Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - 60 MINUTES TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER | Best Motivational Speeches 2025

Episode Date: March 19, 2025

The conditions aren’t perfect. It’s cold, rainy, uncomfortable. Most would wait for a better time—but that’s exactly why you should go now. Growth comes from stepping into discomfort, from doing what others won’t. Success is built on those choices. Lace up and go.More from Eddie Pinero:Monday Motivation Newsletter: https://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletterYour World Within Podcast: https://yourworldwithin.libsyn.com/Stream these tracks on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2BLf6pBInstagram - @your_world_within and @IamEddiePineroTikTok - your_world_withinFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/YourworldwithinTwitter - https://www.twitter.com/IamEddiePineroBusiness Inquiries - http://www.yourworldwithin.com/contact#liveinspired #yourworldwithin #motivation

So you look outside, right? And the first thing you see through the window is that the running conditions are terrible. They're far from ideal. Your first inclination is to go back to bed, wait until it warms up, maybe hang tight until the rain or snow stops. Which the majority of us would find completely reasonable, by the way. But let me explain the scenario from a different angle. Because this is the exact situation when it's most important. to get out of bed, to put your running shoes on, and to head out the front door.

There is an undervalued benefit that comes from putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation, from forcing yourself to be just a little bit irrational. When you look at those who have been successful, what separates them is that they do things and they make sacrifices that others would not. They're the people that study until 4 a.m., or wake up on its darkhouse, to practice free throws. Whatever the specific skill set may be, the pattern is always the same.

They were willing to pay a price that most wouldn't. They wanted it just a little bit more. So what could this possibly have to do with running in the rain? It has everything to do with it. Why is it that when you run outside on a cold, rainy day, no one's out there? It's not because you're doing anything that in itself is greater heroism. is greater heroic.

You're running alone because it sucks. It sucks to run in the rain, right? To have cold wind blowing in your face. That's not relaxing or enjoyable. It's uncomfortable. But you're out there when everyone else is warm inside and there's value to that. Training yourself to follow through

with your ambitions regardless of hurdles because life will not always be comfortable. What are you going to do when things get bad? You lose a client at work, your girlfriend leaves you, you're gonna stay in bed? Because there will always be a reason to wait for later, to hope for smoother waters ahead. The best though, they achieve in spite of undesirable conditions. Then suddenly, meeting your goals has become a habit, not something left up for a chance. You don't even look at the weather, right?

The forecast becomes very little significance to you. So it's cold, great. Great, you'll wear two sweatshirts, but you'll figure out how to get it done. And I'll tell you, when you take those shoes off and head to work or practice or wherever your day takes you, that mentality does not leave. You look at things differently. You know, you realize that 99% of the reasons we give for not doing things, they're excuses. They're meaningless.

If you want something, do it. And guys, that's not a cliche. That's the key to success. find a way to get it done. And the best part, when it's finally 72 and sunny, and the world is outside ready to run, you'll have lapped that place so many times that you're not even on the same level. You have been to Helen back,

and your performance will make that apparent. That's how you become the best. So is it just a run in the rain? You tell me. I was thinking about something recently. something recently. Something we've probably all heard before and in some cases already know. But that's why it warrants a little bit of discussion. It's not about knowing, it's about executing, which are two very different things. And so I'll start here with the idea that

everything is relative. Someone who runs five miles a day and then starts hanging out with people who all run 10 miles a day is more than likely going to at least ask themselves the question, could I be running more? Should I? Right, that's just human nature. One's perception of normality shifts when they're around people or circumstances that stretch it. And as far as I can tell, this can be applied to anything. I remember a friend of mine, probably about five years ago now, asked me what my monthly revenue goal was. And I remember telling him, and he paused and looked kind of puzzled, and asks, you know, why only that? And I thought, only that, right?

That's a big number. I was reaching there. But that encounter, I still remember, it rocked my worldview. It's like, okay, wow, I need to, you know, move some things around. I need to aim higher. This is an important convo for me. And I think, you know, there's often a negative connotation. We apply to this concept, right?

