Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - 1 HOUR FOR THE NEXT YEAR OF YOUR LIFE | Best Motivational Speeches

Episode Date: September 30, 2022

"Don't live the same year 75 times and call it a life" - Robin Sharma

The thing about storms is that they all have one thing in common, they pass. And once gone, they leave you as a person different than who you were before you stepped in. Before you found yourself consumed by its adverse conditions, they are disruptors, breaking down and shaking up, but not for the sake of chaos itself. No, storms break us down so that we can build again, so that we can find within ourselves the power and the strength that simply remain tucked away during those sunny days.

And so walking up to the storm, what you'll immediately notice is a break from the normal, the every day, an obvious detachment from the standards by which you had been living. But don't be fooled into thinking those dark clouds and heavy winds have nothing of value for you. Don't be tricked into thinking the rain will consume all the good in life. Because at the end of the day, it's that very rain that washes away the excess and leaves the meaningful. We don't grow despite the storms. We grow because of the storms. So compose yourself and embrace what's around you. Amidst the storm, you might realize that you don't want some of the

things you thought you did. You might realize that life contains variables that make it incredibly unpredictable. And when old plans meet new variables, sometimes we learn that the The path we were walking down requires adjustment. It needs change. Not because we were wrong. The dream was wrong, where the path was wrong, but because life is an experiment. Experiments are meant to test hypotheses and support exploration.

Without the storm, sure, everything seemed fine. Everything was flawless, but in the thick of it, when the variables, the multiplicity of factors present themselves. it often paints a picture for us that we previously weren't able to see. That's okay. Ideal, even. It's life. So when amidst the storm and presented this new information, this new portrait, pivot. Grow with your understanding and newly acquired knowledge.

There's no point in remaining tied to the ideas, the people and the place, that once served you but have since run their course. Right? Growth is perspective and awareness and as the storm shakes your foundation, it also hands you a clarity that those blue skies simply could not. So adjust, adapt, and move further into the person you are destined to become. You can't learn that on a sunny day.

No, that's what story. storms are four. And amidst the storm, you might find yourself scared, nervous, unsure. You might even look back and wonder what life would have been like had you not stepped in. Perhaps you're angry with yourself for not navigating around the inclement weather. Maybe you'll find yourself asking, how did I let myself end up in such a situation when there were visual indicators and weather forecast, People warned me about moments like this yet here I am.

You might find that the drop in temperature is uncomfortable. The rain difficult, the wind annoying. But here's what they don't tell you. There's something innately powerful about proving to yourself that you can move forward despite those things. That when you're scared and step forward anyway, when you're lost but maintain your poise and trust in the the process when you're down but cling to hope to that light at the end of the tunnel, you emerge

with a different understanding of who you are. You end up stronger because you've allowed yourself to become stronger. And you don't get that on the sunny days. No, that's what storms are for. But amidst the storm, you might feel like the sacrifice required in life is more than you want to endure. Maybe even more than you can endure. After all, it's during our trying times that we're forced to make some of our most difficult decisions. We might be forced to let go of some things that had been staples in our lives.

That in order to say hello to some things, we must necessarily say goodbye to others, and this hurts, especially while it's happening, it hurts. But what you're really doing is learning to identify what matters and mitigate the things that don't support that journey. Sometimes storms teach us that growth is not about acquisition and obtaining more, and they show us instead that we'd been carrying too much, that we become accustomed to surrounding ourselves with things that no longer elevate or inspire or push us. And the best way to evolve is to move forward with less. So when you see parts of

yourself fade away or dissolve, hold your head up. Because when you get to the other side, you just might see that cutting away those things was more liberating than anything you could find or pick up along the way. And we're not taught this lesson on those sunny days. No, that's what storms are for. And amidst the storm, it's quite possible that you'll feel lonely from time to time. Maybe misunderstood. Perhaps like the whole world has everything figured out.

They're moving single file through the correct door. While you wander around aimlessly, that's not true. No one has all the answers and everyone has their storms. The question has always been, as far as I'm concerned, what will you make of yours? Because we're always presented with the decision to let our adversity define us or to find something of value in it. The opportunity hidden in plain view.

You're never alone in your pain or your distress. Those things are an inevitability tied to the miracle that is life. But what you are is powerful. Powerful enough to learn in your solitude and bring that understanding back out to the world. Powerful enough to let the lessons guide you to something beautiful. Powerful enough to find the meaning, underneath the turbulence. We often confuse our times of greatest transformation with setbacks.

