15. How To Keep Going No Matter What

Personal development is a journey marked by intangible costs. The hosts explore the unseen struggles individuals face as they strive for self-improvement and goal achievement.

Educating yourself and implementing new habits and routines are necessary steps, but come with significant personal costs

The hosts discuss the necessity of educating oneself and implementing new practices to change one's body or improve oneself overall. They detail that changes in educating oneself could include altering diets, modifying grocery shopping, cooking routines, mealtimes, and incorporating gym visits into one’s schedule.

Changing your diet, exercise routine, and wardrobe requires overcoming inertia and discomfort to establish new habits

The hosts explain that pursuing personal goals comes with significant emotional costs and the discipline required for consistency, which they describe as substantial "prices" to pay. These changes require overcoming inertia and discomfort to establish new daily habits and patterns, such as skincare routines, even when one is tired or financially constrained.

Maintaining the discipline and motivation to consistently follow through on these personal changes is a private, unwitnessed struggle

It's emphasized that having the discipline and forcing oneself through the steps necessary for self-improvement is a private affair, often without external encouragement or recognition. The hosts declare that every moment of the day, an individual is paying prices for what they want and nobody is there to congratulate them for each small step.

Facing judgment, criticism, and misunderstanding from others is an unavoidable consequence of self-improvement

They warn that facing judgment, criticism, and misunderstanding from others is an inevitable part of self-improvement. People may attack because they are dealing with their own emotions, and not necessarily because of anything the individual has done wrong. The hosts describe this as a price one must pay, along with the potential need to let go of relationships that don't support personal growth.

People may project their insecurities onto you and attempt to sabotage or undermine your progress

As you start changing, whether it’s your body or how you eat, or if you distance yourself from certain people, they may not like it. Critic ...

The desire to rapidly achieve fame and fortune often comes at a high cost to personal integrity and lifelong reputation, while genuine success demands enduring the emotional and social tolls of persistent judgment and alienation.

Pursuing quick money or fame through ethically questionable means leads to a loss of integrity and credibility that is difficult to recover from.

The host introduces the topic by implying there are significant struggles linked with the pursuit of quick fame, such as a loss of integrity and public backlash. An illustrative example given is a woman who sought fame by boasting about her sexual exploits, only to face challenges in forming meaningful relationships and gaining the respect of others afterward. Leo Skepi elaborates on this theme, discussing how men who engage in sexual acts or explicit photography for money later grapple with the consequences as they rise to fame. Reduced respect and credibility befall those whose past comprises choices lacking integrity, and this "price" manifests as indelible turmoil and ridicule. Such individuals often cannot "escape" the mockery or disgrace that trails their previous actions, which become highly visible and persist long after the acts themselves.

Those who compromise their values in the pursuit of fame or wealth often face public backlash and an inability to be taken seriously in the future.

Expanded upon is the concept that fast-lane seekers of fame and money often end up dealing with a hollow sense of achievement and repercussions they were not ready to face. Fitness influencers compromising their perceived sexuality for fame and fortune later find that their past actions can embroil them in scandals and negatively affect their business credibility, therefore damaging the very success they sought to build.

Achieving genuine, sustainable success requires repeatedly paying the emotional and social costs of losing relationships, being misunderstood, and being attacked.

Skepi illuminates the social hardships faced by those reaching higher echelons of success. Successful individuals often find themselves ostracized, enduring criticism and misunderstanding, and reflecting the insecurities of those around them. The financial success of others can breed an envious resentment, where people perceive prosperous individuals as threats and judge them harshly, assuming they are selfish or disconnected from reality.

Successful people are often dehumanized, judged harsh ...

The discussion emphasizes the significant challenges that come with public exposure. As public scrutiny intensifies, public figures must navigate a precarious environment laden with criticism and the possibility of being targeted both personally and professionally.

Maintaining a public persona and profile exposes one to constant criticism, judgment, and the possibility of being exploited or attacked.

Public figures often face the brunt of public scrutiny and criticism for any changes they make, including something as simple as dental work, as well as dealing with deliberate attacks on their reputation through content created with the intent to harm. Leo Skepi's personal experiences illustrate the realities of this scrutiny—an incident of getting jumped in Berlin, and censorship on TikTok Live—reflecting the intrusion into both physical and digital aspects of one's life.

Skepi conveys the struggle of appearing unruffled despite disrespectful treatment from critics, likening the experience to smiling through a slap in the face. This atmosphere is also rife with an eagerness to cancel individuals, often seeking to distort context for the entertainment of seeing someone's reputation destroyed.

Developing meaningful personal and romantic relationships becomes extremely challenging for public figures.

Public figures, Skepi discusses, often confront a sense of disconnection in their relationships due to persistent threats of exploitation. This extends into difficulty forming friendships and romantic relationships—where potential partners may have ulterior motives or could target their reputation out of spite. Social media exacerbates such issues by keeping ex-partners visible, making breakups harder to move on from.

Public figures face unfair treatment, inconsistency, and a lack of control or stability in their careers and finances.

The unpredictability of opportunities creates an environment of favoritism, particularly evident when discussing influencer relationships with brands like Versace. Skepi speaks on being overlooked by brands despite his audible support and visible investment. This favoritism can lead to confusion and discouragement for those who are unsupported, showcasing the inconsistent nature of public recognition and compensation.

Public figures also face the challenge of substance abuse and the use of coping mechanisms to handle the pressures of their lifestyle, according to Skepi, who points out the unseen costs of fame.

There is no predictability or fairness in how opportunities, recognition, and compensation are distributed among public figures.

The volatile nature of social media can have immediate a ...