KEVIN HART ON: The SECRET To Success & Happiness NOBODY TALKS ABOUT (Do This In 2023) | Jay Shetty

The biggest drug, it's not cocaine, it's. not heroin, is fame. Anything you want, everything you want, it's a thing. And. if you can't handle this thing, the. consequences attached are severe. Do you. know you and are you okay with you? If. you are not, it'll break you. The. best-selling author and host. number one health and wellness podcast. with Jay Shetty. Hey everyone, welcome back to On. Purpose, the number one health podcast.

in the world thanks to each and every. one of you that come back every week to. become happier, healthier, and more. healed. And I'm so grateful for this. community that we have here because I. get to sit down with some of the most. incredible minds in the world, people. that I find fascinating, not just. personally and professionally, but. because of the potential and the purpose. that they have. Today's guest is someone. who's been on my list to interview from. day one. So, it's a very special moment. for me. I'm very excited. I'm speaking.

about someone, the one and only Kevin. Hart, Hollywood's box office powerhouse, opening 11 films at number one at the. box office, and grossing more than 4.23. billion dollars in global revenue. Kevin. has also become a successful. entrepreneur. He's a chairman of. HartBeat, a global multimedia platform. company creating entertainment at the. intersection of comedy and culture with. a mission to keep the world laughing. together. I love that. Kevin is also the.

founder of HartBeat Ventures. Kevin is a. New York Times best-selling author twice. over, and his first Audible Original, The Decision, was nominated for an Audio. Award for best original audiobook. And I. I spent my last five hikes listening to. his new audiobook, Monsters and How to. Tame Them. And I have to tell you, and. I'm going to tell Kevin right now cuz. he's sitting in front of me, dude, I have not been that into. something.

for a long, long time, and I'll tell you. why. I have not stopped talking about the. different monsters, the different. personalities to my wife, to my team, to. my colleagues. You've made it so. relevant and accessible to talk about. your flaws. in a way that I've never seen before. So, thank you so much for being here, man, and so grateful to be sitting with. you. flowers are thrown out, I believe that. they should, uh, they should sometimes. be returned. And in this case, man, I'm. here for a reason. The work that you've. done, the success that you've had, is. groundbreaking. Uh, so major congrats.

to you. I just want to say there's an. there's an equal level of appreciation. and excitement for the moment, man. You've done some, uh, some. groundbreaking podcast. Uh, your guests, to how you've gotten people to open up, the conversations that you've had. More. importantly, you know, um, the lives. that you're saving by just being. transparent, authentic, and true to who. you are. I think it's it's dope as hell. So, uh, it's an honor to sit across from. you. I'm excited about the conversation. Um, and it's one that's been on my my.

list, as well. So, I'm glad that, you. know, we finally got it worked out to. where we can make this happen. Yeah, thank you, man. That's that's very kind, and it's really beautiful hearing that. from you, honestly. So, let's dive in. before we keep going back and forth with. roses. Let's go. Let's get it, uh, you know, one of the things I want to start off, and this is going to take us anywhere. and everywhere, is. how does it feel. when you're winning, and then you. discover you got monsters? Because that's kind of the journey. you've been on, and I want to go back. and forth in this journey, but I want to.

start there. Like, what does it feel. like when you're winning, you're. succeeding, but then you all of a sudden. go, "I've still got monsters in me." You. know, when you say and and and use the. the word monsters just for for clarity, so people can understand, of course, we're talking about, um, the the. different levels to you, right? And, um, within the levels that I've discovered. in myself, uh, of myself. You know, you. got your good versions and your bad. versions. And the bad versions I refer. to as monsters, but just because they're.

bad doesn't mean they don't have good. quality. And when you're winning and. you're succeeding, there's this idea. that everything is right. There's this. idea that perfection is now presented. itself and life moving forward is going. to be just an easy road. And it's not until you're in that. position where you expect perfection and. you think that that you start to see the. true problems and flaws really present. themselves. And, you know, my monsters. have been. masked and disguised in in various.

different ways, but I've been able to to. pinpoint them throughout the years. Because some of those monsters. grew, got stronger, developed. You. you're talking about the world of an. ego, the the the idea of of who you. think you are versus what you are or um. the idea of expectations and needs as to. what you feel you need and what you have. to have. That's a That's a monster.

that's feeding that, right? That that. engine of well, now that I'm making. money, this is what I should have, this. is how I should look, this is how I'm. supposed to be. That's a monster that. you're feeding because ultimately you're. buying in to something that you're. creating. You're You're enhancing this. world of thought. And it's not till you. sit down and you take a breather and you. start to really kind of you start to. really figure out the true definition of. happiness for you. You start to really. understand.

uh the adult that you have grown into. and the level of maturity that has now, I guess you can say, have been banked. inside the the the the human that you. are. It's you're banking so much over. the years. And ultimately you're you're. shaping and molding yourself into this. this grounded, hopefully, this grounded. individual that you're proud to look at. in the mirror at the end of the day. I had to start to I had to get to a. place to where I was looking in the.

mirror and I was proud of what I was. looking at and I was okay with checking. myself. I was okay with um pointing out. my flaws. I was okay with knowing what I. do well and what I do wrong. And at the. end of the day, there's no consequence. to always improving. There's no. consequence to growing. You're in the. time now where uh people almost frown. upon uh the world of growth. I embrace. that. I embrace the world of correction. So, the monsters in the world of how to.

tame them came from me understanding the. different levels of monsters that have. presented themselves to me over the. years and me getting them to a point to. where I put them in a place where I can. control them. They're still there. They. can rear their heads, but I can say sit. down. That's not necessary. That's not. needed. And I can tell when one is. trying to take me back to a place of. old. But at the age 43, it's exciting to. know that I've grown from so much and.

and, you know, the the world of want is. significantly different than what it. once was. It's really interesting you. use the analogy of like looking in the. mirror and being okay with yourself. And. when you said that, I was thinking, yeah, when you look in the mirror, there's no trophies. The reflection. doesn't show the trophies, the wins, the. money, the whatever else. It just shows. you you. And the fact that you've had. the courage to look at that, where do. you think, when you track back, I've. always been fascinated by. memories that we hold from our childhood.

that have left an imprint that's really. strong in our lives, whether it be. positive, challenging, whatever it may. be. What's a What's a difficult memory. from childhood do you think that has. been the catalyst for so many things in. your life? Is there anything that you go. back to that you're like, "I can see how. that and I could turn that into a. positive?" I think the biggest memory. for me is the the one of being. complacent. You know, as a child, I I. wasn't really a a kid that embraced the. world of challenge. Right? I was very.

complacent. I was okay with being a sub. par to low. average student, right? I was okay with. not trying. I was okay with not giving. my all. And I was kind of okay with. getting over, right? So, the biggest. memory that I have in my childhood is. like when I got to that early teen. years, that 12, that 13, that 14, being sneaky. and thinking that you're constantly. one-upping someone was the the That's.

what I was embracing at the highest. level. Do your homework. I did it. Did you. really do your homework? I did it. And. you're taking my word for it and not. checking my homework. Oh, I didn't do. it, but you think I did. I got over. Uh. ultimately, you're you're slowly. cheating yourself over the course of. years and it's not until you get a. reality check as to why that work was. necessary that you realize. you're just not doing what you're. supposed to do with your life, right?

You're not You're not giving your all. I. had a lot of different examples of that. I truly had a mom that made sure that I. had and I didn't take advantage or. embrace. um the real work that she put in until I. got to a older age of true. understanding. But, to be honest, I. really threw a lot of those things to. the side. The extracurricular. activities, the swim teams, the the. football teams, the basketball teams, the track and field, the baseball. All.

of these things as a kid, you don't. understand your parents are doing to try. to provide you with a world of. opportunity. They're trying to keep you. occupied. They're trying to embrace this. idea of hard work, effort, activity, engage. They're doing all these things. or all of these things to their kids or. hopefully, right, for their kids to put. their kids in a position to just want, right? Want the best, compete, study, learn, be excited about their future.

That light bulb went off late. Thankfully, when it went off, it went. off at the the right time and I was able. to identify a lot of stuff that I. couldn't then. And also thankfully that. a lot of the lessons that my mom. constantly embedded in me about you. don't start things that you're not going. to finish, you don't quit, apply your. all, do this or don't do it. You're not. cheating anybody but yourself. All of. these things that I heard over the. course of time, there was a moment when. I got older, it it it it all hit at the same time.

