Jerry Seinfeld: On stoicism and three keys to a successful life | Trending Now

0:00Every game day you show up for your team. Now it's your time. We go V! We go V!

0:11Jerry Seinfeld:Ask your prescriber about We Go V. Semaglutide Injection 2.4mg, a GLP-1. Call 1-833-4-WEGOV or visit wegovy.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about We Go V. Why wait? We go V! Hey, Chicago. Class it up with Crocs. You know back to school is coming in fast. So why wait to find your new fave footwear? Step into a local Crocs store and step into your new look. Try it. Style it. Make it yours. Because the right pair doesn't just show up. It shows off. First day fits, handled. Walk out ready for whatever's next. Visit your nearest Crocs store today. Hey, everybody. It's Graham, and it's Friday, which means today we get to bring you another trending clip.

1:08This week, Jerry Seinfeld. Tell about the little mule inside of you named Artemis.

1:17Jerry Seinfeld:Oh, my friend Mario calls me. He said there's a mule inside of me that he named Artemis. It's just a mule that just keeps working. Artemis pulls the cart. So I do like to pull the cart. I want to pull the cart. I don't want to hang out. In fact, I'm kind of off now for a couple of weeks and I really feel a little not right. Okay. So it's funny you say that because I pulled a quote that you once gave that said, I get thrown off easily if I have one weekend off from stand-up and I do something weird. I completely forget who I am and what I do for a living. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, you go back on stage and...

2:07Jerry Seinfeld:Well, after the COVID, I hadn't worked for two years. And I had done a stand-up special right before COVID. So my whole act was gone. So I had to start a new act and I hadn't been on stage in two years. and I would go to clubs and I would watch people on stage and go, how are they doing it? Where do they get the guts to go up on stage like that? I literally, it seemed like I had to start from total scratch. But how, when you've been doing it for as long as you have? So let's say you didn't do any exercise for two years and then you went into a gym. It would just seem daunting, right? It takes a minute to get back in the routine, but then once...

2:53Yeah, but two years.

2:54Jerry Seinfeld:Two years of nothing, just sitting. Imagine what it would be like to go into a gym. But the stand-up stage is even more intimidating than a gym. It's a very intimidating place. And speaking of exercise, how about how Body for Life impacted you? Well, that was an exercise program I found in a bookstore in Milwaukee. in uh 2004 and it was uh no that interval training was new and uh it was very painful type of training but very short so that interested me because i didn't want to spend a lot of time exercising and the intense pain seemed interesting too what do you mean seemed interesting i like to be in a difficult environment.

3:49Jerry Seinfeld:I don't know why. Because pressure on the system is generally a good thing. I've just felt instinctively I'm going to do better under pressure. And so you have a trainer, I think Adam Wright. Yeah. You'll do three days of cardio, three days of weights. I do something every day. So what is the typical routine? Exercise is so unfunny. I can't talk about it. Wait, what do you mean you can't help? It's so unfunny. But you have spoken about how... But it's not funny. Yeah, but it's not... It's not funny. You have said it is exercise that kind of makes you... Well, I just think the body and the mind are one thing.

4:29Jerry Seinfeld:So if you exercise your body, then you exercise your mind. And the mind... I only do things that are good for the brain function. I care about brain function for obvious reasons. I feel like I need the brain. You once said, I've always had the skill of extracting the essence of any subject. Yes. I study, be it Scientology, Judaism, Zen, yoga, meditation. Right. Marcus Aurelius is my new one. How so? The Roman emperor who wrote a book called Meditations, which was the beginning of Stoicism. And that's my obsession now is Marcus Aurelius. He had this fantastic philosophical observations on life.

5:14Jerry Seinfeld:And you've learned what from that? That everything that you're worried about is going to be gone like that. The people that are criticizing you, they're going to be gone, you're going to be gone. All this hand-wringing worry and concern over how are people viewing me, and someone said something bad about me, and you get so upset about it, is wasted time and energy. Marcus Aurelius says your only focus should be on getting better at what you're doing. Focus on what you're doing, get better at what you're doing. Everything else is a complete waste of time. So I have this movie coming out in about a month.

5:56Jerry Seinfeld:I am so excited to read the worst reviews. What do you mean? Because they're so meaningless. That's what he thinks. Now, did it take you a minute to get to that place? No, I've been looking forward to it for two years. I can't wait for the bad reviews. But, I mean, did it take you a minute to get to the place of enjoying that? Or have you always kind of been unaffected by... No, it took many, many years. On the transcendental meditation front, I believe you do it at least twice daily. At least twice, sometimes more. You said it's the greatest thing as a life tool, as a work tool, and just making things make sense.

6:35Right. Do you do meditation? I don't. I've tried it once.

6:38Jerry Seinfeld:Oh, great. Good try. Well, what do you want in life, Graham? What do you want? What do you want to have more than anything? I'd like to make the most of my ability and be happy. And what does it take to do that? Energy. You need energy. It's the most valuable quantity of human life. Well, where do we get it? And you're saying you get it from meditation? Well, you sleep, right? That's about it. That's all you do to rest your body. The next time you get out of bed, before you leave the bed, stand up, turn around, and look at that bed. Does it look like what happened there was relaxing? Does it look peaceful, what you went through there?

7:29Jerry Seinfeld:No. It's a necessary component of human life, but it's not the level of rest that you need and is available to you effortlessly. Meditation is effortless. Exercise is the opposite of that. Exercise is great for energy, but it takes more effort than anything. It's an incredibly difficult thing to do. Meditation is like if I said to you, I'm gonna need you to get in the hot tub once a day and just sit there for five minutes. Could you do that? That's pretty easy. It's pretty easy. Meditation is even easier than that. So if that's all you have to do to Double the amount of energy that you have to accomplish what you want to accomplish in your Ben-Singer life How do you not use that?

8:25Jerry Seinfeld:So I'm speaking to you, trying to approach you as a very pragmatic person, because you seem very pragmatic. You don't do stupid things. You try and do things that make sense, right? I try to, yeah. OK. So that's what this is. You know the bar in your phone? Instead of those, the yellow and the red? All white. Just boom, full battery. Full battery. How have you felt that's extended your career? Oh, my God. Well, I'm 70, okay? Which is shocking. Well, there you go. Yeah. But that's not just because of meditation. Yes, it is. If you ask me my three keys to a successful life, you want my three keys?

9:08Transcendental meditation, lift weights, espresso.

9:14Jerry Seinfeld:You just do those three things and you will kill it. How many espresso machines do you have? Oh, I have one everywhere. I have an espresso machine everywhere. As always, thanks for listening. To see more trending clips from my team, go to youtube.com slash Graham Bensinger.

9:36Every game day, you show up for your team. Now, it's your time. We go V! We go V!

9:47Jerry Seinfeld:Ask your prescriber about WeGoV, semaglutide injection 2.4 milligrams, a GLP-1. Call 1-833-4-WEGOV or visit wegovi.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about WeGoV. Why wait? WeGoV! Fall is the perfect time to refresh and reorganize your space. At the Home Depot, find power tools and tool sets starting at$50 to help tackle DIY projects. home updates, and more. Whether you're drilling brackets to support new shelving or sharpening your hedge trimmer blade with an angle grinder, The Home Depot has the tools you need to check projects off your list. Shop Labor Day savings at The Home Depot and gear up for fall projects with the right tools to keep your projects moving.