How Kemp Knott changed my life forever (and taught me humility).. Ep 54

In a reflective video, the speaker recounts how his high school peer, Kemp Knot, unwittingly taught him a valuable life lesson. As an arrogant and naturally talented youth, the speaker often belittled Kemp, who struggled academically and socially but worked relentlessly. The turning point came when Kemp was accepted into Duke University, while the speaker was admitted to a lower-ranked school, despite his perceived superiority. This humbling experience led the speaker to understand that effort and character trump innate talent, a realization that profoundly changed his approach to life and success. He urges his audience to embrace hard work over ego to achieve true respect and accomplishment.

• Speaker A recounts a personal story about Kemp Knot, a high school peer.
• Kemp Knot is described as someone who struggled and was different from Speaker A.
• Speaker A acknowledges Kemp Knot's significant impact on their life.

Going on, everybody, happy hump day, happy Wednesday. I'm super happy to make this video for you because this is my kemp knot story. And I don't know if I've told you guys this story before, but Kemp knot is a kid that I went to high school with, and he changed my life forever.

The quote introduces Kemp Knot as a transformative figure in Speaker A's life, setting the stage for the story's significance.

• Speaker A describes themselves as arrogant, angry, and prideful during high school.
• They had natural talents and advantages, such as academic success, popularity, and physical fitness.
• Speaker A's confidence stemmed from these attributes.

I was a really arrogant kid. I was a really angry, very prideful kid, and I had a lot of talent. I did really well in school without trying really hard. I think I did well with girls at a young age. I didn't have that struggle. I was in really good shape genetically. I didn't need to work out really hard, and I had a six pack, and I was really pretty ripped at a very young age.

This quote provides insight into Speaker A's self-perception during high school, highlighting the contrast with Kemp Knot.

• Kemp Knot faced difficulties and lacked the natural advantages Speaker A had.
• He dealt with acne, wore thick glasses, and was not athletically inclined.
• Kemp was not involved in varsity sports and was academically diligent.

Kemp knot was none of those things. I don't think anything came easy for Kemp Knot... But Kemp had a ton of acne, super thick glasses. He wasn't particularly in shape. He wasn't particularly strong. He wasn't on any real varsity sports.

The quote describes Kemp Knot's physical and social challenges, contrasting with Speaker A's experiences.

• Speaker A and Kemp Knot had a tense and adversarial relationship.
• Kemp Knot's behavior, like reminding teachers about homework, irritated Speaker A.
• Speaker A admits to responding to Kemp's insults with their own harsh remarks.

But Kev and I, just, for some reason, were always at ods with one another, or at least I felt that way. And he was one of those kids that would go to every single study hall and be like, teacher, you forgot to give us homework. And I freaking hated Ken.

Speaker A reflects on the antagonistic dynamic with Kemp Knot, emphasizing the mutual animosity.

• The conflict reached a peak in front of a group of girls, where Kemp Knot made a snarky remark.
• Speaker A would boast about their superior test scores despite minimal effort.
• Speaker A now recognizes their behavior as mean-spirited.

I remember one day it kind of culminated, and we were in front of a bunch of girls, and he said something snarky to

The incomplete quote suggests a significant moment of conflict that may have led to a turning point in Speaker A's behavior and attitude toward Kemp Knot.

• The speaker recounts a past interaction where they displayed significant pride and ego.
• They expressed a belittling sentiment to a peer named Kemp during a competitive moment.
• The speaker acknowledges the hurtfulness of their words and the impact on their relationship with Kemp.
• This incident led to a decrease in communication and a drifting apart from Kemp.

"And I looked back at him, and it was one of those looks where everyone goes silent because of what he said. And I feel like I peered into his soul, and I was like, kemp. I was like, in what world will you ever be better than me at anything?"

The quote reflects a moment of intense pride where the speaker challenges Kemp's abilities, revealing a superiority complex and a lack of humility.

• The speaker desired to attend Duke University but was not accepted, unlike Kemp.
• Kemp's acceptance to Duke and the speaker's admission to a lower-ranked school, Vanderbilt, served as a humbling experience.
• The speaker reflects on the misguided sense of entitlement they had regarding their own abilities and prospects.

"And after I applied, it turned out that Kemp got into Duke, and I got into Vanderbilt, which is a lower ranked school."

This quote reveals the outcome of the college admissions process that led to the speaker's realization of their misplaced arrogance and the start of a humbling lesson.

• The speaker learned that talent alone is not enough and that hard work is crucial for success.
• They saw that Kemp, who had to work hard for everything, achieved success through consistent effort.
• The speaker contrasts their own reliance on talent with Kemp's dedication to hard work.

"And he had to hustle so hard just to just do x. You know what I mean? And I learned that from Kemp. I never saw anyone like Kemp went to every single study hall. He finished all the study packets."

The quote illustrates Kemp's work ethic and the speaker's realization that hard work can surpass natural talent. It highlights Kemp's commitment to his studies and the effort he put into his academic success.

• The speaker compares the experience with Kemp to the dynamics within their own team.
• They suggest that some team members rely on talent and could benefit from adopting Kemp's work ethic.
• The speaker implies that unlocking a similar drive in talented individuals could enhance their team's overall performance.

"And I think about some of the people that we have on our team, and you probably have on your team, people who have gotten by on talent, and if they were able to unlock what Kemp had, which is that he never got anything handed to him, anything."