We often forget that the darkness cannot withstand a single flicker of light, and we can be that light when we trust ourselves. It's a lesson that can't be taught on sunny days. No, that's what storms are for. that storm, that very thing you want with all your heart to avoid. It's not antithetical to your happiness or your prosperity. No, ultimately it's how you create those things. The trials and tribulations help us look at life from different angles. They remind us what we are capable of. Show us we can do so much more than we thought that we have in many cases been accepting a reality,

that is not our own, that is just the beginning. And so whether you were on the outside looking in, or at this very moment in the heart of chaos, remember, this is making you who you need to be. And sure, it never feels good in the moment. It's never exciting when it's happening. But there will be a point when you look around and see a world unlike the one you're going

unlike the one you stepped away from, one in which you are stronger, bolder, wiser, one in which you have greater clarity and understanding, a better sense of who should be with you and where you are going. It's not despite but because of the storm that you'll rise from the ashes and from the quote unquote misfortune to find yourself. and your way. When the run got difficult, I would often count streetlights. Why?

Because at some point, I realized that it wasn't so much the immediate moment that was painful, as it was the idea that I had to continue on, a fear of the unknown. Our minds are brilliant Because they have the power to gaze into the future To anticipate, to predict And sometimes that prediction Materializes in the form of stress and pain in the present A pain that, let's face it, is manufactured.

See, the present moment may be uncomfortable But it's manageable It's always something we can harness and adapt ourselves to. But make-believe scenarios, the imaginary monsters we let in, well, I don't know how well equipped we are to handle those, so I've found solace in simply keeping them out. See, counting streetlights, it brings me to the now. I can always get to the next street light.

In fact, it's always visibly in front of me. It's tangible. It's real. There is no space for tricks or scary stories when I count streetlights. My mind's job is to focus on those tall metal fixtures. And the body's job is to listen and move accordingly. And while sure, there is pain, it is manageable. When you look it directly in the eyes, not with regard to what it can be, but as it exists now in this moment, we can always rise to be more than we once thought possible.

These streetlights simply remind us of that fact. And so beyond this moment, when the running shoes are off, long after the finish line crossed, it's imperative. that the idea remains, that yes, life will be painful and life can hurt, but it never gives you in one instant more than you can handle. And sometimes it might seem so. Sometimes it might appear overwhelming, but when we remind ourselves that we're simply borrowing pain from a future that has not yet arrived, when we refocus on what is within our control, We empower ourselves. Our greatness expands and our strength intensifies.

Because look, there's a time and a place for everything. And in our moments of duress, when the world is weighing down on us, I've found the answer to be thinking less and trusting more. And the next footstep transforms into not the deep, but the story in its entirety. Sure, sometimes life is about planning and calculating and strategizing, but sometimes life also calls us to put our heads down, shut our minds off, and find a way to move towards something greater.

It's step, step, light post, step, step, light post, demoting the discomfort from the star of the movie or the main character to a subtle observer. Sitting quietly in the background as you do what you were going to do anyway with or without it. Never forget how much control you have over the current moment and that our greatest pain is often masked in a fiction, a delusion. When we find ourselves stuck, it's because of a future that has one not arrived, and two is outside

the scope of the task at hand. It's not because of what's around the corner that we survive life's trying times, it's because we dig deep enough to get to that next light post. that next day, that next stop, that next chapter. Look, you will emerge victorious. Not because of the future, but the now. Because you realize your strength, shut off the world, and conquered your next step.

There's a quote from Naval Ravacant. He says, the closer you are to the truth, the more silent you become inside. Found that interesting. I got an email recently from someone asking for my thoughts about their being overlooked for a promotion at their work. They say that they're dedicated, they work hard,

they show up and execute. So what is the act of being overlooked mean? Well, like so many things, it's contextual, but let's play with it. What does feedback ever really mean? It means what you decide it does. Here's how I see the act of being overlooked, as this person expresses. Let's look at it as an iceberg, that rejection as a floating block of ice in the Atlantic,

and the top, the piece that's exposed and above water, the smaller piece. Is your chance to look around and self-reflect? To ask why. Where are the places I could strengthen myself? the gaps I could close and the spaces I could occupy. You know, disappointment, it causes us to self-reflect, and that can be a valuable thing. There are often tangible, quantifiable reasons we didn't hit the mark, and I think that top of the iceberg is our recognition that we have things to do,

places to go, and what better a time than now, to start moving in that direction. Now, the part of the iceberg underneath the water, supporting all that, there has to be a foundation of self-belief, of self-trust. Not only a hardness and understanding that you are not defined by rejection, but also a certainty that things will work out. That you might have to stumble, fall, even aimlessly wander for a set period of time. But when your focus is on a particular North Star and you are serious about it, committed to it, you'll find a way. And being overlooked in any capacity is not defining because right now is not an end. You decide where the end is. There just so happens to be a lot of space between that point and where you stand now.

