It was Enough for James Corden
James Corden just turned down $50M dollars to extend his Late Late Show gig.
That seems crazy-pants, right?
$50M for just 5 more years, who would turn that down?
The reality is, not many people would. Most actors and athletes would never turn that amount of cabbage down. They keep going, keep climbing, no matter the cost on their family or their health.
James knew, enough was enough. WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE.
When is Enough, Enough?
It’s no secret that Rob and I believe that after the essentials of life are met, ENOUGH is ENOUGH when work encroaches on the things that are important in your life for happiness. It’s a lesson we learned the hard way (as most great lessons are learned).
In 2021, Rob has a massive “ah-ha” moment when he realized that the constant up-leveling, the never-ending 10x’ing for some arbitrary goal (most likely filling some void from childhood), was NOT making him happy.
And, the things that truly light up his soul are his relationships.
Rob’s not crazy, he actually has Harvard to back him up.
Harvard’s 85-year Study on Happiness
The surprising finding from the 85-year Harvard study on happiness is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health.
-> Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives. Period.
The things that actually bring you fulfillment – like family, your relationship, your friends tend to get put on the back-burner when you’re in the accumulation stage. You say things like, “As soon as this deal is done… then I will…” or “Once this product launches…then I will take the vacation.” Sure, we all need blocks of time to focus on the goal at hand… but how often do you take an inventory to look at the cost of that time investment?
The deals get done, the products launch and then, nothing changes. Years fly by faster and faster and you’re still chasing the next big deal. Maybe you continue on this path of business growth, ignoring another important area of your life – and talk yourself into believing it’s for the greater good of your family. but is it?
Filling your dinners with deal friends instead of real friends (if you don’t know what that is, listen to this episode). Maybe your health or one-on-one time with your kid get put on the back burner. Maybe you take the next gig or build the next brand without thinking about the impact it’ll have on your time.
Our Biggest Lesson from Moving to Italy
The number one thing we have learned living here is how important our relationships are. In the video with James Corden, he says one of his motivating factors is that he wants to be able to meet his Dad for a last minute lunch anytime. Living here, we get that. It’s how the Italians (and maybe the Europeans) live their daily life. I can see a friend in the street on my way to run errands and before you know it, we’re off, having a unplanned lunch in a cozy trattoria.
Another of the reasons James mentioned in his interview with Howard Stern, Rob and I completely understand. James and his wife knew how difficult it is on a child to move as a teenager. He knew that they relationships and bonds they make with friends are important. If they didn’t move now, they’d be in LA for 20 more year (as he has 3 kids).
This is a huge reason why we stayed in Atlanta until our eldest was off to college and why we moved to Italy before our youngest built those deep, lifelong friendships.
Back to James and the $50M
Yes, James will financially be just fine. And, most of us will be just fine as well.
Do we really want the bigger house? The more expensive car?
What is the return on your TIME investment it’ll take to earn that extra cash?
This isn’t about not growing, turning down business opportunities or lowering your dream. You can still go after everything you want.
We believe that you need to go into new goals with BOTH eyes open and first answer these questions:
- Do I know WHY I want this? What’s the REAL motivation behind wanting _____? (is it a REAL desire or an EGO desire?)
- What’s the TIME COST and WHO in your LIFE will be impacted?
- Are you willing to make the trade, your TIME (probably with family, friends or your health) for the MONEY?
It’s time to stop lying to ourselves about the next hill to climb being the last. And get honest about what is IMPORTANT for you and your family’s true happiness.
When someone passes, all I see on social media is “Time is precious” “Live each day as if it’s your last”. But, then everyone just goes back to work, eats lunch at their desk and grinds for the almighty dollar. When is enough, enough?
For us, enough is enough when WORK encroaches on the TIME we have for relationships, friendships, family and our health. Full stop.
