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Episode 175

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Published on:

19th Jan 2025

The Surprising Truth About Success and Happiness

Success is defined in this episode as the progressive realization of a worthy ideal, emphasizing that fulfillment comes from pursuing what truly aligns with one's values. Hosts N.J. and Mukundi delve into the complexities of success, discussing how personal background, mindset, and choices shape one's path. They explore real-life examples, including the contrasting outcomes of individuals raised in similar environments, highlighting that the drive to succeed ultimately stems from personal responsibility. The conversation also touches on the importance of valuing time and opportunities, arguing against complacency and the dangers of coasting through life. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their definitions of success and the actions they need to take to achieve their highest potential.

A profound discourse on the concept of success unfolds as N.J. and Mukundi engage in a spirited conversation about their personal journeys and the philosophical underpinnings of what it means to achieve fulfillment. The episode challenges conventional definitions by proposing that true success is not merely about wealth or status; instead, it is about the relentless pursuit of one's ideals and values. Mukundi emphasizes that success is a personal journey marked by progress towards goals that resonate deeply with the individual, weaving in insights from influential figures in personal development. This foundational idea forms the crux of their discussion, prompting reflections on the societal narratives surrounding achievement.

The hosts delve into the various influences that shape a person's understanding of success, from family dynamics to socio-economic backgrounds. N.J. shares anecdotes about his experiences attending wealth creation seminars, where he sought answers to the disparities he observed in the lives of those around him. Mukundi counters with reflections on the challenges faced by individuals from less privileged backgrounds, highlighting the importance of resilience and self-belief in overcoming adversity. This segment of the episode serves to illuminate the complex interplay between opportunity and personal agency, encouraging listeners to recognize their potential regardless of their circumstances.


As the dialogue progresses, themes of accountability, mentorship, and the significance of community emerge. The discussion culminates in a poignant reminder that success is not a destination but a continuous process of growth and self-discovery. The episode inspires listeners to examine their values and ambitions critically, urging them to pursue paths that align with their true selves. By the close of the conversation, N.J. and Mukundi leave the audience with an empowering message: that the journey towards success is uniquely personal and requires a steadfast commitment to one's ideals, regardless of external pressures or expectations.

Takeaways:

  • Success is defined as the progressive realization of a worthy ideal that aligns with your highest values.
  • You cannot help someone who does not want to help themselves, regardless of their circumstances.
  • People can achieve great things regardless of their background if they believe in themselves.
  • Financial success does not equate to personal fulfillment or happiness; true success is deeper.
  • Your definition of success can evolve over time based on your experiences and goals.
  • Surrounding yourself with motivated individuals is essential for personal growth and success.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

  • Elon Musk
  • Warren Buffett
  • Bill Gates
  • Jeff Bezos
  • Robert Kiyosaki
  • Robin Sharma
  • Tony Robbins
  • Pat McAfee
  • Bill Simmons
  • Joe Rogan
  • Kaiser Chiefs
Transcript
N.J.:

Foreign.

N.J.:

Welcome back to the podcast.

N.J.:

I'm back again.

N.J.:

It's N.J.

N.J.:

and Mukundi.

N.J.:

And we are back on that proper one.

N.J.:

Okay.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

So we're back on the podcast.

N.J.:

And remember, the theme of the podcast is success.

N.J.:

And success is.

Mukundi:

Wait, let me try, let me try, let me try, let me try.

N.J.:

Right.

Mukundi:

Success is the progression of a worthy ideal, which means you're going after what you've always wanted because it's aligned with your highest values.

Mukundi:

And that's the only way that you can live a truly fulfilled and successful life.

N.J.:

Oh, okay.

N.J.:

Nice one.

N.J.:

Missed a few words there.

N.J.:

But we good?

N.J.:

Amen.

Mukundi:

Amen.

Mukundi:

Amen.

N.J.:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

N.J.:

So back on our weekly conversations and chat.

N.J.:

And last time, what were we on on about?

Mukundi:

Right?

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

The winner's mentality.

N.J.:

How you shouldn't have a meltdown.

Mukundi:

Speaking of mentality.

N.J.:

Yeah, yeah.

Mukundi:

How did you come up with that mantra?

N.J.:

Which one?

Mukundi:

Success is a.

N.J.:

So it's from the.

N.J.:

The first book, Inspired success, the five keys to reach greater heights of achievement.

N.J.:

And the question I was asking is, what makes people successful versus other people are not.

N.J.:

Why do certain people have more money than others?

N.J.:

Why do do more people with more checks than others, other than crime, except for crime?

N.J.:

Why people are smarter than others?

N.J.:

And because I was looking at the people that were around me, they were smarter, faster, better, all of that.

N.J.:

And I said, there's absolutely no ways that I can't achieve what they're achieving.

N.J.:

So why do some people have the most fantastic, passionate relationships?

N.J.:

And why some people's relationships?

N.J.:

You look at that.

N.J.:

I'm like, I don't want.

Mukundi:

I keep me away.

N.J.:

So in:

N.J.:

Oh, I was paying rent, but not that much.

Mukundi:

Okay.

N.J.:

My brother was on the decks.

N.J.:

So I didn't pay for parties.

N.J.:

I just refused to do that.

Mukundi:

Oh.

N.J.:

Shout out sister designs.

N.J.:

Fashion designer.

N.J.:

So, like, I got discounts on clothes.

Mukundi:

Oh.

N.J.:

And so I took that money and I started going to every wealth creation seminar that I could find.

N.J.:

I was still doing that till this day.

N.J.:

And I went across the world.

N.J.:

I went to Las Vegas, Nevada.

N.J.:

I went to Singapore, Toastmasters International, Jo Jo Santa Convention Center, Cape Town.

N.J.:

Find.

N.J.:

And looking at all the teachers and mentors, Robert Kiyosaki, Robin Sharma, Tony Robbins, all the.

N.J.:

The self help rich gurus out there.

N.J.:

So then, then I was like, I want to know what success is.

N.J.:

And then I came across a recording by Sir Earl Nightingale.

N.J.:

He was.

N.J.:

No, he's Known as the dean of personal development.

N.J.:

And he was a very big radio personality, motivational speaker at the time.

N.J.:

And he had his own, like, radio programs.

N.J.:

Right.

N.J.:

So basically the podcast of their day.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

And he also had the same question I had, so I'm like.

N.J.:

But he found the answer, and he said success.

N.J.:

That's.

N.J.:

That's his direct quote.

N.J.:

Success is a progressive realization of where the ideal.

N.J.:

That means if you have a goal to become one of the best sports podcasters, and you're doing that every single day, by definition, you're successful because you're going after every single day something that's important to you, versus if you were still podcasting, but you're podcasting about law and crime and, I don't know, Abu Malavin, that's you not being successful because you're still doing podcasting, but you're not doing it in the field that you want to.

N.J.:

And success is not necessarily defined by the abundance of the things people possess.

N.J.:

So if you have.

N.J.:

I've met a lot of people with a lot of money, but then their lives are living hell.

N.J.:

I was in Las Vegas this one time.

Mukundi:

You.

Mukundi:

You gonna cry in that Toyota or this Maybach?

N.J.:

If I have to have a choice.

Mukundi:

Exactly.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Give me that.

N.J.:

The Ferrari.

N.J.:

Hey, bro, I'll cry now.

Mukundi:

Let me cry in the Ferrari.

N.J.:

Yeah, but.

N.J.:

But then it doesn't have to be either or, right?

N.J.:

Some people have them more money.

N.J.:

They can literally buy Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos out of a coffee can.

N.J.:

If you could do that, and you are still miserable, and you want to kill yourself every day, that's not a success.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

While I was in Las Vegas checking out Tony Robbins, the goat of personal development and motivational speakers.

N.J.:

That's Tony Robbins goat.

N.J.:

So I was sitting.

Mukundi:

I don't even know.

N.J.:

Yeah, you don't even know.

N.J.:

Now you do.

N.J.:

One day, he.

N.J.:

I was at the.

N.J.:

In Las Vegas, the Mirage Hotel.

N.J.:

And in Las Vegas, it's like.

N.J.:

It's a gambling culture.

Mukundi:

Of course.

N.J.:

Well, you know Las Vegas, there's slot machines everywhere.

N.J.:

When you land in the airport, the slot machines, as you go down the Las Vegas strip.

Mukundi:

Yeah, it's just like lights and ATMs, give her casino chips, like.

N.J.:

Exactly, exactly.

N.J.:

You go to a restaurant, there's gambling there.

N.J.:

My hotel, there's gambling there.

Mukundi:

Go to a convenience store, they call it Sin City.

N.J.:

I actually.

N.J.:

Actually.

N.J.:

I actually joke sometimes and say that I actually haven't been to America, because Las Vegas is a lie of America.

N.J.:

That's not Compton.

N.J.:

Compton.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

I want to go to Vegas, bro.

N.J.:

That's Vegas.

Mukundi:

It's a.

Mukundi:

It's a bucket list destination for.

Mukundi:

It should be forever.

N.J.:

Everyone.

N.J.:

I need to go back.

N.J.:

We should actually go back.

Mukundi:

Yeah, bro.

N.J.:

Actually, because I didn't fully experience it.

Mukundi:

Yeah, because you were there on a mission.

N.J.:

I was there on a mission to find an answer.

N.J.:

And then I was there for 10 days, right?

N.J.:

I was there for 10 days, but budget didn't allow because it cost me enough just to get the ticket for the event and then the flights and then the accommodation.

N.J.:

And I was like, I don't have money to do a helicopter ride across the Grand Canyon.

N.J.:

That's something that I wanted.

N.J.:

And also hooked up, looked up with some South Africans there.

N.J.:

And then we had a pride.

Mukundi:

Oh, how did you find each other?

Mukundi:

You just ftech in public.

Mukundi:

And then they all turned around.

N.J.:

Said Dr.

N.J.:

G.

N.J.:

You know, when we were going there, he lives there.

N.J.:

There was a siphon lifted.

N.J.:

Like, the friend of mine, basically the leader of the group we're going with, he knew the guy that was.

N.J.:

That relocated and lived there.

N.J.:

That guy was making money off making viral YouTube videos.

Mukundi:

Oh, damn.

N.J.:

So he was like, killing.

N.J.:

Killing it nicely and having a great time there.

N.J.:

So he's.

N.J.:

So we were there.

N.J.:

It's like, hey, let's link up.

N.J.:

And then we had a bright, massive steak.

N.J.:

Like this guy.

N.J.:

It was.

N.J.:

It was.

N.J.:

It was a vibe.

N.J.:

It's a vibe.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

So one of the nights when we on break from the conference, sat down with people, though they are genuinely rich.

N.J.:

I mean, like, yeah, there's one guy, he had more money that I could count.

N.J.:

And we were just chilling there, kicking it, having a drink.

N.J.:

And then I asked.

N.J.:

I just asked.

N.J.:

Asked the question, how you here?

N.J.:

How you successful?

N.J.:

What do you do?

N.J.:

And he was miserable.

N.J.:

Miserable.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

He was miserable.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

Very miserable.

N.J.:

And I say, I asked him, so how much do you make?

N.J.:

What do you do?

N.J.:

He's in media.

N.J.:

The media industry.

N.J.:

And, you know, like, media.

N.J.:

If you get it right, you can get.

N.J.:

Who's that guy that's making millions of a podcast?

N.J.:

Because there's a bunch of them.

Mukundi:

Joe Rogan.

N.J.:

Not, not.

N.J.:

Not Joe.

N.J.:

Not Joe.

Mukundi:

Which one?

N.J.:

Like, he built his own following.

N.J.:

And then he got McAfee.

N.J.:

Yes.

N.J.:

Pat McAfee.

N.J.:

If you do it.

N.J.:

Pat McAfee.

Mukundi:

Oh, man.

N.J.:

Yeah, exactly.

Mukundi:

Bill Simmons actually had the blueprint for that.

Mukundi:

Is it with the Ringer?

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Oh, is it?

Mukundi:

Yeah, yeah.

Mukundi:

He has this thing with.

Mukundi:

Called the Ringer.

Mukundi:

It's also like a network, sports network.

Mukundi:

And he signed A deal with ESPN and Spotify and then back in the day for hundreds and millions of dollars.

Mukundi:

Bill Simmons, he's got the blueprint.

N.J.:

I need to.

N.J.:

We need to study his blueprint.

N.J.:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mukundi:

That's the blueprint.

N.J.:

I need brother Bill.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

To follow you.

Mukundi:

So I need to move like Stephen A.C.

Mukundi:

smith with the.

Mukundi:

With the Bill Simmons blueprint.

N.J.:

That's what I.

N.J.:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

N.J.:

Shouting a Smith.

N.J.:

That's what you're gonna be.

Mukundi:

Screaming a Smith.

N.J.:

Screaming.

N.J.:

Call them screaming.

Mukundi:

I don't know.

Mukundi:

I saw it on Twitter once, and then.

N.J.:

Oh, okay.

N.J.:

So I asked him, so what do you do?

N.J.:

And he said he was miserable because.

N.J.:

And this guy makes $10 million a year.

N.J.:

10.

Mukundi:

He's miserable with $10 million a year?

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Like 10 years ago.

N.J.:

Like.

N.J.:

No, no, like, what?

N.J.:

Yeah, 25.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

In that.

Mukundi:

In that economy.

N.J.:

It's been 10 years since I was.

N.J.:

Been to Las Vegas.

N.J.:

I need to go back.

N.J.:

It's been too long.

N.J.:

So 10 years.

Mukundi:

That money 10 years ago is in that economy?