The vast majority of an iceberg exists under the surface, and that's valuable here. Because I believe that the differentiator when it comes to success and failure is how one internalizes the process and their place within it. If you know you're going to succeed, if you are confident in yourself and who you are, then the little wins and losses along the way tend to mean less. Getting overlooked in any capacity is a nice little bit of feedback, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't hold the weight we tend to give it when we're less sure of ourselves in the process. So let's get back to the quote. The closer you are to the truth, the more silent you become inside. Well, here Naval is stating in one of his podcast episodes that the wiser someone becomes, the more.

quiet or stoic they become. Referring to the character that I allude to all the time in this podcast, the loudest person at the table, right? Always talking or seeking attention. Often this character's overcompensating for something. And that's what Naval is, in my opinion, properly stating. But I want to hijack the quote a little bit. Because I think this applies to our own mental chatter as well. When we are sure of ourselves and what we're doing, the internal dialogue is reduced.

When we believe ourselves to be correct and in line with our values and our vision, the mind tends to be calmer. And I can use this YouTube channel and podcast as an easy example. I have self-belief when it comes to my ability to do this. I've invested years and years and believe that over time it's become a strength of mine. So when that inevitable negative feedback or comment comes in, which happens, right? It's the internet. I take it for what it is. It's the tip of the iceberg.

I assess whether there's any value to be extracted. And if there is, I put it in my back pocket. But the point is I then move on. Because underneath the surface, under that tip of the iceberg, there is such a substantial amount of self-belief and deterrent. in the process, that negativity, it means very little. It doesn't define me. And that's the point that I aspire to cling to. And conversely, as counterintuitive as it seems,

I think we should be the same way with positive feedback. Like when nice things are said, it makes us feel good and we should be grateful, sure. But the idea is the same. Examine, pocket the feedback, and move on, because if we rely, too extensively on good feedback for our self-worth and our sense of identity, it's going to be hard to avoid doing the same thing when the other stuff comes in.

It's about having a vision and trusting yourself, right? This is not you versus the world. This is you versus you, and we can't forget that. It's a person committed, determined, on fire in their purpose, collecting data along the way to something greater. And look, sometimes that data comes in the form of being overlooked. It highlights ways you need to make yourself stronger and better. But sometimes it validates and recognizes your greatness,

the value you're already adding to the world. Either way, you're moving forward because it's who you are. And as long as you tell yourself you're going to win, and those two feet underneath you haven't stopped moving, you're putting yourself in position to capitalize on all the opportunity life has to provide. You are going to see the compounding of all those steps you took, the ones you took when it hurt and the ones you took when it didn't.

When you were sure and when you weren't, When you had all the energy in the world and when you barely got yourself through. All those times they mean something. And it's the ability and desire to move forward regardless that becomes the determining factor. If you know that, the mind can be at peace. Life is happening for you, not to you. The obstacles become much needed information and the victories further contribute to your momentum. It's all moving you closer to where you need to be.

There's a saying by Steve Martin, he says, be so good they can't ignore you. And that's not a point, it's a process, an evolution. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes patience. It takes. Take self-belief. But trusting that mountaintop you're chasing also comes with a great sense of security. That this epic adventure is yours and yours alone. It comes with discovery, growth, joy, sadness, and everything in between. But it is yours.

