You can’t always be achieving. You can’t always win, always give, and always be making an impact. Sometimes you have to receive too. That’s just how the universe works.
Imagine the beach, for example. Even when the water recedes back from the shore, it’s still the ocean! You have to balance your “ins” with your “outs” in order to achieve the peace you are looking for.
On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I discussed the importance of being equally grateful for the busy times and the quiet ones with successful podcast host, author, and comedian Pete Holmes!
We dove into so many incredible topics, including growing your consciousness through awareness, attaining balance in both good and bad times, and perceiving suffering as the fuel that takes you where you need to go!
We talked about how peace cannot exist in the ego and how Pete’s journey as a father shifted his mindset. He has learned to say, “Yes, thank you,” to whatever happens to him, and this perspective has changed his entire life! Pete shared so much of the wisdom he has learned over the years with us today, and I’m so excited for you to hear it!
Who Is Pete Holmes?
Pete Holmes is a comedian, writer, cartoonist, father, and podcast host. You might know him from his podcast You Made It Weird or The Pete Holmes Show, which aired on TBS in 2013. Pete has also created and starred in the semi auto-biographical HBO show Crashing, which he executive-produced alongside Judd Apatow.
As an accomplished stand-up comedian with three-hour-long television specials and numerous late-night appearances, Pete continues to tour regularly for sold-out crowds across the world.
Also, he has a new book out titled Comedy Sex God where he shares many of his hilarious stories, philosophical insights, and enlightening life wisdom. Be sure to check it out if you enjoy this interview!
Pete’s unique combination of humor and profound wisdom made for an incredible conversation that you don’t want to miss. Let’s get into it!
How to Balance Productivity with Rest
Have you ever had a hard time resting? Oftentimes, we get so caught up in the pursuit of productivity that we find it difficult to stop thinking about work. Pete struggled with this same problem as a comedian for a long time, and the anxiety and stress of having a show used to ruin his entire day.
Now, he has learned to look at his notes an hour before each show and use the rest of the day for relaxation:
“The art of a comedian is taking your dysfunction — which I have my own dysfunction — and learning how to do jujitsu with it so you can go to dinner with your wife or you can be quiet on a beach or something. It took me 35 years to figure that out. … Your ability to have a somewhat normal life is balancing your producing and achieving with … not achieving. Because that’s the way the universe works. … There is inherent structure to everything.” – Pete Holmes
Pete used the example of a growing forest to illustrate this point. A forest doesn’t get bigger every year. Instead, there is balance, woven into the pattern of nature. Forest fires limit the forest’s progression towards the sky. There are seasons of drought and seasons of growth.
Pete noted that it should be the same way with human productivity, too! As humans, we need seasons of rest and regeneration to balance the times of work and achievement:
“The American corporation idea that you should be making more money every year is a lie. It’s against the law of the universe, and this is why we see corporations being [unfair] to their employees. … Their mythology is that their shareholders should make more money every year, and that’s just not the way the universe works. … These are structures of the ego that say, ‘We need to do more this year.’” – Pete Holmes
Pete emphasized the importance of balancing social time with solitude, quiet time with noise, and productivity with rest. This balance has allowed him to enjoy his career without the undercurrent of anxiety and also to spend more time with his wife.
What does this balance look like for you? Maybe it’s thirty minutes in the afternoon to take a walk with your partner and check in about their day. Or maybe it’s a short time at night that you take to reflect and journal. Whatever it looks like, it’s so important to balance rest with work every single day!
As well as learning balance, Pete also learned a key way to handle life when things don’t go as planned, which happens all the time! His secret? Learning how to see the times of suffering as just another aspect of life to live.
