The Be Good Show

Episode Summary: After losing a friend, an episode about what really matters in life and business — priorities, urgency, a self-audit, and the recipe for success as a content creator.

What You’ll Learn

• How losing a friend reframed what actually matters in life and business
• A self-audit framework for how you’ll be remembered
• Why the podcast episodes and videos that get the most personal feedback are the ones sharing a real story
• A four-part recipe for content creators: create for people, positivity, self-awareness, and story

The Story

Last week, Mike lost a friend. In reflecting on the good times, he never once thought about where his friend worked, how successful he was, or how much money he made — just the little things, the laughing, the pure joy people felt around him. He remembered his friend saying hello to everyone, holding doors, giving up his seat for someone older. Being a good human being at the core is all that stuck.

Side tip: take photos and videos every time you’re with friends and family, no matter how often you see them, and have a system to organize and back them up — you’ll want them when it matters most.

Self-Audit: Look in the Mirror

If you left this earth tomorrow, how would you be remembered? Would your life have had a positive impact on the people who met you, in person or online? The little things that make the biggest impact: laughing, smiling, saying hello to strangers, being nice, doing your best, working hard, being reliable, being a good friend and family member, and doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. Are you doing these things every day? It often takes a death, or a near-death experience, for people to pause and actually reflect — and that’s okay.

Life Lessons and Content Creation

After 147 podcast episodes, the ones that get the most feedback and comments are the ones sharing a personal story. Same with the nearly 500 YouTube videos — the most common comment, by far, is genuine surprise that Mike actually responded. That disbelief is baffling to him: why wouldn’t you reply to someone who took the time to write? You’re never too busy or important to hit reply or say thank you — plenty of creators with massive followings, Gary Vaynerchuk included, still personally reply to emails and tweets.

Recipe for Content Creators

• Create content for people. Would you want to consume what you’re making? Content creation is about relationships — treat your audience with the same respect you’d give a good friend.
• Positivity. Be optimistic, focus on the good, and make content with pure intentions — meant to entertain, help, or solve a problem. Ask yourself: how does this content make people feel?
• Self-awareness. Be yourself 100% of the time. You’re not competing with anyone but yourself — go all in on what you do well.
• Story. The most important element, and the one that ties everything together. Stories are what people remember, think about, and share. They’re why Instagram Stories, Snapchat, and IGTV resonate — creators let their guard down and tell their real story. Your content tells your story whether you mean it to or not; the way to make it stick is consistency.

Mike’s own story isn’t really the content he makes each day — it’s the journey of putting in the hard work to create the life he wants, showing up every day no matter how hard it is. If the content brings value to others, the story gets shared, and that’s the recipe for success.

The Recipe for Success in Business and in Life

Be nice to others. Mean what you say. Spread a positive message simply by being a person of good character and working hard. Be yourself — it’s much easier. Go all in on what you’re good at and enjoy. Make content you care about, that makes a real connection, and that tells the story of you and your brand. Make it good, and keep it real.

One At Bat

Live each day like it matters. Create and do work like it matters. Be the person, or the brand, that makes other people’s lives better just by knowing you.