But, the real memory for me now, looking. back, is I'm glad that I do see that, that I am aware of that. because not being aware of that is the. hugest loss. Thinking that I took full advantage, thinking that I really applied or tried. myself, thinking that that was 100%. would be the real loss. So, one of my. best memories is knowing that. at one point I was a slacker. You know, I was the guy.

that wanted to look like he was doing. but never truly was. Unless it was. something that I loved and embraced and, you know, that was basketball but the. chances of me making that were very. slim. But, you know, that's to answer your. question, it's a ballpark of those. memories that I now look back on that I. appreciate but it also act as the fuel. for the hard work and the 100% that you. see that I put in everything I do today. Yeah, that's such a great reframe around. what you saw as a bigger loss. I think. that's so powerful for you to sit here.

and say. actually I'm really happy that I can see. that I wasn't putting my best foot. forward because that helps me be. grateful to my mom. It helps me. understand it from a different. perspective. And the one thing that came. to mind for me when I'm listening to you. say that is there's this quote that says. the day you realize your parents were. right your kids are telling you that. you're wrong. Wow. And and that's always been one of. those statements that I think about that. in my own self. I thought my parents.

were wrong my entire teenage life and I. think most teenagers do. And then all of. a sudden I hit my mid-20s and I'm like. oh wait a minute. My mom's been through. a lot. You know, my parents put in a lot. of sacrifice. And so I I love that you. brought that up. I mean one of the. reasons we pushed this show back was you. lost your father recently. Yeah. Mhm. And when I heard the news. obviously, you know, my love and. condolences to your family and I was I. was. looking at what you were sharing and and. commenting about and there was this one. thing that you said that that really.

stuck with me. Uh and you said that my. kids actually think I'm the coolest dad. on the planet. I know why I am the way I am. My dad has. a lot to do with that. The mistakes that. my dad made, you know, the decisions to. do drugs, being in and out of jail, in. and out of your lives. I saw first hand. what not being present did because of. that. I now know what being present. means. Mhm. I know what I can do. I know what. effect it can have on your child coming. up. But it sounded like obviously when.

you lost your father recently, sounds. like you've you'd reconciled like you'd. built somewhat of a connection. You. know, me and my dad we. we weren't the closest. Um but we weren't not close. My dad at the end of the day I I'm going. to love my dad for simply being my dad. Now, my dad's life you know, had. several different versions of of drastic. downs, right? A small amount of ups, but.

a lot of downs. I can easily sit here and. ridicule or judge my dad for the. mistakes that he made or for his past, but that does nothing. It I don't I. don't like to focus on problem. I focus. on solution. Yes. So, with me and my dad. and our relationship, it was always one. of solution. Like, you can't go back and. fix the years that you weren't present. There's There is nothing that we can do. about that time. We can have a. conversation about it. We can talk about. it. And then me and my dad talking, my. biggest thing was you don't have to.

focus on what you can't change. The fact. that you're here now and that you made a. decision to uh get clean, to turn your. life around. It's never too late. My dad. was, you know, 50-plus at the time when. he said, "I'm going to go ahead and. figure it out and I'm a I'm a close that. door and I'm going to work on this other. door." This door over here was, like I. said, jail, drugs, um in and out of his. kids' life, uh to the point where, you.

know, there was a there was a time when. we didn't know where my dad was. And I I bumped into my dad on the train. I tell the story. Um I bumped into my. dad on the public transportation in. Philadelphia. Like, not seeing him in. years, I randomly saw my dad. And my dad was so embarrassed. He got. off the train and ran. But, it's like. that's that's where Wow. that world and. that relationship was. And. what I do very well, I don't hold on to grudges or gripes. It takes too much time. It takes too.

much energy. Things will work themselves. out. They never not have. It always work. itself out. And me and my dad worked it. out, right? Like. it's about the grandkids. And our. relationship got better as he embraced. the opportunity to be a great grandpa. And seeing him try to do that right. was his way of saying I wish I could. have done this. right for you. I can't. Like I know what you're saying. without saying it. Sometimes you don't.

you don't need words. Although some. people do need them, sometimes your actions are a little. better. And my dad's actions. um in trying his best. to be an unbelievable grandfather. made our father-son relationship. that much better. And you know, there. was a lot of conflict between my brother. and my dad. And seeing that mend over. the time. And just saying, "Look, I'm. I'm not supposed to be here. Dad, look.

at what your son. has done. Look at where I am. Being that I can, I want to make sure. that you get to see some dope things in. life. Here, let's. do this and take that and live like this. and do." So, things worked themselves. out. His reward for giving his energy. to something positive and life-changing. was his son becoming successful and his. son saying, "Dad, huh?

It's not expected. That wasn't the plan. You got a great piece of light at the. end of that dark tunnel that you didn't. expect, that I didn't expect cuz I. didn't expect to be here. So, everything kind of it works itself. out. Yeah. And you know, in losing my dad is. when you look back. and you go, "Yo, he was all right.". Right? Like my my reflection, my. conversation, my words when I speak on behalf of my. father, they're so positive and dope because he. did good.

I'm all right. Mhm. I came out okay. Mom, Dad, you did good. Like how. Whatever Whatever you did to to put. whatever recipe in this pot, the food. came out all right. I'm a good person. I got a good heart. I. treat people with respect. Ultimately, I want the most that I can. possibly get out of life. I love to. love. I'm a good dude. Am I perfect? No. I got some of them imperfections over.

there. I got some of the ones from over. here, from my man dad. Okay. That's. life. Of course. I'm going to figure it. out, but I figure it out without the. want or need. for. problem. That's real, man. I mean, listening to you say that, what I. appreciate so much is about how. you're. changing our perspective again, that. often we feel to heal what was broken. needs to be fixed. And actually, what.

you've just said is seeing him try. with the grandkids, that's not even the area that needed. fixing or was broken, but seeing that. starts to create some healing. That's. the best example that I can ask for. Yeah. Because it's not about it's not. about us, right? Like, me and my ex-wife. got to a point of realization, you know, after having a significant amount of ups. and downs, you know, after our divorce,

we got to a point where you realize it's. not about us. Like, we we did it. We had our. opportunity, and we're now adults. How we choose to live as adults, well, that's a choice that we make, but. we're trying to make the best choices so. that they have a better life. So, it's about them. When I see somebody making the efforts. to make life for them better, well, then we're on the same page. Mhm. We have the same vision.

We have the same vision. Yeah, yeah. It's not It's not about us. at this point. It's not about us as a. generation at this point. It's about us. trying our best to do things to create. change, to move ground, shift the gears. so that they. have a much better opportunity than what. we did. Yeah. That's that's the world of. the baton being passed correctly. And if. you understand that and you have that. mindset, you approach your day-to-day. differently. Mhm. And.

I do. I do have that mindset and it's one. thing that I'm very thankful for. And. through the things that should be. problems or were supposed to be. problems, I've never held on to them long enough. And by the way, just bringing it back full circle, that's a monster. That grudge monster, that's a monster. Mhm. That I'mma get you back. I'mma. wait, you just watch. I'mma hold on to that and I'mma prove to.

you or I'mma show you Mhm. or I'm not. talking to nobody over here. That's a. monster. Mhm. So, you can fuel that. monster or that monster doesn't have to. have an existence in me. It's really. really interesting hearing that. perspective again because, you know, one. of one of my favorite lessons that I've. learned is that often the thing that's. holding you back is something you're. holding on to. Yes. It's one of my. favorite lessons. The idea that. something you're that's holding you back.

is you're holding on to it. So, whether. it's a grudge, like you're saying, the. grudge monster, or a feeling, or an. emotion, or an idea that you're not. allowing it to let go when it no longer. serves you. And being able to walk away from that. requires real strength and courage. But, one of the things that you said about. you and your partner, your ex-wife, that I think's really powerful is that. when it's just about us, whoever that may be, you're either looking at each other or. you're looking past each other. And what.

you just said is now we're looking in. the same direction when it's the kids. And so, that switch, if you think about. any relationship in our life, when we. think it's just about us, when it's not. about anyone else, you're always going. to be. against each other. But, as soon as. there's a higher purpose, or there's a. commitment, or there's a value that. supersedes that. An understanding. An understanding, yeah. An understanding that comes with the. world of communication and great. dialogue. I can, you know, in having. this conversation, I can point to so. many examples of how it's so hard to see.

the good if you're only seeing the bad. Like, there's so many people that. struggle with what their version of. success is, because they're looking at. someone else's. Mhm. There's so many. people that struggle with their world of. relationship, because they're judging. theirs based off of someone else's, right? And when you're constantly in the. space of not realizing or noticing your. world, your reality, because you're.

living in. what appears to be someone else's, what you're seeing is never going to be. right. Mhm. Mhm. It's never going to be right, right? Like, if I'm if I'm looking at. everybody's relationship with their. father, and I'm going, I want that. Yeah. Well, I'm not embracing the world. of good that came from my dad. I could. have went down the road that my dad did. I could have easily been wrapped into. the same world of, you know, drugs, gangs, violence, stick up boys, right? Like, the embracing the hood at the highest.

level. Not that I don't, because I do. That's where I'm from. But, I could have. I could have embraced it at a much. higher level, and followed in the. footsteps of my father, because that's. what he did. Um, but I was able to. realize the mistakes he made. I was able. to go, I don't want to go down that. street, cuz I see the consequences of. it. That's the choice that I made, right? Some don't make that choice. By. the way, no disrespect to those that. haven't. It's to each his own. Um, you. do what you want based off of who you've.

seen, or what you want to be true to. Live your life. Mhm. Ultimately, we get. one. Live it for you. Live it to the. best to the best space and place that. you feel. you can win at. That's my motto. I'm not here to tell. you right or wrong. I'm saying. I identify things differently and I make. decisions based off of. examples that I can look at as not bad, but ones that if I didn't have, I'm.

could have made that mistake. Yeah. So, without a lesson that was. intentional, my dad's giving me lessons. Yeah. Right? It's not intentional. My. dad never said, "I went to jail so you. didn't have to." He never said that. But hey, man. I can imagine. Seeing you in jail, dad. wisdom, yeah. Yeah, that just made me. realize I don't want to go there. Yeah. Hearing how you talk about it, hearing how many times you went. Well, I. don't want to go there. Seeing what drugs did to you and you. talking and telling the stories, what. you lost, what you had, what you don't. Well, I don't want to do that.

