Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - 10 Things I Wish I Knew I High School | Powerful Motivational Speech

Episode Date: July 10, 2024

"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today." — Franklin D. Roosevelt Monday Motivation Newsletter: https://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletter Free Ebook: www.eddiepinero.com/ebook  YouTube: www.eddiepinero.com/youtube  In this episode, Eddie Pinero shares ten pieces of wisdom he wishes he had known back in high school. These lessons aren't just for students—they're timeless insights anyone can use to live a more inspired and fulfilling life. From managing time effectively to embracing failure as a learning tool, Eddie's reflections will help you navigate life's challenges and seize opportunities. Whether you're a student, professional, or simply someone looking to grow, this podcast is packed with valuable advice to help you on your journey.

So today I want to share a topic with you that I think is pretty cool. It's fun for me to reflect back and think about information or perspective that could have changed my life at a particular point in time, made it potentially easier to navigate. And so what I want to share with you today is 10 things that I wish I knew in high school. 10 things that I learned along the way that being, you know, decades removed now would have been. made life easier, simpler, and just put me at ease, right? So much of, you know, growth is learning, hey, right? Everything's fine. We figure things out as we go.

So I'm going to dive right into it. Here are 10 things that I wish I knew in high school. The first one is no one has all the answers. And that's a big thing to learn to uncover, right? Because there's so much uncertainty. There's so much unknown when you're younger. That it's almost like we want to assume that these people over here have all the answers. Or these people we look up to or follow or surround ourselves with.

Like they have it all figured out. No one has it all figured out. Life is a game of adjustment. It's learning as you go. We're all perpetual students. And that should make you. feel better because it's not like there is some great depth you're lacking. You're just playing the game of life and each chapter is going to have its lessons and teach you valuable things.

No one has all the answers. You pick them up as you go. But I like to think of advice as a buffet where it's like people can offer their suggestions or you can even from afar watch and observe doesn't mean it will directly apply to what you do or what you want, right? Now, take the pieces that you think are valuable and give them a try. Charlie Munger says you are your own experiment. Explore, right? Give yourself the grace of, one, understanding no one has it all figured out, and you won't either, right? Step into it and learn as you go.

Number two, few opinions matter. particularly in this online world, right? I'm lucky enough that this is going to sound crazy to say, when I was in high school, we weren't very online. So now it's even easier for criticism and people to say things and, you know, criticize their opinions, all these things, right? And they make the world feel heavy, complicated.

But the reality is none of that matters. I'm going to say something that, that is 100% true, and I don't know if it'll surprise you or not. There are zero opinions in high school that matter today, that I care about today. None. But going through it, I didn't know that. Going through that, I really cared what people thought. I cared how people felt about me.

I wanted to be cool and impress, and this stuff. we all do. None of that matters. Right? You realize life is about you, your pursuit, and the people you love. Someone told me who wants this sort of scenario, right? And it's a little dark, but you'll see the point here. It's, you know, a hospital bed scenario. Let's say, God forbid, you're sick, and you're in the hospital. Who's going to visit you? I know in my situation, there's a select group of family and close friends, that's probably it. Right. And so outside of that, why would you care? Why would you give any energy to what anyone else thinks or says? Right. Life is simple. Keep it simple. Focus on what matters for you and your path and the people that you care about.

Number three, fear is an invitation. Is a big one. This one took me into my mid-20s to fully understand. The things that scare you push you to be better, right? I used to think when I was scared or my body physically, you know, rebelled against me doing something that, okay, then that's a no-go. We'll find something a little easier, a little bit more, you know, conducive to what feels right in the moment. But the reality is nothing of value comes without fear.

Growth does not come without fear. Change is innately scary. And we all want to change, right? We all want to be that sort of best version of ourselves. We're always perpetually recreating ourselves. And so understanding, being able to flip that switch, when you're scared to do something, it's not an alarm.

It doesn't mean stop. A lot of the times it's a pat on the back. It's an invitation. I often cite, you know, my first YouTube video, changed my life. If you think I wasn't terrified to be vulnerable on camera, you're crazy. It's 100% worried about what people would think or how it would go and you name it, right? Speaking in front of a large audience, hands were shaking, knees were shaking. It was playing through different scenarios of even how to not do it.

That's how internally terrified I was. But I did it. And it changed my life. put me on track for, you know, just a trajectory I couldn't have even imagined. And so you get the idea. Long story short, when it scares you, it's not a no. It's often a yes and an invitation to step into that better version of yourself. Number four, start now and adjust.

One of the biggest myths we run into is perfection. We need to be perfect. We need to have it all figured out. Perfect is just another variation of fear in disguise. If you wait for perfect, and I could point to a lot of people who do, you'll wait forever. And those people are still waiting forever. For everything to be right, everything to be aligned. I'm going to go when.

I'm going to start if. As soon as the moment's perfect, I'm going to, no. That doesn't exist. You start today. Now, in this moment, and you adjust and you evolve. and you pick up the pieces along the way. Then, as time passes, you look over your shoulder and you go, wow, look how far I've come. I don't even recognize the person I am now.