N.J.:

Yeah, yeah.

N.J.:

$10 million a year.

N.J.:

But he was miserable, and he said he was suicidal.

N.J.:

I think he was exaggerating, but he says, I want to kill myself.

N.J.:

I'm suicidal.

N.J.:

I'm like, wow.

N.J.:

And then I said, before you do that, can you just put me in.

Mukundi:

Your will something or let me sign you up for life something, dog.

Mukundi:

Something.

N.J.:

You've been talking about signing people up for lifeguard too often weather.

Mukundi:

I've been watching the Rosemary documentary.

Mukundi:

Is that why I've been watching the.

Mukundi:

The Rosemary documentary?

Mukundi:

So, you know.

Mukundi:

Oh, and I'm just looking out for y'all, bro.

Mukundi:

I'm just looking out for people.

Mukundi:

Cuz, like, don't you want your death to mean something?

Mukundi:

And to help you to know that in your death, you are taking.

N.J.:

Here is your protege?

Mukundi:

Like, I got a blue suit.

Mukundi:

You can call me.

Mukundi:

You can call me.

Mukundi:

I'll.

N.J.:

But that's.

N.J.:

That's.

N.J.:

That's very important to have live cover, funeral cover, because you never know when it hits you.

Mukundi:

That's the thing, bro.

N.J.:

You never know when.

N.J.:

You never know.

N.J.:

Even I take funeral covers on everyone around you that matters.

Mukundi:

That's the thing.

N.J.:

Like, for example, if you.

N.J.:

If your sister were to kick it, God forbid, are you prepared?

N.J.:

I'm saying, like, asking for a friend.

Mukundi:

Like, are we, like.

N.J.:

Like, if your brother were to kick it with you?

N.J.:

Like, are you fine?

Mukundi:

No.

N.J.:

Mom saying no.

Mukundi:

No.

Mukundi:

You understand?

N.J.:

I understand.

Mukundi:

I need to.

Mukundi:

I need to.

N.J.:

Like, if a girlfriend does, you find like.

Mukundi:

Like, I need to do something.

N.J.:

Like, you Know, and also these.

N.J.:

These.

N.J.:

These life covers are generally cheap.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Like 100 rand.

N.J.:

And then take this 30 rand policies.

N.J.:

50 rand policy.

Mukundi:

You understand?

N.J.:

100 policies.

N.J.:

You make it like 50k or 100k.

N.J.:

But there's something.

N.J.:

Yeah, yeah, true.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

So, dude, those are adult conversations that.

N.J.:

The moment anyone hits about the age of 16, they need to start having this conversation.

N.J.:

A friend of mine has this practice with his family.

N.J.:

Every single month, they take out the big black file and they're like, right, so if I die, this is the form you fill out.

N.J.:

This is what you do.

N.J.:

This is where you go.

N.J.:

This way.

Mukundi:

You go, damn.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Because it doesn't happen to you until someone close to you dies and you have to bury them.

N.J.:

Yeah, I went through that five years ago with my dad.

N.J.:

Now, like, what do we do, Yo.

Mukundi:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

N.J.:

Very quickly, this man.

N.J.:

In two days.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

@ least my dad took.

Mukundi:

Gave us like a week.

N.J.:

A week.

Mukundi:

Yeah, yeah.

Mukundi:

We.

Mukundi:

But this was covered with your dad, right?

Mukundi:

Like, covert times?

N.J.:

No, no.

N.J.:

We're at level five.

N.J.:

The freest time that we could be here.

Mukundi:

Ah.

Mukundi:

So there was not even any rush to.

N.J.:

Actually, one thing he noticed was like, 7, 20, 48 hours, and you're on the.

N.J.:

Under the ground.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

So we had to make it happen in 48 hours.

Mukundi:

And this is when you had to wash him and everything.

N.J.:

Yeah, I order that.

Mukundi:

What a crazy experience, dog.

Mukundi:

I still can't get over that.

Mukundi:

Like, I saw my dad's corpse once.

N.J.:

Once.

Mukundi:

Once.

N.J.:

Nah, I saw multiple times, bro.

Mukundi:

I touched his knee like this.

Mukundi:

Like, because I was 12 years.

Mukundi:

I was 12, right?

Mukundi:

And I'd never.

Mukundi:

This is my first time being this.

Mukundi:

My first time being this close to a dead body, bro.

Mukundi:

Now I have to touch it because it's like, my dad.

Mukundi:

I'm like, no, bro, I gotta touch my guy before he leaves.

Mukundi:

So I just did this on his knee.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

What just fell.

Mukundi:

I opened.

N.J.:

I opened your little incense.

N.J.:

Okay, so those are, like.

N.J.:

Those are real conversations you're gonna have, and we should be prepared for it.

N.J.:

It's because it's coming.

Mukundi:

It's sad.

Mukundi:

It's a tough conversation, because whether it's.

N.J.:

Going to happen now or 10 years, for 25, it's going to happen.

Mukundi:

It will happen.

Mukundi:

And after watching Black Panther, And I heard T'Challa's dad saying, A man who does not prepare his children for his own passing has failed.

Mukundi:

I'm like, that makes so much sense, because I don't think my dad's death would have hit me as hard had I been prepared.

Mukundi:

Sure, I was 12 years old, but it's still just at 12 years old.

Mukundi:

You think your parents are going to live forever.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

You think they're immortal?

Mukundi:

And then dad doesn't come back home one day and you're calling him all night.

Mukundi:

The next morning, people are walking into your house.

Mukundi:

You're sitting.

Mukundi:

Your mom's crying.

Mukundi:

Losing.

Mukundi:

Losing her mind right there.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

And then your grandma then tells you.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

What happened was.

Mukundi:

What happened was.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

He gone.

Mukundi:

Like, bro, I'll never forget that.

N.J.:

Bill with us.

Mukundi:

I will never Forget that moment, bro.

Mukundi:

,:

Mukundi:

Bro, the way in February 24th, ten.

N.J.:

Days after your birthday.

N.J.:

My guy.

Mukundi:

My guy.

Mukundi:

My guy.

N.J.:

And that's.

N.J.:

That's like a.

N.J.:

Like a year before you turn into a teenager, bro.

N.J.:

That's when you need your dad, I think the most at that time.

Mukundi:

Oh, no, no.

Mukundi:

I keep like one of my.

Mukundi:

One of the deepest conversations I have with my girlfriend, my mom and my sister are the.

Mukundi:

Is that chat that I will never actually.

Mukundi:

My dad dying so young has robbed me of so much in life.

Mukundi:

I never got to.

Mukundi:

He never taught me how to drive.

Mukundi:

I never got to ask him about girls.

Mukundi:

He never got to give me advice on that.

Mukundi:

A lot of things, bro.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

So I think life or self corrects itself.

N.J.:

You'll find out that if you do trace it back, and this is a Dr.

N.J.:

Demartini chat, is that if you trace it back, someone was there teaching you that stuff in some form, whether it was your brother or a friend or whatnot.

N.J.:

Or whatnot.

N.J.:

But what you would have liked is for you, for.

N.J.:

For your.

N.J.:

For your guy.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

You understand?

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

And it's sad.

Mukundi:

It's.

Mukundi:

It's a sad chat to have.

Mukundi:

But then it brought me back to reality quick.

Mukundi:

Very, very quick.

Mukundi:

You understand?

Mukundi:

th of April in:

Mukundi:

th of:

Mukundi:

Coming back from school, five minutes from home, dog.

Mukundi:

How five minutes from home.

Mukundi:

Car accident, the shuttle.

N.J.:

I don't want to drive anymore.

Mukundi:

Even my dad.

N.J.:

Car accident.

Mukundi:

So it's a chat that the older I get, the mom like, okay.

Mukundi:

With my own kids, it's something that I'm gonna correct.

Mukundi:

They need to know that we are all mortal.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

And I'm not gonna be morbid with them, but I think they need to know that, man, we are gonna die eventually.

Mukundi:

What I pray for as your parent is that by the time I'm dead.

Mukundi:

You no longer need me.

N.J.:

That's.

N.J.:

That's.

N.J.:

That's what the role of a parent and a father figure is, to make sure that your children are as independent of you as soon as possible.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Because if that, you just have a big baby.

N.J.:

Right.

Mukundi:

Thank you.

Mukundi:

Thank you.

N.J.:

You have a very, very big baby.

N.J.:

And there are a lot of them out there.

Mukundi:

I know a few.

N.J.:

You know a few.

N.J.:

I know just a few.

N.J.:

You know a lot.

N.J.:

I know a lot.

Mukundi:

You know what I know.

Mukundi:

I'm not.

Mukundi:

I'm not trying to put people on blast, bro.

N.J.:

No.

N.J.:

Are you gonna put up names?

N.J.:

But you, like, at least be realistic with your numbers.

Mukundi:

You know yourself.

Mukundi:

You know yourself.

N.J.:

I didn't say do that.

N.J.:

I didn't say do that.

Mukundi:

But you know yourselves.

N.J.:

No.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Because the thing is, even if there are those people who've had their parents in their lives their entire life.

N.J.:

Life, but then they're still so overly dependent on them.

Mukundi:

Yes.

Mukundi:

Yes.

N.J.:

And that's not good.

Mukundi:

That's not good.

Mukundi:

I have friends in their late 20s that are still living at home with both parents, which is completely fine.

Mukundi:

But, you know, you can just tell that when.

Mukundi:

If we throw you in the wild now, you're dead.

N.J.:

So I stayed with my roommates until I was, what, 28?

N.J.:

Right.

N.J.:

But I was still an adult.

N.J.:

Paying for things, going out, learning, going to Las Vegas, writing books.

N.J.:

At least you've got that.

N.J.:

That thing.

Mukundi:

It's very important.

Mukundi:

It's.

Mukundi:

You were.

Mukundi:

You were in danger.

Mukundi:

You were in danger of being a big baby.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

It's just that.

Mukundi:

But no one has.

Mukundi:

Not everyone has your attitude or your mentality.

Mukundi:

That.

Mukundi:

That thing that we're always joking about, like, you're a man.

Mukundi:

No one's gonna come save you.

N.J.:

No, we're not even.

N.J.:

We're not even joking.

Mukundi:

We're being saved.

Mukundi:

No one's gonna come save you.

N.J.:

That tweet, like, men will get divorced, lose their child, lose a job, lose money, and then say, I'll figure it out.

Mukundi:

What else is that to do?

Mukundi:

You want me to cry about it?

Mukundi:

You want me to mope about it?

Mukundi:

No, let's.

Mukundi:

Let's figure this out.

Mukundi:

Let's.

Mukundi:

Let's solve this problem.

Mukundi:

You understand?

Mukundi:

So you could have been in.

Mukundi:

You could have been in.

Mukundi:

You were in real danger.

Mukundi:

That.

Mukundi:

Because.

Mukundi:

Leaving the nest.

Mukundi:

I see this because I've experienced it.

Mukundi:

But When I was 17, my mom took me, drove me 400 kilometers away, left me alone in Johannesburg, and she said, you'll figure this out.

Mukundi:

And she went back to 17 years old, dog.

Mukundi:

I turned 18amonth later.

Mukundi:

But, like, still, you left a teenager to fend for themselves in Joburg.

Mukundi:

The only thing you will do is send them money so that they can live.

Mukundi:

But everything else, I didn't know anyone.

Mukundi:

I didn't know anyone that point, bro.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Fresh.

Mukundi:

I remember when I used to walk in Joburg, I was scared, bro.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

I never wanted it to get dark while I was outside walking in Joburg.

Mukundi:

Now it's 8pm I'm like, yeah, I might go for a little walk around the neighborhood now.

N.J.:

You can do that.

Mukundi:

And my mom is always saying, when outside, Savi, when are you just Galavant around Joburg?

Mukundi:

I'm like, I live here now.

Mukundi:

Like, when are you Galavant?

Mukundi:

Why?

Mukundi:

It's your hood.

Mukundi:

So leaving the nest, right?

Mukundi:

It's very important.

Mukundi:

I saw that with me.

Mukundi:

The fact that I reflect, I look back at it and I'm like, that helped me become an independent man.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

That helped me figure out that exit 500.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

And there's things that need to be done at home.

Mukundi:

Start there.

Mukundi:

Let's start there.

Mukundi:

Fix what has to be done at home.

Mukundi:

And like every other 18 year old kid, magna change.

Mukundi:

Okay.

Mukundi:

Let's see how.

Mukundi:

Let's see what kind of fun we can have with that.

Mukundi:

But sort out your responsibilities first.

Mukundi:

I know grown men who don't even have that mentality, who don't care about that.

N.J.:

It's actually quite bad.

Mukundi:

If I have 500, if I have money, if I have whatever, I will chow.

Mukundi:

I will chow it.

Mukundi:

I will have it.

Mukundi:

I will do whatever I need to do.

Mukundi:

Because at home, they will.

Mukundi:

They will solve it.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

If I screw up, I know that mom and dad at home will solve this.

Mukundi:

Me, I learned the hard way that if I screw up, I have to fix it.

N.J.:

Yeah, you do.

Mukundi:

Because I can't call my mom.

Mukundi:

She's 500 kilometers away.

N.J.:

The same thing happened to me because I left Benoni.

N.J.:

And it's.

N.J.:

This is.

N.J.:

This is Lakefield Bin and it's not Davidson.

N.J.:

I didn't know because where people think I'm from, the hood, I used to let the people think that.

N.J.:

By the way, why no street cred?

N.J.:

I just want the street cred.

Mukundi:

Nah, you need.

Mukundi:

You need.