Okay, you know, I'm going to embrace my. father. Mhm. I'm going to embrace this imperfect. human being. Because I'll be damned if he's not. if he's not positioning me. for. personal success in just understanding. what I should and shouldn't do. Mhm. And. it seems so logical, it seems like. common sense, but sometimes it's it's. not that easy for some. It's not. that easy. Yeah, and sometimes what I'm. hearing is sometimes the greatest wisdom.

is unsaid and unintentional. Right? Like. some sometimes the greatest wisdom is. not what someone said to you. And. sometimes the greatest wisdom is knowing. what not to do. I think we think of it as like knowledge. or learning means someone's telling me. what to do and they told me the right. thing. Sometimes it's looking and. saying, "Well, I know what not to do. now." And what I'm fascinated doing, I. think you're going to give people a lot. of hope listening to you today. because when you say that you were. complacent growing up, and I consider. you today to probably be one of the. hardest working people in entertainment.

from what I see and observe and when. I've watched your interviews or listen. to you, you work super hard, you give it your. all, you're invested from a mission. purpose point of view. But hey, wait a minute. This person says. I was complacent growing up and it's. never one moment, it's never one thing. So, I don't even want to simplify it. with that kind of a question. What were. the shifts that needed to take place in. order for you to go from being. complacent to being one of the hardest. working people who's committed to. something? I'm big on just like.

logic, right? And. there's this there's this like. moment that I had. where I I just kept saying why not? Like. why, right? And. uh Russell Westbrook is a good friend of. mine. I I tease him all the time because. the the one saying that he has that I I. wish I would have had or I wish I. I I got to first is why not, right? And. it's so genius. It's so genius. It's so simple but yet.

so profound. You don't just have to have. one job and working any job and whether. that job is a 9-5 or whether it's a, you. know, half a day, full day, whatever it is, you don't just have to do one thing. You. can do a lot of different things. But. there's this weird. this is weird mindset that. a lot of people have that you can only. do one thing. And when I realized. I don't have to just do one thing. I can.

do a lot of different things. You can be good. at a lot of different things. But you don't know that you're good at a. lot of different things unless you try. a lot of different things. And when I. looked around and I kind of just. realized how the world goes around, it's. all based off of creativity. It's all based off of ideas. It's all. based off of. thought-provoking. then groundbreaking. opportunities. Mhm. But the simplest.

things have come from an idea. Mhm. From. your chair to your table to your wheel. to your light bulb to your car to your. plane to your helicopter. to the idea of a hotel. from hotels going to a place of people. renting out houses and Airbnbs to. taxis to then people. driving their own cars and these are all. ideas. And. the groundbreaking. thought that I had in realizing all.

these ideas. is that these ideas have the potential. to touch the sky if a person believes. that they can. Mhm. If a person believes that they can. well, your world of idea changes. Your reason for getting up, your reason. for putting your feet on the ground. every morning, it can change if you. believe. that the purpose that you now have. and that you're working towards. based off of an idea.

is something that you can succeed in. Mhm. I grasped that understanding and I. attached it to everything that I tried. to do. I did not set out to be the. actor, the director, the writer, the. producer the CEO, the chairman, the. advise I did not set out to do any of. these things and I'm going to make it. very clear, I don't have the educational. background. for any of these things. What I had was an idea to try. Mhm.

And after you get an idea to try, what I. had was. the patience to sit and listen. Be a sponge. Learn. Figure it out. Mhm. And figuring it out. there was another side of. not being okay with the incomplete. version of figuring out the thing that I. didn't do. Mhm. Well, why did I go ask all these. questions. if I'm not going to try it now that I. know how? Yeah. All right, well, let me let me try.

it. The only consequence is failure. Mhm. By the way, not trying is failing. Yeah, well said. I want to make that very clear. Well. said, yeah. Not trying is failing. Mhm. There's a lot of things that people. can't do. simply because you've never tried to do. it. And I'm not saying that you should. try everything. I'm not saying that. you're supposed to do everything. I'm. saying that for me. when someone says something and I go,

"No, I never did that.". Mhm. I have to have a reason for why I've. never done it. and. a justification. If you ask me something. and I go, "No.". And you just say, "Why?" and I go, "Mhm.". That's not good enough for me. Yeah, yeah. I like to have a reason why. And that's that's the foundation that I. stand on. That's how I built this. mindset, this. this level of energy to go ahead. Mhm. Um rhyme and reason. within my why. Mhm.

Why not? Yeah. Well, it's the. Russ again. I I It's I love you to death, my. brother. It's the one that got away from. me. And you're a genius for saying it. because it's so simple. Yeah. But yet, so profound. Yeah. So, everything that I'm doing or that. I'm attempting to do is because I. started so much and I'm just trying to. finish it. Yeah. And. I like the fact that I'm 43. and I still got energy behind what it is.

that I'm trying to do. Yeah. It sounds. like it's like. where you're going is not as important. as who you're growing into for that. direction. my god. Like the person that you're. evolving into, the things you have to. learn, the things you have to be. surrounded by, and I think that's the. part that I get excited about. It's. like, yeah, like you said, whether you. get there, whatever there is, or not. And it's not that just the journey and. the destination, because I think that's. the old cliche, but what what I'm really. hearing from you is.

the person you grow into, the people you. surround yourself by in order to reach. this big goal. That is so fulfilling. And that pursuit is worthy. Right? The. pursuit is. the happiness. It's everything. Yeah. J, I've said this before, and and you'll hear so many people say. it that come from where I've come from, the bottom, or what's considered to be. the bottom. We are not stereotypically.

supposed to be in the rooms that we're. in. And when we say that, there's a there's. a level of comfort, right? We're not. supposed to be in these rooms, and it's. kind of a cliche when you say it. When. you start to get in these rooms, you go, "Wow. Why are we not supposed to be in. these rooms, right?". it's It's so amazing when you get to the. other side, you see the other side, and you look back, and you just look at. what you've grown from. The conversations that I'm able to have, the knowledge that I'm able to speak. with, and the understanding.

I understand, not because I'm a trained. machine, and I spent. all of this time prepping for, and you. know, this is. this is what the the the idea of. education was all based off of. No. The idea of discovery enhanced the. muscle that made me want for so much. more information in the space of life. that I chose to love. So, in entertainment and business, the level of failures that I have had,

that I'm still having, in some regard, the world of fixing, cleaning up, making. better, understanding, growing uh. relationships, building. It's there there is nothing more. intriguing to me. than being able to turn around and look. at Kevin at the age 22. and then looking at Kevin at the age 43. This was not the plan. What What are you. talking. Every day is a new day and every day I.

found another thing to be excited about. Mhm. Every day I found another goal that. I decided to attach to my tree. Mhm. And. that tree got so many branches on it. right now. And so many people say, "You're doing so much." Or. "Why do you do so much? How do you do so. much? What is the What's the end game? What's the goal?". The game is being in the game. Mhm. Right? Like it's it's it's being in the. game. Mhm. The foundation that I'm trying my best.

to create I hope and pray that with. these four kids that I have. that they look at it, that they see, that they understand, we just got a shot. at something different. Mhm. We got a shot at generational wealth. We. got a shot. at changing. the {quote} {unquote} trajectory within. our culture of opportunity. Mhm. We got. a shot to make this normal. Once again, I'm looking past me. I'm. looking at I'm looking at the bigger.

piece of the plan. Mhm. My kids got a bigger shot. at breaking ground and making this. normal because other kids that look like. us, that came from where we come from, and that grew up how I grew up. will now have a different level of. association. for what can be achieved. If it's based. off of what I was able to do. Mhm. I'm igniting a different level of. thought, a different level of want, a. different level of motivation and.

inspiration. Mhm. I'm inspiring at a. different level. Absolutely. But I get there and at the last second I. miss it and I fall, I got there. I got there and all that does is show. them that they can get there. They're. not going to miss. And they can go. further. They can go further. They're not going. to miss. They're equipped with too much of the. weapons. I've I've equipped you along. the way. with so much so you're prepared for all. this war that's coming up here. You're not going to miss. Dad might miss. Dad might fall.

You're not. I love that. And the kids coming up from. under them, they're not going to miss. But you have to have this energy. Yeah. It's bigger than me. What's that what's. that one mindset that you're trying to. pass on to that next generation, your. kids, the kids that come after that? Because it sounds like. while you were honest in saying, "Look, I didn't know I was going to be a. writer, director, entrepreneur, CEO. I. didn't have these I didn't have the. education as you said.". But it sounds like you have some you. have the mindset. That's very clear. We.

know that. But there's some core skills. here that it sounds like you've invested. in very deeply and that you're trying to. pass on. If you could narrow them down. to one, two, or three for us, what would. you say are the skills that you like, "This is how I want my kids to be able. to operate in this world and that's what. they need.". The best skill that I have developed is. the skill. of noticing and understanding. that. nothing is done.

by one individual. No level of success is reached. by one person, right? Like there. there there is a. team effort. that goes into. the smallest moment of success to the. largest. Yeah. And the person that wants. the rewards and the accolades for it all. and that doesn't embrace the world of. team and the foundation that stands.

underneath whatever that thing is is a. person that won't last long. The thing that I am most thankful for. and the thing that I that I'm glad that. it has. just improved over the course of time. is. the world of inclusion. with the we. There's no I and and I hope that that's. what I'm passing down. to my kids is that, you know, nothing is given, everything is earned.

