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#36 - Return the Cart: The Smallest Test You’re Failing
30 Plays1 month ago
You say you want to lead? Be elite? Build a life of discipline and power?
Then let’s start with the shopping cart.
No rules. No rewards. No one watching.
Just you… and the truth.
This episode exposes the brutal reality behind your daily habits—the ones you think don’t matter. The cart is a mirror, and most people don’t like what they see. If you can’t win the smallest battle, you’ll get crushed in the war.
We’re talking self-governance. Standards. Identity.
Because greatness isn’t built when it’s hard—it’s built when it’s inconvenient.
And if you’re skipping reps when it’s easy, you’re not built for pressure.
This one’s not for the fragile.
It’s for the ones ready to stop lying and start leading—starting with the damn cart.
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Transcript
Introduction to Mindset Mutiny
00:00:21
Speaker
What's up, everybody? Welcome back. This is Mindset Mutiny. I'm your host, Mike Ivanov, and I'm happy to fucking be here today with all of you. I got one real quick request.
00:00:31
Speaker
If you haven't subscribed, please subscribe. It's very important to this thing growing. I hate asking this fucking question. Just do it so I can shut up and go back to doing what
Personal Integrity in Everyday Actions
00:00:43
Speaker
I like to do.
00:00:43
Speaker
All right, so now that we got that out of the way, I got a special episode for you today, and it's gonna piss a lot of you off. And it's something that I find gauges who you are.
00:00:56
Speaker
ah want you all to recall how I always say how you do anything is how you do everything, okay? I want you to think about that right now. How you do anything is how you do everything, right? If you cut corners, you can't convince me that you won't cut them when it fucking matters or in other parts of your life, right? So how you do anything is how you do everything.
00:01:15
Speaker
So with that being said, I pull up to the grocery store yesterday And there are fucking carts left everywhere. Sat there, kind of noticed it, and was like, yeah, all right.
00:01:27
Speaker
Who the fuck doesn't return their cart?
00:01:31
Speaker
You know who you are.
00:01:35
Speaker
that's what makes this episode so fucking great. Because some of you that are listening don't fucking do it. And you're going to have to. Especially after listening to this.
00:01:46
Speaker
So... I go to the grocery store Friday nights after Jiu Jitsu about 730. Just got my ass kicked for a solid hour.
00:01:59
Speaker
Can barely move.
00:02:03
Speaker
But I still return my fucking cart. Every single time I return my cart. So I have all the excuses in the world. I ran that day.
00:02:13
Speaker
ah did jujitsu that day. I'm tired. It's Friday night. I just want to leave the cart by my car, get in my car, drive home so I can start my weekend.
00:02:28
Speaker
I return my fucking cart. I walk over there when no one's watching and put my cart away.
Testing Self-Governance and Standards
00:02:41
Speaker
You want to know who you really are?
00:02:44
Speaker
It's not in your goals. It's not in your paycheck. It's certainly not how loud you talk about discipline.
00:02:55
Speaker
It's in the fucking shopping cart, man.
00:02:59
Speaker
Do you return your shopping cart or do you leave it where you finished using it?
00:03:07
Speaker
Now, you might be thinking, geez, Mike, you like you fucking you're really grasping at straws here. you You need to fucking relax. It's just a shopping cart.
00:03:16
Speaker
It's not just a shopping cart. It is the ultimate test of self-governance. And that's what I'm trying to teach everybody here. There's no law. There's no rule. There's no reward if you don't do it.
00:03:29
Speaker
It's just you and the standard that you hold. And a lot of people... They fail that test every single day. Self-governance is the ability to rule yourself.
00:03:41
Speaker
No boss, not your mom, no camera, no threat. Just you deciding what kind of person you are and then holding that line. Self-governance, regardless of what you want to think about the cart, is the quietest form of power.
00:03:59
Speaker
It doesn't need applause. It doesn't need permission.
00:04:04
Speaker
And that's why most of you don't have it. Because it's not built on fear. It's built on discipline.
00:04:15
Speaker
Most people in this world are governed by force. By shame or by fear of consequence. They only do the right thing if somebody's watching. Or if not doing it will cost them something.
00:04:30
Speaker
But self-governed people, they live by a code. They hold the line whether it's convenient for them to do so or not. Because integrity, okay, isn't situational.
00:04:46
Speaker
It's their entire foundation.
Checklists and Maintaining Discipline
00:04:48
Speaker
Returning the cart is about self-governance. There's no threat. There's no incentive. That's why it matters.
00:04:56
Speaker
It's the purest test. Self-governance means you enforce your own standard. Brutally and consistently. It means you don't need a reminder. You don't need a fucking checklist.