Mukundi:

You need to have lived in the hood for like five years.

N.J.:

I didn't live in the hood.

N.J.:

I frequented the hood.

Mukundi:

You need.

Mukundi:

What I'm saying is you need to have a certain level of hood in you if you're gonna survive in South Africa.

N.J.:

No, no, that of that?

N.J.:

No, that I've got.

Mukundi:

Good.

N.J.:

You want to know why?

Mukundi:

Why?

N.J.:

Because every Sunday.

N.J.:

Remember yesterday I was telling you about with church all the time?

N.J.:

Yeah, that church was in where.

Mukundi:

Oh, okay.

N.J.:

Family members that stayed in the hood.

N.J.:

I've seen a master Besh I've been part of.

Mukundi:

Like.

N.J.:

That's why I draw the line.

Mukundi:

That's why I draw the line.

N.J.:

If you don't know your story, you'll get stabbed.

Mukundi:

That's my chat.

Mukundi:

I remember this one time we had to go to a tavern to buy alcohol for a family function, right?

Mukundi:

And it was the closest for me.

Mukundi:

What?

Mukundi:

So we had to go to this Devon for.

Mukundi:

To get drinks for the uncles and everyone.

Mukundi:

And it was around 7pm Dog, I walk in, the music is so loud, bro.

Mukundi:

Afrobeason music is not that loud.

N.J.:

That's.

Mukundi:

That music.

Mukundi:

That's so loud.

Mukundi:

You hear your.

Mukundi:

You feel your eardrum starting to itch, bro?

Mukundi:

Like, what?

Mukundi:

And then I walk in.

Mukundi:

There's just dudes dancing there, dudes fighting there, dudes talking there.

Mukundi:

Dude standing there.

Mukundi:

And then a dude just minding his business with his bottle drinking.

Mukundi:

And he's not even talking or not dancing, not doing anything.

Mukundi:

And there's.

Mukundi:

I'm that type of person who if I'm uncomfortable, you will see it because I'm always scoping the area, I'm always casing the joint, always trying to make sure that nobody gets too close to me.

Mukundi:

All that.

Mukundi:

And I've accepted already, no, I'll be heard.

Mukundi:

But not this hood.

N.J.:

Yeah, like.

Mukundi:

Like if my type of hood is when I get somewhere engaged, that okay when I work here, you know, and then I can see that sometimes, okay, when I get here, I have to be like, yo, what's good, fellas?

Mukundi:

Y'all chilling.

Mukundi:

You know, perfect balance, tactics.

N.J.:

You need to learn the language.

N.J.:

You need to walk like you know what you're doing.

N.J.:

A victim or you are.

N.J.:

You don't know where you're going.

Mukundi:

People say I walk like I'm going to a fight.

Mukundi:

Hey, bro, I'd rather.

Mukundi:

I'd rather.

Mukundi:

I'd rather people get scared of me when I walk down the road, bro.

N.J.:

Exactly.

Mukundi:

Then people say, ah, fresh meet.

N.J.:

Just be sure that you're looking down and people like greet you like, hello.

Mukundi:

Like, yeah, the power of earphones.

N.J.:

No, not even earphones.

N.J.:

Like, just walk without.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

And then like, hello, how are you?

N.J.:

Hi, how are you?

N.J.:

Walk, shop, walk.

Mukundi:

This dude, this dude a few days ago was telling me about how they stole his phone.

Mukundi:

I'm like, how do they steal your phone.

Mukundi:

The dude asked to see the time.

Mukundi:

I was like, yeah.

Mukundi:

Oldest trick in the book, bro.

N.J.:

Yeah, Oldest trick.

Mukundi:

He asked to see.

N.J.:

Of course, of course, of course, of course, of course.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

I was so embarrassed on this.

N.J.:

I would have loved it.

Mukundi:

I told him.

Mukundi:

I was like, nah, bro, you told me what high school you went to.

Mukundi:

You should have been street smart enough from there.

N.J.:

That's what we were saying, that some people have got the right environment to be street smart, but then they're not.

N.J.:

So back to the guy in Vegas.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

$10 million.

N.J.:

He makes $10 million a year ready to commit suicide in the media industry.

N.J.:

And I asked him why, and he said it was his fault.

N.J.:

Oh, I'm like, at least that's okay.

Mukundi:

That's huge.

Mukundi:

Okay.

Mukundi:

Okay.

Mukundi:

I didn't expect that to say it's his fault.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

I said, why is it his fault?

N.J.:

And I.

N.J.:

He kind of can't even say he grew up in bad background, etcetera, and so forth.

N.J.:

What he said is that I was ambitious and I could work my way up in the media industry.

N.J.:

And now I've gotten to this point, I'm like, yo, is this all there is?

N.J.:

And I'm like, this is not actually what I want to do.

N.J.:

Now he's facing a cream.

N.J.:

Was facing an identity crisis, and he has no one else to blame.

Mukundi:

I got all this money, but also.

N.J.:

The money is not like he just went and pulled the heist.

N.J.:

Now he worked for it diligently building a business, building a system.

N.J.:

He needs to show up for work every single day, pay employees, sponsors, because.

Mukundi:

It'S bigger than him now.

N.J.:

It's way bigger than him now.

N.J.:

And I was ready to commit suicide because he hates.

N.J.:

We found out that this is not actually what he wanted to do.

N.J.:

Ready to commit suicide.

N.J.:

I'm like, yeah, that's.

N.J.:

I didn't even ask him what he wanted to do because I was so.

N.J.:

You were so desperate.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

I was still on 10 million.

N.J.:

I was like, okay.

N.J.:

Then after.

N.J.:

That was a very sobering thought because I thought before then, it's like, if I had 10 minutes, I'll be happy.

N.J.:

Yeah, I'm lying.

N.J.:

If I was lying to myself, because if I had that money now, I don't think that does.

N.J.:

That is what will fulfill me.

Mukundi:

What do you think would fulfill your 100 million?

N.J.:

No, it's not.

N.J.:

It's not even a monetary amount now.

Mukundi:

It's just.

N.J.:

I think for me, Jim Rohn said it best.

N.J.:

He said, if someone was to give you a million, you need to Learn to become a millionaire quickly so you get to keep the money.

N.J.:

So now it's not about the money that they give you.

N.J.:

Have you ever had someone given someone giving you the most money that you've ever had and then you mismanage it?

N.J.:

It's like winning the lottery.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

And then you go and you mismanage it.

N.J.:

So for me, I don't think it's about the money that you make.

N.J.:

What's more important is the person that you become.

N.J.:

So I'm looking at the type of person that I want to become that will fulfill me, not 100 million.

N.J.:

I'm not saying that.

N.J.:

If you want to give me, it's okay, I will take it.

N.J.:

I will be happy and be grateful for it.

N.J.:

We'll.

N.J.:

We'll work this thing out together.

N.J.:

If someone was.

N.J.:

Hey, figure it out, man.

Mukundi:

Figure it out.

N.J.:

I'm not saying no to 100 million.

N.J.:

Who is Dollars or rats?

N.J.:

I'm not gonna say no to that.

Mukundi:

Maybe Dave Chappelle.

N.J.:

But like, yeah, then you went inside a 60 million dollar Netflix contract not too long after that.

Mukundi:

Ah, come on.

Mukundi:

It was like, like 10 years later.

N.J.:

Not too long after $6 million every single year.

N.J.:

If you were to backdate it.

Mukundi:

Touche to.

N.J.:

I mean, was it.

N.J.:

Do you know what I mean?

Mukundi:

Damn.

Mukundi:

How old is 15?

Mukundi:

Really?

N.J.:

That's a good question.

N.J.:

That's a good question.

N.J.:

How old is.

Mukundi:

That?

N.J.:

So that's one of the smartest jokes ever.

Mukundi:

Yeah, it's, it's, it's like ayo.

N.J.:

That is one of the smartest.

Mukundi:

So do you think your impact is what you want more?

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

What people?

Mukundi:

What are you gonna, Are you gonna, are you gonna be giving the corny answer that did you leave the world a better place than when you found it?

N.J.:

That's a very corny answer.

N.J.:

But it's very true.

N.J.:

I think it's very true because we don't need any more evil people in the world.

N.J.:

There's enough of them.

N.J.:

We don't need more.

N.J.:

Enough.

N.J.:

We've got enough lazy people in the world, but enough.

Mukundi:

Even those that get shot.

Mukundi:

Lazy people that get shot.

N.J.:

That podcast is going up.

N.J.:

Let's, let's talk about that.

N.J.:

Let's talk about that.

N.J.:

I still, like, first of all, getting shot is not nice.

N.J.:

I've never been shot.

N.J.:

I don't think.

Mukundi:

I would assume it's not.

N.J.:

I would assume it's not nice.

N.J.:

Especially if you're being shot in like, where, like your vital organs.

Mukundi:

Two places.

Mukundi:

Even dog.

N.J.:

No, three, you should not shot here.

N.J.:

I went through here.

N.J.:

And went through there.

N.J.:

Vital organs, by the way.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

Vital organs, damn.

N.J.:

And then decided, I'm not going to work and feed and support my family.

Mukundi:

He, he said, never mind.

Mukundi:

Mind nothing.

N.J.:

No, but anyway, so said, f them.

Mukundi:

Kids, man, I got, I almost died.

N.J.:

I'm going to be like, I'm going.

Mukundi:

To make sure, maximize the moment like for those six months while I'm recovering.

Mukundi:

Yo, recover, recover.

N.J.:

But then when I'm back on the ground, I'm back at it because I don't know how much time.

Mukundi:

Like that's, that's a 50 Cent moment right there, bro.

N.J.:

Look at what 50 Cent did with, with his life, bro.

Mukundi:

The game, the game got shot.

Mukundi:

Do you know what he did in, in his hospital bed?

Mukundi:

Told his brother, give me, bring me as many hip hop records as you can find.

Mukundi:

I'm going to learn how to rap.

Mukundi:

And he learned how to rap on his hospital bed.

Mukundi:

And now he's the game.

N.J.:

Now he's the game.

N.J.:

Or he was.

Mukundi:

Yeah, he left the game and then.

N.J.:

He'S hating on Eminem.

N.J.:

But it's okay.

Mukundi:

He's hitting on everyone.

N.J.:

Oh, is it?

Mukundi:

And recycling the same freestyle for like the past five years.

N.J.:

That's a great story, right?

N.J.:

Yeah, that's a great story.

N.J.:

I mean, like over the past few years there have been two near death experiences that I've had and I think that's God sending me a message.

Mukundi:

Like, do something, bro.

N.J.:

Not even do something.

N.J.:

Is that like.

N.J.:

You're coasting in life, my boy.

N.J.:

You're coasting in life, my boy.

N.J.:

Let's run that 120.

Mukundi:

Let's run.

Mukundi:

Excuse me.

Mukundi:

Work harder.

N.J.:

And, and I.

N.J.:

And I've been running.

Mukundi:

I know, I know, I know, I know you get new shoes every month.

Mukundi:

Cuz of how hard.

Mukundi:

Of how hard you run.

N.J.:

That's a good one.

N.J.:

That's a good one.

N.J.:

That's a good one.

N.J.:

That's a good one.

N.J.:

Because I mean that's, that's questioning if you're going to make it the next day gives you.

N.J.:

It goes one of two ways.

N.J.:

I guess it depends on the person.

N.J.:

If you go into a near death experience.

N.J.:

Experience, and you're like, yo, I still want to live and I still haven't done everything that I can actually care about life, you're going to start milking it every single day.

Mukundi:

True, true.

Mukundi:

And versus then you just.

N.J.:

Anyway, you're like, well, I want to die eventually anyway, so like it doesn't matter.

Mukundi:

Like why keep, why keep doing anything?

N.J.:

Why keep.

N.J.:

Like it just depends on the person you Are so back to.

N.J.:

I'll take the 100 million.

N.J.:

I'll take the billion.

N.J.:

I'll take it.

N.J.:

I'll.

N.J.:

I'll take it.

N.J.:

And making the world a better place.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

100.

N.J.:

The thing is, I'm gonna.

N.J.:

I.

N.J.:

I believe that I'm gonna see God one day and I have to tell him exactly what I did with my life.

N.J.:

So now am I gonna tell him that?

N.J.:

And I was just chilling.

Mukundi:

Yeah, I know.

Mukundi:

Yeah, yeah.

Mukundi:

No, the person that you're afraid of.

N.J.:

The most is who?

Mukundi:

God.

N.J.:

No, no, no.

N.J.:

I'm saying the person you can actually see touch.

N.J.:

If you, if, if you started crystal meth.

Mukundi:

My math.

N.J.:

All right, My math.

Mukundi:

Because I'm trying to think it's either my girl or my mother.

Mukundi:

But like my girl, I'll be like, you know, you know, my mother.

Mukundi:

Actually my older sister.

N.J.:

Right?

Mukundi:

So my older sister.

N.J.:

Now, now, now you're crystal meth.

N.J.:

You stop podcasting.

N.J.:

You throw a life away.

N.J.:

And then now team.

Mukundi:

Yo, like I.

N.J.:

I'll never forget this.

N.J.:

Cuz I was like.

N.J.:

My dad was fetching me from the, from backstage and then driving me back home from my first summer back from university.

N.J.:

And he's like, he saw these guys dancing like this, doing that.

Mukundi:

He's like, if you don't stay in.

N.J.:

School, mess up in university, this is what you're going to come.

Mukundi:

Why do they always do that?

Mukundi:

Why do they always do that?

N.J.:

He used the F words like, if.