And for things to be earned correctly, you know, you you have to surround. yourself with people. that you can not only earn with. but that will support. and embrace. along the way, right? I have an amazing. team. I hope that my team grows to be the. stars of tomorrow. From execs to creatives to talent to. writers, producers, directors, everybody.

that's underneath this umbrella of. HartBeat, of HartBeat Ventures, of the. brands and the brand partnerships, and. the space of entertainment in this. ecosystem within media that we've. created. We flourish because they. flourish. And knowing that, identifying that and. trying my best to support that. that's the thing that I have had to work. on. And when we talk about our monsters. Jay, there was a there was a I monster. Yeah. There was a I need to do it. Yeah.

I'm going to make the call. Me first as well. I got to I'm about I'm. No. Everybody move. Watch out. I'mma show. y'all how to do it. I'mma take the meeting. Hit. We're not listening to that. We're. going to do it my way. It was this heavy. thing of. me, I, I, I, I, I. Get out of way, Kevin. Get out the way and let other people be. great. They're only going to make this. thing greater. You're prohibiting that. by trying to stand in a moment of of.

great so that people can look and point. at you. Mhm. Let other people do the. thing that they were brought here to do. and while they do it, align yourself. with them, embrace them, support them. And as they grow, we grow. Yeah. That's. the thing that I flourish in the most, which is why the first thing that I. asked you. Yeah. Think about it. The first thing. that I asked you when we were here and. we were setting up, I said, "How long. have you guys been together?". Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's just me asking cuz I want to see. what the world of your team is. And And.

when you say what you say, well, there's. no coincidence. that the level of success comes with a. relationship that's evolved from day. Absolutely. to said date. Yes. Yeah. It comes with. an understanding. It comes with a a. level of community. More importantly, a. want for success where we have it. together because we're embracing the. world. It's not just one. I love that. you went there, man. Like that There. could have been so many ways to answer. that question. And the fact that you brought it back to. being bigger than you, I mean, that.

mindset. I mean, that mindset is everything, but. it's so easily missed because we grow up. in a dog-eat-dog society. We grow up in. a you versus me. I feel like when I. speak to people in the entertainment. industry as well, for years, especially. if you were a minority or a person of. color, you were put against the only. other color. Absolutely. And so it's like there can. be only one person of color comedian. There can only be one person of color. actor, right? Like the it's all divided. talked about this. I just I just.

talked about this. It was Oh, wow. It's, you know, Dave, Chris, myself, we're. very close. Yeah. And. And I love seeing that. That makes me. happy, yeah. The reason why we're so. close is because, you know, there is no. competition. Mhm. We're not We're not. competing with one another. And, you. know, we all have different level of. success that makes sense for. for us, right? Like, one success has. nothing to do with the other. Yeah. And. the support, the love that we give each.

other, that we embrace each other with, it's it's all done with the. understanding that we can all exist at. the same time. Yeah. And the. conversation of. there can only be one is one that we've. created as a culture. Like, you know, we. really do pit our own against our own, right? We've we've really have done it. throughout the time. And by the way, there's nothing wrong with competition. There's nothing wrong. Absolutely. with wanting to be the best. There's nothing wrong with that.

conversation. But it's it's a. conversation that can be had and should. be had without the malicious intent. behind it, right? Because um ultimately, success is success, and that's what. you're that's what you're in the game. for. Yeah. To have some type of level of. success that checks the box for you. Yeah. And, you know, once again, if you get to. looking. looking across the street and you're. looking at what the others are doing. over there, well, you're missing what. you've done over here. And I I just it's.

something that I think over the course. of time. has developed. Uh. it didn't start off like this. I. definitely was, once again, and being. transparent, I was a young comic that. was like, "Man, when am I going to get. my turn? Yeah. I'm funny. I'm funnier than I need. to I don't understand. Oh my god, nobody. want Like, you do go through that. Mhm. And rightfully so, there's frustration. in.

not knowing or not understanding why my. opportunity hasn't or isn't. There's. frustration in that. But. there's also a sense of calm that comes. in confidence of knowing that you're. putting the work in for a reason and. that it will pay off. Yeah. And I had to. make that change. Yeah. I had to make. the change of saying, "I'm doing the. work. Am I showing up every day and am I. prepared? And if this opportunity does. come, am I ready for it? Cuz there's. nothing worse than it comes and I don't. have a set. Mhm. I don't have a tight 5 minutes. I don't.

have a tight 10. I didn't have a 25-minute set. Oh my. god, they wanted to clean material. I. didn't have no clean material. There's. nothing worse than not being ready. Oh my god. So, you know what I'mma do? I'mma do the work and make sure I'm. ready. Let me go take these acting classes. before I even got an acting role. Yeah. I'm sitting in damn acting classes. I'm. spending the little bit of money I got. doing one-on-one sessions cuz I wasn't. comfortable being in the class. I had to. get the space of comfort. I don't have. any roles.

I didn't have any auditions yet. I'm doing the work so that when I get. there, I don't have to go backwards and. do it. Yeah. I love that mindset. I. think that is so underrated of are you. even ready if the opportunity came. knocking? Are you even ready? And two. things that I took away from that, the. first was. something you said about you, Chris, and. Dave, which and I love hearing about. that friendship. It's so beautiful to. hear about that. Uh I read something from Bob Iger where. he was talking about how at one point. Spielberg, George Lucas, and I think it.

was Tarantino, they would show each. other their movies before it went. anywhere. So, they'd sit in this tiny. little theater or whatever. They'd show. each other their movies, give each other. feedback, and then they'd all launch. their movies. And of course, all of. those people are, you know, I mean, icons. And it's unbelievable because you think. they were so confident in who they were. and what their style was. I mean, a. Spielberg movie doesn't look like a. Lucas movie and a Lucas movie doesn't. look like a Tarantino movie. They were.

so confident in who they were and what. they brought to the table that they. could even show best work. I I trust. your level. of understanding, opinion, and story in. the highest regard that even though we. don't share. the same love for. genre material, whatever you whatever. you want to call it, right? Like uh. whether it's sci-fi to drama to action. Like these are all, like you said, different people, but you know story,

you know character. I trust that you'll. be able to watch my project, tell me if. my characters are easy to track, and if. you care, and if you don't care, I also. trust that you'll be able to tell me why. you felt you didn't. Mhm. I also feel that in the space of. solution, you're not going to throw. things at me that are not doable. You're. going to know the context of what I have. that I'm working with, what's left on. the cutting room floor, what I can. possibly do to do reshoots. Everything. that you're going to tell me is within. regards of having my best interests.

That's confidence, that's also a strong. relationship and a friendship that along. the journey of success, as we've all. gotten to the top of this mountain, we. understand that your stance on your. mountain has nothing to do with mine. Dave Chappelle. has made me and Chris Rock feel stupid. at times. when it comes to our choice of material. We have watched Dave in our earlier. stages of just working on our set, and. we would spend time at the Cellar, and.

one would come, and we would all go, and. Dave would go up, and me and Chris had. just went up, and we're happy about our. material. We're giving each other notes, and we watch Dave. There's been times. where we have looked at each other, and. we balled our papers up and said, "We. got to start over. We got to start over.". Yeah. Not because of of jealousy or. envy, no, because we challenge each. other, and we we we spark and amp the. world of like we want the best for not. only each other, but for ourselves. Yeah. And and you inspire me, and you.

encourage me. And. I love the report that we have because. we do exactly the same thing. Yeah, I. think my hour's ready. I want you to. come see me, Chris. What you think? Yeah. Kev, I like you, but I still think. you can. Kev, come see me. I'm doing an. hour and 40 right now. Hour and 40? Yeah. Yeah, tell me what. you think. I'm probably going to trim 20. out of it. I like where it is. All. right, I'm coming. Dave, what's up? Come to Ohio. You're going to like what I'm working. on. I want your eyes. All right. Like. this that's a that's a strong. relationship and it's one that I. embrace.

Um and I celebrate it often, man. I. celebrate it often. I think it's very. important for people to see other. entertainers at this level just simply. celebrate each other's success. I I love. it, whether it's rappers, singers, actors, actresses, comedians, writers, directors, whoever. I love to see a room. where people are in it and they're. celebrating one another. Mhm. We're all a part of a fraternity and, you know, if we treat it right, that.

fraternity will have an amazing stance. forever. Yeah. Right? Like you you don't. want to attach bad stories to it if we. don't have to. Yeah. And I think that's the most. inspiring thing for the kids cuz when I. think about younger generations, if you. grew up watching your favorite people. and you knew they were all friends, Mhm. how does that change the game now? Cuz. if you're seeing your favorite people. fight each other and battle it out for. the crown, what are you going to do with. the person sitting right next to you at. school? And I think that's I saw that so. much growing up where I've always wanted.

to connect with people regardless of. what we do in this space, but you saw so. many people who are coming at it from. the perspective of let's see who does. better. Let's see who does more. And. again, I love what you said, competition's not a bad thing. Let's not. give it a bad name. But the idea that. we've got to be able to hold two truths. We can compete and still be friends. be friends. And and I think people. Yeah, you have to choose, but you don't. be friends. You know, there was a time. um. where the.

the USA men's swim team, the Olympic. team, this team was just so elite. And. this is in Phelps' like Yeah. Phelps was. Phelps, a human fish, right? Yeah. you look at Lochte, you look at the. other men that were competing on that. team, and you looked at the world of. competition between them. themselves, those practices were more than just. practices. The The world of training before the. Olympics and the battles that took place.

in those pools where they got ready and. they were by each other's side every. single day. When I tell you that. atmosphere. is one that nobody else can understand. except the ones that are competing to be. great. By the way, at the end of every. practice, they would get out and shake. each other's hands. Without me being. there, I'm willing to bet and say, "Good, well, you pushed me today. You. kicked my ass today. Hey, tomorrow, man, I'm going to see if I can lower my time. I'm not happy with my 200. I'll go, I'll. do it with you. I'll push you. Hey, my.

backstroke is whatever. Hey, you know. what? Today, on those 50s we did the. reps, you seemed like you got stronger. along the way. Well, I saw you next to. me." That motivation That motivation. that you're pulling. from being alongside of somebody that's. {quote} {unquote} the best or or the. {quote} {unquote} greatest, you're using. that as fuel. That's not bad. But not in one energy. that you ever see them have any type of. report where it looked as if there was. animosity or anger towards one success. The happiest people for Michael Phelps.

were the people on his team. The. happiest people were the people that. that got the silver, that were on his. team. Yeah. That to me, that's the mold in the. making of real champions, right? Yeah. That's the mold in the making. Like if if if you're in it and you have. said, "This is what I'm destined to do. and I'm going to give my all and every. day I show up with 100% regardless of. the outcome, I'm showing up with 100%. That day going to come.