And if you sign that dotted line, it doesn't matter if you are overlooked in some capacity. No person or external event can take away what you know in your soul to be true. 80% of life is simply showing up. Because no matter what you do, and this is such an interesting truth, it's like no matter how much you love what you do, there are days where you just aren't in it. You just mentally, maybe even physically, you're just not there. there. And those are the days when it's most important to start. And the expectation doesn't need to be

the world. The expectation doesn't need to be that it's something game-changing revolutionary, but the expectation has to be that you are the kind of person that even when you don't want to, you sit yourself in front of that computer and you just start typing. And maybe nothing comes from it. Maybe something does, but you showed up. You know, when it was a little. You know, most difficult you showed up. And the interesting thing is that sometimes that situation is exactly when the best stuff comes. Believe it or not, when we don't want to be there,

we're really using all the discipline we have left in our body to make it happen, great things come from those moments. It applies to every single thing we do, like all of these concepts. We're all different. We're all in different worlds. with different narratives, different stories, different priorities, but, you know, that will always be a commonality.

There are times when you don't want to do what you most need to do and the ability to... And actually, I'm going to backstep, like, it is an identity thing. It is seeing yourself as that. You know, the person that makes it happen. The person that finds it within themselves to show up, to be there, to just do something to get the ball rolling. Let's look at this one simple singular concept.

You can always be doing more than you're doing. Whether you're sitting there or whether you are in a world of hurt, going through hell, there is a way to level up. There is a next level. There's something more. There is the next stair in the staircase. And sometimes we just sit.

We simply need to be reminded that because the default is comfortable. Even when you push yourself, you push yourself to a level you've never pushed before. Well, guess what? The ceiling becomes the floor. Your new normal, you adapt very quickly. And sometimes you need that whispering in your ear, hey, you're comfortable. You can do a little bit more.

You can always do a little bit more. There's no rule that says you can't be one second faster. There's no rule that says you can't push a little bit more. push a little bit harder. And, you know, that message I keep in my back pocket because every time I draw from it, I improve. My life improves. And, you know, if you have aspirations, which I know everyone listening to this or watching this does, right? That's why we watch this content. That's why I create it. It's why you guys do what you do. We want more. We know what we can get from life. We know that infinite pool of possibility to draw from, so why waste it?

And the more you get that reminder, no matter what you're doing, hey, there's more in you, period. That will never be a false statement. There is more in you. And I'm really implementing that right now into the creative aspect of my life. I went from one video every 10 days to one every day. And there's a growing pain. And, you know, sometimes it's difficult.

Sometimes it's, you know, it's tough to be able to create at that level. But the reward is through the roof. And, you know, the change, it occurs quickly. And I was talking to someone about it and he says, well, that'll be nothing when you're doing three a day. And it's like, that's the way you need to look at the world. There's always more in you. And if you don't remind yourself of that, it just goes untapped. Right.

Like, again, I could easily see a situation where I just put out one video a day. or one video every 10 days for the rest of my life. I'd never know. I'd never know what that other door could unlock. So whether it's running, whether it's work, whether it's at home, whether it's a relationship, whether it's something you're building, whether it's something you want to create,

whether it's something you want to stop doing, you can always be doing it a little bit better, a little bit faster. And that's what this video is about, and I hope you remember that. I hope this is that whispering in your ear that you need, you know, to remind yourself, hey, you know,

I'm operating here at a fraction of what I could be doing. I'm tiptoeing right now. I could be sprinting. Every step you take is an investment. Every decision to do the difficult thing is a gift to your future self. Think about this for a second. One of the many things that makes being human so incredible is our ability to engage in delayed To do things now that will elevate us at a future time.

And at a fundamental level, we understand that. We've heard the famous marshmallow study where kids were left alone in a room with the marshmallow placed in front of them and the ones who showed restraint and could resist eating it ended up in many regards being more successful as adults. We've all heard the mantras working hard pays off. That's valuable. But I'd like to take it a step further.

Because when you say yes in the face of adversity, when you move forward when tired, seek out a way amidst the chaos of life, you are contributing to a foundation so powerful that it will elevate you in ways outside your current level of awareness. By simply saying yes When I was unsure and often fearful, by continuing to write and speak, I was unknowingly building these opportunities that would manifest years later, right? Many of which were not planned. They were not methodical.

My dedication and my North Star never changed. I held on tightly to those, but the surrounding components were always moving and transforming. People are in my life today because of steps I took five years ago. I know things about myself and my hopes and my dreams because of risks I took when I was, let's face it, too ignorant to understand their repercussions. But I knew it felt right. See, here's what I did understand. If I, as Emerson put it, hitched my wagon to a star and moved towards it, when I felt great and when I didn't, when I was confident and when I wasn't, when I was winning and when I was not, I knew the other stuff would take care of itself. I trusted the process. And here's why that matters.