Mukundi:

You mess up in university, this is.

N.J.:

What you want to come to.

N.J.:

I have a dad, so he wouldn't care.

Mukundi:

Oh no, listen, my mom is foul mouth too.

N.J.:

This is what you're gonna come do.

N.J.:

And I'm using that as a neuropathy disruptor.

N.J.:

As for descriptive purposes.

Mukundi:

If you up the university.

Mukundi:

And now those.

Mukundi:

And now those words are ringing here every day for the next couple of years.

N.J.:

101.

N.J.:

And I me an accountant.

N.J.:

We're not best friends.

N.J.:

I'm looking at quit.

Mukundi:

But I come back and I saw.

N.J.:

Stop strike a seat sign.

N.J.:

I'm like, hey, go back and go.

Mukundi:

Why do they always do that?

Mukundi:

Even my mom.

Mukundi:

Yeah, see, homeless.

Mukundi:

There's this one homeless dude, right?

N.J.:

Yeah, yeah.

Mukundi:

He lives.

Mukundi:

He's.

Mukundi:

If you're from Polo Kwane, the homeless dude by the th hill and engine traffic lights.

Mukundi:

You know.

N.J.:

You know exactly the same.

Mukundi:

You know exactly who I'm talking about.

Mukundi:

She picked me up from school.

Mukundi:

Every time that dude pulls up, she's like, stay in school.

Mukundi:

Yeah, stay in school.

Mukundi:

Like how?

Mukundi:

You've told me enough times.

Mukundi:

I like I know this.

Mukundi:

And sometimes you don't need your parents to tell you anything.

Mukundi:

Especially if, like, for example, for me, I'm.

Mukundi:

I'm from.

Mukundi:

You can actually say I'm from two places.

Mukundi:

Right.

Mukundi:

I've had two different lifestyles.

Mukundi:

The first seven years of my life, I lived in the bundles in Venda, and then we moved to Bulukwana when I was seven.

Mukundi:

In.

Mukundi:

In the.

Mukundi:

Well, the bundles, the villages.

Mukundi:

It's called Hamucha.

Mukundi:

It's in Venda.

Mukundi:

Let's not do this.

Mukundi:

Let's not do this.

Mukundi:

Let's not do this.

N.J.:

Don't start doing a favor, please.

N.J.:

Can you please go look on all the maps of the world, Google Maps, all of it.

N.J.:

Right, Right.

N.J.:

Please.

N.J.:

And tell me if there is a place in the world called Vendor defined.

Mukundi:

Yes.

Mukundi:

Yes.

N.J.:

By borders.

Mukundi:

Yes.

Mukundi:

Listen, it was the Republic of Vendor.

Mukundi:

But, like, asking.

N.J.:

Hey, I'm not asking objective.

N.J.:

I'm not being emotional about it.

N.J.:

Like, you know, for me, if I say I'm going back home, I can go back to the kingdom of what, Eswatini.

N.J.:

There are borders.

N.J.:

There's a king and bassoon.

N.J.:

They say they want to go to.

N.J.:

Home to the suit.

N.J.:

That's where they could go.

Mukundi:

I'm gonna.

Mukundi:

I'm gonna say something, but it needs.

Mukundi:

It needs me to bleep.

Mukundi:

You know what you're doing right now?

Mukundi:

You know what you're doing right now?

Mukundi:

You're gonna have to edit.

Mukundi:

You're gonna have to.

Mukundi:

You're gonna have to edit this.

Mukundi:

You're gonna have to edit this out, because what I want to say.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Nah, let's not get you canceled.

Mukundi:

Outing Truth.

Mukundi:

Outing Truth.

N.J.:

They go back to this place called that.

N.J.:

They can go back there.

Mukundi:

Vendor is the people, much like Asgard.

Mukundi:

And there's the people.

N.J.:

What happened to Asgard?

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Half of them were killed by Thanos.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

The Zulu people tried doing the same.

Mukundi:

So apparently this is a story that I've heard.

Mukundi:

Apparently.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Apparently Zulu people are from, like, there, and apparently Vendor people.

Mukundi:

There's two histories I've heard about Vendor people.

Mukundi:

I'm willing to believe the Congolese one, that we migrated from the Congo down to Zimbabwe, and then that then moved to Vendor.

Mukundi:

Yeah, we're beautiful people.

Mukundi:

And then.

Mukundi:

And then.

Mukundi:

And then.

Mukundi:

It doesn't mean.

Mukundi:

It does.

Mukundi:

Doesn't mean we're not beautiful.

N.J.:

Doesn't mean you guys are.

Mukundi:

Doesn't mean we're not, though.

N.J.:

I just mean you guys are like.

N.J.:

Yeah, Because I've seen some.

N.J.:

Hey.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

But you are insulting a whole tribe.

N.J.:

I'm Not a whole tribe, just part of the tribe that, you know, God said, let me give you other talents.

N.J.:

You know what I mean?

N.J.:

Yes.

Mukundi:

So, fine.

Mukundi:

Spend time in the Bundus.

Mukundi:

Spend time in Bulukwane.

Mukundi:

And we.

Mukundi:

We.

Mukundi:

I still go to the Bundes even.

Mukundi:

Even now during the December holidays.

Mukundi:

I was there for a week, and then I spent another week in the city, in Bulukwani.

Mukundi:

So trust me, you don't need to tell me to stay in school.

Mukundi:

You don't need to motivate me.

Mukundi:

I see poverty every time I'm there, and I see the effect it has.

Mukundi:

And I saw people.

Mukundi:

It broke my heart, man.

Mukundi:

Family members even couldn't even afford to buy food for Christmas.

Mukundi:

Like they couldn't afford to throw Christmas luncheons.

N.J.:

Bro.

Mukundi:

It was.

Mukundi:

It was sad.

Mukundi:

It was sad.

Mukundi:

But then it.

Mukundi:

It felt sad seeing people, Human beings in my family going through this.

Mukundi:

Right.

Mukundi:

But then at the same time, it's like it's.

Mukundi:

You make it hard for me to feel bad for you because these are my mother.

Mukundi:

Siblings that I'm talking about now.

Mukundi:

And you guys were all given the same opportunities.

Mukundi:

How come this one lady is the.

Mukundi:

Is the one that managed to do something with her life and go to And.

Mukundi:

And.

Mukundi:

And, you know, be successful, in your words.

Mukundi:

And I just jotted it down to just simply not wanting to.

N.J.:

Not not wanting to.

Mukundi:

Yes.

Mukundi:

Not wanting to do anything.

Mukundi:

That's it.

Mukundi:

Sure, there's the circumstances, but I think.

N.J.:

Sometimes it can be a bit simplistic, but it's also very true because I think if you have, like, people come from the same environment, same city, same circumstances.

N.J.:

And that goes back to why.

N.J.:

Why wrote is inspired success.

N.J.:

It's like, why is your mother doing the things and then her siblings not doing their things, given that they had exactly the same things, the same circumstances?

N.J.:

And that comes down to your own sense of personal accountability and responsibility.

N.J.:

And as human beings, it's very hard for us to say that this is my fault.

Mukundi:

True.

N.J.:

It's very difficult for us to say we'll rather blame it on black magic.

N.J.:

Rather blame it on.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

That my mother didn't give me the opportunity even though she did.

N.J.:

My dad didn't give me the opportunity even though he did or somebody else stole me something from me.

N.J.:

Or it's like it's always.

Mukundi:

There's always someone to blame.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Success.

N.J.:

Success is inwards directed.

N.J.:

Not outward.

N.J.:

Outward.

N.J.:

Outward directed.

N.J.:

You know what I mean?

Mukundi:

No, I don't.

N.J.:

No.

N.J.:

So then.

N.J.:

So what I mean, there is that for you to be Successful, you need to say, I want to be successful.

N.J.:

Something that I want to do, because I feel that it's something that I believe that I can do.

N.J.:

And if you, I mean, and also people who don't want to do anything, this is what I've.

N.J.:

Years and years of personal research and interviews and stories is that people who have.

N.J.:

Were unsuccessful and became unsuccessful.

N.J.:

When they look back, they're like, when I was in that state of not being successful, I did not inherently believe that I could achieve great things.

N.J.:

I didn't believe that I could become more than I am.

N.J.:

I didn't believe that I could go to school and.

N.J.:

Or not.

N.J.:

Or even not have an education or build a business and become someone of significance.

N.J.:

And they don't actually believe that because my, My, My chat is this.

N.J.:

If you don't believe that you can win, you're not going to.

N.J.:

If you don't believe that you can make money, you're not going to.

N.J.:

And you thought it best.

N.J.:

Whether you think you're.

N.J.:

Whether.

N.J.:

Whether you think you can or you can't.

N.J.:

Either way, you are right.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

People who want to become successful, they say, I believe that I can achieve great things.

N.J.:

They can believe a guy who, even though he says he was suicidal, for him to.

N.J.:

I, I still believe it was successful.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

It's just when he got there, I think something changes.

N.J.:

Like, this is not what I actually want.

Mukundi:

As J.

Mukundi:

Cole said, the good news is you came a long way.

Mukundi:

The bad news is you went the wrong way.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

But then the belief there is that if you've gone out of COVID and know that you've come a long way, you know that you can still go a long way.

N.J.:

You know what I mean?

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

For example, if you ran 500 kilometers.

N.J.:

Yes, I ran 500 kilometers.

N.J.:

And then you're like, but I'm at the wrong place.

N.J.:

You can still say, but I ran 500 kilometers.

Mukundi:

Yeah, I can still do that.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

And I have the ability to.

N.J.:

You've got the ability.

N.J.:

Now, if you proven that to yourself now, you just take time, look at it, and say, what do I actually want to do?

Mukundi:

Reminds me of a story.

Mukundi:

This one dude, my sister's friend.

Mukundi:

Yeah, he got rich.

Mukundi:

Young, very rich.

Mukundi:

Like 21, 22.

Mukundi:

He was right.

Mukundi:

He was rich.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Then he got broke.

Mukundi:

So broke that they had.

Mukundi:

They repossessed all his vehicles.

Mukundi:

And when they did repossess.

Mukundi:

Possess all the vehicles, man, they were sitting on e.

Mukundi:

All of them.

Mukundi:

So it was bad.

Mukundi:

It got bad.

Mukundi:

Broke, broke, Nothing.

Mukundi:

Nothing.

Mukundi:

Imagine.

Mukundi:

Imagine.

N.J.:

I mean, that's what happens.

Mukundi:

Excuse me.

Mukundi:

Let's not do that.

Mukundi:

So got rich young.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Got broke.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Years later.

Mukundi:

Got rich again.

N.J.:

Okay.

Mukundi:

And I, I was like, that's pretty cool that he did that.

Mukundi:

But the fact that he knew the fact that he got rich before, he knew that he could do it again, I just need to do it again in a different way.

Mukundi:

If you don't exactly like you say, if you don't believe it, you won't achieve it.

Mukundi:

That's true.

Mukundi:

But could it be just those people that say, I never believed I could be here?

Mukundi:

Those people that say, I never believed I could do this?

Mukundi:

Your upbringing also plays a huge role in that, I think.

N.J.:

Very true.

Mukundi:

Because if, like you said poverty and like I said poverty and growing up soft, man, we.

Mukundi:

Not we.

Mukundi:

Unfortunately, there's.

Mukundi:

There's two different styles of parenting just from that alone.

Mukundi:

And it's gonna sound bad, but if, if I'm a security guard, right?

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

And I got three kids to feed at home.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

I'm a security guard.

Mukundi:

I got three kids to feed her home.

Mukundi:

I got my wife to feed her home.

Mukundi:

I still gotta feed.

Mukundi:

I still gotta feed myself.

Mukundi:

We gotta live.

Mukundi:

We gotta have a roof over our heads, all that.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

That man is too busy focused on doing that to even think about giving his children positive reinforcement.

Mukundi:

Like keep telling them and letting them know.

Mukundi:

Your world is your oyster.

Mukundi:

You can achieve anything you set your mind to because I'm trying to help you in life.

Mukundi:

And as long as you have me and as long as you have your siblings, you can do anything you want because there's greatness in you.

Mukundi:

I believe that everyone is born with greatness in them.

Mukundi:

You just have to tap into it.

Mukundi:

Unfortunately, he, he's, he's, he's the greatest bust of all time.

Mukundi:

So come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.

Mukundi:

No disrespect whatsoever.

N.J.:

He made it to the NBA.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

He made it to the league.

Mukundi:

Number one pick.

Mukundi:

Number one pick.

N.J.:

So he's like, top one.

Mukundi:

We remember him.

Mukundi:

Nobody remembers Anthony Bennett.

N.J.:

I do now.

N.J.:

Now.

Mukundi:

So he doesn't have time to say, you can do this, my boy.

Mukundi:

You got this.

Mukundi:

You know, the world is your oyster.

Mukundi:

He's too busy when the kid wants to go outside and play with that.

Mukundi:

Dad is tired.

Mukundi:

He just came back from working a 12 hour shift.

Mukundi:

And now I gotta sleep four hours because in another two hours I gotta go back to that 12 hour shift.

Mukundi:

There's no time for me to give you positive reinforcement.

Mukundi:

Even when we're talking as a Family.

Mukundi:

There's no such thing as.

Mukundi:

Okay, so the kids have a basketball game tomorrow, and I think it'd be great if we go watch them and go, you know, support them and cheer them on.

Mukundi:

No, there's none of that, bro.

Mukundi:

There's.

Mukundi:

Oh, why are you trying to pursue this?

Mukundi:

It won't.

Mukundi:

It won't put food on the table.

