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The LNBE Podcast
Mike Rispoli presents: The LNBE Podcast—"Literally Nothing, But Everything."
It’s a mix of personal stories, life lessons, and hot takes, all told like you're on the phone with your most unfiltered friend.
No experts. No advice. Just vibes, opinions, and faith-based curiosity.
The LNBE Podcast
Episode 61 - Nothing but Giving Up on Giving Up
Mike runs his mouth about a listener intervention, why suffering might actually have a purpose, and how Lent is just New Year’s resolutions with a second chance. Also, Kevin—chill.
If you would like to share your opinion, send an email to lnbemedia@gmail.com and don't forget to follow me on Instagram and TikTok @thelnbepodcast.
so I don't know if you guys saw this, but on episode 60, I got a comment from somebody named kevin and he goes are you okay, man? I think you might want to seek some help. Seems like you don't even like doing this anymore. Well geez, I didn't realize that my podcast had turned into my own intervention, but here we are. You know. What's so funny about this comment, though, is how it comes up now, when, three months ago, on my New Year's episode, when I quite literally said that I needed a break I mean, I pretty much took a whole month off and crickets, where were you then, kevin? But now I'm back in a flow and suddenly people are concerned like look, okay, I get it, I do.
Mike:The pod is chaotic. There is no such schedule, but, in my defense, I'm also a boring person, like I think of material week to week. If I only have five minutes of what I deem as good enough content, considering god only knows what you people think it might be like, then I'm not going to put out the episode. Guys, I am not a professional comedian or a professional podcaster. I am literally just hoping that you guys like what I put out and you see my improvements, because I'm always just trying to learn and get better. And honestly, you know what. That just makes this the most accurate reflection of my life, because, much like this podcast, I have no idea what I'm doing. Oh, and you know what? Speaking of overcomplicating things, pod roulette was a fucking stupid idea. This is what I get for trying to stand out. So you know what? Fuck it New deal Episodes drop on Fridays.
Mike:I'm going back to what I initially said If I miss a Friday, it'll just be on Saturday. And you know what, if I miss a week, I miss a week. That's the reality. But missing a week doesn't mean I'm quitting. I mean, at least when it comes to the podcast. But if we're starting interventions over vibes, then I got some friggin' DMs to send. I'll tell you that.
Mike:You know, a friend of mine once told me you should only worry about me when I stop joking about wanting to kill myself. You should only worry about me when I stop joking about wanting to kill myself. And at first I was just like well damn, who decided to dutch up in your emotions. But then I thought that actually oddly makes sense. Like when kids are suspiciously quiet in the house, you just know something's actually wrong or better. Yet you ever see people posting sad song lyrics at 2am on their Instagram stories? Where's their intervention, kevin? No one's asking them if they need help. We just click past their Instagram story like we're skimming the terms and conditions, like, yeah, yeah, whatever, whatever, accept it, I don't give a fuck. Actually, you know what, speaking of, when's the last time you actually read those? You know, I swear they make them that long on purpose because I went four years of college without reading a book. You think I'm spending 40 minutes scrolling through meta's newest terms and conditions just for them to say not responsible when your data leaks.
Mike:Enjoy the app, everybody, but honestly, nothing says engaging content like making a listener genuinely concerned for my well-being. People actually care about me. That's sweet, thank you guys, but you know what would really help my well-being? Sharing the pod, following my socials and actually engaging with the content. If you're gonna be concerned, at least be a productive part of the problem. No offense, but I'm always asking you guys what you like and what you want more of to figure you out. Shout out to Nickelback. It's a great song, but the feedback I now get is bro you good.
Mike:But Kevin, I promise I'm fine, hopefully you're doing good too. And no, I'm not giving up, even though it is Lent. So let's all be like Kevin and ask what's everyone giving up? Oh, giving up in general doesn't count. Alright, come back around to me, I'll think of something else in a second.
Mike:You know I was thinking about it and I'm like Lent is basically New Year's resolution round two. Like, if you bombed your self-improvement journey in January, congratulations. God just gave you an extra 40-day trial run. You know, it's kind of genius, really. Like, hey, I noticed you gave up on bettering yourself three weeks in. How about another shot, but this time in the name of jesus? Hey, you know what? If we can't be accountable for god, then who can we be accountable for? God honestly knows.
Mike:I wasn't going to be accountable for myself, because, let's be real, who actually keeps their resolutions past January? Like, oh, I'm exercising more. First of all, to me that's just something that you truly got to do for yourself. Like, unless you truly want to exercise more, then you're just not going to do it. But maybe if you gave up the donuts, you wouldn't have to worry about hitting the gym as your replacement therapy, because, after all, gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins. And if that's something that you didn't know, then it's definitely something that your arteries did know about, because working out also takes a mindset right. It also takes a mindset to not be lazy and to be disciplined enough to want to go out and work out. Like it's not something that you can be lazy about or, in other deadly sins terms, sloth. Like you can't just use the excuse of oh, I'm not being lazy, I'm just strategically waiting for my spiritual growth arc.
Mike:But len isn't like just about sacrificing sugar to flex on instagram. To me, it's also about embracing discomfort, because improvement always comes with a cost. Like you want to get in shape, you're going to have to suffer a little bit. Stop making the monthly donations to your gym like it's a charity and actually go and get your ass on the treadmill. Or here's another one If you want to save money, suffer through not buying the random Amazon shit at 2 am. Like any real improvement takes some level of discomfort and that's kind of the point of Lent. It's not just about giving something up, but it's about suffering a little bit so you can come out stronger at the end of it, like in those 40 days that Jesus spent out in the desert.