Here's why I'm taking you all on a little trip down memory lane. Because writing, speaking, inspiring, storytelling, they are my world within. What is yours? What is it that moves you, that lights up your soul? I want you to know that. I want you to know that because its pursuit requires not only, only a delayed gratification, but an acceptance that your dedication will evolve in ways so incredible that you can't even imagine, that all those little decisions become emergent

and together represent something more powerful than the sum of its part. I love the example or idea of the human brain, right? So complex and powerful that it appears almost divine. It's essentially a universe behind our eyes. Even our understanding, our comprehension is minimal. We are awed by its capability. Yet it's not about one single piece of the brain, the tissues or the neurons individually. It's the network all these microscopic occurrences create together.

Something bigger than everything combined, creating a consciousness we can't even find or point to when looking at. the evidence but we know it exists and we know it's somehow derived from this ball of nervous tissue this is not unlike one's pursuit of excellence the level of achievement or consciousness we are searching for it can't be singularly identified it's emergent it materializes after the discipline after the consistent work after the self-belief after the will to do what is required whether we wanted to in the moment or we didn't. Then we get our quote unquote consciousness.

You can't and won't always see the value in your dedication, in your sacrifice. And let me level with you. I get how crazy it feels to think, yeah, but someday it will mean something. Someday that work will put people in my life that will change my world, elevate my existence. It will create opportunities that expedite,

my evolution, lessons and occurrences that will amplify my wisdom and world view. But that's the name of the game. If you know in your heart you are pointed to the right star, then it's just about stepping, adjusting and repeating. Move, adjust, move, adjust, move, adjust. There will be a time when you look over your shoulder and are stunned by what you've created by the distance you've traveled. Look, you can't see the future.

You can't know what everything will mean and what will occur, but you can continue forward into the darkness so that when the long, awaited light inevitably presents itself, you are in position to receive it. To stand on the foundation you have been building all. along. There's a saying that will always be true. It will be true on your best days and your worst. It will be true after victory and it will be true after defeat. It will be true when you have momentum and it'll be true when you're down on your luck doing everything in your power to create momentum.

That saying is your future begins now. Hey, on the surface, might not seem like much. Sure, my future starts now. I know that. Everyone knows that. Well, if that's true, if everyone does in fact know that, why do we spend so much time stuck, reliving our past unable to break free? Why do we remain terrified to change? Why do we feel such a connection to who we were, how others saw us? Why must we remain loyal to the character we've been playing in our mental autobiographies. See, here's the thing about the past and the future. One is fixed, can't be changed, and the other, well, it's waiting for you to tell it what it is.

One is expired time. One is plans to be determined. And it's interesting how we continue to conflate the two. Epicetus has said that the more things we value outside of our control, the less control we have. Well, I'm going to be the messenger here relaying the precious truth that yesterday is in fact out of our control. What can be controlled is where we go from here, the next step. Meaning today is not your failures.

It's where you take those lessons. It's not your mistakes. But it's what the stronger you can now endure because of them. It's not the dreams you let slip away. but where your pursuit might take you now. And yeah, yesterday certainly contributes to your outlook, as all information does. It's value considered, its impact assessed. It guides you, but it's not you.

And that difference is astronomical. There's a question about the role the past plays in our lives. It has to mean something, right? Your past is in many ways your story. It's why you think the way you do. It's contributed to your understanding of the world. It will always be a part of you, and I believe that. But I also believe the past is a story.

And just like reading one chapter in a book simply sets the stage for the next one without controlling its direction, so does every day that has led you up to now. Life gives us the tools to experience, to grow, learn, and then shed that which does not, coincide with what's important. Your failures are not you. But they are precious and

that they push you towards what you'd like to be. See you can experience something and not be that thing. As Kirkagard says, if you label me, you negate me. If you proclaim me to be X, you're essentially stealing from me the infinite possibility that is the future. Yesterday has nothing to do with what I can become. And so taking it a step further, never mind being labeled by someone else. How could you label yourself and see it as anything but self-sabotage? See, you're never defined by your past, but always learning from it.

It's not who you are. It's the cheat codes for what you can be. Without that winding road of misfortune and mistakes, the incredible expansion we long for doesn't materialize. Imagine if everyone who ever felt down in life felt like a loser who temporarily lost hope. Imagine if they looked in the mirror

and said, okay, this is who I am now. There would be no triumph in the world because anything meaningful requires the resiliency to map our way from the hell that was our darkest moments to what will become our proudest moments. Destiny. Destiny, destiny means that you separate the finite from the infinite. What you used to call yourself has prepared you to move towards the horizon.