Whenever it comes, I'm going to be ready. It's going to. come. I'm going to get my just due and my. fulfilling my fulfilling like need and. energy and want for knowing that I have. just delivered for myself. That's what I compete with. That's what I look at the mirror. Sometimes I let myself down because the. thing that I'm trying to do, I should. know I can't redo. Sometimes I'm chasing the thing. that can't be redone again. Sometimes.

the lightning in the bottle strikes. once. You're not going to get that. again. There's times where I'm so hard. on myself. that I miss the moments of success that. I should realize that I'm having. I'm chasing this thing. There's a time where I was doing two. shows in arenas a night. Four shows in a city in arenas. As a comedian. Go back on tour to next one. I only do. two shows. Oh my god, I'm falling off. What's happening? No. Sold out six, seven shows in Madison.

Square Garden. What? I feel bad cuz I didn't do it again. That ain't going to happen again. That. was lightning in the bottle. You got to. get to a place of understanding and. realization. But once again, it's the. monsters, man. Yeah, it's the monsters. It's It's the. monsters. Yeah, you talk about this in. the audiobook and I loved it. It was all. about the addiction to number one. Yes. This this idea and you'll love this. There was a study that I saw that said, because you brought up the Olympics, it. sparked my brain. There's a study that I saw that said.

people who win bronze are happier than. people who win silver. Because the people who came second were. this close to first. god, yeah. But the person who came. third, they they were happy. They were. like, we weren't going to get first. But. we got in. We we on the podium. And it's. that podium syndrome of like at least we. got on, but the second, the person in. silver, they are mad at themselves. Yeah. because they didn't get number. one. Yeah. And so that addiction to number. one is so strong. It's a bigger addiction when there's. multiple versions of it. I'm guilty.

of the multiple like, okay, I need it. Got a movie coming out. Movie going to the box office, I need. it. I need number one. I don't get. number one, I'm a fail. Like it failed. You flopped. I don't get number one, it was flopped. It's flopped. I got to get number one. Yeah, it's one or a flop. It's like. there's no in between. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's one or a flop. Like I've always got. number one. It's got to be number one. Yeah. And what happens is you're you're so. you're so unrealistic in expectations, and you're missing real success. Mhm.

Now, I've been fortunate and blessed. enough to have a A lot of number ones. a. ton of them. But I got to a place where the the win. was attached to the project. The win was attached to. me finishing a movie and being happy. about the movie that I did. Union workers are happy and a director. coming out with the finished piece of. the product going, you're going to like. this, and we see it and we actually like.

it, and then we screen it for fans, and. fans go, we loved That's the win. Yeah. That's the win. This this other thing. that I'm trying to control, can't stop. You can't control that. And and if you keep on going in the. direction that you're going in, if and when that thing changes, you're. going to be so hurt. that the world of recovery might not be. easy for you. Your logic and what you're. now deeming as like reality for you Mhm. is not reality. If you don't grasp the.

the real concept of what it should be. now, it doesn't mean that you're saying. that you are ready to fail. It's saying, be prepared. for the world of real to present itself. at any point in time, don't get caught. up in the world of fake. And me acting. as if I control these numbers, as if I. can navigate and direct and and and make. it happen when and how I want all the. time, I'm setting myself up. So, you know what. I'm going to do? I'm going to check.

myself now. Yeah. Let me balance it out. now. Huge. What are you doing? I love what I do. All right. Well, then let's be happy in. what we do. I talked to Letterman on. uh my my comedy podcast, right? Comedy. Gold Minds. And Letterman said he was so dark at one. point. because all he did was show up and he. looked at the numbers between him and. the other shows every day. that's painful. Every day. numbers, yeah. He said, "Every day I got there and I. and I looked at it and and I would My.

team, you are not working hard enough.". And I was so hard He said, "I was so. hard on people." And when you hear him. talk, love David. By the way, I don't know the Letterman. of old that some people ran into. I know. the Letterman of now, and he's so transparent. The information. and how he talks and what he's overcome. His stories were just. it was so good to hear. Because when you hear people that are. openly telling you you can't do this. Mhm. You can't operate like this.

cuz it eats away at you. It eats away. It made me realize I did go through a. piece of that. Mhm. I just was able to. catch mine early. And in the worry of. like we might fail, we risk being open to being broken, right? Like that's the risk. Like you. don't want to go down, but you don't. realize that if you're not prepared for. that down, the down's going to be far. worse. to be far worse, man. Yeah. We have had a live example of a. lot of those downs. Mhm. Right? Like with in real time, we're.

watching. I call it the Truman Show. Mhm. Uh and. for everybody listening to your podcast, if you're not familiar with The Truman. Show, is a is a Jim Carrey movie, but. basically, you know, people's lives it's. the movie, right? We're watching we're. watching real life movies every single. day. Yeah. And you're watching people. make mistakes, recover from mistakes, not recover from mistakes, make rights. instead of lefts, lefts instead of. rights, and seeing that, we choose to.

ignore it as if it's not real life. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We choose to ignore. it. like it's TV. And the biggest drug, the biggest drug, it's not cocaine, it's. not heroin, it's not uh Molly or. opioids, and the biggest drug. is fame. And now it's more accessible in. different doses. It's the It's the biggest drug. And the. reason why it's the biggest drug because. it's a drug that makes you feel like you. are powerful,

and like everywhere you go, anything you want, everything you want. It's It's a thing. And if you can't. handle this thing, the consequences. attached Yeah. to when that thing is. removed are severe. Nobody prepares you. for the world of fame. Mhm. There is no. handbook. There is no outline. There is. no guide by guide step one to step 10.

There's nothing. You get it, and yesterday you weren't, and today you. are. Mhm. And tomorrow you're not. Oh, well, no, we're done. People get shell-shocked. Mhm. That to me. has always been. the point of no return. Yeah. At the end. of the day, this can wear off if and. when. however sees or decides, and. if. that were to happen, well, what am I? Where am I?

It's all going to It's all going to come. back to are you happy with who you are. and what you did? Are you at a point. where you are okay? Do you know you and are you okay with. you? If you are not, it'll break you. Your energy is incredible and and just. the depth. What I love about this and. this was my vision with this show and. you're helping me achieve that which I'm. very grateful for is I don't think and I. love that you've been doing this more. and more with the Audible with.

heart-to-heart. Like we're getting to. see your depth. We're getting to see the. mind behind you. Again, as we said. earlier, we like to limit people. We. like to limit people into like you just. be a comedian or you just be a race car. driver or you just be a actor and it's. like we're starting to realize that like. you said, you're not just watching. someone's life on TV. There's a human. here. There's There's a story here and. we're getting that with you. Do you think it was Was this something. Was this an epiphany that you had before. the accident or was it that this really.

