Summer School: Mel Robbins on Anxiety, Action, and the 5-Second Rule
The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here. Every summer, I revisit conversations from the archive that have stood the test of time. Not because I'm nostalgic, but because the best ideas don't expire. They deepen. This is another installment of Summer School—episodes I personally went back to this year when I was stuck. This one with Mel Robbins is near the top of that list. At 41, Mel was unemployed, drowning in debt, and so overwhelmed she could barely get out of bed. Then she discovered something that sounds almost too simple to take seriously: the 5-Second Rule. Count backwards—5-4-3-2-1—and move...
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Summer School: Ryan Holiday on Stoicism, Marketing, and Creating Work That Lasts
The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here. Every summer, I revisit conversations from the archive that have stood the test of time. Not because I'm nostalgic, but because the best ideas don't expire. They deepen. This is another installment of Summer School—the set of episodes I personally return to the most when I'm stuck and need something true to lean on. This one with Ryan Holiday is high on that list. I've gone back to it multiple times this year alone. Ryan is a legend—author, media strategist, New York Times bestselling writer, and the person who brought Stoic philosophy into popular culture for a...
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Summer School: Ben Uyeda on Escalation, Purpose, and Building Bigger Without Losing Yourself
The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here. Every summer, I revisit conversations from the archive that have stood the test of time. Not because I'm nostalgic, but because the best ideas don't expire. They deepen. This is another installment of Summer School—episodes I return to when I'm stuck. When a pattern I've been conditioned to see suddenly needs to be broken, I go back to the people who help me think differently. This one with Ben Uyeda is near the top of that list. Ben is a designer, entrepreneur, and creative force of nature who left a successful architecture firm and an Ivy League teaching gig to...
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Summer School: Tony Robbins on Peak Performance, Precision Medicine, and Transforming Your Quality of Life
The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here. Every summer, I revisit conversations from the archive that have stood the test of time. Not because I'm nostalgic, but because the best ideas don't expire. They deepen. This is another installment of Summer School—episodes I go back to when I'm stuck, looking for the person in my network who's already lived the answer. This one with Tony Robbins is a perfect example. I've been navigating some peak performance challenges around my physical body—joints breaking down from a life as an athlete. Tony has spent years deep in the breakthroughs happening in precision...
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Summer School: Brené Brown on Vulnerability, Creativity, and the Courage to Be Seen
The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here. Every summer, I revisit conversations from the archive that have stood the test of time. Not because I'm nostalgic, but because the best ideas don't expire. They deepen. This is the first installment of Summer School, a series where we're bringing back conversations that still have something important to teach us. This episode with Brené Brown was originally recorded more than a decade ago, shortly after Daring Greatly was published. A lot has changed since then. The platforms have changed. The technology has changed. The creative landscape has changed. But one thing...
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Your Imperfection Is the Advantage
The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here We are living in a moment where perfect is cheaper than ever. A few words into a prompt can generate an image. A template can make your brand look polished. A filter can smooth the rough edges. An AI tool can help you produce something slick, flattering, and technically impressive in seconds. On the surface, that sounds like creative abundance. But there is a catch. When everything can be perfected, perfect starts to feel invisible. That is the tension at the heart of this episode. In a world flooded with polish, your imperfections are not the liability. They are the...
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Jeff Boyd: Why Hard Things Are the Opportunity
The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here Jeff Boyd is on the show today, and this conversation is about building the kind of life and business that does not always look like the predominant story on the internet. Jeff is the founder and chairman of MTE, More Than Energy, which he describes in this episode as “an energy that loves you back.” Before that, he spent 15 years as the President and co-owner of Luggage Free, where he expanded global operations to more than 100 countries before selling the company in 2019. What I loved about this conversation is that it is not the usual story about chasing the next...
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Bet On Yourself
The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here There is a particular kind of silence that can change the direction of a life. Not the peaceful kind. Not the silence you seek out when you need space to think. I mean the silence that lands in the room right after you say something true. The silence after you tell people what you really want. The silence after you say, out loud, that you are thinking about leaving the safe path and choosing the one that actually feels like yours. I remember that silence very clearly. I remember the day I told my family I was going to leave the path everyone expected for me and become a...