But what you used to call yourself is also as irrelevant now as those seconds that you watch tick away. Seconds that maybe you're not proud of. seconds that perhaps taught you about the world, seconds that gave you a glimpse of what's possible, unveiled the happiest of times, all of it. In its own unique way, it brought value, but none of it is your future. Why?

Because back to that beautiful, all-powerful sentence, your future begins now. Your destiny is always, awaiting its marching orders and all you have to decide as you stand today is where that ship will sail. The road to this moment wasn't an easy one. There were times where you thought you knew, but simply didn't. There were plans made that drastically differed from the ones fate had prepared. There were days that made you question yourself, your beliefs, that made you ask,

what is my purpose? Look, to live is to have felt these things, asked these questions, to have seen firsthand the discrepancy between what we draw up and how life unfold. And I think about this discrepancy often. The swings and misses, they hurt. You know, that quick shiver you feel down your spine when thinking about the wrong turns made, the tugging at your heartstrings when reflecting back on things said, or perhaps worse, left unsaid. It's easy to get lost in that feedback loop, letting the past dictate the present,

letting yesterday define today. But here's what I've come to see as the truth. to experience the things that make life beautiful. We have to be vulnerable in a way we otherwise would open ourselves up to an unknown that, you know, we could have skipped altogether if we really wanted to. All that pain, all that hurt the past provided could very easily be the reason you shut down, the reason you play small. that hell you walk through could be your justification for never stepping out into the chaos of life again

that would at first glance appear to make sense seem ideal even but that pain could also be the reason and you look around you and say, after all that, after experiencing everything life through with me, I'm still here. And as I stand here now, I'm looking out at an array of possibility that is infinite. I'm equipped with an understanding and a worldview that was once foreign to me.

I'm armed with a perspective that has changed my, life for the better. By stepping out into the often dangerous, brutal, unforgiving world, I have elevated myself. And that has made all the difference. And while it may feel intuitive to run from a reiteration of yesterday's pain, it's wisdom that urges us to instead use that pain as a multiplier. The key to something more. Something miraculous. Not to cower because we once endured it, but to stand tall because we overcame it.

And that's what we often miss. We can think back to the adversity, sure, but we're often unable to see how that adversity shaped us. Our own strength, it's never going to scream out us. It's never going to let us know it's there. We have to take the time to acknowledge its presence. We have to peer over our shoulders to see how far we've traveled. We'll always have obstacles before us. But if we don't stop and assess, we won't see that the obstacles have gotten bigger. Not because life's gotten harder, but because our own evolution has been.

permitted us to step into bigger arenas. It has equipped us to take on larger adversaries. A simple willingness to be vulnerable has become the flame that lit up your soul. So the question is, will you step out? Will you see that vulnerability not as a crack in the foundation or a chink in the armor, but as strength. To love, it requires accepting a susceptibility to being hurt. To play the game requires an acceptance that you just might come up short. To bet on yourself means understanding that you might fall right on your face. To want more than you have now means acknowledging that you might be humbled along the way.

This is what it means to live, giving a peace of yourself in order to acquire that which means the most. The torturous, often counterintuitive willingness to step out into the darkness of night when your heart races and your mind moves a million miles a minute, that's vulnerable. That is power. and it's an investment in a tomorrow that otherwise would not have been available to you. You are not your past. You are the wisdom derived from its lessons. The courage removed from its trials. And the hurt, that hurt that was perhaps at one point the only thing you felt,

it's not your reason to shrink into yourself. It's your reason to step back out. To say to the universe, I have the strength to again dance with the unknown. To risk the short-term discomforts that life often hands out like candy in exchange for the chance years from now to look at your reflection and say, I got back up. I did the hard thing. I followed my heart. I wandered into that darkness to obtain the wondrous reality that is for a time concealed.

I did that. So love again. Grow again. Try again. Build again. Believe again. See again. Feel again.

Step out into the world. world again, this is who you are. Underneath the fear and insecurity, underneath all those reasons to not go, there lives the beginning of the miracle that is life. And it won't be easy. The timing will never feel perfect, but the question will always exist.

