 Have you ever heard that the top or the people, the five people that you are around the most often will shape your level of success? That's a well known kind of success idea. And I think it's changed these days because we give so much of our daily attention to content, whether it's serving social media or watching videos or, you know, reading emails, etc. And so many of us, you know, given the pandemic and other things live lives where we don't interact nearly as often as we did in the past with people physically around us. So I think it's more true these days that the five creators that you follow, the influencers, social media personalities, thought leaders, email lists, YouTubers, Instagram people, Tiktok people, the five creators you watch the most are probably shaping your values and your ambition, and therefore your definition of success and your happiness on a daily basis, much more than you might realize. All this is happening on such a subtle level. So I invite you if you wish to comment below. I'm genuinely interested. Who are the five creators that you follow the most you might go to your Instagram or YouTube feed. You can pause this right now you might get distracted so but it's okay you could pause this right now and give yourself a three minute timer and and go to I would be curious go to your YouTube, your Instagram, your Facebook, your email and your followers that you receive that you actually open go to those places and comment below if you like who are five creators that you watch frequently that you watch their videos, or you read their posts, you look at their images, who are five that you that you really. Yeah, you consume frequently. Okay. And once you've done that, I invite you to ask yourself. What are the ambitions that they are planting within me. Even if you don't think they are there. They, those people are communicating to you their values and their ambitions, just through their, the imagery of their lifestyle. You know, and by say imagery I mean both the pictures that they pose the videos that they pose but also the writings. They are planting their definition of success within you. In other words, they are influencing you in regards to what is happiness, and what is required to reach happiness. Feel free to comment below at your comment what do you think their definition of happiness and success is that they're influencing you into. They might not even say it consciously. But if you study a little bit deeper into what they're really standing for. Do they believe to be a successful life in innocence. What are they going for themselves and what are they telling you to go for those are the values that they knowingly or unknowingly hold, and that they are actually either strengthening within you or they are pulling you away from values that you don't realize that you are being pulled away from. So, I invite you to comment below if you wish. And I, because I want to when I started my business I was learning from the business marketing experts who were living lifestyles of the rich and famous essentially right because I didn't know any better I thought that was success. So, they always look at the big house, look at the fact that they're always on vacation. They always look like they're relaxing and they just happened to be recording this video or writing this email from their, you know their beach house or, or, you know, another thing they're renting that's. Digital nomads are it's much cheaper to live as a digital nomad than it used to be. But still, the imagery that I was kind of grown up in as an as a young entrepreneur was that of having to live that kind of lifestyle to be successful. And that's what I was pursuing and that made me hustle and be centrally burnout by seeking things that later I realized wasn't really in my long term happiness. So, once I came to see how I was being influenced. I decided to be a lot more conscious about saying what my values are, and to start to envision in my own mind and heart, and to, and to speak it and to write it, what a successful life means. In other words, a purposeful life. It's always valuable to at least occasionally anyway, revisit again what we think the purpose of life is what brings true happiness. And therefore, what is the definition of success and how are we spending our time every day working on that realization. And I welcome you to comment below. I think, if you haven't reflected on this in a while, and if you'd like to share with us. You know, based on looking at the values of the people you follow they're affecting you. But then what do you want to say as the values of a successful and happy life. I would love to see it. Now if you notice. I'm not trying to influence you. I'm, I'm aware of that. I think all of us who make videos or create content. We need to be aware of the fact that we are influencing people. I mean, it doesn't that doesn't matter if you watch all my videos or this is the first video I've ever seen. Just by me. Just by everything. I mean by the fact that I have a lot of plants in my background, they subtly subconsciously suggest to you that plants are a good thing to have in the office. Okay, the fact that I, I don't know have books here means maybe, you know, buying books is a good idea or, or, or whatever relaxing you know that imagery of this. That's actually what cats have taken over the Papa sign with was supposed to be for humans but anyway, so animals are a good thing right, but this picture I bought, you know, 15 years ago, maybe I should take down because that suggests that success means some kind of Italian seaside villa. But that's not