00:05:08
Speaker
You are the checklist. And if you don't have that, then life will control you. Your emotions will control you. Your impulses will run the show.
00:05:20
Speaker
And when it all falls apart, you will blame everything but the fact that you never learn to govern yourself.
00:05:30
Speaker
It's very simple. Self-governance is what separates the people who need discipline from the ones who are disciplined.
00:05:41
Speaker
Are you going to return your fucking cart yet?
00:05:49
Speaker
I know you're out there. That cart, that's the mirror I always talk about.
00:05:56
Speaker
It is a brutal, silent reflection of your mindset, of your values, of your very discipline. It shows you exactly who you are when nobody's watching.
00:06:12
Speaker
And that's the shit that matters, right? No filters, no edits, no applause, just you. A test of your character, of your ownership, of your self-respect.
00:06:28
Speaker
And the best part about that, there's no consequences for failing it. Nobody's standing there giving you a fine, even though they should. There's no cop that's going to bust your ass for not putting your cart back, even though I would fucking love that.
00:06:44
Speaker
no manager to come scold you. There's no, so you know, social media post exposing your laziness, even though I would probably follow that if there was a guy out there recording people not putting their card away and then going and saying something to them about it.
00:07:03
Speaker
I'd follow that for sure. But deep down, you know. That voice in your head, it knows. You try to ignore it, it knows.
00:07:14
Speaker
It knows when you cheated. It knows when you chose the easy way out. Knows when you walked away from the cart and tried to convince yourself it's not a big deal.
00:07:28
Speaker
But it is because the voice doesn't shut up. It doesn't forget. It builds your identity in the background of your life. Whether you like that or not, that's the truth.
00:07:41
Speaker
And every single time you lie to yourself, every time you skip the small things, you're casting that vote. You're saying that you're not the one who finishes.
Small Tasks Reflect Integrity
00:07:51
Speaker
That you're the one who walks away when the job's not done.
00:07:56
Speaker
Those same people say they want to lead. They say they want to inspire. You want to have people count on you? How the fuck can you lead others if you can't lead yourself? Especially when it's easy, when there's no resistance, no hardship, just a simple act of discipline and decency.
00:08:18
Speaker
If you won't return the cart, don't lie to yourself. Don't say you'd rise when it matters. Not returning the cart is folding up in the warm-up. You are failing the reps that require zero fucking skill, zero effort, just integrity.
00:08:39
Speaker
People love the like, I'll rise up, you know, when the big thing comes up. That's what matters. I'll rise up, you know, when the pressure's on. No, you fucking will not.
00:08:52
Speaker
Okay? If you can't do the little things when the big thing comes, you're not all of a sudden going to rise up.
00:09:00
Speaker
Fucking hilarious. If you can't do it when it's easy, no fucking way you're doing it when it's hard. That story you keep telling yourself about rising up when it matters, that's to make you feel better about being average.
00:09:19
Speaker
That story, that's where your greatness is dying. Not in the hard moments, but in the little ones that you treat like they're not even going to count.
The Dangers of Comfort and Convenience
00:09:29
Speaker
I hope this reflection makes you uncomfortable. I hope it pisses you off.
00:09:33
Speaker
I hope you're like, fuck Mike with this cart shit. Fuck him. There's someone that brings the cart back. He needs to shut his mouth. This isn't a big deal. Blah, blah, blah. I hope that it's pissing you off. I really do.
00:09:48
Speaker
I've had to confront that very feeling so many times in my life. So get used to it. Stop crying about it. This is the shit that matters.
00:09:59
Speaker
This is where the real work begins. The little details. That's what separates the high performers. It's that fucking simple. How you do anything is how you do everything.
00:10:13
Speaker
Everybody out there wants to be elite. I hear it all the time. Talk about the next level. Talk about building the empire. Talk about grinding. Being the alpha.
00:10:24
Speaker
Blah, blah, blah. That's all fucking trash. Okay? The truth, it's bullshit. People saying that stuff can't even handle the fucking basics.
00:10:40
Speaker
It's about the tiny, boring, unsexy tasks that actually define greatness. The cart takes you 30 seconds. So does putting your coat away in the closet.
00:10:55
Speaker
so does making your fucking bed So does saying and thank you. So does owning your shit when you fucked up instead of blaming somebody else. And yet people skip that every day too.
00:11:09
Speaker
Why? Because there's no audience. Because it doesn't feel important. Because they're still chasing dopamine and not discipline.
00:11:21
Speaker
And here's where that cold hard truth comes in. If you can't return a cart, How the hell will you handle any pressure? Because the pressure doesn't care about your excuses.