Mukundi:

Why are you trying to pursue a career in sports?

Mukundi:

It won't put food on the table.

Mukundi:

Go to school, do your thing.

Mukundi:

You understand?

Mukundi:

Yeah, it's.

Mukundi:

And.

Mukundi:

And that plays a.

Mukundi:

And listen outlier.

Mukundi:

But that hurts.

N.J.:

Hurts.

Mukundi:

And that's why.

Mukundi:

That might be why people grow up with that feeling.

Mukundi:

It's like Denzel and fences.

Mukundi:

The.

Mukundi:

The.

Mukundi:

As far as.

Mukundi:

As far as I'm concerned, bro, you know why?

Mukundi:

I don't have to like you.

Mukundi:

I feed you.

Mukundi:

I clothe you.

Mukundi:

You got a roof over your head.

Mukundi:

What more do you want?

Mukundi:

I think that's enough.

Mukundi:

So what more do you want?

N.J.:

A lot of black African parents have exactly the same sentiment.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Like how I feed you.

N.J.:

What are you trying to.

Mukundi:

Like, like, do you.

Mukundi:

Do you get.

N.J.:

I'm talking about.

N.J.:

I'm talking about old school.

N.J.:

Like.

N.J.:

Yeah, you know, like suicide is.

N.J.:

There's a time when like teenage suicide is quite high.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

In this country.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

I don't know, like 10, 15 years ago.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

Even 10, 15 years ago.

N.J.:

There was a time, maybe.

Mukundi:

Couldn't that be when social media was coming up and I.

Mukundi:

I don't know, it's like.

N.J.:

But then was a time like, I don't know, maybe for me, in my conscious, teenage suicide was on an all time high.

N.J.:

Okay.

N.J.:

And then also what they found is that a lot of black kids couldn't go and talk to their parents because the feedback that they would get.

N.J.:

I feel you.

N.J.:

My clothing.

N.J.:

You've got this.

N.J.:

You got this.

N.J.:

What could you be suicidal about?

Mukundi:

Unfortunately.

Mukundi:

Unfortunately.

Mukundi:

And it sounds mean, but like, but you have to understand, these people are products of the.

Mukundi:

Of their environments and generations as well.

Mukundi:

This was a time where we were blessed if we were fed, we were blessed if we were fully clothed.

Mukundi:

You understand, bro?

Mukundi:

So now I'm out here giving you all these things that my parents thought to give me.

Mukundi:

I'm giving them to you.

Mukundi:

You.

Mukundi:

For you.

Mukundi:

You wake up in the morning.

Mukundi:

You decide.

Mukundi:

Beaks.

Mukundi:

You understand?

Mukundi:

We woke up in the morning.

Mukundi:

What's for breakfast?

Mukundi:

Something you understand?

Mukundi:

You understand?

Mukundi:

I know stories.

Mukundi:

My mom tells me stories of growing up at home and there was no food in the kitchen.

Mukundi:

And mind you, this.

Mukundi:

This was A house with eight kids.

Mukundi:

My mom tells me stories that there were times where they would literally starve because now maybe grandma goes out to make a plan and comes back.

Mukundi:

So now don't you think she's gonna be a bit pissed off when Mukundi comes through and says, mom, I'm not happy.

Mukundi:

What's the problem?

Mukundi:

You know, I feel like you don't give me positive reinforcement.

Mukundi:

I feel like you don't support me in my dreams.

N.J.:

That's very true.

N.J.:

I think.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

It's down to that entire Maslow's hierarchy at the bottom.

N.J.:

This is the entire.

N.J.:

It's in the pyramid.

Mukundi:

Right.

N.J.:

And the bottom is your need for safety, security and physical safety.

N.J.:

Security and food.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

No, it's just, I think it's like food and safety, security to go look at that again.

N.J.:

And then at the top is self actualization.

N.J.:

So you cannot even think of self actualizing anything if you're hungry.

N.J.:

You cannot even think of security if you're hungry.

Mukundi:

You can't think of supporting your kids dreams when you're trying to feed said.

N.J.:

Kids, just trying to feed them.

N.J.:

It takes a very special parent to say to their child, if they go.

N.J.:

When they're going through all of that, they just.

N.J.:

I'm not talking about middle class, but some are just scraping out of poverty to still be.

N.J.:

I'm going to make a plan, but I'm still going to go to every single game or every single.

Mukundi:

Exactly.

N.J.:

Recital.

Mukundi:

Exactly.

N.J.:

Some parents do.

Mukundi:

Do it and shout out to them.

N.J.:

Yeah, shout out to them in.

N.J.:

In Boston this one time, they were trying to motivate us and they were saying to.

N.J.:

Because if you get to Rhodes University, you may not be well off, but it means that your parents had to scrape and try.

N.J.:

And what, what used to break my heart there is that some kids were.

N.J.:

This is the, this is the only option that they had.

N.J.:

This is the only thing, the only way out of poverty that they have.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Their parents like literally like, I can only support you so far.

N.J.:

And what they would do, they'll go.

N.J.:

They go drinking, they go partying and they would not be studying.

N.J.:

And then they get excluded.

N.J.:

And then now what are their parents going to do?

N.J.:

They literally murdered themselves.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Physically.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

To get them to this point.

N.J.:

And this kid is going to go play repair around with that.

N.J.:

And I saw that happen.

Mukundi:

It happens too many times, unfortunately.

N.J.:

So then they were motivating us and saying, look, listen here, you should lose all your excuses.

N.J.:

I can't remember what nature it was.

N.J.:

You must lose all your excuses.

N.J.:

Because one of the top achievers.

N.J.:

And wasn't Sunday.

Mukundi:

I saw his YouTube.

Mukundi:

He posted the car clip.

Mukundi:

I was like.

N.J.:

He said he was, he was a topic chief and quintile one in the country.

N.J.:

Which means quintile one is the poorest and then quintile five is the richest in terms of your lsm.

N.J.:

And he said he was as smart as poet.

N.J.:

But then you want a car like O.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

So there was back to your story about like your security guard working hard.

N.J.:

Right.

N.J.:

They.

N.J.:

So there was a gardener and a maid who got married.

Mukundi:

Sure.

N.J.:

And this is their profession and they at that time they didn't get.

N.J.:

They get paid quite a bit.

N.J.:

Well they didn't get make a lot but then they scraped by and then they worked and then they had this kid, had a child boy who ended up becoming the top achiever in the country academically wise.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

I'm gonna say that again.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

So a security guy, gardener and a maid.

Mukundi:

He became, he became the top achiever in the whole country.

N.J.:

Country.

N.J.:

I need to go find out who that person is.

N.J.:

But that's the story that we're being told.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

So that's, that's.

N.J.:

This is an outlier case.

N.J.:

But that shows that again it is possible for you to be really killing yourself just trying to make ends meet and still giving your child punishment reinforcement.

N.J.:

Yeah, yeah, that's, that's, that's that's the thing.

N.J.:

So back to wise to your story.

N.J.:

Like why people will achieve something, what they want.

N.J.:

What I found is this.

N.J.:

You inherently.

N.J.:

If you know that I can achieve great things.

N.J.:

You are inherently responsible for your own life.

N.J.:

Because you're saying I can achieve great things.

Mukundi:

Yes.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

And then you all start reading biographies of all these guys.

N.J.:

So I go to all these people on the wall.

N.J.:

Some people are thinking to take off.

N.J.:

Don't do this, say nothing.

Mukundi:

I'm just looking.

Mukundi:

I'm just looking.

Mukundi:

But I've told you, I can't even hate the man cuz he knows how to make money.

Mukundi:

Like, like that's it.

N.J.:

Right.

N.J.:

So some people.

N.J.:

I take up the world.

Mukundi:

Get him off dark.

N.J.:

So that's why I forgot I've got biographies of all these people who did things that were just like ridiculous.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Like Elon Musk.

N.J.:

Like what are we doing?

N.J.:

Even with the money.

Mukundi:

He has broken into space and catching them again.

N.J.:

Catching them.

N.J.:

And now he's the.

N.J.:

Now he's.

N.J.:

He's in cabinet.

Mukundi:

He's a politician.

N.J.:

He's in cabinet.

Mukundi:

The boy from Prince.

Mukundi:

Pretoria.

N.J.:

American cabinet.

N.J.:

Right.

N.J.:

So like there are all of these inspiring stories.

N.J.:

And if you stop hating on other people and stop looking at things on YouTube that you know, you shouldn't be looking at reading documentaries or reading biographies and looking at documentaries of people who have done massively great things, you're like, okay, if they can do it, then I can do something great with my own life.

N.J.:

And sometimes your parent can talk about it to the cows come home.

N.J.:

You've seen.

N.J.:

You've seen her great parents, and still their child's like, nah.

Mukundi:

It'S like a short left.

Mukundi:

It's like a double up.

N.J.:

This very.

N.J.:

This matters to the story because this man's a Caucasian.

N.J.:

Rich Caucasian.

N.J.:

From a rich family man to church.

N.J.:

This one time they tell us a story.

N.J.:

Rich Caucasian man.

N.J.:

It's a big redemption story.

N.J.:

It's either Joel Austin was talking about it or at Rivers that were talking about it, but it was just a analogy that they put, like how you can redeem your life.

N.J.:

Now, this guy is similar to the guy I made in Vegas.

N.J.:

$10 million a year, but not as messed up.

N.J.:

Right.

N.J.:

So his parents, rich, well off, gave him everything he needed as well as a positive reinforcement and the church environment and the good friends, the good neighborhood.

N.J.:

And they were there for him, which every game, first day of school lasted.

N.J.:

They were there the whole night.

N.J.:

Nothing more that you can ask for.

Mukundi:

The whole nine.

N.J.:

Nothing more that you can ask for.

N.J.:

The whole nine yards and a bag of chips.

N.J.:

Guess what this man did with his life for.

N.J.:

Until he was like 56?

Mukundi:

He got on that, did he?

N.J.:

Yeah, he did.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

He got on drugs.

N.J.:

Got hooked on drugs.

N.J.:

He was on that.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

He was on drugs.

N.J.:

That's why, like, I'm starting to grow visceral hatred for.

N.J.:

For drug abuse.

N.J.:

I'm starting to grow up.

N.J.:

Visceral age of work.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

But anyway, and that's what happened.

N.J.:

So.

N.J.:

And his parents, they tried and they tried and they tried.

N.J.:

And until they were like, if my.

Mukundi:

Man, like we've tried into my food.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

God.

Mukundi:

Oh, congratulations.

Mukundi:

Congratulations.

Mukundi:

I don't even want to know about Kaiser Chiefs.

N.J.:

Like, no one wants to know what Kaiser Chief.

N.J.:

So.

N.J.:

So then he had a.

N.J.:

A moment where it's like, what's wrong with me?

N.J.:

In his 50s.

Mukundi:

In his 50s, it was, I see.

N.J.:

The late 40s, early 50s, I think.

N.J.:

56.

N.J.:

When he got his life together like that, that teacher that you're telling me about.

N.J.:

But for him, it was the parental background, the ethnicity you're born into.

N.J.:

I remember, like, if you threw away your life there in that community, like you like we looked up.

N.J.:

Yeah, you looked at you.

N.J.:

It's frowned upon.

N.J.:

Yeah, it's really frown upon.

N.J.:

And then he had the moment like, okay, now I need to get my life together.

N.J.:

I don't know what moment hit him, but now I need to get my life together.

N.J.:

Then he started fixing his life.

N.J.:

And then at 56, then he started having a family, and then he started fixing his life, and then he was like, hey, I messed up, but I'm 56 now.

N.J.:

I can't do anything about all these years that I've.

N.J.:

That I've missed.

N.J.:

Now I can at least say, at least fix it.

N.J.:

But that goes with the point that I got from that, is that you can come from the most perfect environment, you can have the perfect parents, and you can still decide that I'm not going to be successful.

Mukundi:

Decide.

Mukundi:

Keyword being decide.

N.J.:

Decide.

N.J.:

That's the thing.

N.J.:

Keyword being decided to decide.

N.J.:

And also, watch.

N.J.:

This is going to happen to you.

N.J.:

Like, this is.

N.J.:

This is like, watch.

N.J.:

Like, okay, watch, watch, watch, watch, watch.

N.J.:

I've been around a long time in this life.

Mukundi:

What am I gonna do?

N.J.:

No, I said this was going to happen to you.

N.J.:

Okay, so you will work, you'll become successful, you'll make the money, you will get the notoriety.

N.J.:

And then odds are, people from where you grew up are going to be resentful of you.

N.J.:

Oh, yeah, they're gonna be hateful of you.

N.J.:

And then I was asking my family, so like, I was asking my dad this one time, this dad of my brother, actually, we're having conversations with my brother.

N.J.:

And then I was like, why is it that extended family is like this and that person's like that?

N.J.:

Their friends, like, this is like, like, guys, come on.

N.J.:

It's like, honestly, like, they, they just mad.

N.J.:

They're just upset that they messed up the opportunities that they had.

Mukundi:

They hate us because they ain't us.

Mukundi:

Which goes back full circle because you had the exact same opportunity.

Mukundi:

Opportunity made.

N.J.:

Even if you didn't have the same opportunity, you still made bad decisions.

Mukundi:

You still made bad decisions.

Mukundi:

You see the reason I say I can't feel bad for my family, right?

Mukundi:

This nice lady, after getting her life together, went as far as to try to help each and every single one of her siblings to get to go for training for certain, because she's too naive and too nice of a person.

Mukundi:

I keep telling her, relaxing dog.