Mike:He was tempted three times by the devil, and the first temptation coming after 40 days, when Jesus was fasting. So he was like, hey, why don't you turn these rocks into bread? And Jesus was like, nah, man, I'm good. Someone should go tell a prison because apparently you can't live on bread alone, according to Jesus. Someone should go tell a prison because apparently you can't live on bread alone, according to Jesus. The second time was when the devil tempted Jesus by saying hey, why don't you just jump down from these rocks and God will save you? And Jesus was like no, you're not supposed to put God to the test. You have to believe in his promises and trust in him rather than demanding proof of miracles. Meanwhile, in today's day and age, with this economy, proof of miracle would be being able to afford three times the monthly rent. So god like come on, can you help a brother out here, just in this instance? Like, please.
Mike:And then the third temptation was when the devil offered jesus all the kingdoms if he would worship him. And jesus was like not today, satan, which is words that many of us have probably said to our exes. But he said that because you should only worship the lord, your god, and only serve him. And that coincides with um commandment number one, which is thou shall only worship one god. And I'm like reading into this whole thing of lent and just kind of thinking about everything also because we are in the season of easter, which is coming up next month, and it just started getting me to think, like especially with the passion of the Christ, like why do we all suffer in the first place? Like even my own week-to-week struggles that I've talked about in prior episodes on this thing, like being unemployed, or when I was really going through the motions back in January and I wasn't really putting anything out for about a month.
Mike:Or even when it comes to more serious traumas and hardships that I haven't brought up on this podcast, that I've faced in my own life, like why is it that all of us have to go through some form of suffering in the first place? Like I don't think I'm crazy in saying that nobody wants to go through hardship. Going through hardship fucking sucks, but it seems like it's also a completely inevitable facet of life. And I don't know, maybe suffering isn't just some cruel joke from the universe, maybe it actually does have a purpose. And if I've made any Jewish or Muslim friends on this podcast, feel free to write in because I'd be curious to know what you guys also think.
Mike:But in the spirit of my upbringing and belief of Catholicism, like, okay, so if I believe that Jesus is the son of God and God became man to suffer for us, then suffering isn't meaningless. God became man to suffer for us, then suffering isn't meaningless, because since God chose to experience human suffering as Christ, our own struggles, whether they're big or small, it kind of gives us a glimpse as to what he endured for us. So in that way, suffering actually brings us closer to God by helping us to understand him on a deeper level. And if you've ever been through a tough time, you should know this. Once you make it to the other side, there's always a sense of relief or clarity, like you always do come out stronger at the end of that part of the journey of your life. But it's only if you decide, hey, you know what, I don't want my life to be like this anymore, and then you actually go and make a change for the betterment of your situation. So If you just sit there saying, oh, woe is me, but you don't do shit to improve anything. That's not suffering, that's just choosing to stay stuck.
Mike:So, even if you're not religious, take that Lent mindset. Pick something to sacrifice for 40 days. Science says that it takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form a habit, at least according to a very quick Google search. Thank you, ai overview. So, whether it's adding a beneficial habit or removing a bad one, or adding a habit to replace a bad one, at least make it something that will actually improve your life, because, at the end of the day, that is actually what Lent is too. It's not just sacrificing for God, but God giving us also a chance to grow.
Mike:Because also, like what are some of the things that you tend to remove when it comes to Lent? It's usually one of the things that you tend to remove when it comes to Lent. It's usually one of the things that you're the most unhappy about and you want to try and get rid of. Like, drinking is a big one, smoking is a big one, cutting out carbs, cutting out sugar, like what are all the things that people just associate as either things that they indulge too much on or things that are just overall bad for their health in general? And it takes a strong mind and a good willpower in order to say no, I'm not going to utilize this vice for me anymore. I'm going to get rid of it. And by accepting the fact that you're not going to take on this vice and me anymore, I'm going to get rid of it. And by accepting the fact that you're not going to take on this vice and you're not going to use it for 40 days, it allows you to grow as a person, because you can tell yourself hey, you know what, I can resist temptation.
Mike:I refuse to allow myself to be controlled by something that is terrible for me. And you know what the worst part about every bad vice that you've ever picked up is whether it be a bad habit, whether it be myself, to be controlled by something that is terrible for me. And you know what the worst part about every bad vice that you've ever picked up is Whether it be a bad habit, whether it be smoking, whether it be drinking, whether it be eating too much sugar hell, even now, with this massive accessibility, it could even be gambling. Whatever the bad thing is in your life, it is a personal choice that you chose to put yourself into it and to get involved with it. And that's what sucks, right, because you're just like motherfucker if I just didn't do this one thing this one time. X, y, z.
Mike:And then you always find a way to find an excuse to continue doing it, but utilize this time as an excuse to not do it, to get rid of it, because, trust me, you put yourself in a position to get involved and to do it. You can definitely put yourself in a state of mind To say, fuck that I'm not living my life this way anymore. Turns out it actually was a phase, mom, if you could resist the temptation and make a promise, not only to God but to yourself, for 40 days, who's saying that you can't continue that for 41 days? And then, if you can continue it for 41, maybe you make it to 50. And soon enough you'll make it to 356. And then, boom, better life choice made. It'll no longer be about resisting, it'll be about enhancing, because that temptation is no longer a part of your life anymore.
Mike:But you know, one thing I'm not doing is I'm not sacrificing this podcast. So sorry, kevin. Look, I'm just trying to figure out what works, whether that's for the pod for my life or for the path that God has in store for me. So if you guys are concerned, thank you. I guess that means you're listening and you know what. Thank you guys so much for listening. But if you guys really want to help, please share the pod with a friend. You can find me social on instagram and tech talk at the lmbe podcast and please continue to engage by commenting, rating. All of that stuff helps boost the show to the top and just be a part of the chaos with me. All right, I will talk to you guys next week, thank you.