It will always exist within an arm. reach of where you stand, can you be that vulnerable? Can you be that courageous? And not just when things are going well, but amidst the turmoil, the chaos, the self-doubt, when your memory only wants to play highlight reels of where things went wrong, where you swung and missed, would you choose to see those moments, not as the change? that confine you, but as the strength that elevate you. Will you be vulnerable enough to give away some of you in order to expand and transform all of you?

Recently, I was thinking about something a friend of mine named Tom told me a few years back. He owns a company in Oklahoma City and was telling me about how someone he'd hired, essentially, essentially stole from him. And the first question that came to my mind as he was telling the story was, okay, what are you going to do about it? And I asked him the question, and he was kind of quiet for a second, and then asked in his southern accent, Eddie, if a snake bites you, are you going to chase it into the woods to get your revenge?

Or are you going to get the medical attention required to save yourself? basically you're going to focus on the past or on what to do from here forward. Basically, he cut ties with the person but had moved on. Was already thinking about next steps that were best for him, his family, and his business. And I can tell you, since hearing that, it's become an incredibly valuable idea in my life.

Especially as you realize that there will never be a shortage of problems. You do what you can to avoid them. You try to steer clear when possible, but adversity will always be a factor. It's about knowing that and stepping into it regardless. It's just something that's always intertwined in our development. And I find value in asking myself, is this action I'm about to take conducive to my growth and my happiness? Or am I just chasing snakes? Does this just feel good in the short term because I'm angry

or I've been wronged or something along those lines? Especially since most harm inflicted on others derived from incompetence, not malice, and I truly believe that. I think very frequently we attribute sinister motives to others when 99% of the time it's sheer stupidity. It's imperfect humans trying to navigate an often complex world.

We make mistakes. Now, I'm not suggesting you don't stand up for yourself when you've been wronged or slighted. Of course you should. But the magic is in not personalizing the situation. Possessing the emotional IQ to understand, hey, look, it's not about me, but whether I can salvage this situation from here.

And that depends solely on how I choose. choose to look at. Emerson wrote, people do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character. And what a powerful point. The flexibility and the leeway available to us when it comes to making sense of the world speaks to not how the world is, but how the onlooker thinks and interprets. De-personalizing the situation is one of the greatest super powers at our disposal. When you're angry and accusatory, you will, as Tom put it, end up chasing snakes. You'll end up breaking things that will need to be rebuilt and uttering words you'll wish

you'd never spoken. But the five seconds required to pause, to collect yourself and realize that you're in control is everything. The ability to see the person, the situation or the world, not as an adversary stacked against you, but as an inevitable challenge that must be managed. So how will you choose to manage it? How will you choose to arrange the... And by the way, I'm fully aware the constant theme for my speeches and podcasts and videos is the act of pointing not out at the world, but in at ourselves. My responsibility, my fault, my problem to deal with. I understand just how.

how heavy that is, how hard that can be. Especially when deflecting blame often feels like it would just be a tremendous weight off of our shoulders, when revenge feels like the easy, intuitive move. But again, it's short-term relief to truly grow, to find the calm and happiness and meaning we long for. It's the internal relationship ourselves that matters most. It's the ability to say I may not have created this or

even you know I may have made the mistakes that brought this to life but I can't fix it until I look at both the situation and my own reflection and proclaim it's mine now. Let the past be the past now it's me and the present and as far as As I'm concerned, the present and opportunity, they are always one in the same so long as we choose to see it that way. It's not what you look at, it's what you see over and over and over again. Is it happening to you or for you? Is it a problem or an opportunity, a setback or a chance to reset? I want to bring to light a story, one that I've told before, but it's so perfectly representative of the conversation.

You know, Jim Rohn talking about two brothers in an abusive household. Alcoholic father, terrible childhoods. You know, they grow up and both of the sons have families of their own. One is the exact same as his father. He's abusive and he's angry. and the other one is a great father. He's kind, he's loving, he's supportive, and when asked why,

the abusive brother replies, look at my childhood, right? How could you blame me for this? The other brother, when asked, responds, look at my childhood, right? How could I let myself treat my family the same way? And in a way, one spent his life chasing snakes, bitter, resentful.