that's not my definition anymore. This is more like it you know there's the forest, calm forest that's more like it so maybe I should take that down it does it does look nice I mean whatever. I don't, I don't, I'm not, I don't know anything about Tibetan prayer, just a gift from somebody and I put it up and it gives a spiritual vibe I guess or reminds me of the spiritual life. So every, everything like Andy also by the way you notice that my background is always the same. It's always fairly boring. So I could show you, you know, the beautiful scenes in my city, I live in San Francisco and lots of beautiful places here and I used to my early videos used to be showing you around you know dog park and things like that, which is good, I don't I don't mind influencing everybody to go to parks more often. But I also am aware that not everyone can have beautiful nature around them. And not everyone is able to travel to nice places and things like that so I'm, I'm kind of aware of it almost like making my imagery boring, because that way, you can focus more on the message itself. And I'm always aiming to influence you toward, shall I say deeper values or the values of success in life purpose in life, being not about the material gain, but about the daily embodiment of your virtues or the virtues you're doing in whatever you're doing, no matter whatever the results are. That's what I'm trying to influence you into. That's my ulterior motive. Now you know what I'm secretly up to, to try to persuade you and try to, you know, brainwash you. That's how I'm trying to brainwash you, that no matter what what the level of your business is, no matter if you are making the kind of money you want to make, having the number of clients you want to have that perhaps happiness and fulfillment and joy and peace can be found in the moment of work, when you're working, or when you're not working in the moment of rest or play, no matter the level of your business. That is my, that's how I want to state right now, sort of like my deeper value for, for how to approach work and how to approach business. If we can each find that within ourselves, then we can each be deeply happy. And that deep peace and happiness will then flow out into our activities. And no matter what the results of activities, we are making the world a better place, because we are exuding the depth of peace and happiness that comes with attention to our values in the moment, and the working towards growth of becoming a person. Which I often say that business and work is really just a stage for personal development. Because if you are waiting for a particular number, six figure business seven figure business. That's why I never say these things right I don't want to say because that's what a lot of. That's some of my friends still, you know, I'm probably going to be part of a summit in the next few months that's about seven figure business whatever I mean, I have friends, good, good friends colleagues that still use that kind of language and what I'm not going to. Well, maybe they'll watch this video and change their mind but whatever I'm not going to judge them and say you should stop doing that whatever they can do. And I just slip in there to their summits and to their events to aim to bring a different, you know, different value set into the conversation. Because even if your business is not seven figures six figures if it's zero figures, you can still find deep happiness as you work on your business. Because you are attending to the deeper values in the moment of working on whatever you're working on whether it's creating something you're doing bookkeeping you're doing administration you're doing solving a technical problem whatever it is you're doing, if you can attend to the possibility of some deeper value in that moment whether it's, you know, patients, or playfulness, or curiosity, or courage, or gracefulness, or service and compassion, or whether it's kindness, or joy, or whether it's connection, like, like these kinds of attitudes or values, when you can bring something like that into the moment of your work then my goodness, you can be deeply happy. You won't need to have a particular number or particular result in your business work and you're working on your business is like I don't. It's like I see so much of my people in my industry they're doing all kinds of trainings webinars it's always focus on the results isn't it. It's always like, Alright, if you do this thing you'll get this result and then the assumption is then you'll be happy. And what I'm trying to bring into the conversation is no no no be happy in whatever you're doing. That is the that is the true work that is the deepest work, or our highest work is to find that deep happiness and purpose and fulfillment and joy. Today, in the very thing you're doing right now in the very next thing you're doing in the very next thing you're doing is to find the deep happiness. That you go my gosh my life is already complete. It's already abundant. And I'm just going to work I'm going to show up because by showing up. It trains me it trains my concentration. It trains my concentration that's why I work it training my concentration it's training my mind. It's it's allowing me to serve, even if I can't see the results of my service yet. It's allowing me to practice service, no matter if there are results. That's true, true service, right is no matter of their results and no matter of anyone's watching, no matter if anyone gives you a like, or a dollar. You are still practicing the spirit of service, and also the spirit of exploration, your authentic business