Sample Tray Success

Shaan Puri shares his perspective on handling feelings of inadequacy and envy when surrounded by highly successful people. He developed a "Sample Tray" mindset to reframe these situations as opportunities to learn about different lifestyle choices rather than sources of comparison or envy.

• Initial Reaction to Success

  • First instinct is often envy or self-doubt
  • Common to waste time trying to rationalize why others' success isn't desirable
  • Natural to feel uncomfortable when surrounded by more successful people

• The Sample Tray Reframe

  • View different lifestyles like appetizers on a sample tray
  • Instead of envy, approach with curiosity: "Is this what I want?"
  • Use exposure to success as a learning opportunity
  • Ask questions about different lifestyles to understand them better

• Practical Application

  • When seeing someone's $20M house: "Let me learn about that lifestyle"
  • When meeting someone who lives in Puerto Rico: "Let me learn about their tax strategy"
  • When seeing someone work one week per month: "What's that like?"

• Benefits of This Mindset

  • Transforms envy into educational opportunities
  • Helps identify what you actually want in life
  • Removes the pressure to compete or compare
  • Allows for broader exposure to different life choices

• Key Insight

  • You don't have to want what others have
  • Success comes in many forms
  • Use exposure to success to refine your own goals
  • Transform potentially negative feelings into productive curiosity