Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast. Today, you're about to meet someone who is so important to me. I just love this guy. Every single time he opens his mouth, I'm like, truth bomb. Holy cow. Why do I learn something every time I talk to you? He just has this simple wisdom. You talk to him about a situation that you're in, and it's like, boom. Well, that was exactly That's exactly what I needed to hear. The fact is, I have been wanting to get him on the Mel Robbins podcast for over a year because I knew you were going to love him as much as I do. Every time I talk to him, I just feel better. I smile. And today, he's here. Can you hear me smiling as I'm talking to you? I'm so excited because he flew all the way from the West Coast. It took me so long to get him here because he's been so busy, and I had to get permission from his parents. He's 10 10 years old. Welcome. It's your friend Mel. I'm so happy you're here. Whether you've been listening for a while or someone that you I love, sent you this episode and you're brand new to the Mel Robbins podcast family, welcome.

You are going to absolutely love listening to this episode today. I'm particularly excited because I know so many of you listen to the Mel Robbins podcast while you've got your families around or you're driving in the car with kids. This episode in particular is absolutely perfect for you to listen to with the kids in your life, whether they're in elementary school or middle school. I cannot wait for you to meet our guest today. His name is Elton. He's one of my most favorite people on the planet. The reason why I love him is because he just has this simple wisdom. You ask him his perspective about in any situation or anything going on in the world, and it's like, boom, that was exactly what I needed to hear. As I mentioned, this conversation has been over a year in the making because first, Elton had to finish the fourth grade and Second, I had to get him out here. He came out to visit his grandparents, and I was like, Elton, let's make this a twofer. Here he is. I have known Elton his entire life. I've been wanting him to be on the podcast.

I cannot wait for you to hear the simple wisdom and the fact that he has all these little sayings that are actually tools, and you're going to want to steal them. The way he describes things in particular that kids struggle with, it's going to help your kids, and it will definitely help you. Here's how this is going to work. I'm going to ask Elton a few questions. As I ask Elton questions, I invite you and the people that you love who are listening along with you to answer these questions for yourself, too. Because I guarantee you what pops into your mind is going to surprise you. Without further ado, please help me welcome Elton to the Mel Robbins podcast.

Thank you for inviting me. I always wanted to be on a podcast.

Tell me, first off, how old are you?

Ten years old.

What grade are you going into? Fifth. One of the reasons why I wanted to talk to you, Elton, is because you are one of my all-time favorite human beings.

Thank you. You're one of my at least top five.

Top five?

Top five. You're on my Mount Rushmore. I am?

I've never thought of it that way. I love that. Did you hear that? Steal that. Steal that. Can you imagine if you turned to some of your favorite people and you're like, top five, you're on my Mount Rushmore. When I'm having a bad day, I just think of my top five, and your mug is right up there. Oh, Elton, I'm stealing that right now. I'm going to tell Chris and Sawyer and Kendall, you're my top five. You're my Mount Rushmore. You're the best. Now, before we jump into the way that you think about life in middle school and some of the things that are going on that you wish adults would know, which is what I cannot wait to hear you answer. I'm so curious about what you wish adults would know. First, Elton, I would just love for everyone to get to know you a little bit more. What do you What do you like to do in your free time?

I like to play some sports, but I'm also a video gamer.

What does that mean?

I play some Pokémon, I play some Super Mario, I play some baseball, some soccer. Then in real life, I also play some baseball, some soccer, some football. It's just really fun, at least what I think I'm doing. I'm a people person.

Do you think you were born that way? Just always been that way?

Because I've always I've been very interactive. Even since I was five, I was going off to strangers and I like your shoes.

Do you think it's important to compliment other people and be nice to other people?

Yeah, because it's like karma because...

It's like what? Karma.

If you don't share with someone, then they're not going to share with you or they're not going to be kind with you. Because if I start picking on a kid and they're not going to want to be friends with me because I'm picking on them. If I was that kid, then maybe they would want to be friends with me. But if I'm not, then they won't.

That's true. What energy you put out there comes back to you?

Yeah, usually.

Usually? Yeah. That is so cool. Now, I want to ask you this next question, and I want to invite you as you're listening along to think about your own answer, too, because this is a really important question. What do you think makes life special?

Well, at least all I know, we only get one chance, and you got to make it good because if you just decide to be a jerk all your life, then what have you really accomplished? Because you're not being kind to people. You're not going to have many friends, at least. We know how friends helps your mental state We know that. And so then you're going to be usually depressed. And that just doesn't feel good, does it? So if someone doesn't be a jerk and they're super kind, they're going to have lots of friends. They're going to be invited to a bunch of stuff. Rather, if you're a jerk, nobody wants to be friends with you. You're not going to get invited to stuff because you're just going to be a party pooper. And Yeah, you're not going to live life the way you probably want to.

