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Why Playing to Win Beats Playing It Safe — Lessons in Wealth, Purpose, and Service
The Joy of Living Podcast with Barry Shore
In this electrifying episode of The Joy of Living Podcast, host Barry Shore welcomes the incomparable Dr. Mark Young—a visionary entrepreneur, neuroscientist, and race car driver—to ignite your mindset and challenge everything you think you know about aging, success, and value. At 68 years old, Mark is living proof that your best years can still be ahead of you, having shattered a Guinness World Record by becoming the oldest professional rookie race car driver—and winning his first race.
Together, Barry and Mark dive deep into the transformative power of an abundance mindset, why most people are playing not to lose instead of playing to win, and how service to others becomes the most strategic move of all. With razor-sharp insights on capitalism, self-worth, personal growth, and even the neuroscience of self-talk, this conversation is an unforgettable ride from the driver’s seat of a McLaren to the innermost chambers of human potential.
Whether you’re 28 or 88, this episode is your permission slip to dream bigger, move faster, and create value like never before.
Listen in and discover:
- Why your future must always be bigger than your past
- The true meaning of wealth and how to create it from scratch
- How your brain literally finds what it’s told to look for
- The “Marge Simpson Method” to silence toxic self-talk
- The power of radical generosity and conscious capitalism
- Why service—not effort—is the ultimate success strategy
This is not just an interview—it’s a masterclass in living full out. Tune in and get ready to shift.
Listen Here (click here to watch episode)
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Show Notes:
[10:00] Playing to Win at 68
- Mark Young kicks things off with a powerful declaration: at 68, he’s still operating at the level he did in his thirties.
- He shares his journey of becoming a professional race car driver at age 60—when most have already retired.
- Not only did he race, but he set a Guinness World Record as the oldest rookie pro driver… and won his first race.
- Mark had a critical realization: he was “playing not to lose,” and it mirrored the scarcity mindset he warned clients about.
- He shifted from survival mode to growth mode—and decided to play to win, regardless of the risk.
- This moment became a larger metaphor for how most people approach life with hesitation and fear.
- He urges us to reject the temptation to play it safe and instead run life’s race at full throttle.
- His son’s book, Radical Generosity, reinforces that a giving, abundant mindset uplifts both the giver and the world.
- Playing to win isn’t just strategy—it’s a way of life for those who refuse to age out of their own potential.
[15:00] The Lie of Scarcity and the Truth About Value
- Mark takes direct aim at political narratives that demonize success, reminding us that wealth isn’t finite—it’s created.
- He uses a simple home-flipping example to demonstrate how wealth is generated by creating value, not by taking from others.
- America’s strength lies in its promise: if you bring value, you can build wealth—regardless of what anyone else has.
- He reinforces that success isn’t about inheritance or entitlement, it’s about contribution and creation.
- Mark passionately asserts that being born in America is like winning the lotto of opportunity—now it’s on you to act.
- He warns against the victim mindset and calls for a return to personal responsibility and optimism.
- Value creation isn’t dependent on fairness—it’s driven by impact, creativity, and effort.
- The message is clear: stop blaming, stop waiting, and start building—because there is no ceiling.
- Billionaires aren’t obstacles—they’re proof that abundance is real and possible.
[20:00] Your Future Must Outweigh Your Past
- Echoing Dan Sullivan, Mark declares: your future must be bigger than your past, or the universe starts asking for the parts back.
- At 68, he believes his best years are still ahead—and that everything behind him was just prep work.
- He tells stories of people well into their 80s creating new, bold plans, showing that age is never an excuse to stop growing.
- Vision, he says, isn’t optional—it’s oxygen. Without it, hope dies, and so do we.
- If you woke up this morning, you have a future. That’s the minimum requirement to begin again.
- Limitless growth starts with the courage to believe that you’re not done yet—not by a long shot.
- Mark warns us that when people stop dreaming, their spirit starts dying—even if their body keeps going.
- Having a bigger future isn’t naive—it’s essential. It’s what keeps us young at heart and sharp in purpose.
- If the universe hasn’t taken you back yet, it means you still have something powerful to do.
[26:00] Attraction, Action, and the McLaren Metaphor
- Mark debunks the myth of “wishboard manifestation”—you don’t get a McLaren by staring at pictures of it.
- Real attraction, he says, is rooted in focused vision paired with bold, consistent action.
- The brain is a pattern-seeking machine—whatever you tell it to look for, it will find.
- He challenges listeners to test this with a game: decide you’ll find money in the next 48 hours, and you will.
- Your reticular activating system is your internal compass—it will point toward whatever you program it to find.
- Envisioning without action is fantasy. Passion + effort + value = results.
- He reinforces that God creates the opportunities—but you have to do your part, every day.
- People will see your passion and energy and want to be part of your mission if you’re actively pursuing it.
- You don’t luck into success—you attract it by showing up with intent and generosity.
[36:00] The Power of Service, Self-Talk, and Seeing People
- Mark shares that his life mission is simple: to bring value to every person he meets without expecting anything back.
- The law of reciprocity means people will find a way to give back, even unconsciously, and often through surprising channels.
- He illustrates the brain’s structure with the grape-dime-beachball metaphor—revealing how the subconscious drives behavior.
- Self-talk can be your greatest enemy; if a friend spoke to you the way you speak to yourself, you’d cut them off.
- His technique: change your internal voice to a cartoon character, like Marge Simpson—it makes harsh thoughts ridiculous.
- He uses humor and hypnosis to help people reframe even difficult relationships, including a man’s dislike for his mother-in-law.
- Mark urges us to stop labeling people by politics or identity and start seeing them as whole human beings.
- Even a homeless person, he says, has wisdom to teach if you’re willing to ask, listen, and learn.
- America’s magic lies not just in opportunity—but in our willingness to meet people as people and grow together.
Insider Tips:
Nicole Iny is the Executive Director of Grants and Consumer Education at FAIR Health, a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. FAIR Health possesses the nation’s largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 47 billion claim records. It is dedicated to bringing transparency and integrity to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support.
Topics:
- What is FAIR Health?
- What types of tools and resources are offered on FAIRHealthOlderAdults.org?
- What obstacles do older adults and family caregivers face when navigating the healthcare system, and what strategies can they use to find the services and support they need?
- Have you received any feedback from patients and/or their caregivers about the shared decision-making resources available on the FAIR Health consumer website?
- Where can patients, family caregivers and healthcare providers find more information?
Important Links:
About Dr. Mark Young
Dr. Mark Young has an insatiable thirst for knowledge. He studies trends in technology, human behavior, geopolitics, economics, and future studies.
Mark is an entrepreneur with interests in advertising, real estate, life extension and media. He leveraged his passion for neuroscience, persuasion, and hypnosis to build Jekyll & Hyde Labs into one of the nation’s most successful advertising agency for challenger and emerging brand consumer products.
While Mark is focused on business and co-hosts multiple podcasts, he is also obsessed with new experiences and learning. He is the current Guinness World Record holder for: The Oldest Male Rookie Professional Race Car Driver.