the business of belief. the modern economy runs on a current of conviction.
for those of us in the messy middle, this is our wilderness survival guide from possibility to belief.
hi loves,
the Harpo reunion continues as we write to you from the road. today we are in Palm Beach, FL hanging with my dear friend, Erik Logan Toppenberg. it feels so good to see a palm tree and stare at the ocean. still learning how to stay consistent in writing as we move around.
thank you to everyone who reached out, commented and were moved by Tyrone in this week’s essay that detailed how the epic Oprah show reunion came to be. he is deeply moved by the messages and feels greatly seen. if you haven’t taken a read, we hope it inspires you as much as it inspired us.
inside The Oprah Show reunion organized by the most unlikely employee.
dude. Lauren, my friend, former Harpo colleague, and forever found family from the trenches, texted at 7:47a on Sunday morning.
Erik was the person who officially hired me at Harpo back in the day. he bacame President of Harpo when he was only 37 and went on to lead the most powerful media brand through the ending of The Oprah Show into the first struggling and then triumphant Oprah Winfrey Network. we’ve always been close. and he’s been a fierce mentor and friend to me. he most recently was hired as the President of Tony Robbins companies. so now at this point, Erik has served as top leader in the two biggest personal brands in the world, putting him in rare air.
as we were texting about the Harpo reunion stuff a week or two ago, i asked how things were going with Tony and if we could shadow him to see what his life looks like today. and he generously invited us to come to one of Tony’s signature events, Business Mastery, as his guest and to show us how it’s done. so we said bet, hopped on a plane to see for ourselves. we love a spontaneous adventure to learn from the greats.
i’ve encountered Tony a couple times in the Oprah world. she interviewed him on her show Oprah’s Next Chapter where she attended his conference, Unleash the Power Within and fire walked lol. he was also a guest teacher on our show Oprah’s Lifeclass when we were on tour in Toronto. but this was the first time coming into his environment. he and his team have always been lovely. and while there has always been controversy around Tony, we are the kind of people who look past noise to study the mechanics of why he’s successful.
and after immersing ourselves in his world, talking to attendees (we met one guy who had attended 26 events!) and listening and learning from Erik, we walked away concluding that Tony is in the business of belief. so is Oprah. in fact, the world’s greatest companies, creators and personal brands all share this foundation. before they can sell a product or service, they must first must build a business rooted belief.
as we leap out of the system into our individual promised lands, it got us wondering if we've taken the time to look beyond what we think we're offering. beneath the surface there is a deeper question we must answer: what is the unspoken conviction and belief that we're actually asking people to buy into? and more importantly, what do you really believe about yourself and your life?
conviction is what people actually buy
i know this to be true based on my experience in the venture capital space. i was always told that investors were investing in me based on the conviction i expressed, not what was on the page. yes, investors care that you’re building something thoughtful and something that has potential to succeed and make money. but ultimately, they want to believe that you believe you’re the answer to the problem you see. the idea is going to change a thousand times. and normally what you pitch and share is not what the business ends up becoming. it makes sense. who’s realistically gonna put money in your hands if you don’t believe?
the economy runs on belief
ok, consider this. the S&P 500 represents roughly 80% of the entire stock market value. well today, 92% of the S&P’s total market value consists of intangible assets, which means the modern stock market is literally powered by what people think, design and believe instead of what they build physically. a massive portion of assets belong to tech and software, whose value is created through multi-trillion dollar valuations based on what society collectively believes is their future utility. other assets have huge brand premiums that are tied to the emotional relationship and trust with consumers. brand equity is just the shared belief that a product is better. isn’t it wild that over the last 50 years we’ve gone from a physical assets economy to essentially a belief economy?
we don’t have a belief problem, we have a remembrance problem
the system and the powers that be are not going to help raise your belief. if anything, they’re going to do everything in their power to strip you of any sense of belief you have. as we make the journey to become the best work of our lives, we have to cultivate a remembrance practice.
the fastest, most effective way to build belief is to look backwards, not forward into the future. looking into the future is actually what produces anxiety. the unknown scares us. and it should because we are not in control of it. but the antidote to anxiety and worry is remembrance. stay focused in the present moment and relentlessly study the past. study the patterns of your life, track evidence of what’s been true. what is the thread you can pinpoint that can raise your belief in who you’re becoming? live and reside there. we are so quick to forget all that’s happened. and to be honest, if you’re sitting here reading this right now then that means you’ve always had what you’ve needed, exactly when you’ve needed it. and that alone, should raise your belief.
the most common barriers to belief
a lack of clarity and no clear why. purpose is born from our deepest pain. our work is to take the pain we experienced and use it productively to help others. Tony is clear that his why is to alleviate suffering for others because of his own unimaginable suffering from childhood. Oprah’s why is to make sure every person knows that they matter because she knows the pain of not experiencing it. when you know your why, you can endure any how and convict and attract others with similar beliefs.
environments of disbelief. if you get into a pool, you’re going to get wet. we could feel our belief rising in the room of 3000 people at Tony’s event just through sheer osmosis. where are you spending your time right now? what environments are you in? are you spending time in digital spaces filled with fear and fighting? are you surrounded by family who doesn’t believe in the path you’ve chosen? or are you isolated and alone letting dark, intrusive thoughts become the water you’re swimming in?
drainers. one of the things we noticed is how frequently Tony asks people to speak what they believe out loud to the people around them and then to have those same people mirror back if felt true or not. he essentially has people practice being in expression of belief for 5 days. often we are surrounded by people who love us, but still fail to raise our belief. we call them drainers. start tracking your inner circle. do the people around you raise your belief in who you’re becoming and how you’re moving or do they insert doubt, fear and confusion. based on the results, move accordingly.
permission to believe
we love Serena Williams. and we love a great doc. and Serena: In the Arena is an eight-episode ESPN documentary series that offers a deeply personal, chronological look at Serena Williams’s 27-year career. from the public courts of Compton to her ascent as one of the most dominant athletes in history. but the series is far more than a mere chronicle of dominance, it's a profound witness to the rise of unwavering belief. In the first episode, she says, I finally gave myself permission to be great…to be Serena. and to believe that i might be the greatest tennis player of all time.
say it with your chest Serena! you're able to watch what a pivotal psychological shift looks like, capturing the exact moment she embraced her destiny as the greatest tennis player to ever play the game.
belief is God's currency
without faith it is impossible to please God. God allows us to live based on the level of our belief. small faith, small life. big faith, big life. faith without works is dead. our convictions are measured not by what we say, but by the momentum and consistency of our actions. or the paralysis or lack thereof. true faith demands a choice. it is the willingness to step out into the unknown and force your hands to match your heart. look at how you're moving right now. based on your actions, what do you actually believe?
this last week raised my belief. inside the Harpo reunion. spending time with Erik. being in Tony’s environment. walking this path with Kevin. we are beginning to see how our lives are lining up with what we believe is true for ourselves and the work we’re meant to do.
each of us has to realize how important we are. how needed we are. we have to really believe that we were created for such a time as this. and there is something so special, so distinct and so necessary we are meant to share with each other. our work is to come fully into agreement with it. to believe that is true. to understand the power of a contagious and magnetic underlying current of belief is not just a nice-to-have, it is the prerequisite for the economic abundance and freedom we’re all searching for.
sending u so much love,
m & k
Love, love, love this!!!!!