Mukundi:

So took the effort to put all her siblings through training for a certain thing.

Mukundi:

My uncle's qualified forklift operators, heavy machinery operators, secure qualified security guards, all that still did nothing still did for call, so.

Mukundi:

And you want me to be.

Mukundi:

To feel bad for you now?

N.J.:

You can't like.

N.J.:

No, no, they like.

Mukundi:

And here's the other thing.

N.J.:

And I know you want to like.

Mukundi:

I'm not a bad person.

Mukundi:

However.

Mukundi:

Okay, come on, don't look at me like that.

Mukundi:

How.

Mukundi:

Like, I'm a nice person.

Mukundi:

I'm a good person.

Mukundi:

I'm a good human being.

Mukundi:

Like, I don't know what you're trying.

Mukundi:

What point you're trying to drive home.

Mukundi:

As I was saying, I'm a nice person, but to some people, to the people that deserve.

N.J.:

That's what I'm saying.

N.J.:

Some people.

Mukundi:

Okay, fine, yeah, sure.

Mukundi:

If that's how you want to put it, sure.

Mukundi:

But I can't feel bad for you after I've watched you actively ruin your life.

N.J.:

Actively watched you ruin your life.

Mukundi:

No, no.

Mukundi:

After I've watched you actively.

N.J.:

You've actively watched them actively ruin their life?

Mukundi:

Yes.

N.J.:

Were you passive like me?

Mukundi:

I was me.

Mukundi:

I was passive.

Mukundi:

Dog me.

Mukundi:

I.

Mukundi:

I was in Polukwane while this was happening in Canada.

Mukundi:

I'll see this in glimpses.

Mukundi:

You get me start seeing glitches.

Mukundi:

Like every couple of months I go back to Venda and I'm like, ah, so here's what you're doing.

Mukundi:

Rather, here's what you're not doing.

N.J.:

Here's the chat.

N.J.:

dad also gave me this chat in:

N.J.:

Yeah, yeah, it was:

N.J.:

One of the worst years in all of existence at the time.

N.J.:

You know, my grandmother passed away, my aunt passed away.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

Second year was difficult.

Mukundi:

Springboks lost the World Cup.

N.J.:

Okay, that.

N.J.:

They lost that World Cup.

N.J.:

We have four now.

Mukundi:

Like back to back, baby.

N.J.:

Back to back.

N.J.:

We might as well go back to back to back.

N.J.:

Djokovic was dominating the down seven straight finals that year.

N.J.:

Man United lost to Barcelona.

N.J.:

Oh, no.

N.J.:

That was a good.

N.J.:

That was a good.

N.J.:

That was a good time.

N.J.:

And this was just an over really hard.

N.J.:

And then my aunt passed away at the end of that year as well.

Mukundi:

Now I'm like:

N.J.:

But then there was a friend I was trying to help, right?

N.J.:

And this is where I learned at a deep level, you can't help a person who doesn't want to be helped.

N.J.:

So we've gone to school together.

N.J.:

My dad's nickname was Killer.

N.J.:

And even my mom used to do borum Latin dancing.

N.J.:

When he was doing borum Latin dancing, he stepped on the, ah, his toes.

N.J.:

And then she was like, I will.

Mukundi:

Keep saying that I will never shouldn't have Said that.

Mukundi:

You shouldn't have said that.

N.J.:

That call me killer in high school.

N.J.:

Oh, yeah.

N.J.:

Killer.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Killer.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

I'm like, bro, like, I ain't killing nothing.

N.J.:

You're killing them, son.

Mukundi:

I was about to say, cuz, you're killing it, son.

N.J.:

Killing them, son.

N.J.:

Oh, man, my dad was a scary man.

N.J.:

So I was like, yeah, he's been to jail.

Mukundi:

Oh, damn.

N.J.:

No, look at him.

N.J.:

No, look at him.

N.J.:

He's been to jail.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

I'm not going to tell you why.

N.J.:

No, no, the reason why is cuz jungle, you know, like if you.

N.J.:

Okay, they randomly put people.

Mukundi:

Now, he was a black man.

N.J.:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

N.J.:

So he said, I was like, this guy was trying to help.

N.J.:

We were in the same high school together.

N.J.:

And then he joined me in university and he just wasn't taking life seriously.

N.J.:

His mom was like, help him out.

N.J.:

I'm like, ah.

N.J.:

Because I like people trying to help this guy out.

N.J.:

He was on that hard.

N.J.:

Not hard, but at least.

N.J.:

At least do something.

Mukundi:

At least.

Mukundi:

Like, why is he doing something?

N.J.:

So also, here's the thing.

N.J.:

He was given a course that he chose.

Mukundi:

Okay.

N.J.:

That he wanted to do the sound engineer, bro.

N.J.:

Like, it's sound engineering and music.

N.J.:

Music.

N.J.:

Music theory.

N.J.:

And like, Roses is a perfect place for.

N.J.:

From a cultural perspective.

Mukundi:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

N.J.:

Right?

N.J.:

Not necessarily sound engineering, because it's like, that was like.

N.J.:

That was like one department for that.

N.J.:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

N.J.:

So he was doing that because he said he want to go into music and produce and you know, okay, yeah.

Mukundi:

We'Re giving you everything you need.

N.J.:

Everything you need.

N.J.:

Fluffed it.

N.J.:

He fluffed it.

N.J.:

And then I was calling my dad.

N.J.:

I'm like, they're telling him this entire story.

N.J.:

And he's like, this is.

N.J.:

This is why.

N.J.:

He's like, you can't help people who don't want to be helped.

N.J.:

And then also, now, simple.

N.J.:

You need to be selfish.

Mukundi:

Yes.

N.J.:

At certain points now you need to be selfish with the time, your emotions.

Mukundi:

I was about to say, because now that person is probably going to frustrate you.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

And I was getting frustrated.

Mukundi:

Exactly.

N.J.:

And also that's the thing.

N.J.:

Like.

N.J.:

Like, you know those people who end up making a lot of money?

N.J.:

You, I used to think.

N.J.:

But like, no.

N.J.:

They value their time so much.

Mukundi:

Exactly.

N.J.:

Like, can I please get you on the podcast?

N.J.:

Can we?

N.J.:

Like, it's like, yeah, but then I'm very, very selective with my time.

N.J.:

Because they've been abused, they've been misused, and they're like, no.

N.J.:

Well, why must I go there for Mahala Because I could be doing something that actually bring me money.

N.J.:

For example, if you made a thousand dollars a podcast episode, that's like an hour, right?

N.J.:

Right now someone says, hey, let's hang out for an hour.

N.J.:

So $8,000.

Mukundi:

Like, like 20.

N.J.:

20, 000.

N.J.:

Like, are you gonna.

N.J.:

Are you gonna give them him?

N.J.:

He's like.

N.J.:

And then like a.

N.J.:

No, Muki's a dick.

Mukundi:

No, Mukuri just values his time.

N.J.:

Thank you.

N.J.:

Thank you.

Mukundi:

So then need I.

Mukundi:

Need I say my.

Mukundi:

About that one Saturday morning whether.

Mukundi:

Where I went to this one radio station.

N.J.:

Oh, my.

Mukundi:

And this dude, he.

Mukundi:

He.

Mukundi:

I.

Mukundi:

He liked my work so much.

Mukundi:

He was like, you know what?

Mukundi:

Next week, come back.

Mukundi:

Let's get you on air again.

Mukundi:

I said, yeah, sure.

Mukundi:

So let's talk money.

Mukundi:

Then he said, ash, you know we work on a voluntary basis.

Mukundi:

I'm like, yeah, smiling at me the whole time.

Mukundi:

That's what pissed me off.

Mukundi:

The fact that he's smiling while telling me all this.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

And he's.

Mukundi:

And I'm like, okay, fine.

Mukundi:

Cover my transport at least.

Mukundi:

Ah, you know what?

Mukundi:

To save your pocket, man.

Mukundi:

Instead of coming every week, we'll have you come in every two weeks.

Mukundi:

I'm like, that still doesn't solve my problem.

Mukundi:

You say to save my pocket, bro.

Mukundi:

Cover my Ubers, bro.

N.J.:

You came back so upset early in the morning.

N.J.:

He dressed nice on a Saturday, bro.

N.J.:

He's Uber there and back.

N.J.:

It's like, yo, I'm gonna get those papers.

Mukundi:

Work for free.

Mukundi:

You want me to give you my.

N.J.:

Saturday mornings for freema Stop this entire thing of free.

N.J.:

Unless there's a benefit that's going to come from it.

Mukundi:

You understand we're paying you.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Like, now we get a clear.

Mukundi:

We get a lot of exposure for exposure.

N.J.:

I mean, no, this is.

N.J.:

This is.

N.J.:

This is why the second book I wrote is very important.

N.J.:

You are a business.

N.J.:

Treat yourself like one.

Mukundi:

Yes.

N.J.:

I cannot go to a business establishment.

N.J.:

So one time I went to the.

N.J.:

To the Maslow Hotel.

N.J.:

Just to, you know, in Santon.

N.J.:

Yeah, I'll show you when we afrobees the next time.

N.J.:

Okay, so the Maslow.

N.J.:

So it's quite an upscale hotel.

N.J.:

I was like, I want to do an experiment as part of my research.

N.J.:

I'm like, okay.

N.J.:

I went there and I said, can I please have the top tier suite, presidential suite that you can have for the weekend?

N.J.:

And then I want room service, and I want drinks, and I want this.

N.J.:

And I want this.

N.J.:

I was like, last number.

N.J.:

And then they asked.

N.J.:

Okay, so.

N.J.:

So then, like, can you Give us your, your details that you're going to use to pay.

N.J.:

And I said I'm not going to pay with money but I've got all these degrees, all these experience and I'm good looking so I don't feel I need to pay.

N.J.:

Ah, how do you think that went?

Mukundi:

So did they walk you out or throw you out?

N.J.:

They were like, no, you have to.

N.J.:

This is the price of the price.

N.J.:

This is what you have to do.

Mukundi:

They throw you out like jazz and Fresh Prince.

N.J.:

They throw me out because they've got etiquette decorum there, you know what I mean?

N.J.:

So they're like, I was like a man cup.

N.J.:

I was like, okay, man.

N.J.:

Actually I was just conducting a social experiment here.

N.J.:

Okay, yeah, yeah.

N.J.:

So I'm like, where's your restaurant so I can go have a cup of coffee there?

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Then I went and went.

N.J.:

So then that, that just, that's.

N.J.:

So if you are the Maslow Hotel is if the person is going to be sleeping there for free, the question you need to ask yourself is what benefit am I going to get?

N.J.:

Michael Jackson, the greatest entertainer of all time, better than Chris Brown, better than Beyonce, better than James Brown, better than everybody.

Mukundi:

Right?

N.J.:

From an entertainment perspective, right.

N.J.:

And yes, Ingi, Beyonce is not one.

Mukundi:

Of the most talented human beings to ever exist.

N.J.:

Yes, Beyonce is not a Michael Jackson's level.

N.J.:

That's what we need to understand and that's what we need to get right in our minds.

N.J.:

Beyonce is amazing.

N.J.:

She's all time great, but she ain't AIM changed.

Mukundi:

MJ had people, had people fainting and he just stood like this.

Mukundi:

People were fainting, grown men were in tears, bro.

N.J.:

I was one of them watching the DVD.

Mukundi:

And he's just, yo, I come.

N.J.:

On before social media, before any of that.

N.J.:

So Michael Jackson used to not pay for hotels ever a day in his life at the like height and peak of his fame, which was Michael Jackson.

Mukundi:

Michael Jackson stays with us.

Mukundi:

Michael Jackson stays with us.

N.J.:

That's what I'm saying.

N.J.:

So Michael Jackson in his head, he went to the Maslow town, said I need a, I need everything that I was asking for.

Mukundi:

They would give it to him, no hesitation.

N.J.:

And why?

N.J.:

Because ah, Michael Jackson at the Maslow, everyone is everyone.

N.J.:

And the dog and the cat is going to start cooking exactly at the Mazda.

N.J.:

So if the guy for whatever radio station said we will bring you on.

N.J.:

But then you knew Villa Vella, you want to get like a hundred thousand followers on social media.

Mukundi:

You understand like all of these things.

Mukundi:

You understand that translates like guaranteed like.

N.J.:

Guaranteed, not even that, you know?

N.J.:

Yeah, that's.

N.J.:

That's.

Mukundi:

I'm not Bob.

N.J.:

Like, so.

N.J.:

So back to what my dad was saying is like, you can't make someone work, can't make someone build.

N.J.:

You need to be selfish and make sure that you maximize your potential and you get to where you need to get to.

N.J.:

And those people who are on the same mission have got the same drive.

N.J.:

Those are people that you can spend your time with, and those are type of people that you can help.

N.J.:

And then he said to me, which is one of the funniest things, don't be Jesus Christ dying for the sins of the world.

N.J.:

Thank you, Dr.

Mukundi:

Kid.

Mukundi:

Dr.

N.J.:

Kid.

Mukundi:

Man, I wish I had met Dr.

Mukundi:

Dr.

Mukundi:

King.

Mukundi:

I ain't even gonna lie.

Mukundi:

But yeah, it's the exact conversation I had with our, our mutual friend last year.

N.J.:

I'll meet your friend.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

When?

Mukundi:

I'll tell you when.

Mukundi:

You.

Mukundi:

You'll just hear from the story.

Mukundi:

When I told the boy, yo, if you don't get your life together, I will cut you off.

N.J.:

Oh, okay, okay.