Got it. What do you think is the most important thing in life?

Kind.

Being kind? Kind.

Yeah, because Because that determines it all, usually. Because if you're not kind, then people don't want to be friends, and then that leads into a whole different story. Then you argue a lot, and then you argue a lot, and Then you're mad at people, and then you get mad at yourself, and then that leads to sadness. That's just not very fun.

You're absolutely right, Elton. I think a lot of adults are probably nodding in agreement with you right now because if you don't have friends or if life is not going how you think it should go, then you argue a lot, then you get mad, and that leads to sadness. I know I've experienced that in my life. I love that you're bringing this up. Don't let other people dictate your mood. Absolutely, do not be a jerk to yourself or anyone else.

Yeah.

Here's my next question to Elton. I also want, as you're listening to you consider this question, too. What makes you truly happy?

Friends. My friends. Yeah, they are the nicest people I've ever met. They are just Super kind, super supportive. They're into what I'm into, and they were just so nice.

I have some great friends like that, too, and I think you're right. Friends do make all the difference. Friends make the best parts of life even better. You know what else they do? They make the crappy parts. I know I could say that word to you. They make the crappy parts of life better, too.

Yeah.

Here's my next question for you, Elton. This one's for you, too, as you're listening. How do you handle the days when you're feeling a little sad or a little lonely?

I try to interact with not kids, adults. I try to hang out with some adults. It's a safe place, too.

I think that's a great idea. Do you tell people when you're sad and lonely?

I tell my mom and my dad, not just random strangers. I don't tell my uncle or someone. I tell my mom and my dad, those are my safe keeps.

Safe keeps? I freaking love that. These are like your home bases. These are the people that you feel safe with, your safe keeps. I love this. First, I got my top five. Now, I got my safe keeps. Chris is definitely my safe keeps. I agree with you. I think telling someone that you're feeling sad or lonely is the single best step you can take to be happy again. Here's what I'm getting from you, Alden, is that you have this amazing and unique perspective about happiness. I want to try to just share what I'm picking up on.

Yeah.

Happiness comes from being with other people. You talked about spreading happiness through this intentional action and decision to be kindness with other people. You've also talked about how your friends make you happy and about how telling your mom and dad that you're sad and lonely is your first step to feeling happy again, to having those safe keeps in your life. I want to thank you for highlighting that for me and for the person listening, that happiness can be like a group sport. I know you love sports, Elton, so I know you're going to give me permission to say, happiness is a group sport. What a beautiful way to think about it. That's not just on you. That you can rely on your teammates in your life, your top five, your Mount Rushmore, your safe keeps. What I want to zero in on is what you said about their first step to becoming happy again. Because first of all, you're not going to be happy all the time. Life is about ups and downs. There are moments when you're going to feel sad, and that's perfectly normal. But I think that a lot of times when you become an adult, you put so much pressure on yourself to be happy or to be in a better mood or to snap out of it.

But what you're saying is the first step in feeling happier or less alone is to recognize that you aren't feeling happy. Then it's to tell someone. Don't try to change how you're feeling. Just tell someone. You probably didn't know this, Elton, but what you're saying is proven by the research. Isn't that cool? That there are so many studies that have proven that simply telling another person how you feel can make you feel better. This goes for every one of us. I don't care how old you are, whether you're a kid who's listening listening right now, or you're a teenager, or you're in college, or you're in middle age, or school, or you're an adult. I mean, these studies have been done on all ages that people feel better when they share their feelings. Maybe that's why I feel better when I talk to you, Elton, because you're always sharing how you feel.

Yeah.

Thank you for that. What do you think people should do to be happier?

To be happy? I do do this, but not a lot. Spend less time on your phone and scrolling and scrolling, because what is that going to do for you? You're just scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. When you could have time outside making new friends, playing, talking.

Elton, I could not agree with you more. I also know that your mom and dad are very strict about this, but I love that you're sharing this because there's this huge There's a huge movement right now around the research and what scientists and psychologists have figured out about the impact that the phone is having on kids and on teenagers. The research is Really, really scary. That being on your phone too much can cause a depressed mood. It can cause a spike in anxiety. It makes you feel lonelier, not more connected. It's everything that you were just talking about. Once again, you have this ability, Elton, to describe the experience that you're feeling as a 10-year-old that is validated by all of this science and all of this research. And beyond the science, as I sit here and I listen to you, you just know it's true. I'm sure as you were listening to Elton, you're nodding your head, too. Whether you're a parent or you're the kid who's listening in your Elton's age or a little bit older, you're like, he's right. I know he's right. And yet I scroll and I scroll and I scroll.

