In this Entspresso episode, Evan Carmichael opens with a quote from Quincy Jones about knowing and loving oneself, emphasizing that self‑worth cannot depend on others’ acceptance. Carmichael expands on the theme with personal stories: he attended a Toronto mayor‑led entrepreneurship panel wearing casual attire and a Frappuccino, refusing to conform to formal expectations because he trusted his ability to provide value. He recounts his evolution from over‑preparing for questions to embracing spontaneity, explaining that authentic, passionate answers outweigh rehearsed, fact‑heavy responses. Carmichael argues that self‑love fuels confidence, allowing one to answer any question, add value, and pursue dreams without seeking external validation. He ends by challenging viewers to reflect on whether they truly love who they are, inviting comments and promising more daily motivation.
Good morning, Believe Nation! Today's message is love who you are. Over to you, Quincy Jones.
Know who you are and learn to love who you are, because you can't love anybody else if you don't love yourself. Ray Charles and I used to say every day in Seattle, "Not one drop of my self-worth depends on your acceptance of me." Every day. That was the deal with racism and everything, because you don't want an external force defining who the hell you are.
"Not one ounce of my self-worth depends on your acceptance of me." I love that sentence. I had to rewind and play it back a couple times. Kind of sends chills, and I think Too many people don't feel that way. Earlier this week, I went to an event with the mayor of Toronto. We were talking about how Toronto could be a better city for entrepreneurs, and I was invited to be on the panel with him and 3 other entrepreneurs. And I went with my entrepreneur t-shirt on of Ent City with the CN Tower on it. I went wearing track pants and my 5-toe shoes and with a huge Frappuccino in my hand, and that's how I sat on the panel. And, you know, the mayor's in a suit, everybody, you know, came out, had various degrees of formality in their wear, and there was a little bit of a surprise that I was sitting on stage wearing what I was wearing. At least for the people who didn't know me. And I didn't care. Like, for me, I know I'm gonna provide value, I know I'm gonna rock it, I don't wanna go out and wear a suit to try to live up to somebody else's expectations. What they think about me doesn't change how I'm gonna act, and I know I'm gonna provide amazing value, and I did. And part of that comes down to just me having confidence in myself and loving myself, and that took time to build up. Another quick story from that same day, I rarely prepare now for questions. I used to be the guy who prepared questions when they sent me them. I'd always have to know what the questions were they wanted to ask me, and I always wanted to have my facts and figures down and be super prepared. And by the time I got on camera, it was such a rehearsed answer, and I was so nervous delivering it because I was worried how they would judge me, that it was never a fantastic answer. It may have been factually correct, but it didn't have any passion, didn't have any emotion, it didn't move people. As I gained more confidence in myself, as I loved myself more, I learned to be more spontaneous, and it was super scary at the start, but I learned to be more spontaneous, and now I'm at the point where I don't wanna see your questions. I'd rather have it be a live discussion because my first answer is gonna be the one with the most passion. The more I think about it, the more factual it's gonna get, the more I might worry about it, and then the more I practice it, it's not gonna be as quality a delivery. So I was talking to Alex on Monday about the questions that I was gonna get asked for the mayor event, and the reason why I don't look at the questions now is 'cause I also feel like I can provide value to any question. I'm gonna be able to answer the question, I may not be able to give them the facts and figures that they're looking for, but I believe that I can add value to any question. And I walk into every interview, you know, every, every session, any panel, any conference, any event, feeling like whatever question gets thrown at me, I can add value. I'll be able to either answer that question or answer the question they should have asked. And so it comes down to when you love yourself, when you have that confidence, you're able to be the best version of yourself. You're able to continue to push yourself. And as long as you don't rely on other people to get your self-worth, that'll help you continue to chase your dreams and continue to be that best version of yourself instead of trying to live up to other people's expectations and minimizing yourself. So the question of the day today is, do you really love who you are? Going deep today. Leave in the comments below. I'm gonna join the discussion. Thank you guys so much for watching. Have an amazing day. Continue to believe And I'll see you again tomorrow morning for another shot of espresso. I wake up every morning, espresso keep me going.