Mukundi:

I will cut you off because I need to hang.

Mukundi:

I need to surround myself with people who have direction in their life.

Mukundi:

I can see where you're going.

Mukundi:

I can see what you're doing.

Mukundi:

You need doing something with your life.

N.J.:

With 10 negative people, you're going to.

Mukundi:

Be number 11, you understand?

Mukundi:

So I was like, yo, get your life together, otherwise I will cut you off.

N.J.:

Yeah, I would cut you off.

N.J.:

Well, well, facts.

N.J.:

And you should, mustn't.

N.J.:

You mustn't be afraid to go to cut people off just because they've been in your life for a very long time.

Mukundi:

Yes.

N.J.:

You mustn't be afraid.

N.J.:

Like, you don't owe them anything.

Mukundi:

Not.

N.J.:

Let's be honest here.

N.J.:

You don't owe your family members anything.

N.J.:

I'm talking about extended.

N.J.:

Extended fan.

N.J.:

You know us as black people.

N.J.:

Everyone's offend.

N.J.:

Yeah, you don't owe.

N.J.:

You don't owe them anything.

Mukundi:

Yeah, get.

Mukundi:

Get rid of those cousins.

N.J.:

You don't.

N.J.:

Yeah, get rid of all of them.

N.J.:

Sorry, cuz.

N.J.:

You said I must get rid of your cuz.

N.J.:

Sorry, cuz.

Mukundi:

Yeah, get rid of all them cousins, man.

N.J.:

You know, get rid of all them cousins.

Mukundi:

Yeah, yeah, just like first cousins can stay.

Mukundi:

First cousins can stay.

N.J.:

So that's the thing.

N.J.:

I mean, like, because my, my mom had.

N.J.:

Has had exactly the same experience as your mom has had, my brother's had exactly the same experience.

N.J.:

So we've all done it.

N.J.:

Everyone in my family has ever.

N.J.:

Has done it where they Try to help their friends or the other friends, or extend the family members.

N.J.:

I'm like, hey, do this.

N.J.:

Here's this opportunity.

N.J.:

Do this.

N.J.:

Hey, do this.

N.J.:

But then, inherently, if the person doesn't believe that they can achieve great things, they don't believe that they don't have a reference point for it.

N.J.:

And if it doesn't come from them, I caught up on, forget about it.

N.J.:

Forget about it.

N.J.:

So that's how I came up with the success.

N.J.:

Success is the realization of where the ideal.

N.J.:

That's.

N.J.:

I.

N.J.:

That's where I get from Earl Nightingale.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

And then with that guy, I.

N.J.:

I realized that money's not.

N.J.:

You can have money, but doesn't mean that you're only successful because you can have all the money and still be societal or you can have more degrees than the thermometer and still be an idiot.

N.J.:

You can.

N.J.:

Damn, you can have oil facts.

N.J.:

I've met a lot of doctors who.

Mukundi:

I'm like, wait, no, no, no, no, no, no, listen, I keep telling people, we're having this debate last year, I remember, and they were saying, hey, private school, private school.

Mukundi:

I was like, nina, you know, some people are wasting money with private school.

Mukundi:

And I'm like, some of the dumbest people I've ever met went to private school.

N.J.:

That's the thing.

Mukundi:

Some of the dumb.

Mukundi:

Look, I went to.

Mukundi:

I went to a.

Mukundi:

To a government school.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

School fees were 750 per month.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

I think I turned out just fine.

N.J.:

I can tell you for free, you turned out better than a lot of people that I went to school with.

N.J.:

And I went to a private school.

Mukundi:

You.

Mukundi:

You get what I'm saying?

N.J.:

My parents.

Mukundi:

I know a lot of.

Mukundi:

Dude, I lived five minutes from a private school.

Mukundi:

I know people in my estate that went to private schools.

Mukundi:

Once again, some of the biggest idiots I've ever met are private school kids.

N.J.:

Oh, don't hit.

N.J.:

Private schools are still good.

Mukundi:

Private schools are still good.

Mukundi:

Don't get me wrong.

Mukundi:

The level of education.

Mukundi:

What I'm saying is you can't help what you say.

Mukundi:

You can't help someone who.

Mukundi:

Who doesn't want to be helped.

Mukundi:

I can put you in a private school.

Mukundi:

I can put you in a private school.

Mukundi:

But if you're not willing to.

Mukundi:

To take advantage of the resources you're given and make use and learn from some of the best education money can buy in whatever country you're in, you know, better than Sundini, who was the top achiever in a poor school.

Mukundi:

And yet when we compare.

N.J.:

Look at where he is now.

Mukundi:

When we compare you in Tunden is doing way better than you when he had far less.

N.J.:

Yes, Far less.

Mukundi:

So what are we doing?

N.J.:

You know, one of the.

N.J.:

The funny stories there, there at university, where roads we.

N.J.:

You know, it's like one of the premier high schools in the country in David.

N.J.:

You know, it's like, there's a.

N.J.:

There's.

N.J.:

You've heard of Michael House, right?

Mukundi:

No.

N.J.:

You never heard of Michael House?

N.J.:

So Michael House is like one of the.

N.J.:

Like, it's like 300k a year.

Mukundi:

A year.

N.J.:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mukundi:

So it's like, do we still have to apply for university or do they just get to choose?

N.J.:

Like, oh, you must still apply for.

N.J.:

Anyways, what do you think this is.

Mukundi:

For that much money?

Mukundi:

The universities must be coming to us, dog.

Mukundi:

Like, yo.

N.J.:

Because I was doing family planning.

N.J.:

Like, wait, I want my kids to go, oh.

N.J.:

So basically, it's like one of.

N.J.:

It's like, if it's not the first, it's the second most prestigious school in the country.

N.J.:

Experience.

N.J.:

It's the rival to Michael House.

N.J.:

The head boy from that school was in the university with me.

Mukundi:

I was like, don't cope, don't cope.

Mukundi:

Like, I was like, where'd you go?

Mukundi:

Like, were you at least popular in school?

Mukundi:

Is that why you were a head boy?

N.J.:

I don't know.

N.J.:

But then, like, the thing is, he was being outworked and outperformed by people.

Mukundi:

Who came from far less talent.

Mukundi:

Be.

Mukundi:

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work.

N.J.:

And when talent works hard, that's what we need.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

So we can use talent for.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Excuse me, just resources and money.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

But everyone privilege, everyone has that talent.

N.J.:

So that's what success means.

N.J.:

It's whether you make a million dollars or a hundred thousand dollars.

N.J.:

We're gonna use dollars because, hey, exchange rate.

N.J.:

Hey, you got a hundred thousand dollars or a million dollars?

N.J.:

I would rather you make a hundred thousand dollars and still be able to take care of your family, feed your families.

N.J.:

Still going after what you.

N.J.:

What it is that you want to do.

N.J.:

For example, if someone says, I want to.

N.J.:

I want to be a mother and raise kids, that's what I want to do.

N.J.:

Whether she got a million dollars or a hundred thousand dollars doesn't actually matter, but she's actually doing that every single day.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

And this whole toxic femininity.

N.J.:

I'm just going to say toxic feminine femininity, because feminism is a good thing, but the toxicity of it is saying that they.

N.J.:

Sometimes it would be frowned upon.

N.J.:

A woman would be frowned upon if she Says, I want to stay at home and raise my children.

N.J.:

That is a very admirable, admirable thing.

N.J.:

I call them home executives.

N.J.:

Like, yeah, I call them bro.

N.J.:

I call them.

Mukundi:

Running a household is not easy.

N.J.:

I.

N.J.:

I've heard.

N.J.:

I've never done it.

Mukundi:

Listen, man, running a household is not easy.

N.J.:

So regardless of whether you want to be a used car salesman or you want to be a podcast, or you want to be a security guard, or you want to be a tennis player, Formula one player, if that's what you want to do and you're becoming better at that every single day, then that is what success is.

N.J.:

And you.

N.J.:

That means your measurement of success is not mine and it's not your girlfriend, it's not your brother's.

N.J.:

Because no two people ever want exactly the same things.

N.J.:

It may come the same forms, but no two people have ever in the history of humanity wanted exactly the same two things.

N.J.:

That means a successful person doesn't necessarily compete in what they want to achieve.

N.J.:

In a sports context.

N.J.:

Sure, we're competing for a championship, but we're all competing for a championship for different reasons.

Mukundi:

Yeah, some.

Mukundi:

Some is a legacy thing.

Mukundi:

Some it's actually winning their first one.

N.J.:

The first one.

N.J.:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

N.J.:

So like, even in competitive industries, you're not really competing, if that makes any sense.

Mukundi:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

N.J.:

So for example, Michael Jordan was competing for separate reasons.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Charles Barclay was competing for separate reasons.

N.J.:

You can look at that.

N.J.:

The goal was to be the NBA champion, but that wasn't actually the goal.

N.J.:

It was what that goal would give them, whether it's a validation or whatever.

N.J.:

Chuck is fine.

N.J.:

He's fine right now.

Mukundi:

Yeah, he's good.

N.J.:

He's chilling.

Mukundi:

He's good.

N.J.:

So are we going to say that he wasn't successful as an NBA player because he didn't win a chip?

N.J.:

I don't think so.

Mukundi:

Oh, is this you?

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Are we going to say there wasn't successful?

N.J.:

I'm not going to say.

N.J.:

No, no.

N.J.:

That, that, that's.

N.J.:

That comes in.

N.J.:

In the goat discussion.

N.J.:

Ah, separate conversation.

Mukundi:

No, but there's no one.

Mukundi:

If you can't even begin to say he's not successful.

N.J.:

Exactly.

Mukundi:

Even if it's as a broadcaster or whatever.

N.J.:

That's the things like.

N.J.:

And also your criteria for success may change.

N.J.:

For example, your criteria when you're young for success is to make it out of high school.

N.J.:

Now the success criteria changed and now.

Mukundi:

It'S to become a rich and famous.

N.J.:

Yeah, Rich and famous now and then.

N.J.:

Even when you become rich and famous, you'll Be like, now that you keep on shifting the goal and becoming better, the aim is that you never really attain.

N.J.:

Attain success.

N.J.:

That's where the word progressive comes from.

N.J.:

That you're constantly.

Mukundi:

Because then if.

Mukundi:

If you're ever satisfied, then what's happening.

N.J.:

Yeah, you're a failure.

N.J.:

Another good.

N.J.:

I don't want to say it, but, like, you.

Mukundi:

You're.

N.J.:

You're a failure.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

And there are a lot of people who are failures out there.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Because once you get satisfied, you come comfortable and.

N.J.:

Exactly.

Mukundi:

Comfortability breeds mediocrity.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

So that's the thing.

N.J.:

Like, a lot of people that I've seen at work and work environments, they're.

N.J.:

They're failures, man.

N.J.:

And not even.

N.J.:

Not even a derogatory sense based on the criteria that we laid out.

N.J.:

Yeah, they.

N.J.:

You're working this job and you can tell that you're just coasting, but you're not.

N.J.:

You're not giving your all here.

N.J.:

You're just like, I'm just gonna ride out until retirement.

N.J.:

Retirement is 30 years from now, man.

Mukundi:

That's 30 years.

Mukundi:

That's your whole life, bro.

N.J.:

That's the thing.

Mukundi:

When you could do so much more in just 10.

N.J.:

Okay.

N.J.:

Like.

N.J.:

And also.

N.J.:

And then I'm just.

N.J.:

That's like the title of their lives.

N.J.:

Not just work.

N.J.:

Like every other area.

N.J.:

You can see that they.

N.J.:

There are failures.

N.J.:

And the thing is that even if you find yourself in a job that you don't like, well, you know this, and I've known this.

N.J.:

I've been there.

N.J.:

If you've got the question to ask yourself is that, what is it that I want to achieve and how is this going to help me, help get me there, then you start seeing it through a different lens.

N.J.:

And if.

N.J.:

And if.

Mukundi:

You.

N.J.:

So, yeah, that's the backstory of how I got the.

N.J.:

The mantra.

N.J.:

And it's very personal to me.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Why it's so personal to me.

N.J.:

And I could talk about it, like, forever.

N.J.:

I know, because I took time and research and all of that to actually do that.

N.J.:

Because I think figuring out that definition of success is one of the greatest achievements of my life.

N.J.:

Just finding that.

N.J.:

Put away the degrees, put away the.

N.J.:

Put away.

Mukundi:

Because it also.

Mukundi:

I think it also helps you stop competing with people.

N.J.:

Yeah, I don't compete.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Because I can.

Mukundi:

Like, when you say your own ideals and what you want to go after, it helps you put you in your own lane, not your friends.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

True.

N.J.:

And then also, like, part of that, if things like no one.

N.J.:

One of the.

N.J.:

Before we wrap up this is one seminar I went to.

Mukundi:

When we.

Mukundi:

When we do wrap up.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Can we just talk about how this wasn't even our conversation.

N.J.:

This was not supposed to be the conversation of the day.

N.J.:

We were going to talk about the most painful losses in sports that we've have been through.

N.J.:

But I guess we're gonna have to park that for another recording.

Mukundi:

Let's put that on ice.

N.J.:

was going to talk about Nadal:

Mukundi:

ng to talk about Kamaru Usman:

N.J.:

Oh, shame.

N.J.:

So.

N.J.:

So.

N.J.:

s going to talk about Chelsea:

Mukundi:

Is that the one you say they robbed you guys?

N.J.:

No, no, no.

N.J.:

That's when.

N.J.:

No.

Mukundi:

Oh, where's the one where you say you.

N.J.:

3.

