Good Deeds
Host: Isaac Mashman · April 14, 2022 · Episode 99 · 11 minutes
Transcribed from the episode audio and edited to read cleanly: names and terms corrected, grammar fixed, filler words and false starts removed, punctuation added. Words in [brackets] could not be made out with certainty. Wording can differ slightly from what was said; the episode itself is the record.
To Chase the Vision of Isaac. Yo, yo, yo, what is going on, everybody? Isaac Mashman here, and welcome back to another episode of your favorite podcast, Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, the show that is all about helping you become a more capable individual through me sharing my experiences and knowledge in business, life, and personal growth. Welcome to episode 99 of the show. It's crazy to think that the next episode will be 100, triple digits, moving into a new realm, the launch of a new season with episode 101. It's wild. When I first started my first podcast, I didn't really anticipate getting to episode 100.
When I launched this one, I had the idea that I would get there, but I had no earthly idea, no clue as to when I was going to hit that mark and hit that achievement.
Super grateful, super proud, honored to have you guys listening. Man, there are so many different opportunities that have come from having a podcast. I'd highly recommend that if you're looking to boost your credibility or to spread your message or to raise awareness, a podcast is a fantastic way to do that. Just go into it with a long-term vision, with an intention behind it, and throw everything you have towards it, because otherwise you're going to quit a couple episodes in. So start with the end in mind, so to speak. Start with the idea of growth more so than the end in mind, because there really is no end to a creative process, to a masterpiece or to a book. I'm thinking about my book, Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence, rereading it and looking through things.
I'm like, man, I should have added that. The truth of the matter is no piece of work is ever going to be finished. But anyways, I want to talk about good deeds today. I talk a lot about business. I talk a lot about coffee. I talk a lot about personal development. I talk a lot about things that are, of course, going to help you, your business and your career, but I want to talk to you about something that's going to help you on a personal level. Not even about how other people are going to perceive you, but a personal level of how you perceive yourself, how you feel about yourself, how you emotionally act and interact with other people.
I was thinking about this earlier today, how many times you go to the store and you go to hold the door open for somebody, and they don't even say thank you, they just walk right on by. Or you are literally right behind somebody, they could easily leave the door open or hold the door open for an extra two or three seconds, and they don't do it, and they walk off.
Now personally, I was raised to hold the doors open. When I was in church, I always held the doors open for the old ladies and, you know, every single old lady at church always knew who I was.
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To [know] I'm being a good human being. It's not that I'm looking to be rewarded by it. I'm not suggesting that you seek that satisfaction of reward, but rather you have a healthy understanding and respect for what you are doing every single time you do one of those good deeds. It could be something as simple as helping an older person to the car or, if you're living somewhere where it snows, breaking the ice or grabbing their mail, or showing support for a local business and leaving a review. To me, I don't think that is necessarily something that you're obligated to do just because somebody gives you a positive experience or provides a high quality product. It's you going the extra mile because they went the extra mile for you and you want to say thank you.
You know that it's the right thing to do, but you're not obligated to do it. You don't have to do it, but you want to do it. You see, it's not about [obligation]. You don't have to open up the door, but you want to open up the door. [You don't] have to support that person or support that individual, but you want to. You don't have to go and do something that is going to require physical labor or physical exertion or anything of the nature. But it's you simply wanting to because you know it is something that you are going to want to do. It's something that you're going to do and feel better about at the end of the day. For some reason in our society and in our lives, good deeds are only done on a reward basis.
What's in it for me? I don't know about you, but one of the things that I hate literally 9.73567 times out of 10 are the videos and the influencers who go up to a homeless person or somebody on the street or somebody that's less fortunate than they are, than we are, for listening to this podcast right now. They film these interactions where they give a $100 bill or buy somebody some food or take them shopping or do something. It's not because they want to spread awareness. It's rather, in my mind, [about] understanding human psychology, understanding why people do things, understanding the viral nature of content. It's the same reason why, if somebody passes away, they leave a comment on their post. It's not about saying, oh, I'm grieving you.
It's more so about, oh, I'm going to comment this and then it's going to be more of a clout tactic. That's deep. It's painful. But if you're doing these things, you shouldn't be seeking recognition for it. That defeats the entire purpose of doing a good deed or helping somebody out. When I was younger, outside of church, [I was] mowing lawns for a neighbor, doing some trimming. It's like, you don't always seek to get paid. That teaches you the value of hard work. It teaches you how to be a good human. It teaches you how to be a good individual. We used to do these things called highway cleanups once a quarter with the troop that I was a part of, troop 169 out of Jacksonville, Florida. We would always go on Timuquana Road in Jacksonville and clean up the roadways or go volunteer at concerts.
That was something that I really loved and, interestingly enough, I had the ability to actually volunteer at some, believe it or not, southern gospel concerts with some people at church at the time. That, in my mind, actually led me and influenced me to get involved with the music industry, when I went to start my record label and manage artists for six months. If I never had that experience, which came about from doing a good deed and enjoying myself and wanting to do it, I would have never, in my mind, gone down that path that I went down, because I would have never known the other side of it.
So that's just a great example of doing something without expectation, out of enjoyment or out of desire, out of want, that leads to a benefit for you down the road. I'm all for seeking benefits. I'm all for vanity metrics to a degree that are healthy, that help you measure your success, that help you measure where you're going and where you're at right now. But at the same time, there is a time and a place to not seek something. You're not about to do a nonprofit organization.
[That] seeks to be recognized for the NGO. That's not how it works. You do the nonprofit because you care about the cause. You care about what you have going on. It's not like you're making money from it. It's not that you want recognition from it. Now, if you wanted to go and be that person, Mr. Scrooge, who only does it because it makes you look better from a reputation standpoint, then I guess that's your decision, but that's not what I would recommend. So guys, I have a challenge for you today. I want you to go out of your way to do a good deed. Make it a part of your lifestyle to do something every single day for another person. Even if it's not a good deed, leave a compliment.
Give a compliment to somebody. Now, I've talked about this over the past several episodes because it's been on my mind a lot lately. You never know what somebody is going through. You never know what somebody is thinking, how they're feeling, something that has occurred, whether they're in a deep place or at an emotional high. You have no earthly idea, no clue. So why wouldn't you go and say, hey, man, I love those Jordans. Hey, I love those shoes. Man, I got those headphones too. Man, they're great. You find ways to compliment them and make them feel better about themselves. You're not building their ego. You're simply complimenting them and telling them how you genuinely feel, which in return helps them feel better about themselves and what they have going on, and who knows, you could spark a conversation or relationship that way.
So that is my challenge for you. Go out of your way to do a good deed or give a compliment to somebody or do something that is going to make you feel better because you want to do it. Take out the old lady's trash, [help] grandma across the [road], to give that stereotypical example, do something and don't look to be rewarded from it. The reward that you're going to receive, [hokey], woo-woo as it sounds, is going to be how you feel after the fact, and you'll do more of it. That's something in my own life I've particularly missed over the past couple of years. That's something that I'm going to be doing more of, seeking out nonprofits to associate with, doing more things for the local community, and it becomes a part of your character, your identity, and who you are.
So with that being said, guys, thank you so much for listening to this episode of Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman. Make sure to share this episode with a friend or a family member or a business partner.
Somebody else in your life that you believe will get just as much value from the things that I talked about today as you did. [I'm] happy, grateful for you guys again, and the next episode is the 100th episode mark, baby. Let's go. Much love.