This quote connects the personal lesson learned from Kemp to the broader context of teamwork and performance, emphasizing the value of hard work and perseverance in achieving success.

• The speaker reflects on past experiences and the importance of effort in achieving success.
• They compare their own efforts to those of a person named Kemp, who worked harder and achieved better results.
• The speaker suggests that natural talent can lead to a sense of entitlement and complacency.
• They emphasize the value of humility and hard work in overcoming challenges and improving oneself.

"did all this stuff. And I was like, man, I wonder if I did that, if I would get better grades, right? Duh."

This quote reflects the speaker's realization that emulating the hard work of someone successful could lead to better personal outcomes.

"And so there are probably some of you right now who struggle to get leads, able to sell more. And I think there's moments where it's like, well, how hard have you tried?"

The speaker is addressing the audience directly, challenging them to evaluate their own efforts in their pursuits.

"And at the end of the day, kemp beat me. And that means that someone else in your market is beating you like someone's beating you. Maybe a lot of people are beating you."

The speaker uses their own experience of being outperformed by Kemp to illustrate that there is always competition, and someone is likely outperforming the listener as well.

• The speaker shares how being bested by someone else led to a significant change in their approach to work and study.
• They discuss the value of being humbled and how it can be a catalyst for personal growth.
• The speaker's experiences in high school and college highlight the connection between effort and respect from peers.

"I got beat. I'm getting my ass handed to me by this marketplace. I don't know what I'm doing, right?"

This quote captures the speaker's moment of self-awareness and the realization that their current approach is not yielding the desired results.

"And then you can humble yourself and learn, because I literally didn't grow that much in high school until I got humbled, you know what I mean?"

The speaker emphasizes the importance of humility in the learning process and how it was a turning point in their personal development.

"And it just so dramatically impacted how I started studying in school, and I started reading the books and doing the homework, and then all of a sudden, what do you know? My grades went up like crazy, right?"

This quote describes the tangible improvements in the speaker's academic performance after they adopted a more diligent and humble approach to their studies.

• The speaker connects hard work with earning respect from others.
• They reflect on the transformation in how others perceived them after they began to work harder.
• The speaker's story serves as a testament to the idea that respect is earned through observable dedication and effort.

"And I started getting respect from the people that were around me. I didn't have a lot of respect from the people when I was younger."

The speaker notes the correlation between increased effort and the respect they began to receive from their peers.

"I mean, people would hang out with me, whatnot. I was social, but I didn't have that level of respect when I got into college, people would see how hard I started working."

This quote highlights the distinction between being sociable and being respected, suggesting that the latter is more closely tied to one's work ethic.

"They're like, man, I respect that guy's hustle. I respect how hard he works on stuff."

The speaker shares direct feedback from others that affirms the value placed on hard work and the positive impact it had on their reputation.

• Recognizing and nurturing potential within team members can lead to significant improvements in performance.
• Incremental change versus massive change: altering a character trait can have a profound impact on personal and professional life.
• The importance of practice in mastering skills and achieving success.
• Overcoming challenges such as lead generation and marketing effectiveness.

"If you actually just practiced overcomes, you know what I mean? If you actually worked your leads, if you actually followed up with these people, you'd be making three times as much money. Five times as much money."

This quote emphasizes the power of dedication and practice in improving sales performance and increasing income significantly.

"Because the thing is, it's not like incremental change. If you change that character trait, like massive, things start changing because it changes who you are."

The speaker suggests that changing a fundamental aspect of oneself can lead to substantial and transformative life changes.

• The commonality of giving up after a few failed attempts.
• Misguided perceptions of marketing strategies, such as Facebook marketing, not working.
• Encouragement to persist and find solutions rather than accepting defeat.

"Some of you guys might be struggling to get leads. Some of you guys might have employees that are struggling with stuff. I think most of us just assume we tried one or two things and we tried them one or two times, and it's like, well, I don't know what to do."

This quote acknowledges the difficulties in lead generation and the tendency to give up after limited attempts.

"Facebook doesn't work for me. Facebook marketing doesn't. You know, stuff like that. Right? Just stupid things to say. Clearly it works. It's eyeballs, right? Marketing always works."

The speaker criticizes the defeatist attitude towards marketing strategies, emphasizing that marketing is fundamentally about capturing attention.

• The market's indifference to personal pride and subjective beliefs of superiority.
• The need to face reality and act on competitive disadvantages.
• The speaker's personal experience with overcoming ego and learning from a competitor.

"The marketplace doesn't care about me, about ego crap. You know what I mean? It doesn't care about the fact that you may be better."

This quote highlights the market's objectivity and lack of concern for individual egos or perceived superiority.

"Maybe your gym's better. You're like, our gym is better than their gym, and they make more money than us, right? Our trainers are better than their trainers. It's like, that's not what the market thinks."

The speaker points out that personal beliefs of quality do not always align with market success and that one must address this disconnect.

• Expressing thanks to individuals who have had a positive impact on one's life.
• Recognizing the role of others in personal development and success.
• Encouraging listeners to share the message and reflect on their own growth.

"So to Kempnot, wherever you are, thank you. You changed my life. You probably don't even know it. And you helped me become the person that I am today."

The speaker expresses deep gratitude to someone named Kempnot for their unknowing but significant influence on the speaker's life and development.

"Hope this resonates with you, because it was a story that really changed my life."

This quote is an expression of hope that the speaker's personal story will inspire others as it did for them.