Jay Shetty & Big Sean ON Stop Wishing and Start Manifesting

Are you wishing for success, or are you truly manifesting it?

In this On Purpose episode, Jay Shetty interviewed rapper Big Sean in front of a live audience in Philadelphia. In his new book, Go Higher: Five Practices for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peace, prefaced by Jay, he described five key practices for self-acceptance and inner work. They talk about manifestation, self-confidence, and strategies to combine a positive mindset with action.

How to Manifest Successfully

Big Sean told Jay Shetty that wishing and manifesting are two completely different things. According to him, wishing is merely an idea, a concept, or a dream. On the other hand, manifesting involves moving your attention to the intention and adding strategy to it. He believes it's not a one-time event, but that it accumulates. Manifestation is being in love with the process, because if you are looking only at the result, then it's just a wish.

The subconscious mind plays an essential role in the manifestation process, Big Sean explained. It can't differentiate between reality and imagination; just like speaking to water crystals can change their microscopic structure, the mind absorbs the positivity or negativity you feed into it. He told Jay Shetty that we are also over 70% made of water, so how we speak to ourselves matters. For successful manifestation, Big Sean suggests following a formula of intention, attention, and action.

Overcoming the Limitation of External Control

Big Sean admitted to Jay Shetty that he used to let things out of his power control him. However, experience has taught him that it's impossible to become successful if you try to please everyone around you. His advice for the listeners is to stop allowing external opinions to govern their lives, because you will never be able to make everyone happy. And, in your pursuit, you will likely hurt your feelings the most.

Listening to others may sometimes work out; however, Big Sean believes that the best feeling is when you listen to your inner voice and stay true to who you are deep down. Success doesn't have a fixed definition, and it can mean something else for you than it does for others. The same applies to failure. Moreover, Big Sean considers that losing can sometimes teach you more about winning than a successful outcome; just as yin and yang elements complement each other, we appreciate life more through its duality rather than one-sidedness.

Forging His Own Path

Big Sean grew up in a family of scholars, with his mother being an English and social studies teacher. On top of that, his grandmother was a historical figure who served as one of the first female Black captains in World War II, part of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a story recounted in the movie The Six Triple Eight.

For Big Sean's family, education was the surefire pathway to a better life. Although he was a good student out of respect for his family's heritage, he still decided to pursue a rap career from the age of 10. He told Jay Shetty that he had to choose between a scholarship and music; he picked the latter. Big Sean is grateful for his family's support, even when he chose not to pursue an academic path. Now a father himself, Big Sean understands from a parent's perspective how important it is to be there for your children.

Learning Visualization Techniques at a Young Age

Big Sean told Jay Shetty that his book contains wisdom accumulated from his family, especially from his mother. She was the one who introduced him to practices such as meditation, visualization, and strategizing from a young age. She would tell him to close his eyes, write down his goals, and journal. Big Sean is convinced he wouldn't be where he is today without these practices.

His book is designed for people who may feel stuck or unclear about how to navigate the next phase of life. In Big Sean's opinion, it's a great book of strategy, and he is looking forward to passing it on to his son. It's important to seize the opportunities as they come your way, he added, because you never know where life may lead you next.

The Need for Therapy

Depression and anxiety aren't foreign to Big Sean; he openly discussed with Jay Shetty about their impact on him. Although the rap and hip-hop scene is associated with toughness and bravado, Big Sean chose to come forward and share his personal mental health battles; he saw it as a commitment to himself to be authentic and real.

When he first started going to therapy, Big Sean was unaware that depression and anxiety were taboo topics, especially for a Black man. However, his decision to seek professional help inspired other family members to do the same; his actions had a positive ripple effect on those close to him.

Burnout and Adderall

Big Sean traced the decline of his mental health to a relentless period of overworking, where he sacrificed all hobbies and dedicated his time solely to work. He admitted to Jay Shetty that the driver behind this behavior was his fear of letting an opportunity slip away. Growing up in Detroit, this mentality was common because the world could fall apart at any moment. So, despite achieving multiple number one albums, he was constantly pushing himself to the limit.