And it's not just kids. It's for all of us. Here's the simple truth. If you want to be happier, get off your phone. Your life is not on your phone. Your life is lived off your phone. The people that you want to connect with are on your phone, but make plans to connect with them off your phone. Use the phone as a device to improve your life, not escape your life and to create more loneliness and anxiety in comparison. Elton, I love, love, love the fact that you, as a 10-year-old, are saying this. Like, Wake up, everybody. We know what's good for us. It's time to actually do what's good for us. Elton, what do you think people should do to be happier? I know you've already just shared the fact that if you're feeling sad, you need to tell somebody, and that'll make you feel a little happier. But let's just say you wake up, it's a normal day, things are going okay. What do you think people should do to be a little happier?

Well, I did this and I do this. I go to therapy. I actively go to therapy. That helps a lot with my mental state, and it helps a lot with being happier.

So, Elton. Since you mentioned the fact that you go to therapy and it really helps your mental state, and you are one of the most positive people I know, I would love to hear you share a little bit more about what you get out of therapy or why you went, just what you're comfortable with.

I am comfortable. I went to therapy because of that. I just didn't feel happy because I didn't have many friends and I was getting a little picked on and bullied and I just decided to go to therapy. It really helped in my mental state. It really helped me be a better person. I still go because I know it helps me be a better person.

Wow. I mean, I go to therapy. I love talking to my therapist. It's one of the reasons why I'm a better mom and I'm a better friend. I like myself more because I have somebody that I can talk to.

Talk to about everything, almost.

Yeah.

They're your safe person, that you can just let it all dump out.

Yeah. I think it's easier for me, I don't know how you feel, but I think it's easier for me to just dump it all out with somebody That's not somebody that I'm not related to, you know? Or that's not a friend. Yeah.

They don't know your friends, but therapists are really trustworthy. Yeah. Therapists are like, if you give somebody a very dirty shirt and after two weeks, which in therapy is a year or something, that shirt is going to be so clean.

You're the best. You're the best. It's true. Because if you keep it all inside, it just...

If you keep bottling it up, then you're going to have so many bottles and you're just going to feel so sad because you have all of this still in you. Yeah. Rather just taking some of I know you might still want to bottle things up. You can bottle some stuff up, just not too much. I have bottled things up and that hasn't hurt me. But when I bottled too much stuff up, that hurt me.

Elton. Man, I feel like going preach. Preach Elton. I absolutely am guilty of that. You know who's really guilty of that? Chris. Yep, Chris. Godfather Chris. Your godfather is guilty of that. He is a bottler upper. I don't even know if that's an adjunctive, Elton, but I'm running with it. I have a few things bottled up right now that I need to get out. For you listening, I just want you to be honest with yourself. Search around inside and notice, are you bottling anything up? Is there any tension that you're holding or something that you are carrying around that you wish you could say to a friend or to somebody in your family or some feelings that you have that you don't know how to talk about, so you just bottle them up? Is there anything that you just push down and you feel like, Okay, well, if I just don't talk about it or I just don't think about it, maybe it'll go away. Maybe you've been doing it for too long and maybe it's time to let it out. Can you find a safe keep? Is there anyone on your top five or your Mount Rushmore?

Or maybe like Elton did, it's time to admit yourself, I'm just not as happy as I want to be. I want to work on this and I want some help, and so I need to go talk to somebody like a therapist. Or maybe you need to journal about it. I don't know. What could you do? This is the point I think that Elton's making. Bottling stuff up doesn't work.

Yeah.

Just trying to ignore it doesn't work. Elton's right. Bottling your feelings hurts you. It makes you more stressed. It makes you more angry. It makes you more sad. It makes you feel more alone because you're sitting alone with your feelings, and that's why you need to talk to somebody about them. If you have something that you've been bottling up and you're tired of it, today's the day. Find your safe keep. Find your Mount Rushmore in your top fives and go talk to them. If you've got somebody in your life that you're a little concerned that they're bottling something up, why don't you share this episode to them with a little note that if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm your safe keep. After you listen to this, you'll know what I mean. I love that, Elton. Thank you. Thank you. It is the secret to feeling better, just not holding it all in. Let me ask you, Elton, Do you feel better now that you're not bottling things up?

I do. Bottling stuff up, this is a terrible comparison, but it's like eating grapes.

What? What do you mean it's like eating grapes?

You know how if you have too many grapes, your stomach hurts?

Yes.

If I'm going to have six grapes, that's okay. But if I'm going to have 20 grapes, my stomach's going to hurt. Wow.

How do you think people should think about going to talk to a therapist or going? Because I think when somebody's like, You know, you should probably go to see a therapist, you're like, What am I? Like a big loser? That's offensive.