Comparison being the thief of joy. They're always being more to acquire. It's a tool. And not utilized the right way or internalized the right way can be unhealthy. But there's also, when utilized correctly, something not only healthy but incredibly powerful and advantageous about it. We need to be reminded that we're capable of more, otherwise our worldview can't stretch.

We're able to extend far beyond the reality we find ourselves in, but that fact alone does us no good. We have to position ourselves to see, to feel, to believe the more. A good friend of mine and I started reporting to each other daily the workouts we do now twice a day. And the funny thing is, it didn't start out twice a day. But just, you know, the nature of not wanting to be the guy who does less. You know, we've been friends for a while. We're all about helping each other be better in business and fitness and you name it. And you can bet when I've been running around working all day and I'm tired and the little

voice in my head starts whispering, well, you already got a workout in earlier. Just go really hard tomorrow instead. You'll be fine. But then my phone buzzes and it's a screenshot of his workout stats. It's like, nope, have to find time to do it. He's tired. He has a job and a family. He wants to crack a beer or grab a burger, but he didn't.

And the fact that he reached for more makes me realize, hey, so cannot. Makes me ask, what are my targets? Are they big enough? And that's been incredibly effective. Prompting this conversation, making me realize, you know, there's something to this. How can I position myself so that I have line of sight to that precious abundance in the other areas of my life that I deem important. How can I nurture the relationships I have

that serve as a reminder that there is always another level? How can I keep at the forefront of my mind that there are online creators helping millions of people a day? There are business owners making millions of dollars a month. And it's not that I'm not proud and grateful. I'm both of those things. Instead, I love the journey. I love the challenge of seeing what I can become

and know that our default is to get so consumed by the current way of things, we start thinking, hey, maybe that's all there is. We forget to keep our eyes up. And so a few things I plan on doing. I'll share them, and maybe they'll prompt some ideas in your head for whatever your values are, whatever you're trying to improve. Recently I set up a mastermind quarterly with some buddies I have that are investors and business owners

simple to report growth, revenue, future plans. As someone who just loves to write and create, it's easy for me to put all that stuff second, so this is going to hold me accountable. Fitness, I already mentioned. This one's new. I have a few friends that I start. to meeting up with just to get out, to unwind,

do nothing business related at all, which is just as critical as work, right? I have to make time to soak in the world around me. And there are others as well, but you get the idea, right? It's teaming up with those people in my life where our values overlap and we can help each other win. The saying goes, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. But now imagine taking that a step further.

Reaching out to those people and teaming up to help position each other to succeed. You get the accountability, the camaraderie. You become a team looking to get the most of your time on this planet. I've stated many times that my belief is the pieces exist around us to do so many things. incredible things, monumental things. But how we mix, match, and utilize those pieces, the world around us determines that. So let's ask the question, what is a life well lived to me, and how can I tangibly position myself to obtain it?

How can I help those I care about obtain it? Those are some powerful questions. and will ultimately lead to some incredible growth. Here's to going even when you don't want to go. To moving forward when you're uncomfortable, to stepping up when you're fearful. Here's to courage. I was talking to a friend of mine earlier today

about understanding the difference between two things. On one hand, the fear that presents itself when we're growing, leveling up, right? Like we've all felt nerves before a big event or an important life change, things like that. Then on the other hand, the emotions that arise when we start to feel like something isn't right for us,

similar discomfort, but not quite the same. We feel nervous or uneasy because we know we're misaligned. And where we landed in our conversation was that when you were on the edge of that metaphor, and your body's pushing back, your heart's pounding, your mind is racing, you're nervous, you're fearful. The question worth asking is, will I be disappointed in myself if I don't go through with this? Will I be letting myself down here by turning back? You have to jump into the