The other one asked, Well, that was terrible, but what can I do to write the wrong? One personalized it. The other used it as a lever or stepping stone. And this is, of course, a simplification, but I believe every struggle we face in our lives at its core contains some element of this choice. From the little things to the big things,

where do I go from here? It's mine now, and I can choose whether to make it better or worse. Chase the snake into the woods or march forward to find the value and write the ship. Remember that when it's hardest, when you least want to. Remember that the present contains every single thing you need to begin a journey to recovery, to growth, to contentment and meaning. You, on your end though, need to be willing to slow down the moment. need to be willing to collect yourself and give yourself permission to take that necessary

and appropriate step. How do you visualize the road you're on with its twists and turns, smooth terrain, rough terrain, straightaways, hills, what is it all mean? Do you find it odd that it gets more challenging as you, you get closer to your destination. The further along you get, the more tension life puts between you and the finish line. Almost like the universe is adamant about weeding out

those who think they can skate by. What is the difference between saying you want it and really wanting it? Perhaps it's a willingness to fight through a storm just for the opportunity to find calm and serenity in its center. This morning, as the sun was coming up, I went for a run a nice five mile run down the coast.

And the way I planned it out was simple, right? 2.5 or halfway up in soft sand, and then I'd stop, and I'd turn around, and I'd run 2.5 back, but on the harder surface, right? Easier to handle, almost like a reward for pushing myself on the way up. And things were going perfectly. I made the 2.5 mile run up, and when it came

to stop and turn around, I realized what should have been obvious from the beginning was high tide. Which means I didn't get that hard surface to run back on instead. Not only was it softer than the way up, but I was running on a slope. And that just threw my mind for a loop, right? I'm embarrassed to admit I was actually angry about it. You know, I pushed myself hard going up and wanted that breather. Almost felt like life pushed the finish line back 2.5 miles. I didn't trust me as I'm writing this.

It seems ridiculous to talk about, but in the moment, just irrationally annoyed. That was the carrot that had been chasing the whole time. So I begrudgingly, you know, moved forward, kind of trying to figure out what to do, and ultimately just continued forward, and, you know, the emotion subsided, and as usually happens, you pull yourself out of the weeds a little bit. The big picture tells a different story. Different story means different perspective. and that's what I came across, right?

This idea or this question, well, why do we expect life to be flat ground? Why was that my assumption to begin with? The easy to navigate path. Why is that the standard? And the more I thought about it, right? The more I wondered if that's the very reason why we underperform. It's the little spark that ultimately lights this wildfire. of regret because when convenience is the standard everything else becomes unfair

everything else is a burden when the road should be flat what are we to make of the hills in our path thinking life should be easy it provides oxygen to a victim mentality and sometimes it takes these little experiences for me to refocus on these subtle realities the flat ground is not the standard it is earth It's a gift. It should be cherished and appreciated because guess what? Life wasn't easy. It isn't easy and it never will be. But I believe the differentiator is knowing that. So I kept running on the slope. Feet sinking into the sand. I got my teeth kicked in just a little bit longer and life didn't end. In fact, I think the mental aspect was tougher than the physical. We're only talking five miles here. But when the standard changes, so does the performance. It's about just moving forward. And like poetry, with about three quarters of a mile left, right? The beach widened. It leveled out. The ground became harder.

Each step became easier. And yeah, I was running. But in my head, it felt like I was lying on a bed of feathers. Because when you prepare to base life's demons, when you're ready for battle, When you anticipate you'll have to give everything. Any adversary that falls short of that feels like wind behind your back. We can endure anything. The question is whether or not we put ourselves in position to. Mistakes, they don't define us. Heartbreak, it doesn't kill us.

And criticism, it doesn't shape us. But I'll tell you what? The fear that they do stops a lot of people from becoming who they're capable of becoming. Panicking at the slightest sign of discomfort, moving away from anything but the convenient, when in reality, inconveniences are the path. As Ryan Holliday famously put it, the obstacle is the way. See, satisfaction. It doesn't even exist without a will to overcome.

What meaning does the finish line have without miles of self-doubt and questions and fear and dragons being slayed while you prove to yourself over and over again that you know what? I am more. And I can be more. And the crazy thing is that there's not even a stopping point here. This rocket will propel as high into the ether as you choose to take it. And look, it's not about running on slight inclines or sinking a few inches into the sand. It's not about being rejected, losing or castigated by seven billion self-interested souls.

No. It's about not being scared to take the bridge that connects current to future. The future, complacency to recreation, the known to the seemingly impossible. You're made of so much more than you give yourself credit for. You are so much stronger than you think you are. So for yourself and for the world, capture that. Own it and redefine what it means, not to simply exist. But to your core with every ounce of your being, your soul, every fiber in your body to truly live.