You're like, What am I, like a big loser? Yes. Yeah, that's offensive. Because it's like, Are you saying something's wrong with me? Maybe you say, Hey, everything feeling all right? And then they say no. And then you say, Oh, maybe you should go to therapy. Maybe I mean, I might go or something. So then you pin the blame on yourself while also pinning it on them. Great. So it doesn't feel like, Oh, you need to go to therapy. It's like instead of like…

How about this? What if you said, Do you think it would help?

If you went to there.

If you talked to somebody about how you're feeling?

Then they say, What? Like a therapist? Then you say, Yeah, sure. Whatever you… Whatever you think it'll help. Maybe that therapist is your mom. Maybe that therapist is your aunt. Maybe it's your uncle. Maybe it's your grandpa. But you have to usually talk to somebody about your feelings to make you feel better.

Absolutely. You cannot sit with the feelings and talk to yourself.

Because what's that going to do? You're not going to let them go and then they come back to you. You got to let them go to somebody and then they fix it and they it back to you.

Correct. It's like that shirt analogy. Exactly. The other thing is that since the person that you're talking to has worked with and seen and talked to so many people that have felt exactly how you felt, they actually know you can get better.

Yeah, because they have experience doing this.

When you were sad, and I realize that your mom's a therapist, but when they were like, Do you want to go to therapy? Were you like, What? Or did you… Were you like…

I said, Sure. Why not? I didn't want to go the first couple of days because I thought it was boring and because all we had to do was talk about our feelings. But then I actually feel better because what we do is, at least in my therapy office, we have this one game that we play. We play Guess Who while talking about our feelings. Really? Yeah.

How does it work?

We play We see some regular Guess Who. We play like, does this person have orange hair? Is this the best person a man? But in between the turns, we talk about like, so how's blank been? Or how is- Oh, how's school been? Yeah. You shove it in there with the games.

Sneaky. I like it. Yeah. That's good. Then so as you're chatting about something else, you all of a sudden find yourself just chatting about how you feel about school. Exactly. Super smart strategy. I love it. I need to take a quick pause so we can hear a word from our amazing sponsors. Yeah.

While you're listening to this, share this to someone who needs this. Maybe share it to a cousin, a kid, an uncle, an aunt, anyone who you think this will benefit from, share it with them because there is no downside to listening to this.

There's a huge upside. Exactly. Exactly. We'll be waiting for you after a short break. Stay with us. Welcome back. It's your friend Mel Robbins, and I'm here with my friend Elton.

And we are on the Mel Robbins podcast.

Elton, is there anything else that you've learned talking to somebody who's a therapist about yourself?

I didn't talk to a therapist about this, but Last year, I was diagnosed with dysgrapia.

Oh, yeah. Oakley has it.

Yeah, that's what I was going to say. Oakley has it.

It's a language-based learning difference.

I can't really write as well.

Me either.

I get to type and voice type, and it just really helped me because at the beginning of the year in fourth grade, I was skipping class, not because I was a bad kid, because I couldn't learn, not because I didn't want to, because I couldn't. I physically couldn't learn. So my teachers just thought I was a bad kid. They misjudged me is what my mom said. But then at the end of the year, I got diagnosed and they were like, Oh, so that's what's wrong with that kid.

Well, it's not even what's wrong.

It's what's the difference. Yeah. Because there's a huge difference between I can't learn and I don't want to learn. True. Because if you can't learn, then, yes, you want to learn, but you can't. There is no like, Oh, I'm just not going to listen. I'm trying to listen, but I can't.

You know what I love about what you just said? I've never heard anybody say it that way, but you're right. I can't learn based on how you're trying to teach me. Yeah. But if you change the method of the teaching, it's easy learn. Yes. Do you know that Oakley...

Went to a dysgraphic and dyslexic school, right?

Yeah. He was diagnosed in the fourth grade just like you. That's awesome. Did you know that I also am dyslexic? No. Yes. I did not find out, Elton, until I was 46 years old. Imagine going through life.

Was it really hard?

You know what was really hard? Is I couldn't understand why things were so hard.

Yeah. In K through third, everything was easy enough that it was hard, but I got through it.

Yes.

Then in fourth grade, it Everything was so hard for everybody. That was just like, instead of a slap, that was like a punch. Yes. I couldn't recover. Then at the end of the year, I finally realized, Oh, that's why that has been so hard for my life because I have this.

Yes. I think about it now, and I was able to get through high school just fine. Then I went to a very competitive college. Which one? Dartmouth. I got there and it was like, Oh, God.

I can't do this.

I can't do this. I would skip classes. I would just make it worse. I would pull these I would leave things to the last minute because I was avoiding it. Then you start to feel like there's something wrong with me. Yeah.