00:11:33
Speaker
The pressure doesn't give you time to feel ready. Pressure exposes who you are right now. And if your life is built on these skipped reps and your soft habits, you're going fucking break.
00:11:48
Speaker
If you want to lead, then start leading yourself. You want to raise strong kids? Then show them what standards look like. Not what they sound like.
00:12:00
Speaker
Because they're watching you skip that cart. They're watching you leave that plate on the table. In the dishwasher. In the sink. They're watching you ignore that text.
00:12:13
Speaker
And they're learning what mediocrity looks like. And they think it's okay. And here's the hardest part of all that. You're not failing because you lack potential. You're failing because your fucking standards suck.
00:12:27
Speaker
That's it. You think greatness is some mysterious gift? It's not. It's a standard. A ruthless, relentless commitment to doing things right.
00:12:38
Speaker
Especially when it doesn't matter.
00:12:43
Speaker
You have been stepping over your responsibilities and wondering why you feel stuck.
00:12:52
Speaker
And here's a newsflash for you. I want you to really listen to this one. You can't build a championship life on junior varsity habits.
00:13:05
Speaker
Let that fucking sink in. Convenience is the killer of greatness.
00:13:14
Speaker
The cart isn't hard, but your brain wants to negotiate for some reason. It's raining. I'm tired. They have employees for that.
00:13:26
Speaker
Shut it. That's where the mediocrity creeps in. That's where soft habits are born. When you choose comfort over your character.
00:13:38
Speaker
Discipline doesn't show up when it's important. Discipline shows up when it's pointless. And you do it anyway. That's how you rewire the identity. That's how you become something better.
00:13:51
Speaker
Again, convenience is the killer of greatness. Let it sink in. Convenience is the killer of greatness.
00:14:01
Speaker
Because it's not the failure that breaks most people. It's not tragedy. It's not the chaos. It's not the comfort.
00:14:11
Speaker
It's your inability to set the standard and keep it.
00:14:22
Speaker
The soft, slow rot of convenience infects your habits, your decisions, your very identity. You think the cart is hard?
00:14:34
Speaker
It's not. It's a 30-second walk.
00:14:40
Speaker
But for some reason, your brain still wants to negotiate.
00:14:48
Speaker
That's the mediocrity crawling in. And every time you listen, you let it win. You're not just skipping the cart. You're casting a vote for the weaker version of you.
00:15:03
Speaker
You're teaching your mind that excuses are acceptable. That comfort will outrank your commitment. That character is only conditional.
00:15:15
Speaker
And then you wonder why you buckle under pressure. Why your goals stall. Why you're three years into starting next Monday. Because you've trained yourself to fold the second something is inconvenient.
00:15:32
Speaker
Discipline doesn't show up when it's convenient. How many fucking times do i have to say that? Discipline shows up when it's pointless. Again.
00:15:44
Speaker
When it's cold. When you're tired. When it doesn't matter to anybody else, that's where the real ones are born. That's where your identity gets rewritten.
00:15:56
Speaker
Not in the motivational videos, but in tiny, boring, uncomfortable moments where no one is watching and you still choose to finish.
00:16:08
Speaker
You want to become unrecognizable? You want to become undeniable? then stop letting comfort dictate your actions because comfort makes you soft and greatness.
00:16:21
Speaker
Greatness is forged in the fire of inconvenience. You want the life? You want the mindset? You want the body, the business, the respect? Then stop whining when it's hard.
00:16:34
Speaker
Hard is the fucking entry fee and it starts with the fucking cart.
Identity Through Decisions
00:16:43
Speaker
You want to be disciplined? It's not just in the gym. It's not just when the camera's rolling. It's in the micro decisions. The cart is a brick. Just like making your bed.
00:16:57
Speaker
Just like turning off Netflix. Just like showing up when it's absolutely inconvenient. Each one is a vote. You're voting for who you are every time you make that choice.
00:17:09
Speaker
The disciplined version or the excuse maker.
00:17:14
Speaker
You want a better mindset? Start with returning the damn cart. You want to be a better man, a better woman, a better leader? Start with returning the cart.
00:17:27
Speaker
You want to stop lying to yourself? Then do the things that nobody is grading you on. Every day. Every moment. Every cart.
00:17:40
Speaker
This world doesn't need any more talkers. It needs doers. People who finish. People who handle the little things without being told.
00:17:52
Speaker
So here's my challenge to you. Next time you're at the store, return the cart. No excuses. No negotiation.
00:18:03
Speaker
Just action because if you can't do the cart, you're not elite. You're soft. And the world fucking sees it.