Because when you're Audible, when you. talk about like how when it's just. silent, you figure out what really. matters. Like when I heard that, I was just thinking like. our near-death experiences. You were. told when you came out of it, you should. be dead and you're like, "Well, I don't. remember anything." Does that feel like. that was a moment that there is a. massive awakening or were you already. kind of working with some of this? No, I I had a I was always a transparent. and authentic person, but.

you definitely change, right? You You. definitely change and by the way, still. changing. I'm not sitting in front of. you as a. unflawed man. Like I I am my dad's child. and my I'm my mother's child as well. There's nothing more humbling. than a quiet room. There's nothing more. humbling. than the realization. of. what. is really like necessary. Mhm. What you take for granted and what we.

don't think twice about is not until. that's compromised that the true. appreciation for life, I feel like, can. sometimes be had. I don't want to speak. for everybody because I think there are. some people that truly do. get it and that truly do thank whatever. their space. um or version of a higher power is daily. for life and for what they do. You know, I believe in God, so I'm I'm not as. spiritual as some may be, but I'm very.

thankful for the life that God has. allowed me to to live and the. opportunities that I've been able to. embark upon. But I got a lot more. appreciation. after. life was almost gone. Mhm. Right? Like, do you really appreciate your toes? Mhm. Do you really appreciate your fingers? Like, do you really think about your. movement, your joints, vision, smell? Do you.

really think about how fortunate. and and lucky you are? It's the only. time where I get a little. where I slow up. Mhm. Right? And when. when I'm slowing up it's because the. reality of that. was significant. I really almost died. My kids and all that like what? As I'm. moving so fast, I didn't even have. everything. dialed up for if said thing were to. happen, what what. Oh, cuz I'm I'm out here. I'm just roaming. I'm out here aimlessly.

living and I'm moving so fast, I've yet. to grasp. the true concept and reality Mhm. of. responsibility. Immediately, let me get my responsibilities in order. Because if that had have been Mhm. it would have been a lot of people with. their hands up as to what. how, when. Fame is great, the lights are. great. Kev Hart, Kev Hart, Kev Hart, number one, number one, number one. I was in that room.

with my god damn wife, my brother, my. kids. You look around, you got a lot of friends, you got a lot. of people that love you, but then you. start to Well, what really matters? That's when my mindset started to. change. That's when. you go, "Okay, my approach to just me and working on. me, it needs to be different.". I've contradicted myself a lot since, you know, yeah, I want to slow down. I'm going to. make sure I give my family more time. I.

have. That doesn't mean that it can't be. more. Mhm. The day-to-day battle of am I giving. enough? Am I. Guys, you know how much dad loves you. I'm here. I'm like, you know, always. working to make sure I do more, but is. it enough? Mhm. Am I workaholic? Okay, but that's not a. bad thing cuz I'm You love to work. Yes, you do. That's a passion. You get You. got something that you go after every. day. That is a driving source for me. I'm not in the business of letting that. go, but. boy, you better put your hands on these. people and make sure Mhm.

You better make sure that you are giving. the time. that you said you would when you were in. that time of solace. Okay. All right. I. constantly talk to myself. I have these. conversations all the time. That's the. beauty of taking my little runs. The beauty of working out, being in the. gym, you talk to yourself. Mhm. You better talk to yourself. You better have conversations, figure. out the yin and yang of good and bad. For me, it was about personal evolvement after.

that accident. Mhm. And still trying, man. It's the biggest battle. It's the. big The biggest battle is just doing. right all the time. Mhm. That's a. battle. And knowing you're going to get. it wrong. That's a battle, man. When I go to a. restaurant. and they bring out a plate, the waiter. say it all the time, "Don't touch that. plate. The plate hot." You know what I. do, Jay? You know what I say after I touch it? "It wasn't that hot.". They told me not to touch the plate.

He said it's hot. But I still got to I still got to go and. touch the plate anyway. It's a battle. So, being okay with understanding that. I'm going to lose and win in this. battle, and this battle is not over. until the day I'm in the ground. Cuz you're not going to get it right. You're not going to get it right. And there's people with this idea. and this mindset and mentality,

they're going to get it right and. everything's going to be perfect. It's. not. Don't play that perfect game. because all you will do is get let down. because perfection does not exist. I do. firmly stand on that and believe that. It doesn't exist, man. You should try. your hardest. to get things right in moments where you. got them wrong, figure out how to never. get them wrong again. That's the That's. the world of compromise. That's the. world of growth. That's the world of evolvement.

I mean, I got a teenage daughter. Nobody. prepared me for the world of, you know, like you talking about got to. get it right. Are we talking enough? Am I loving. enough? Am I present? Am I listening? Am I just delegating? Am I parenting? Am. I your friend? Am I There's so much. Teenage son, little ones. I mean, my. wife. It's a constant battle. of energy. And as a guy who.

is an output, right? And I don't complain about that output, but those that I'm taking in from, I just got to I got to make sure that. I'm receiving that. and that I'm not moving too fast. I'm not making the most of those moments. and that's this level of consciousness I. did not have. before the accident. I was I was a thousand miles per hour. and not that I'm not still moving fast.

but I look at my peripheral. Yeah. I'm. looking at my rearview mirrors. I'm slowing down. I'm stopping. I'm sleeping. You know what I mean? Like I'm I'm there. is a difference. I know there's a. difference. But it's still a battle. Yeah, it's still a battle. It's still a battle. Yeah. I love that. you describe it like a battle because. what you just described is exactly the. practice we have to have every day, which is you have to revisit.

how do I get it right today? There isn't. a day where now you just get it right. from now till the end of time. It's. revisiting that every day saying, "I'm. recommitting to this. I'm going to be a. good dad today." Right? You don't get to. make a decision to be a good dad in 10. years. You have to do today and then you. do tomorrow and and I think that. what's what's really interesting, the. reason why I asked that question, too, was because I think memory is such an. interesting thing. Sometimes when. something big happens to us.

we feel the shift that this is going to. change how I think and then all of a. sudden when things go back to normality, it can sometimes feel as if it never. happened. But it sounds like for you, you've really used it as an anchor. Well, I did. Yeah, you've used it. It's. Even when you say like you say like I'm. I'm going to be a good dad today, right? You can only try your best. best, yeah. to do that. Mhm. Ultimately, just because you say. you're a good dad don't make you a good. dad. No, of course not. Just because you say. you're a good boss don't make you a good. boss. I can say it every day. I can.

think I'm doing it. But if on the. opposite side, if I'm viewed differently. Mhm. Well, that would be because I'm. doing something wrong and I'm not aware. Mhm. What I now do is make sure that I'm. looking at things through both lenses. Mhm. Not a one-sided POV. I love that. It's not It's not just my perception of. what I'm doing and how everybody else. should see it. Yeah. And doing that the. the way that I try my best to back up. the the hope of me being perceived as.

that is by putting the true work in to. be that. Yeah. Yeah. Making sure that I'm really. engaged with the other people. Making. sure there's a rapport, that there's. energy. Um and, you know, the wife and. kids, the same thing. Making sure that. there's a rapport, that there's, you. know, I'm asking the questions and I'm. getting the answers, but I'm I'm asking. for things so I can get the proper. feedback so that if I do need to adjust. or if I do need to fix, at least I'm. aware. Yeah. Um operating um with the. assumption.

that you are or that you're doing. It. can be a a crutch. Like it can be It can. be a bad thing. If I'm operating with. the assumption because one day you'll. wake up and they'll go, "You know, I. never liked when. or what acted as a problem for me for. all these years was when you". And then you just go, "I never knew. You. never said nothing." Yeah. And sometimes. people don't want to say anything. Sometimes people don't know how to say. anything. So, the world of dialogue, communication, and just openness is what.

I think I've gotten better at Yeah. over. the time. But once again, what It's a It's a constant space. of. improvement. Yeah. You're constantly trying to. improve. Yeah. And that's And that's. That is the only way it can be. There is. no other alternative. And there's a. beautiful conversation between the. Buddha and a student that I love. And. the student approaches the Buddha and. says, "What's the difference between I. like you and I love you?". And the Buddha says, "When you like a.

flower, you simply pluck it. But when. you love a flower, you water it every. day. And I'm like, that to me is what you're. describing. That when I love my kids, I have to be trying every day to. understand from their point of view. The. flower's going to show you whether. you're watering it or not. It's going to. die, it's going to wilt, it's going to. not bloom or whatever it may be. And I. feel like you've got to be so in tune. with yourself and someone else in order. to sense that. But I I know what you're. saying is so true. And I really do. recommend this to anyone who's a big fan. of Kevin's as I am,

please do go listen to the audiobook. because. Monsters and How to Tame Them, I mean, I've never heard someone be as open and. transparent as you are in it. And you're so open about all your flaws. And there's one thing that you say here. that again just I was like, I have to. talk to you about this because it was. just it it stuck with me. And you talk about it and you say, you. know, and you're just talking about the. fame. And that's that's where the idea. came from. You're just talking about how. fame makes you feel invincible.

And then when you talk about getting. caught cheating and you're like, I was. in that frame of mind where I was like, it can't happen to me. Right? It's not. possible. And then you open up about it so raw. And in my head I'm thinking, what is it. about the monster. that gets you to do things even that are. against your own values, right? Like the. monster gets so strong that you go as. far as that. And when you get caught, you go, that was an awakening, but it still. doesn't wake you up fully, right? There's there's a there's a limitation.

So walk us through that. Well, I mean, look, you you're talking. about fame, you're talking about power, right? And that idea of invincible. Once again, this is a this is a thing. that. a very small percentage of people are. going to be able to. experience or understand, right? And. it's very easy. from the outside looking in. to go, "Psh, or how? Or I don't believe or how. can, right? Um.

but from the other side. not that it's. right, first of all. Wrong is wrong. You're never going to hear me. try to justify or excuse. Wrong is. wrong. But in being wrong. sometimes comes with world of situation. Um the world of opportunity, right? If. you constantly around bad apples. and you're hungry and people keep saying. don't eat these apples. some people are going to be able to hold. off. But you have some people that are.

going to pick up that apple and bite it. It's not right. Um it's not something. that's. justifiable to some. What's the worst. that's going to happen? I'mma eat it and then what? I'll. probably be sick for a second and I'll. throw up and then I'll be fine. Well, that apple killed you. But your. way of looking at it. in that moment, I'll be fine. The idea that comes with that level of. success and that comes with opportunity. based on situation is one that you look. at is I'll be fine. It's easy. It's.

nothing to it. It's not till your hand is in the pot. and you get burned or caught or. whatever. You know, that you got to sit down and. then you got to think about it. You got. to you got to look at it and then you. realize the layers that are attached to. it. And that's when the life-changing. side of thought happens, right? And. then it becomes about you and how you. look at yourself. How do you view. yourself and. what do you expect from yourself, right? It's not it's bigger than just the. partner, of course, that you want to. respect. It's also about you and.

how you want to be viewed at that point. Like what what's important? Where where. are you at? Where are you at with with you? And that mirror when you get to looking. in that mirror. you know, if you're all right with what. you're looking at and you're fine. flawed and all and all right. Yeah. Getting older put you in a position. to where you just start to look at. yourself, and you're talking about the. complete finished product that is and.

will be you. Those are the moments that. you just got to do your best to. not only overcome, but just get by. Yeah. And and you know, once again, it's. a battle. Yeah. Right? Marriage, love, you got to learn it. And at a young age, when you're embedded. into it, you're not going to get it. right. You got to learn it. It's unfortunate. how the lessons come. from whichever side, however it happens. But when learned or.

when. taken as serious as it can be, of course you reap the benefits and you. see how amazing it is, but you know, I I. wasn't that smart. And I'm not going to. act as if I was, and that's from my. first marriage to that. It's Is it Is it. harder forgiving yourself, or is it. harder asking for forgiveness? I think. it's. I can be hard on myself. I can stand in the fire.