If there's something you hate, you want to do it earlier so you don't have that in your mind. But really, what your brain wants you to do is stay away from it as long as possible. But then it gets stronger and stronger. If you just deal with it right then and there, Then it might take you a while and it might be really hard, but at least you did it.

Elton, I'm so proud of you. I am so proud. You are just the coolest. I feel better talking to you. I'm so proud of you. Oh, my God. I have this other question for you. If you could give one piece of advice to adults so they could have an even better relationship with their kids, what would it be?

I mean, For a lot of my life, my parents have been super, super nice, but there's some moments where I wish they did push me more because I know I could do it. So encouraging your children is a huge part, but you really have to hit them with the double whammy.

The double whammy? What's the double whammy, Elton?

Let's say they have a learning difference. I was like, yes, you can do whatever you want, and yes, you are awesome, but some people will pick on you because of this.

Got it. The double whammy in your mind is always, always hold out the bigger vision. You can do this. You can... But... Okay.

Yeah. Let's say a daughter. You can do everything that your brother can do, let's say.

Yeah.

But people will talk to you a different way than they do to your brother. That is just part of life. Do not let that bring you down.

If somebody constantly beats themselves up, like they're hard on themselves, were you ever like that with yourself?

I was.

What did you use to say to yourself?

I'm not good enough. I need to try harder, even though this is the best I can do. I need to be better. I need to be more in shape. I need to... Sure, yes, you do, but you don't need to do that all at once. Maybe you can focus on getting the ball farther now and get in shape later. Because if you do it all at once, you're not going to be able to get any of it done.

Once again, Elton, you're amazingly smart about life. I love that. If you're trying to do everything all at once, you're not going to be able to get any of it done. I think you just explained the first 35 years of my life where I was literally trying to do a million things at once, where you're trying to get out the door. Actually, this happened to me this morning, Hilton. I was racing to get out the door. I'm putting my shoes on. I'm trying I'm trying to finish up my makeup. I'm trying to find the leashes for the two dogs. I can't remember where my cup of coffee is. All at the same time, it's not possible. I feel like I'm giving a double whammy to myself. You're right. You're just overwhelming yourself. You're creating chaos for yourself. Elton, you're telling me and you're telling the person listening that kindness is key. Why not be kind to yourself and just take things one step at a time? It makes so much sense. Slow down and enjoy what you're doing.

This is a terrible comparison, but my brother is watching six animes at once. He's not going to be able to finish a single one Because he is watching six. If you have six animes and you're watching all of them at once, you're not going to be able to finish them.

Elton, oh my God. You're I would never be able to watch six animes at once. But a lot of adults do this, too. I bet you're not surprised to hear that, Elton. In fact, as you're listening, if you're trying to do six things at once, you got to stop doing that. Put down the thing that can wait. Finish what you're doing before you start the next thing. Elton, Chris, your godfather, has a tattoo on his arm that says One Gate. That means That he needs to take life one gate at a time. He was a ski racer, and he used to get all panic-stricken about all the gates. Okay, how am I going to do in the race? It's just like you're talking about. Instead of taking it one gate at a time, he was thinking about all 16 on the course. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Of all of the things that you're working on for yourself right now, to be happier and to be a little bit better version of yourself, what's the one thing that you're working on that is What was the most important to you?

Honestly, I have lied a lot in the past.

Oh, me too.

Because I thought it made me cooler. It didn't. It didn't at all. I'm trying to tell people the truth more and stuff, and I'm trying to correct what I have done wrong in the past.

I think that is so brave and really inspiring.

Thank you.

I have a question for you. What advice would you give, let's say, to Kendall, who's watching her singer-songwriter career, and she'll put out a song and it does really well, and then she puts out a song and it doesn't do as well, and then she puts out another song and it does really well and it's the ups and downs. What would you say?

If you have an up and then you have a down, you know that you can do ups because if you've done it before, you can do it again. That's what I say to myself.

That is absolutely genius. You know that you can do ups. What incredible advice. If I hear what you're saying, right? If you have a situation where you're trying something hard, you can't always be where you want to be. Don't focus on the downs. Focus on the ups. Life is full of ups and downs. And so when you're in a down, don't focus there. Focus on the ups. You're never stuck in the down. Dang it, Elton. You are so good.

Now, don't you need to take a break for your sponsors? Shouldn't we be doing that?

Did you know what I just said, Elton? But yes, you're right. We probably should. Let's do it.

Welcome back to the Mel Robbins podcast where everything seems That is my friend Elton, and this is your friend Mel.

