Executive TLDR
Life is too precious to live at 2% of your potential.
Reject the 40-40-40 average life formula.
Go against the norm to pursue your dream.
Excuses disappear when you see what’s possible.
Live a life of impact, not just income.
Video Summary
In “Why Life Is Too Precious To Be Ordinary,” Toni Esinsanade (also known as Tony Cincinnati) shares his journey from immigrating from Nigeria at 16 to joining Primerica at 19 while in college. Surrounded by a family of nurses, he chose to go against the traditional path after witnessing what decades in a job could look like. He introduces the concept of the “40-40-40 life” — working 40 hours a week for 40 years to retire on 40% of income — and challenges the audience to reject that ordinary path. Through powerful storytelling, including an illustration of someone living only 2% of their life potential, he urges listeners to pursue entrepreneurship, embrace discomfort, and live beyond just earning a paycheck. His core message centers on impact: retire your parents, bless your community, give generously, and live to 100% of your potential instead of settling for average.
FAQs
What is the 40-40-40 life?
Working 40 hours per week for 40 years to retire on 40% of your income.
What does living at 2% potential mean?
Failing to maximize your talents, opportunities, and impact in life.
Why does he encourage going against the norm?
Extraordinary results require unconventional decisions.
What role does entrepreneurship play in his message?
It provides the vehicle to create freedom and generational impact.
What does “live to 100%” represent?
Fully pursuing your purpose, dreams, and potential without settling.
Glossary
40-40-40 Plan
A traditional career path of working full-time for decades and retiring on reduced income.
Life Potential
The maximum impact, achievement, and fulfillment a person can reach.
Entrepreneurial Mindset
Thinking independently and taking ownership of financial destiny.
Regional Vice President (RVP)
A leadership position within Primerica earned by building and leading a team.
Generational Impact
Creating financial and personal change that benefits future generations.
Toni Esinsanade Primerica, Tony Cincinnati speech, 40 40 40 life concept, immigrant entrepreneur success, rejecting average lifestyle, life potential mindset, Regional Vice President journey, impact driven leadership, Nigerian entrepreneur story, financial freedom philosophy
Transcript: Good morning, everyone. How’s everyone doing? Excellent. I’d just like to get started really quick by honoring my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, right for this amazing opportunity, right? So I just wanted to tell you my story really quick. Once again, my name is Tony Cincinnati. And at the age of 16, I came from the great country of Nigeria.
I was just 16 years old. And, uh, when Primerica found me, I was 19 years old in college, right? I’d only been in the country four years. I didn’t know anything, and I didn’t know anyone, okay? Those are reasons why I could have used as excuses, right? But I even have bigger reasons, right? Because all the people in my family were registered nurses.
My dad was a registered nurse, so guess what? I have three sisters. They’re all nurses, right? But I just knew deep down inside of me that there was more to life than just having a job. I’m like, I’ve seen my dad. At the time I started Primerica, he was 65. So I saw the end of what it looked like to stay a nurse for 30 years.
And I’m like, uh, there has to be more than that. So sometimes you have to go against the grain. You have to go against the norm. You have to fight for what you believe in. God put that dream and that goal in your heart, not to them. So everybody’s not going to understand. And sometimes if you don’t look crazy, you’re not doing bright America.
You gotta be out of the norm because when you become an entrepreneur, you are Navy seal. You are not a civilian. It’s different. It’s a different ball game, right? Another thing I wanted to just share with you guys really quick, right? That was a young man. He passed away and went to heaven, right? And when he got to heaven at the door, the angels are there.
They pulled out the sheets, right? The report card, you know, like the kids get report card from school, right? And so they pull up his report card and they look and say, okay, let’s see what you got done when it comes to your life potential. Like how much did you actually get done? And on that paper, it said, uh, two percent.
You only lived 2 percent of your life’s potential. And he lived till he was age 85. So that’s somebody who lived very long, would you agree with me? So I want you to say this to your neighbor, Life is too precious to be average and ordinary. Let me tell you this, right? Everybody signs up for the 40 by 40 by 40 life sentence.
And I’m going to take my time to explain what each 40 means. We come here, we go to college, and we work for 40 hours. That’s the first 40. Everybody got me? Right? And we do that for 40 years, only looking forward to the weekends. There has to be more to life than just that. And then retire at age 65 with 40 percent of our original income.
Broke, busted, and disgusted. Yay! Right? There has to be more to life than that. Life is too precious to be average and ordinary. You know, you can do a lot of things with your life. You can change lives. You can impact people. You guys just heard from Renee Sawadogo. Give Renee a warm round of applause once again, right?
You know, Renee definitely takes away all our excuses. When I met Renee, He was speaking no English. Say to your neighbor, no English. Came from a country where it’s pure French. Imagine you drop me in France and tell me to go get a license in the French language. I’m like, we? That’s all I know. You understand?
He takes away all our excuses. Doesn’t speak any English, but eventually he passed the state exam, right? So what’s your excuse, right? Has a securities license, right? What’s your excuse? No English. Has a securities license. No English, regional vice president. Don’t know anyone, don’t know anything, right? On track to making six figures with him and his beautiful wife.
So there has to be more to life than just doing the 40 by 40 by 40. I encourage you today to dream. Dream big. Think about the things that matter to not just you, but your family. Live a life that extends beyond yourself. It’s not just a paycheck where you can take care of you and your family. When are you going to give your family the best?
When are you going to give your kids the best? When are those kids going to be in private school? Don’t they deserve to be in private school? Right? When are you going to retire a parent? Don’t they decide to, don’t they deserve to retire? Right? When are you going to get the house of your dreams? The home of your dreams?
When are you going to write your church a 30, 000 check? A 50, 000 check, right? When are you going to write your community a 100, 000 check just because you can? When are you going to live a life that extends beyond just, you know, let me eat, let me pay my bills. Let me, you know, go back to the job. That is not life.
If we die doing that, we just did the rat race and that’s the end. So if you’re ready to live a life of impact, why don’t you say to your neighbor, make sure you live to a hundred percent. Proud to be a teammate guys. I love you and I’ll see you all.