is about exploring your values and your experiences, and your passions and your skills and your interests. And it's that intersection of I always say the exploration of yourself and the service to your to to your world to your audience. That's the sweet start is authentic business. And that is what I'm trying to bring in that's what I'm trying to influence you into. That's what I'm trying to model for you. And so I don't mind being boring in my backdrop. I don't mind not showing you my vacations, you know notice I do take vacations but I don't show you the pictures. I mean I'm not by the way I'm not saying it's bad. I mean, especially if you, if you like, you know, if you have a business selling travel, you should definitely show pictures videos of vacations and things but. What I mean is, I'm aware of how I'm either causing envy and jealousy and lack within my audience or not, or abundance and in peace now. Like that's really what I'm maybe trying to get at is like to look at the people you whose content you consume and are they, they maybe they don't mean to do so. But it's like to be aware of whether you are envying their lifestyle or they're what they have what they appear to have. They don't show you the difficult parts of their life right the sad parts that lonely parts the challenging parts they just show you the oh look I'm on another vacation or I'm I'm on another wonderful experience. And it's like suggesting that this is what success looks like. And I'm, I'm always aware of not influencing I'm not trying to cause lack within you. Right like trying to cause. Oh, I'm not there yet. No, you are here. You are already there. Whatever that means, if you wish to be. If you attend to this moment of work or rest or play or whatever it is you're doing, but particularly in business, if you attend to the moment by moment work, like every day I show up for work and I hope you will show up for work on a consistent basis. And that's the other part of the lifestyle, you know that we see of Instagram influencers or whatever it's like, it's like they they're always enjoying themselves right not working essentially right. They're always not working and so you're like, Oh, then, then what happens is influences you to devalue work deep, and I don't want to devalue work. I mean, how many of us are I mean honestly exhausted I mean what what I what I hope to in value within you like trying to, to help you strengthen the prioritizing is I want you to prioritize work, but the work starts with. Okay, I'll tell you the truth about it the work starts with being disciplined about your rest and your self care. That's actually the first work. Discipline. Yeah, you have to be disciplined about your rest and boundaries with not staying at the computer too long or boundaries with how much you're pushing yourself got to take lots of breaks and rest and attend to your balance of body and and spirit in mind like that's the first work. It's the discipline yeah takes discipline to rest before you need to otherwise it's too late. It's too late to you already you already rested too late so it's like rest before you need. That's the first work is the discipline of rest. So many of us are bad at it because we're so easy to get caught up in social media, get caught up in rabbit holes. We're not aware of our body mind system that needs rest every, you know, one to three hours. Right. The discipline of rest first work and then the second work is when you come to work and work on your business. It's the discipline of attending to your values in the moment and therefore finding the fulfillment of embodying your values and whatever you're doing, even if you have $0 in your business right now whatever it's state, you can have the value still have the values and the implementing those values to me is success. By doing this by having the discipline of rest and then the discipline of working with values in the moment. It's inevitable that you're also going to see the numbers come in. It really is surprising I have been in business now for 13 years full full time, gratefully, but it's like I've noticed a year after year. And the numbers happen, because I show up for the reps every day reps you know kind of like you show up for the repetitions of working, but doesn't have to be boring. Right again the whole work is boring I want to work less go I can be on the beach more often be in nature more often that's all influencing you towards I don't think our good values that we have to work otherwise how do we live. Not just how do we live but how do we contribute to the world. How do we add more, how do we grow. We're not growing when we're in nature, you know we're growing in some ways but we're not really growing unless we work. We're growing our like self expression and our ability to serve people and more deeply. It's like that's how we grow, we grow through work. I like those influencers who are suggesting that we should work less. I'm not saying you should work more again discipline rest is number one. Some of us need to rest a lot more than others and I honor and however much rest you need. But then I also hope you won't devalue work that you'll show up you'll you'll you'll want to work hard, not hard not suffering, but work diligently. That's with the main work being attending to your values in the moment so that you can be happy in the moment and not have to chase the results. Anyway, I think I've said enough. Thank you for for joining me for this I really appreciate your attention and I hope this is helpful. I look forward to seeing any comments you want to add below. So thank you so much.