And today, you and I are just... I'm just having such a good time. I'm so glad you're here with me and Elton. We've just been talking about the simple truth about life. What makes you truly happy, which is your friends. Why it's important to talk to someone about your feelings, why kindness matters so much in life, and why trying Knowing hard and knowing when to walk away is important. We're talking about the ups. Your top five, your safe keeps. I mean, Elton, you just keep hitting one hit after another. I want to take this one step further and say that even if someone else has done it, that's proof that you can do it, too. I don't know the research about this, but I remember there's this famous story about how Nobody had ever broken the four-minute mile. The second somebody did it, literally somebody else broke it their record and did a sub four-mile. I don't even know if it was weeks or months or what the heck it was. But if someone else is doing it, it's proof you can do it, too. Their up can become your up. Don't let their up become your down.

If somebody else is doing that van lifestyle thing in, I don't know, South America or wherever, you can do it, If someone else is creating a better relationship with their mom, you can do it, too. If somebody else can get a job, you can do it, too. You can write a resume, you can move out of your parents' basement, you can do better in fifth grade, you can be successful with dyslexia. If someone else in the world has had an up and you want that up, make it your up, too. Do not make someone else's up your down. They are literally clearing Getting the way. I freaking love that. I'm going to use your double whammy advice here. You can do any of these things as long as you are willing to work hard for the results that you want and focusing on on the ups, yours and other people's ups. That is such amazing advice. Elton, we're on a roll. I got another question. What have you learned recently that you wish everyone would know?

Life isn't fair.

Oh, hit me in the chest, Elton. It is so true. Say more about that.

I mean, because if life was fair, everybody would have the same birthday, everybody would be the same age, would die at the same time, everything would be the same.

That's right.

That isn't fun, is it? Because then if you walk up to a person and you say, What do you like? I mean, sure, they'll like all the same things that you, but you need differences. Is to be friends. You need to draw in something new.

How do you deal with those moments? Because it's right, life isn't fair, and it's a waste of your time or anybody's time to spend any energy getting upset about how unfair life is. Yeah. How do you deal with those moments, though, when your brother gets something and you don't, or when someone else seems to have it easier and you struggle with discrafia, or somebody has more money you do, or they're better at baseball than you are? How do you deal with those things that are unfair?

It's part of life. You can't do... I mean, yes, you can practice baseball, but I can't unpractice dysgrapia. I can't just say you out. I can't do that. I have to just deal with it and practice and practice and Practice.

Tell me more about that, because you just mentioned trying hard and practicing, because I know you, Elton. I know that you are somebody who tries really hard. Can you talk a little bit more about what trying and practicing looks like and does for you?

I have to try. That's part of my lifestyle. I try my hardest, and sometimes I'm not good enough, and that is fine. Maybe if I keep I will be better. Then if I keep trying and I'm not good enough, then that's just like, Oh, well, I can't do this, and that's fine.

You know what, Elton? I'm going to steal something else from you. Are you ready? Trying is part of my lifestyle. I think we all need to have that lifestyle that you have to try because it's in the trying that you learn. It's in the trying that you grow. It's in the trying that you actually discover who you are. It's in the trying that you reach your ups. It's in the trying that you get out of your downs, dude. Oh, my gosh. I absolutely love this. Tell me more about what you mean and how trying and practicing works in real life for you, particularly because I know so many kids your age and a little bit older are going to be watching this on YouTube and also listening to you right now. What does it look like for you to try and practice in real life?

I cannot make a three-point to save my life. That is just not me.

Do you think if you kept practicing, eventually, you'd be able to do it? Yes.

But right now, I cannot make a three-point to save my life. I know I'm saying I try, I try, but I've never wanted to be a three-point shooter. People are like, Oh, I want to be Steph Curry. I'm not aiming for the high, the really high. I'm aiming for what's good enough. Because if people were going to go for the really high road, yes, you probably can do it. Yes, it will be a lot harder. But if that's a lot harder, you're more likely to give up. Oh. Because if you keep doing it and it's so hard, then you're just going to eventually decide to just give up.

That makes a lot of sense. You are also pointing out something that is very subtle that a lot of us miss. I personally believe, Elton, that just about anything is possible if you are willing to work long enough to make it happen. But what you're saying is that you recognize that there comes a point where you decide, this just isn't worth the work to me. I thought I wanted to be a three-point shooter. I don't. It's not actually that important to me. I did this with guitar. For years, I said to myself, I would love to play guitar. I have picked up a guitar, probably a hundred times in my life, and I have tried to learn, and it lasts about an hour. Then I say, This is too hard. I actually don't care enough about this up to put in the work. But here's what I do know. If I cared enough and I was willing to work long enough, I know that I could be good at guitar, and I know that you could make three-point shots. You're talking about something so important, and I want to make sure as you're listening to this, you understand this.