While on tour in Europe, Big Sean was offered Adderall, which he was misled into believing was only a salt to help him perform better. Unfamiliar with the drug, he accepted and was surprised to find out that it allowed him to push himself harder and deliver results. However, the effects started showing externally; he was damaging his body and looked like someone abusing drugs.

When Big Sean understood that he wasn't able to create music anymore without the drug and the risks that came with using it, he quit immediately. It wasn't easy. He told Jay Shetty that the synthetic dopamine crash when he stopped using it left his body unable to produce dopamine naturally. While his life looked good from the outside, he went as far as contemplating ending his own life.

Recovery and Finding a Purpose

Big Sean's mother was there for him during his recovery journey and helped him rebuild. It was during this time that he realized the deep connection between mind, body, and spirit. Big Sean told Jay Shetty that he dedicated time to healing and then returned to his music. Therapy was vital for unloading intense emotions (like having suicidal thoughts), which were awkward to share with friends or family. To rediscover himself, he connected with his faith in Jesus Christ and God and rekindled his long-forgotten passions, such as anime.

When it comes to finding his purpose, Big Sean argued that many people mistakenly tie it to their career or finding a way to make more money. He said, "Whatever you're doing on purpose is your purpose, as long as it's with a purpose". It doesn't require a rigid definition; your purpose can be a job, a hobby, or simply being a parent. Jay Shetty defined purpose as using your passion in the service of others, but he warns that it shouldn't be limited to career, money, fame, or social media followers.

Fatherhood and Genetic Heritage

Big Sean spoke with Jay Shetty about the massive healing impact of being a father to his two-and-a-half-year-old son, Noah. He wishes his son would grow up a confident man, without the limiting beliefs that he was raised with.

Parents' energy is contagious and spreads to family and children, Big Sean noted. In his view, DNA is like a computer chip carrying historical information; that's why it's paramount to heal, so you don't genetically pass it on. Big Sean explained that he can communicate with his deceased grandparents because their information lives within his DNA, and he only needs to look inward to find answers.

The Foundation of True Confidence

Big Sean told Jay Shetty that the first step toward building long-term self-confidence is recognizing that everyone comes with baggage. Everybody has a story, is going through something, or has a condition. It's futile to take things personally when, more often than not, people react according to their inner world. Your confidence should be tied to yourself only, he said.

When he was nineteen, Big Sean was subjected to racial slurs at a gas station near a historically hostile area. Over time, he realized he wasn't aware of the past trauma or upbringing of the people who had abused him. That's when he understood not to take things personally; there is no right or wrong in life, only perspective, he explained. You can only build confidence once you truly get to know yourself and recognize that others' negative actions are often superficial.

Jay Shetty added that confidence also comes from noticing how many hard things you've already done. Therefore, he urged the listeners to look at their lives, including both good and bad moments. Celebrate your resilience, because you've surpassed them.

Feeling Whole Before Entering a Relationship

After listening to a spoken word performance from members of the audience, Jay Shetty and Big Sean discussed breakups and the human desire to be seen. They explained that it's important to understand that you are the only one to see yourself for who you truly are in your entirety. There is nobody else there to witness all the moments in your life but yourself and the divinity, as it's no one else's job to see it all.

Big Sean highlighted how important it is to honor yourself, especially after a breakup. It takes significant strength to separate from someone, regardless of the circumstances; you lose parts of yourself, just as you shut down internal functions. Yet he argued that the beauty lies in turning all the parts back on and becoming the new, complete version of yourself. True love is not about becoming whole together, but rather two wholes creating something greater than them.

More From Jay Shetty

Listen to the entire On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast episode “Big Sean: Stop Wishing & Start Manifesting (THIS is the Secret Formula to Making Your Dreams a REALITY)” now in the iTunes store or on Spotify. For more inspirational stories and messages like this, check out Jay’s website at jayshetty.me.