Having another person do it, that's where it gets tough, right? Like. Mhm. You throw rocks at me all day. When. the other person is in there, I think. that's. that's the different level. And the. mistakes that I've made in my life, the biggest side of consequence. has always been the effect that it's had. on others. I I'll. figure it out and. do my best to evolve and grow and. however that has to happen with me, but.

I can't dictate Mhm. how you would receive and how you would. handle or how you would do. So, you. know, watching other people hurt is. never good. I think that would be. ever the toughest side of it. Yeah. Right? That's a really thoughtful. answer, man. Yeah, I I I feel like. that's that genuine compassionate heart. saying, "I know I can figure my way out, but why would I put someone in a. situation. where they have to figure it out for. themselves?" It was. Someone was reading me a quote the other.

day, and it was like saying how. I think it was Nietzsche who was saying, "I wish pain and suffering on anyone. because that's what helps them grow.". And I was like, "Hold up a second.". Yeah, I was like I was like I would not. wish I was like, "Yeah, someone read it. out to me, and I was like I was like, "I. can't subscribe to that." I was like. That's a lot. It was a lot. I was like, "I can't You can't wish pain and. suffering on anyone because even though. we know you grow through tough things, and you've grown through so many tough. things that were not your choice, and.

then some things that were your choice, but we shouldn't expect that other. people can navigate those situations.". Yeah, It's It's good when you say like, you know, the choices that you make, right? Yeah. Um. And because of our times today, the. world of what one does or has done is. amplified. Cuz we're in a position where everybody. can. have an opinion, and there's a space. to voice that opinion, right?

I'm going to dumb it down, and I'm going. to go to the lowest level right now. When people do some of the dumbest. mistakes, from crime, theft, infidelity, cheating, all of that. Go Go. all around. Who has vetted out the consequences? Nobody has sat. and vetted out the consequences, right?

Everybody that's robbed a bank. has attempted to rob a bank because they. found it to be. a very easy thing. And I'm going in. here, 12:00, that man going break. When he going break, I'mma go in there. And while he on break, I'mma get the. money and then we going to come out. All. we got to do is get back before he. get back from lunch. Yeah. And we we we. got it. And they go in, rob the bank.

The alarms go off. Ink blow up on the money. They don't. know none of it. They didn't know The. kid locked up and they say something. crazy like, "Yo, I didn't want to I didn't mean to. do this.". And the world goes, "What do you mean you didn't mean to do. it? You robbed the bank." No, some. people are that The some thoughts Yeah. are that simplistic. Yes. Yes. Some actions. are just that stupid and they're not. thought out. But everything is not that. deep. Mhm.

Everything did not have that many layers. Mhm. to the mistake when a mistake. happened. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm grounded. in the world of reality. Everything that. I have done. in my mind, I attached a piece of logic and. made it make sense to me. Yeah, that's. it. You can make anything make sense to. you if you wanted to. And sometimes it's not until. consequences present themselves that you. realize the idiotic way of thinking.

or the idiotic approach. to what you feel you can do. The bigger than the world like. mentality. Humbling is something that has to. happen. Yeah. You can either welcome it or not. We're all privy to it. Mine's is. in in different doses, shapes and sizes, man. Mhm. Uh but I. just don't. I don't want to say I don't like. I. think the thing that like it just You. have to shake your head. It's not even. worth the battle and conversation. It's.

simple. Yeah, it's it's not Yeah, it's not. deeply thought through. not deeply thought through. I was. watching Biden and there's a clip of. Biden. where Biden says and this is I've I've. probably watched this clip. I'm not in. the politics at all, but this I. Biden goes, "I got something important I. want to say and the whole world needs to. hear it. I need everybody to listen right now.". And he takes a beat. He goes,

"Ah, forget it.". President of the United States. No, but Biden didn't mean to do that. Yeah, yeah. Biden didn't go up there and. say, "I'm going to set up Probably the. best joke in the world. and and and in the middle of it go, You're going to send me that clip. Yeah, I haven't seen that one. I'll show it to you right now. I'm going. to send Yeah, you're going to show it to. you. I say it to say it was Yeah. It's. something later that he went and. watched. God, I'm sorry. He apologized.

I'm sorry. I know I know. Yeah. But I. know guys, I don't know. Yeah. I'm. sorry. Like Yeah. He didn't mean it. Yeah, yeah. plan it. I hope I hope my way of making my point. makes. Yeah, it makes sense. I hope I hope that. I'm. uh articulating this. correctly. I'm saying that I'm relating. There's no excuses. There there should. never be any excuses. Wrong is wrong.

Problems are forever. I'm saying that I. don't like it when people tell you how. you thought about something and you go, "Well, that's it. I didn't even It. wasn't that.". Nope, I just. I kind of just. I just walked down there. I didn't even. know that it was. Yeah, do you think you just walked? Yeah. Did you get out of the bed? Did you put. on those boots on purpose? Nope, I just That's actually no. I. didn't. That's not what I did.

It's like I don't like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Some thoughts are not. Yeah. that deep in that layer. Yeah, that's that's the difference I found. between being critical and being a. critical thinker. Everyone's critical. today where it's just we try and find. the floor. And what you're encouraging. through this book, through your work, and and what we're encouraging here on. this platform is critical thinking. Let's be open to the fact it could be. really basic, it could be really deep, could be somewhere in between, and most. likely you have no idea because you're.

not that person. Right? You didn't do. that. You didn't have to live through. that. It's a very slippery slope to go. down when you talk about it because like. I said, you're in a time. Yeah, yeah. where everybody knows. everything. Everybody is the smartest. person in the room today. Yeah, yeah. And I said, that's an amazing thing to. me. Like. Yeah. everybody's right all the time. Yeah. You tell me nobody's wrong today? two, three, four, six, XYZ, yeah. Everybody Do you understand that we're. in a time where everybody's right? Everybody knows everything. Mhm. Everybody is the smartest person in the.

world. I call them the best coaches that have. never won a championship. Mhm. People don't think about that enough. Yeah, the coaches in the stands, yeah. I. mean, it's something that we're. eventually going to have to get out of. The world of anxiety and mental health. is at the highest level. just that it's ever been. It's on the. front page. Mhm. I wasn't aware of mental health at. the at the level that it is. uh pre-pandemic. Mhm. I I had no idea that it existed at.

the level and that so many people. suffered. I had no idea about the. battles of real depression or real. day-to-day. I had no idea. But what that time did, it put it on the. forefront. And you get to see how people are truly. battling. battling on a day-to-day. based off of perception, doubt, and how. they feel based off of what I think you. think. Like. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's a scary thing. thing. It's a scary thing. And, you know, I can. I can only be transparent and authentic. in hopes that people will find. it is what it is, man. yeah. Be you. unapologetically. And. as you are correcting or fixing or. evolving in you, understand you got a dope thing to look. back at, and that's the old you versus. the new attempt in who you are trying to.

be. Mhm. That to me is beautiful. Mhm. Every piece of art that I look at, that. I love, that I embrace, there's nothing. better than looking at it from the. start. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What did it. start out as? Yeah. Every house that. gets built, what did it start out as? Yeah. Every car that gets built, what. did it start out as? Clothes that we wear, what was the. design in the beginning? Everything has. stages of growth. Why in today's time are we forgetting. that? Why are we forgetting that and expecting. an immediate space.

of perfection? I didn't know that babies come out the. womb and know it all off the back. I. thought they have to be taught. The way that we're talking today, that's. tough. Yeah. It's tough. Yeah. So, I try. my best to. remove myself from as much as I can. Mhm. I try myself to. act as a. aid for. laughter, happiness, joy. And I can only hope that the. conversation attached to my name will be. one.

of good. I can't control it. Mhm. If it is, great, man. If it isn't, I. tried. That's where I'm at. Yeah. That's where my mindset is today, Jay. Well, when I when I listened to your. audio book, which I felt was a very. intimate take on you as a human, not as. an entertainer, I can honestly say that. I walked away from it saying to my. friends and people that I speak to. going, "You know what? Kevin didn't have. to do that.". That's how I felt when I listened to. you. I was like, "Kevin didn't have to. do that." Like, he's successful, he's.