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Eric Zimmer: How A Little Becomes A Lot
The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here Eric Zimmer is on the show today, and this conversation is exactly the kind of reminder we all need when we are trying to change something real. You probably know Eric from The One You Feed, his award-winning podcast about wisdom, behavior change, mental health, spirituality, and what it means to live well. But Eric’s new book, , goes somewhere even more fundamental. It asks a question that feels especially urgent for creators, entrepreneurs, leaders, parents, and anyone trying to build a meaningful life in a world that constantly tells us to optimize everything: What...
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Austin Kleon: Don’t Call It Art
The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here Austin Kleon is back on the show, and this conversation is exactly the kind of reminder every creative person needs. You probably know Austin from Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, and Keep Going, the books that have helped millions of people rethink creativity, sharing, influence, originality, and what it actually means to make things in public. But Austin’s new book, , goes somewhere even more fundamental. It asks a question that feels especially urgent for creators, entrepreneurs, artists, writers, photographers, parents, and anyone trying to make meaningful...
info_outlineHey friends, Chase here.
I want to talk about something that might be uncomfortable — but if you’re willing to really look at it, it can change everything.
What if you’re working incredibly hard… at the wrong thing?
This is one of the scariest patterns I’ve seen — not just in the creators I coach, but in my own life.
People are climbing. Grinding. Achieving.
But they’re climbing a mountain that isn’t theirs.
What’s Really Going On
Most people don’t realize they’re succeeding at the wrong thing.
From the outside, it looks like progress:
- Momentum
- Validation
- Money
- Status
But internally?
There’s a low-grade unease. Something you can’t quite name.
You tell yourself:
“I just need one more win.”
“One more level.”
One more external yes.”
But what if that feeling isn’t about not being there yet?
What if it’s because you’re on the wrong mountain entirely?
Why This Happens
We humans are mimetic creatures.
We learn what to want by watching what other people want.
In a world optimized for visibility, comparison, and performative success… that instinct goes into overdrive.
We chase what’s celebrated.
We optimize for what’s rewarded.
We pursue what looks like a “good life” from the outside.
And somewhere along the way, we stop asking the most important question:
Why am I doing this?
Not the polite answer.
Not the resume answer.
Not the Instagram caption.
The honest one.
The Core Idea
When you’re unclear on your why, you default to someone else’s.
And when that happens, success becomes incredibly easy to misplace.
You can chase:
- 100,000 followers
- A bigger team
- More money
- A certain lifestyle
But if you don’t know why…
You can end up winning a game you never meant to play.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode
- Why we unknowingly adopt other people’s goals
- How mimicry shapes our definition of success
- The danger of chasing external validation without internal clarity
- Why “one more win” can actually be a trap
- How to start defining your own version of success
Timecodes (So You Can Jump to What You Need)
- 02:00 – The idea of climbing the wrong mountain
- 03:02 – The feeling of low-grade unease
- 03:27 – Mimetic behavior: why we want what others want
- 04:16 – The most important question: why?
- 05:21 – Why people succeed at the wrong thing
- 05:47 – The reframe: you might be pursuing the wrong end
- 06:13 – That restless feeling is actually alignment
- 07:06 – Clarity over chaos: small shifts, not big resets
- 07:33 – Interrupting mimicry
- 08:06 – Trading achievement for energy
- 08:29 – Choosing one honest action
- 09:16 – Stop outsourcing your ambition
- 09:38 – The danger of succeeding at the wrong thing
- 09:59 – Finding your mountain
If You Feel That Unease, Read This
That restless feeling you can’t shake?
It’s not dissatisfaction.
It’s alignment trying to get your attention.
And the fix isn’t blowing up your life.
It’s pausing.
Pausing long enough to get honest about what you actually want.
Not what looks good.
Not what’s rewarded.
Not what other people expect.
What’s true for you.
Three Ways to Reorient Yourself
1. Interrupt the Mimicry
If nobody could see what I’m doing, would I still want this?
2. Trade Achievement for Energy
Which of your recent wins actually energized you — not just relieved pressure?
3. Choose One Honest Action
Do one small thing aligned with what you actually care about — even if no one sees it.
The Truth Most People Learn Too Late
The fastest way to feel trapped isn’t failure.
It’s succeeding at something that was never yours.
I’ve lived this.
I’ve climbed the wrong mountains.
And when I found the right one?
Everything changed.
Your Assignment
This week, get clear.
- What would you pursue if no one was watching?
- What actually energizes you?
- What’s your mountain?
You don’t need a perfect plan.
You just need enough clarity to take one honest step.
Until next time:
Stop chasing someone else’s definition of success.
Get clear on your mountain.
And start climbing the one that’s actually yours.