bring to the table, what you don’t bring to the table, so that people can choose you and know what they’re getting into and be clear about that."

Why You Need Help

“The issue is never, 'can I trust myself when I’m thinking clearly?', when I’m at 80 percent, it’s those 10 or 20 percent days. I cannot count on myself on those days."

"All inspiration is temporary courage. So when I feel that, I try to, as best I can, push myself as far down the road as I can, because I know come the next day or next week or whenever, it’s going to eventually fade."

"If you think you can do this marathon, whatever that marathon means to you, either a) overnight or b) by yourself, you are without question (and this is not an insult to your talent, to your intelligence, to your perseverance) you are inevitably setting yourself up for failure."

What To Do After Success

“What I wish I could have figured out sooner was just to humiliate yourself in front of a handful of people and you won’t look like an idiot in front of the bigger group of people. You’ll be ready, you’ll have a healthier perspective, you’ll have the right heart and intention, but also the strategy and steps in place so that your pure, good idea actually has a shot of living and moving forward."

"Often times the very things that have helped us survive the difficulties in our life, later become a hindrance. Because my stubbornness, my relentlessness, my thick skin, my unattachment to anybody and anything and any outcome, is the very reason I survived the foster care system. But then later, when the game is no longer survival, but improvement and progress, that became my greatest hindrance."

As always, I had a great time talking to Josh. Enjoy the show!

Bits & Bytes Mentioned in the Show

TGM02 with Chase Reeves

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