Anything in life that you want to achieve, you can probably achieve it through practice, through trying, and through hard work, but it's going to take a lot of time. At some point, you're going to reach a point where you're going to say like Elton did, Am I willing to put in the work or not? Knowing when to say no is one of the most important things in life. Knowing when to walk off the court and say, This just It wasn't meant for me. Knowing when to put the guitar down and go, I'm just not willing to put in the work. I just don't want to. Because if you don't want to and it's not in your heart, you're not going to. Again, back to your original theme here about happiness. Being kind to yourself and being honest with yourself and knowing when to walk off the court. Great job, Elton. Great job.

Thank you.

One topic I want to go into just a little bit deeper. I'm not quite done with this, Elton, is this topic of trying. It's almost like a version of your double whammy advice. There's some good advice in here, there's some bad advice in here. You're basically saying is if you want to be Steph Curry and you want to just drop the three pointers all day long, the good news is you can do it. If you want to spend 10,000 hours working on your three-point shot. If you want to be the best in the world, if you never stop, eventually- You will do it. You will do it. But for Most of us, if you aim too high, you quit too soon. Elton, your philosophy is, shoot for good enough. Again, I love this, my lifestyle is to try. Will you just expand on that? What do you mean?

I I try never to not try. I always try to try.

Why is trying?

Because some people are like, if they really don't want to do something, they don't try But even if I don't want to do something, I still try to do it and see, Oh, I'm actually good at this. Then maybe if I'm good at it, I'll like it. But if I really suck at basketball I wouldn't like it because I'm terrible at it.

Well, I think that's an interesting thing that most adults don't realize about video games, that a lot of kids and people play them, you, Oakley, because you're good at them. We naturally like doing the things that we're good at.

There's usually a job for almost everything. There's a job for video games. There is a job for coding. There's a job for this. There's a job for making Taking these cups, there's a job for ironing. I know there isn't a job for closing curtains. There is a job for almost everything. If you're really good at something, if you want to do it, I would try, at least try to pursue that. If you're not the best at this thing, but you can do it, try to pursue that. Then you keep trying and then you get really good at it. Then if that doesn't work out, take a thing that you're lesser good at and then keep doing that cycle. Finally, you get to something you're terrible at, keep trying and trying. Now you have the momentum to say, I can I knew this.

You know what, Elton, you just described my career. I literally started my career as a lawyer. That's what I used to do. Then I changed because I didn't like that, and I went and I worked in the startup business, and then I didn't like that, and I went and did something else, and then I didn't like that, and I went and did something else. Like 19 job changes later, I combined them all, and now I host this podcast. That's awesome. For somebody that's listening, because this show is in a hundred and 94 countries, and there's so many... I know. That's a lot. That's a lot of countries. There's so many people that listen to this show and then send episodes to people that they love. What is one thing that you wish adults understood better about kids?

They have a mind of their own. Don't try to correct them all the time. Yes, if they're really wrong and it's going to impact them later, yes, you can correct them. But if they're saying, Spoon, coon, you don't have to correct them immediately. You can just correct them when somebody's going to notice.

Got it. It's like if they're mixing up their words or something. Yeah. Do you think adults sometimes forget the important things in life?

Oh, totally. It's just because you have kids and just because you need to take care of them all the time, doesn't mean you can't have fun yourself.

Did you hear that? Did you hear that? If you're one of the kids listening, could you please remind the adults in your life that they need to have fun, too? Do you hear that, Mom and Dad? It's your night out. You know what I think is so brilliant about that advice? Is they're watching you. Your kids are watching you, and they're learning from you, and they want you to be having fun. They want to see you happy. It's a gift that you can give to them to be laughing, to be putting yourself first, to be prioritizing fun, because how else are they going to learn that you're supposed to do that when you're an adult. Elton, I love that you just gave every adult listening the best reason why we should have fun, because it makes your kids happy. It makes the people who love you happy. But you also bring up another really good point. You need to have fun so your kids can learn that having fun is a part of life, too, no matter what age you are. It just makes total sense.

Because I see all these parents spending all their time with their kids. Try maybe getting your kids because you've done so much for them. They got to do something for you or you got to do something for yourself. Because otherwise, you're just going to be there with your kids, not happy, and then that's going to make them not happy.

And You need to have more fun.

You got to have more fun as an adult because I know you may think that's a teenager or a kid, you think. No, it isn't. Having fun is part of life. Anything that you think is fun will help you.

Tell me, Elton, what do kids say they hate that their parents do? What do you guys secretly complain about to one another when we adults aren't around?

My mom's always trying to control me. My dad's always trying to control me because they try to set you up for a path to success. And yes, that is nice, but you should let them choose what their path to success is. You don't have to say, Oh, you're going to play basketball. Oh, you're going to be a mathematician. They can choose. What if they want to be a dentist? That is not basketball. That is not math. That is dentists. Let them choose what they want to do, and then you can help.

I agree because I believe the best form of success is being happy in your life.