Mukundi:

3 clear.

Mukundi:

Handballs.

N.J.:

6.

N.J.:

against Barcelona in:

N.J.:

That semi final was just like.

N.J.:

It's a disgrace.

N.J.:

It's a disgrace.

N.J.:

It's a disgrace.

Mukundi:

There is no passion.

Mukundi:

There is no vision.

Mukundi:

There is.

Mukundi:

Sorry.

N.J.:

It's a complete crap.

N.J.:

I don't know.

Mukundi:

I don't know.

N.J.:

NBA coaches said that Scap attack.

N.J.:

One of the.

N.J.:

Like, He's a professional LeBron James hater.

N.J.:

Oh, on YouTube.

N.J.:

Scap attack.

N.J.:

Look at him.

Mukundi:

I'll check him out.

N.J.:

When he's doing montages, he always brings that point up.

N.J.:

It's a complete crap.

N.J.:

What.

N.J.:

So we were supposed.

N.J.:

So we were supposed to talk about that and what people would.

N.J.:

Would have learned from.

N.J.:

But anyway, so in this seminar, A Millionaire within, they asked if you.

N.J.:

If you had $50 billion, you never need money a day in your life.

N.J.:

Whatever.

N.J.:

Three things.

N.J.:

No, you'll never need money day in life.

Mukundi:

Even you could travel, even your grandkids stuff.

Mukundi:

It's like that.

Mukundi:

It's like.

Mukundi:

It's like that thing where I read somewhere that Jeff Bezos needs to spend at least $120 every day to avoid getting richer.

N.J.:

I think that's a.

N.J.:

That's too little.

N.J.:

110.

Mukundi:

I saw that like two, three years ago.

Mukundi:

So you're right.

N.J.:

Probably.

N.J.:

That's too little.

N.J.:

But anyway, if you have $50 billion like you, you don't need to clock into work tomorrow.

Mukundi:

Like, like.

N.J.:

No, no, no, I'd still work.

N.J.:

You know, if I work on 50 people, I'd still work.

Mukundi:

Now I'd work, I'd go to work, and the day something pops up, I would have it.

Mukundi:

The day something pops off.

Mukundi:

Watch me.

Mukundi:

Watch me crash out.

Mukundi:

As soon as soon as they start talking to me, I'm like, who you think you're talking to?

Mukundi:

Who you think you're Talking to.

N.J.:

Okay.

N.J.:

Like, I'll just, like, I'll make friends with them and be like, find out what all their dreams are, and then I'll go buy all of them.

Mukundi:

So what's your dream car?

Mukundi:

Oh, okay.

Mukundi:

Tomorrow I'm trying.

N.J.:

And then I go park outside their house.

N.J.:

I'll park it outside the house.

Mukundi:

Buy your neighbor's house, boy.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Buy the neighbor's house and the neighbor's neighbor's house just to park.

Mukundi:

And then just park one on each side.

N.J.:

So we have $50 million.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

This is part of where it dawned on me that if you have all the money in the world doesn't mean that you're successful.

N.J.:

Right.

N.J.:

So what are the three things that you're willing to do?

N.J.:

Like one of the top three things.

N.J.:

Like, you're always going to do something with your.

N.J.:

For your.

N.J.:

For your family.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

You definitely want to travel somewhere.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

You always want to travel.

N.J.:

And then you also want to give back to charity.

Mukundi:

Yes.

N.J.:

Now that tells me that there's someone in your life that you believe is more important than you.

N.J.:

Except for yay.

Mukundi:

Leave yay alone.

N.J.:

Then someone more important than you.

Mukundi:

True.

N.J.:

There are places that.

N.J.:

That are more important than you that you need to go and see.

Mukundi:

Okay.

N.J.:

So you can be exposed to more cultures and fulfilled and then be fulfilled.

N.J.:

And then there's a cause much greater than you.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

So that's the thing.

N.J.:

So, like, you know, like, hey, social reinforcement from a security guard.

N.J.:

He still needs to eat first.

Mukundi:

Exactly.

Mukundi:

I don't.

Mukundi:

I don't care about your feelings right now.

Mukundi:

I care about your stomach, young man.

N.J.:

Like, like your feelings.

N.J.:

When I know I got this unlock.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

So tell me how you feel when you're full.

N.J.:

Exactly.

Mukundi:

On a full stomach for no full stomach.

N.J.:

What people are not understanding is that if you.

N.J.:

If you are not taking hold of the opportunities that you have.

N.J.:

I heard this from.

N.J.:

From Anthony Robbins.

N.J.:

He got this from someone else.

N.J.:

I researched his quote unknown.

N.J.:

They say tough times create strong men.

N.J.:

You've heard this before.

N.J.:

Tough times create strong men.

N.J.:

Strong men create good times.

N.J.:

Good times create weak men.

Mukundi:

Weak men create tough times.

N.J.:

Yeah, you're creating tough times.

N.J.:

And like, forget up.

N.J.:

Forget about.

N.J.:

Forget about that book.

N.J.:

Tough times don't last.

N.J.:

Forget about that book.

N.J.:

Please forget about that book.

N.J.:

Don't be like, I will just be tough times.

N.J.:

No, that's the thing.

N.J.:

Like, if you're wasting opportunities, playing with opportunities, you're going to be creating tough times for the people that are around you.

N.J.:

And it's also that same thing of even like the wealthiest families that come into wealth.

N.J.:

What they're failing to do when we start this conversation is making sure that your sons are ready for your passing.

N.J.:

Your family is ready for your passing.

N.J.:

The thing there is that like someone who comes into office, like the Vanderbilts.

N.J.:

Yeah, the Vanderbilts built the railways in the United States.

N.J.:

Oh, you would have heard of Vanderbilt University.

Mukundi:

No.

N.J.:

You haven't heard of a thing.

N.J.:

You call yourself an American sports podcast, are you?

Mukundi:

I don't.

Mukundi:

I don't follow American.

Mukundi:

I don't follow college sports.

N.J.:

Okay, okay.

N.J.:

All right, sure.

N.J.:

Fair enough.

N.J.:

Fair enough.

N.J.:

So the Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt, he was dirt poor.

N.J.:

He borrowed a hundred dollars from his mom, took that $100, turn it into 200.

N.J.:

I think I'm getting the strong story wrong, but he's borrowed money from his mom.

N.J.:

And then I think he was worth like something like a hundred million dollars when he died.

Mukundi:

Damn.

N.J.:

And then.

N.J.:

No, you like that.

N.J.:

Back then, he was that type.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

Like when, like titans of industry, like, he's one of them, right?

N.J.:

And then his son doubled his father's wealth.

Mukundi:

Oh, damn.

Mukundi:

Shout out.

N.J.:

Yeah, shout out.

N.J.:

Then the third generation by mosh.

Mukundi:

Because now you're soft.

N.J.:

Yeah, now you're soft.

N.J.:

So then he was, like, worth billions worth today's money.

N.J.:

Now, today.

N.J.:

I think later on, they all had a family reunion.

N.J.:

I was single.

N.J.:

One of them was worth more than a mil.

Mukundi:

That's it.

N.J.:

Yeah.

N.J.:

So that.

N.J.:

That was that.

N.J.:

That was that.

N.J.:

Dissipated versus the Rothschilds.

N.J.:

You've heard of the Rothschilds before?

N.J.:

Yeah, the guys, apparently, who own the entire world.

Mukundi:

They own all the banks, apparently.

N.J.:

Apparently.

Mukundi:

Apparently.

Mukundi:

Jay Electronic is dating a Rothschild.

N.J.:

Really?

Mukundi:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

Why do you think he hasn't really.

Mukundi:

Why do you think he's never released an album?

Mukundi:

He's softer.

Mukundi:

He's living softly.

N.J.:

There's a Rothschild who's a surfer.

N.J.:

He's just surfing his life.

N.J.:

You can't finish the Rothschilds, man.

Mukundi:

Apparently, like, trillion.

N.J.:

There's a book.

N.J.:

There's a book called the House of Rochel.

N.J.:

And.

N.J.:

And they're Jewish family figures.

N.J.:

They're good with money and making sure that they keep their money.

N.J.:

So they built an entire system to make sure that their knowledge and their governance and how they made money stays within the family so that Mukun is born to the family.

N.J.:

We don't even ask you.

N.J.:

Like, you can't even say, I don't like how things are done.

N.J.:

This is how things are done.

N.J.:

United without asking you.

N.J.:

This is.

Mukundi:

I don't care how you feel.

N.J.:

There are family meetings and there's minutes.

N.J.:

There's governance.

Mukundi:

I keep telling V and I keep talking about this, hey, bro, once we build a family business, I don't care what your dream is, bro, I don't care what your passion is.

Mukundi:

There's a family business that has to keep going.

Mukundi:

You live.

Mukundi:

You grew up soft because of this.

Mukundi:

Make sure your children grow up soft as well.

N.J.:

Exactly.

Mukundi:

Because of this.

N.J.:

Exactly.

N.J.:

So, like, that's what people in the Asian community, they do.

N.J.:

Like, they.

N.J.:

You'll start, like, you'll start a podcast.

N.J.:

Your Simon Carol on the podcast.

N.J.:

And then you'll buy the bakery.

N.J.:

Then the bakery will.

N.J.:

Then they'll buy Laundromats, and then all of those businesses are still staying in the family, in the same family.

N.J.:

And even if, like, if you're a lawyer, your sister's a doctor, we all know that.

N.J.:

We're all going to.

N.J.:

All our business is going there for accounting services.

N.J.:

Services.

N.J.:

But the important thing there, you're disseminating this is how wealth is kept.

N.J.:

This is how money is made and throughout the entire family.

N.J.:

The Rothschilds did that very well with what they call a family bank.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

So that means that if you start a family bank, that means that all your children and your children's children, they.

N.J.:

For example, you don't go to Standard bank or ABSA or JP Morgan Chase.

N.J.:

You'll go to the Model Trust.

Mukundi:

Oh, damn.

N.J.:

Or the House of Model.

Mukundi:

Oh, damn.

N.J.:

And then your son wants to buy a car, he takes out a loan from the bank.

Mukundi:

Oh.

N.J.:

And then whatever job he has outside, paying back, and then.

N.J.:

Then the loans will go to.

N.J.:

For education.

N.J.:

And a lot of families do it.

N.J.:

Not a lot of families.

N.J.:

So I had to go find the families.

Mukundi:

That's.

Mukundi:

That's.

Mukundi:

That's.

N.J.:

That's gangster.

Mukundi:

That's similar to the Jewish model, how the money stays within the community.

N.J.:

Yeah, that.

N.J.:

The example that I'm using here is from the Rothschild.

N.J.:

That's what they.

N.J.:

That's what they.

N.J.:

That's what they did.

Mukundi:

Can we wrap up?

Mukundi:

I'm getting kind of pressed.

N.J.:

Okay, okay.

N.J.:

It always happens.

Mukundi:

Always happens.

N.J.:

So that is us for this episode today.

N.J.:

Like, I think the title.

N.J.:

This talks on masculinity, money and something else.

N.J.:

I'll let.

N.J.:

I'll let.

N.J.:

I'll let the.

Mukundi:

The little assistant.

N.J.:

The assistant handle it.

N.J.:

Yeah.

Mukundi:

So anyway, guys, I sat down.

Mukundi:

I was like, what's our Target?

Mukundi:

Yeah, maybe 30.

Mukundi:

30 to 45.

Mukundi:

Maybe 50.

Mukundi:

We're in an hour and a half now.

N.J.:

Again, this is what happens.

N.J.:

But anyway, consistency is better than intensity.

Mukundi:

Yeah.

N.J.:

All right, guys.

N.J.:

So thank you very much for joining us on this one.

N.J.:

Hopefully you got some value from this and we'll maybe one day talk about.

Mukundi:

The biggest losses in sports.

Mukundi:

Maybe.

Mukundi:

Yeah, maybe if we get there.

N.J.:

Just move, baby.

Mukundi:

I wonder what tangent we're going to go off on next.

N.J.:

Novak Djokovic news to Nadal:

N.J.:

I'm like, that was a bad loss.

N.J.:

You know like when like the elite tennis player gets not even a game from a set.

N.J.:

I was like, this was hard to watch.

N.J.:

This was bad.

Mukundi:

Next time, next time.

Mukundi:

No, but he's a go chai.

Mukundi:

Never mind.

N.J.:

You can't, you can't beat him.

N.J.:

Instead of beating the roller guys final, which is quite.

N.J.:

That's the one thing Novak hasn't been able to do which I think is quite sad.

Mukundi:

What?

N.J.:

Beat Nadal in a Roland girls final.

Mukundi:

Oh, damn.

N.J.:

Oh, wait, nobody did.

N.J.:

He beat Federa but it be ra.

N.J.:

All right, guys, thank you very much for joining us.

N.J.:

Remember that success is a progressive realization.

N.J.:

Avoid the ideal.

N.J.:

That means you're going after what you've always wanted to go after because it's aligned with your highest values.

N.J.:

And that's the only way for you to live a truly fulfilled, successful and inspired life.

N.J.:

And we will see you on the next episode.

Mukundi:

Oh my God.

N.J.:

Just tested success, man.

N.J.:

Just.

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About the Podcast

The NJ Podcast
The NJ Podcast is a podcast hosted by Njabulo James with the aim of sharing stories, tips and insights about achieving success while having fun. From topics ranging from personal development, to business, entertainment and sports the podcast will have conversations with experts in their fields. The Podcast will also share insights from Njabulo James’ published and upcoming books. Remember, “success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal.”