Don't wait for perfect. Go now. Number five, this is a fun one. Life is a game. It's not that serious, right? It's just not. And this is important for me. If you're similar in sort of world outlook, I'm very tightly wound, right?

I really want to do well and be better and improve and help as many people as I can. I'm constantly stressed and setting high expectations for myself. I know so many people watching do the same. I know so many of my friends' family do the same. So many of my business partners do this same. It's such a breath of fresh air to realize, hey, do this because it ignites your soul. It's your purpose. It's your passion.

But at the end of the day, being here is the gift. It's not that serious. There's no checklist or test or right or wrong. Live your life. I said this once like six years ago, and I'm coming back to it because in a different context, I need the same message. You can close shop. You can go away for two years, live on an island, come back.

Everything would be the same. You'd pick right back up where you were. It's just not that serious. So make sure you're spending time on the things that matter that light you up. You're having conversations with the people you care about. You're doing things that are meaningful. You're finding ways to be inspired. It's a gift, not an obligation.

Number six, less is more. I scream this book from the mountaintops, Greg McHune, Essentialism. I used to think growth was acquiring. What can I get? What can I add? What can I build? Sometimes. But most of the time, freedom is cutting away.

It's us carrying around too much. And so when we can free ourselves of the things that are unnecessary, there's a level of just beauty in simplicity that is otherwise unobtainable. It's the pursuit of less. identify the things that matter most, and start cutting away those things that aren't that. Identify where you want to go and anything that's not taking you there, right?

If it's not one of the most important things, the pillars in your life, feel good letting it, letting it go, letting that ship sail. It's been attributed to everybody, right? That, quote, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. I don't know who really coined it, but it's everything.

There's beauty and simplicity, power in simplicity, and freedom in simplicity. Number seven, we unknowingly limit ourselves all the time. It's instinct. We want to make things simple. We like stability. We like routine. But here's what you have to remember. Your potential is limitless.

It does not end. Your growth stops when you stop. when you put a stake in the ground and say, okay, I'm done. Otherwise, you will continue to grow and evolve. Right. So you have to remember that. You limit yourself. It's funny to think about, you know, like running.

I'm a big runner and I tie a lot of, you know, my life experience is too running. It's like if I run 10 miles and I'm running at a, let's say, a 750 pace, who says it couldn't have been a 749? There's always that little space for more, and sometimes that doesn't matter. Sometimes it does, right? There's always more to reach out and grab, so just know that you're always dancing with the infinite. There's always more available for you should you choose to pursue it. Number eight, depersonalizing is freedom.

As someone recently put it to me, you know, when people say things to you, it's not about you, right? It's a projection of them onto you. And we come across various degrees of this in life, right? Whether it's people or just unfortunate things. It's like we take it personally. It's him against us or life against us or the situation against us. No, it's no one against you. Life just happens. And if you can smile and see it as just, you know, life occurring before your very eyes, providing you tools to build with always. It's another form of freedom. It's an advantage that most people don't have because most people do take things personal.

In reality, in truth. Number nine, not all who wander are lost. There's going to be pressure as you move through life to feel like you have to know everything. You have to have it all figured out. There's going to be pressure to feel like you need to know what you're going to do for work 20 years from now. This is a derivative of a previous point I just made, right? Life is not that serious. The most important year of my life, you know what that was?

I quit my job and I explored. I made videos with the camera. I wrote music. I did some creative writing. I produced other artists. I just went out and I tried things. I played acoustic guitar around Boston and bars. You know, it was just amazing.

And yeah, I learned what I loved. I also learned what I didn't like. And that progression brought me to this incredible creative outlet, where I can enjoy what I do, where I can love what I do and also help others. I couldn't have planned that. I found that. And the reason I say that is because I invite you to do the same. I invite you to explore and try and find the magic in your life.

It's there. But you have to look for it. You have to seek it out. It won't knock on your door. At number 10, the finale here, growth is a lifestyle. And what do I mean by this? The big change in life, the biggest change, I should say, comes from immersing yourself in it, wearing the shoes, becoming the person you want to be before you are that.

You know, I like to use health as an example. I used to think working out three days a week would make me fit. And, you know, going to the gym three days a week definitely is better than not going. But you know, when my life really changed, when I really felt fit and in shape, is when I saw myself as a healthy person. That's not just going to the gym. That's sleeping right. That's eating right.

That's being active, being out in the sun. That's being around people who are healthy and share the same values. When you do that, you transform. Because it's not just something you do from 12 to 1 every day. It becomes a lifestyle. And I share this because maybe it's not health. Maybe it's something else you're aiming for. Once you completely immerse yourself in that world,

It is inevitable. It will become your reality, right? Growth is a lifestyle. It's not something you do from 12 to one. So whether you're in high school or again, far beyond it, I hope there's something here for you that can help you gain some perspective or it's relatable. It pertains to what you're going through now. And you can use for some armor as you're navigating.

Thanks for listening. Have an amazing day.