winning, he's great at what he does. He. didn't have to create. anything to talk about his flaws. Like, you just didn't have to do that. And to me, that's why I res- respect and. admire you cuz when I heard that, I was. like, "Well, if he's happy to go there. and he's happy to talk about how these. monsters never die and he's happy to. talk about how he's still dealing with. them, I find it to be some of your most. meaningful work, at least in the work I. do, of course. And I don't want to feed. your approval monster, either. But, you.

know, like. I I really feel that way. Like, I really. feel that way. There's a place that you. get to in life, right? Where you start. to. you start like, "What did I do?" Yeah. Like, what did I do, right? Like, what's. And it doesn't mean like you healed the. world or you. yeah. you know, changed the world, created this, you have something like. this. I'm not I'm not saying it for. those answers, but for you, like, the. question of like, "What did I do?" And. I'm at a place where, okay, outside of. the success and the fame, it's like, "What am I What do I want? What am I.

doing, right?" And. the information that I now have the. opportunity to give. Like, the. information. Mhm. If nothing else, the. information. If you really want to have. impact and you want to try to position. yourself to help create the. opportunities for change. Uh financial. literacy in the black community, and not. understanding banking, having known it. My alignment with. Chase and and and well, JP Morgan, my.

but my why that there's a why attached. to it. Okay, I'm I'm this is a reason. I. got I got something bigger. than my fame and success. I Okay, this. is a passion. Yes. and something that we're trying to. correct. Okay, in the space of. inspiration, motivation, there's a. passion attached to me trying to simply. inspire and motivate those that just. simply aren't getting motivating. messages on a day-to-day because some. households just don't do it.

Yeah. Some may not have the households. that do it. I didn't grow up in a mom. and dad the dinner every night the. family prayer at the table. I didn't. have that. I don't That's not my life. There's other people that do have it. There's some people that. just them and their mom, them and their. dad. Some people don't have anybody. Whatever that thing is, you don't know. who's pulling. from what to try to get to where. Like. you We have no idea. So, if I can now.

act as a aid. that is giving you nothing but verbal. warfare attached to truth and. authenticity. Mhm. If I'm giving you. anecdotal gems that are attached to a. real-life. concept. Like this isn't. It's not made up. Mhm. I'm giving you simple information. based off of me and my battles. I just. told you there's no handbook for fame. Mhm. Yet and still I'm giving you in some.

way, shape, or form. Yeah. something that can be camouflaged. as an example of how I had to handle, adjust, deal. Mhm. I have an opportunity to have an. on-season and off-season. Yeah. My on-season is movies, maybe a. stand-up comedy tour, maybe not. My. off-season. I can go and I can I can be a speaker. at, I can talk to companies about, I can. go to. uh said conventions and give X, Y, and Z.

uh that's used to simply amplify, motivate, inspire. Whatever those things. are, once again, I'm creating another door. Mhm. attached to a piece of passion that I. discovered. I discovered this. I didn't. set out to do it. I discovered it. And those that I see doing it, you know, when Will right now, Will Smith, good. friend of mine, you know, Will's book. had a tremendous amount of success. Will. sold a million books. It's not just because of the Will Smith. factor.

Will Smith. is telling you the truth. Hey, man. You guys got the glitz and glamour of. gold from the perception that I gave you. without ever really. pulling the veil back to show you. everything else that was back here. I can't hold it no more. I was in this business for. 30 years or whatever. I cannot. I don't want to get to that point. So, I.

do it all the time. You're still going, you're still. working, but I promise you there's a. person that will listen to this, that. will understand it, and that will go, "You know what, man? You shouldn't be. afraid to be who you are." If I can. embody and embed the space of confidence. for others to make people understand how. dope it is to simply believe that you. can do whatever you put your mind to. If. I can help in just giving you that push, I did my part. Self-confidence and belief. That's how dreams get met.

Self-confidence and belief. That's how. you check off goals. That's how you march towards whatever. your versions of success are with a. sprinkle of that humility. That's it. Yeah. Kevin, it has been such a joy talking to. you today, man. We end with five fast. questions. These have to be answered in. one sentence. 5'5", 143 lbs. Oh, sorry. Come. Sorry. One sentence. One sentence only for each. answer. All right. Kevin Hart, these are. your final five. Question one, what is. the best advice you've ever received?

Don't be local. Mm. Be global. Chris Rock. Yeah. Do not be a local. comedian. Love that. Make the world. laugh. Uh second question, what is the. worst advice you've ever received or. heard? Worst advice I've ever received. or heard is sometimes you got to make a. studio respect you. You said don't give. long answers after this, so I'll. summarize it. I I want to know, yeah. And I want to. know, now you got It was based off of. you know, after you get to a place in. acting where you become number one on. the call sheet, if a studio isn't doing. things to your liking, well, you know,

sometimes you got to not show up. And. the reason why I say this is the worst. advice that I've ever received, I'm. straight-forward businessman and I. always have been. And the road of. negotiation can be simplified. It. doesn't have to be the game of back and. forth and true war, right? So, being in. a room and having a face-to-face. conversation with foundation of. understanding of what you want versus. what I want, you can succeed a lot more. And I've never not done that. Yeah. All. opportunities, all business, all. relationships have flourished because of.

an understanding of. communication that I've done in the. room. Uh, whether it be my team, studio, studio, me, my team, um, that that to me. has has allowed me to achieve much more. success than allowing other people to. talk for me and other things to be. elongated and go on and on and you end. up with a perception that's not of you. Yeah. That's created based off of the idea of. what people think you are because of the. way that you've handled business. And. what's great about that is it breaks the.

pattern so that other talent don't get. that same advice. So then then it keeps. perpetuating the pattern. Now 25 years. from now your kids having to deal with. it because that was the pattern that you. continued and set. So, yeah, I love. that. Uh, question number three, how. would you define your current purpose? My current purpose is about embracing. the world of we and making the we bigger. than the idea of me. Mhm. I love that. And that's that's for. anybody in the position of, you know, whatever your version of star, success.

is, it's it's embracing the world of we, making other people feel like they can, creating opportunities, you know, changing the economy by by. broadening your businesses and and more. jobs, more opportunities, etc. We, right? More further. How do we have more. success? Yeah. More wins. Mhm. Question number four, what's. something you used to value that you. don't value anymore? The world of. approval that you can't control. Mhm.

I can't control what the world thinks or. what people thinks and. I thought that I could. I thought that I could do everything to. show you that I'm a good guy, nice guy, trying to do that because that's. naturally what you are, who you are, and. you want people to know that. Mhm. But. you can't control that. Like. Yeah, you can't control. control it. So, uh one thing that I do. not need is the idea or understanding. that everybody loves you. Yeah. Right? I. don't I don't need that. Mhm. And and. once upon a time I thought that I did.

There was a fear. of what people don't like me. What Why? What I do? I didn't do Yeah. And that's. not That's not the case anymore. That's. incredible. All right, fifth and final. question. We ask this to every guest. If. you could create one law that everyone. in the world had to follow, what would. it be? Practice what you preach. Mhm. That's a great law. Pure simple. Yeah. Practice Be a definition of what you. preach. Right? Like. it's easy it's easy to. have words. It's easy to say, it's.

harder to do. Yeah. I would love to to. see a world of more doers than sayers. Everyone, Kevin Hart, I know you already. watched the movies, you already watched. the specials, keep doing that, but. please do not miss out on what's going. on. inside the mind of of of this human and. don't miss out on everything else that's. happening around building this mindset. of we. Uh I want you to show Kevin a lot. of love from our On Purpose community. Please tag us on whatever social media. platform you use sharing the greatest.

moments, insights, nuggets of wisdom. from Kevin. There were so many great. gems that he dropped today. I want to. make sure that you screenshot the. episode, share it everywhere that you. share, and make sure that we see that. because I love seeing the ideas that. resonate with you, that stick with you, but most importantly, the ones you. apply, the ones you practice, the ones. you put into your own reality, and start. seeing changes in your life. Uh Kevin, thank you for being such a generous. guest, such a present guest. I felt. every question I've asked you, I felt.

your presence, I felt your energy, and. you've just brought it tonight, man, and. I'm so grateful to you, and that was so. special and beautiful. I hope you'll. come back. Hey, man. I I want to say thank you, and. the you've created such an amazing. environment of comfort uh to your. community, and you just speaking to your. community the way that you do, you've. built something amazing, and you know. what I'm talking about uh being in a. space of trying to motivate, inspire, or. or push however I can, you know, you do.

it now on a daily. People come here, and. they're leaving with a sense of feel. good. So, congrats again, man, but I. hope you truly understand like the real. work that you're doing and that you've. done, and the guests that you get here, they come here for a reason because we. too are listening to you, and we're. we're taking away antidotes. Like um. your mindset, your perspective as a man. watching you, uh as a husband with your. kids, like you as men we pull from that, right? You find energy and motivation in.

seeing people do it correctly. So, uh. please continue to be the example that. you are and and and put your life on. display at the level you do, man. Um the. right people are watching, and I hope. that you continue to get the response. that you're doing. But, I'm going to. keep coming to you when I need help, too. So, so just just know that, but I. appreciate it coming from you, man. Very. empowering, honestly. Very empowering. I mean it. I mean every word, man. If. you want even more videos just like this. one, make sure you subscribe and click. on the boxes over here. I'm also excited.

to let you know that you can now get my. book Think Like a Monk from. thinklikeamonkbook.com. Check below in the description to make. sure you order today.