Exactly. Because who doesn't want to be happy if you think about it? If you don't want to be sad. At my camp, they don't say, treat others how you want to be treated. Treat others how they want to be treated. If you love to be tickled, you don't- I don't like to be tickled.

Exactly. Do you like to be tickled? No.

Me neither. If my mom loves to be tickled, she wouldn't tickle me because treat others how they want to be treated.

I love that. That's true because we assume how we want to be treated is how- Treated is how they want to be treated.

But no, that's I treat others how they want to be treated.

You also were talking last night at dinner with your mom about the pizza strategy. What is this? The pizza? What's it called? The Pizza strategy. What is that?

If let's say I'm in a group chat and somebody starts talking about Ashley. So they're talking about Ashley. They're saying mean things about Ashley. So the pizza strategy is like, it's like training a baby. If they're looking at something they shouldn't. You literally just go like, Hey, look at that light, or like, Look at that. But in this case, where are we going for pizza tomorrow? And then they start talking about pizza. They forget about Ashley, start about pizza. Got it. You can do that with anything.

The pizza strategy is a technique that you can use if you've got a bunch of people that are gossiping or they're saying bad things about somebody, or they're trashing somebody in a group chat instead of jumping in.

And saying, No, that's not right, because nobody actually wants to do that. It just doesn't feel good because those are your friends, and If you say that, you think that they're going to ditch you because you're being like a goody two shoes or something.

Right. It's true because we all know that when people are gossiping about someone else, you should stand up. You should stand up for them. But a lot of us don't. Yeah. The pizza strategy is basically doing it without actually doing it. You changed the topic.

You changed the topic, yeah.

Then everybody just follows you because you say, Hey, what are we doing this weekend? Or you just don't even respond to the comment about Ashley.

Exactly. You just distract them.

Genius. Complete genius, Elton. By the way, this is not just something that kids need to know how to do. The other thing that I love that you said, Elton, is that if you feel like you cannot stand up for someone, change the topic, stop the gossip, or tell someone else. Thank you for that reminder. I I have a question for you. One of the biggest questions I get from people around the world is they write in and say, I'm really stuck in my life, and I actually don't know what I should do with my life.

What my dad has told me, at least, is I didn't find my passion until I was 40. It is out there.

What do you mean by it's out there? Because I think you're right. Because like- Do you believe everybody has something?

Something that they can do. Everybody has something. Bees pollinate plants and lions eat stuff. And that helps animals from overpopulating. Everything has their part.

Yes.

And that is how it This library.

What is one thing that you would want them to start doing? If I take your philosophies, right?

Yeah.

If I take some of your philosophies, and I especially love the good enough and the trying, what would you recommend somebody do today to take one step forward toward figuring out what that thing that's their thing could be?

Listen to Mel Robin's podcast. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. But go outside and meet some new people because those people could be your people. They could introduce you to something that you love. They could introduce you to your future job, your future wife, your future husband. It could be anything, basically.

Basically, get out of your comfort zone?

Go out of your comfort zone to do something.

What world do you hope to help create Elton?

I hope to create a kinder world because that You can't just be kind. You have to actually feel kind. I helped a grandma over a little puddle by building a bridge of sand. That made me feel kind. If you just let the grandma step in the puddle, what are you? You don't gain anything from that. That grandma now just has wet socks. Nobody likes wet socks. Imagine you're that grandma, too. Would you want someone to be right there? Could have helped you, but didn't? Exactly.

It's powerful. Yeah.

Kind This is so powerful.

Is there anything else you want to share as your parting words?

Be kind and don't let anyone stop you. And we love you.

That's right. In case no one else tells you, but somebody just did, and his name is Elton, I wanted to tell you that I love you and we believe in you. Yeah. And we believe in your ability to create a better life.

We do.

Now, go do it. Talk to you in a few days. You've been asking for a while now, like hinting about maybe being on the podcast. How come you wanted to be on the podcast?

Well, because I enjoy talking. I feel like a podcast would just be really fun. And so now I'm on a podcast, and it is really fun. This is just hopefully going to be really fun. And middle school is a lot to talk about. So. Okay.

Is that what you want to talk about?

Whatever your questions are, I'll answer them.

We're recording, which is really cool. We are rolling. Let me just hear that thing to make sure it sounds okay.

Should I just talk?

Yeah, you can talk while I'm doing this.

Well, so somehow Mel has let me on the podcast, and this is going to be hopefully awesome. So Well, it's going to be awesome because Mel's here, so like...

Oh, we did it. High five. Amazing. Oh, and one more thing. And no, this is not a blooper. This is the legal language. You know what the lawyers write and what I need to read to you. This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. I'm just your friend. I am not a licensed therapist, and this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Got it? Good. I'll see you in the next episode.

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