In business and life, are you a tugboat or a lighthouse? That's Sean Whalen's critical question. A millionaire, entrepreneur, social media phenom, and founder of Lions Not Sheep, Whalen joins Andy Frisella for this episode of The MFCEO Project - and the two talk about everything from what ails American politics to a life that adds value.
Andy answers an accusation that he talks out of both sides of his mouth. How can he say on one hand “You aren’t the center of the universe” and call people to be “MFCEO of your own life”? Easy: It’s not about selfishness. It’s about taking responsibility for your actions and accomplishments. And, in some sense, “selfishness” is fine – as long as you are taking care of you in order to then take care of others.
In response to an email that accused Andy of Xenophobia and paranoia because of his stance on the Syrian refugee issue, Andy says, “No. It’s as simple as the United States needs to take care of its citizens first. We have 50,000 homeless veterans who have served this country. Priority #1 is taking care of our own. Only when that is accomplished can we take care of others.”
Listen to The MFCEO break down national and cultural issues with Sean Whalen, an entrepreneur who built his empire through real estate, suffered the loss of a marriage and a multi-million dollar business, and founded Lions Not Sheep. Among other things, he says “Your mess is your message.” What you’ve suffered through is what you can teach. As Andy puts it, “the value in life, the real teaching experiences, comes from the bad shit.” Andy and Sean also break down their thoughts on what ails society and American politics.
Using a great analogy, Sean Whalen explains that there’s two ways to approach life and business. You can try go out “like a tugboat” and try to fix people and pull them along. Or you can be a “lighthouse” and simply stand in one place, shining your light, helping and offering guidance and influence that way. Whalen adds, “lighthouses are the most effective when the sky is darkest and the storm is raging.” Andy makes some specific applications of the analogy to business.
That’s the bottom line: In business and life, solve problems, provide solutions, and—above all—add value. If you do that, you will be successful in life.
Andy and Sean give a shout out to Josh Santos, a dude who added value by connecting Andy and Sean.
No way to cover all the topics that Andy and Sean riffed on. Listen—and be offended or enlightened. The choice is yours!