future and imagine, you know, future you sitting at the table reflecting on this. If you see yourself as regretful, wishing you pushed through, then it's not an alignment issue, it's a matter of courage. And when you think about it, it usually feels obvious looking back. Like, I can easily recognize, in hindsight, the things I stopped doing because they weren't aligned with who I wanted to be. When you stop doing the wrong thing, it feels like a breath of fresh air, like a step back to leap forward. Those decisions create a more fulfilled life. But those times I'm I stopped because, you know, I let the moment get bigger than my end goal. Those times I caved and decided I didn't want to pay the price solely because of the temporary discomfort. I remember those

two. That's a different feeling altogether, a not-so-good feeling, as we all know. Jim Rohn says it like this. There's a pain of discipline or a pain of regret. Choose your pain. One of the things that makes life challenging is that we have to be open to some level of discomfort in our lives. That's just what it is to be human. Now our power is that we get to choose where we let that pain in and what it means, what it will do for us. Will it be the type of pain that grows us

or the type of pain that reminds us what could have been? And I really think most of the time we stop, not because the path was wrong for us. But because we somewhere along the way forgot that most of life's best experiences and circumstances and opportunities come with a hefty price tag, they demand a lot of us. And in those moments when the lights shine the brightest, when we feel the weight of the world coming down on us, it's easy to misdiagnose that discomfort as a stop sign. It's like, oh, I feel alone, I feel unsure, I don't have any validation. pride hurts, my confidence is shaken, whatever it may be. These things just, you know, even as I'm saying them out loud now seem awful, when in reality, they're just the cost of admission.

Right? It's like you have to not know before you can ever know. But try telling yourself that as you're wandering around feeling nothing but pressure, right? It's a different story altogether. It's a challenge. But here's the good news. It's a challenge you're capable of handling and overcoming. Life is about stepping into things we don't feel ready for, and then learning repeatedly that we can piece together the knowledge along the way. It reminds us that fear is going to show up regardless of what we do in life. But to grow into the people we are capable of becoming, we have to understand.

that fear is in its own unique way an invitation. The discomfort doesn't mean something's wrong, often the opposite. It's letting you know that more is available, that you are right where you need to be, but you have to change in order to become worthy of what's on the other side. Life is not saying no. It's merely demanding of you courage, and courage you have.

Jack Welch has said, control your own destiny or someone else will. And I'm passing this along today as I believe it's one of the most important things to understand. Not a once-and-done thing, but a reoccurring question. Where have I relinquished control? How can I recapture what matters most? As the world around us shifts, slips, and slides,

so does our grasp on it, which is why I find this continuous self-reflection so powerful. I have a flight this afternoon, which means I have a hard deadline, and a lot I need to do before I head down to the Miami airport. I've been traveling a lot recently, which means I've been finding myself in this situation a lot recently, and here's what's become abundantly clear to me as I work through the logistics. On travel days, I'm exponentially more productive than on my typical, quote-unquote, workday. I wake up with an urgency and sense of control over my time that apparently is lacking on, say, your typical Tuesday. And I'm shot out of a canon.

Today, for example, I've worked out, written and recorded two speeches, counting this one. Recorded short video content sent to my editors, planned next. weeks topics, might even have time to go live and hang out for a few minutes. And I'm sitting here thinking, you know, dude, if I had a flight at noon every day, I'd be worth $500 million by June, what is the difference between today and every other day? Simple. My approach towards it. How I utilize and control the resources at my disposal. This is a powerful, powerful thing to realize. You know, it begs the question, how can this urgency be manufactured.

Because that's what it's about, right? Setting up the parameters so that they are most conducive to our success. Another life-changing quote I came across a few years ago was you are your own experiment. Meaning life is about testing things, trying different methods, exploring different approaches, and also having the discipline to observe their outcomes. Why? So that you can use that information to position yourself for success. That info is as good as gold.

One understanding and two implementing, so that we're not pushed back and forth by external factors like leaves in the wind, but are instead creating our own ideal circumstances. These, let's just call them travel days, have helped me realize how much power, energy, control, I relinquish on a typical day. And most importantly, how I can change that. time for a new experiment let's try approaching every day

like there's a hard cut off at noon how I'm not sure yet I'll test and explore until something clicks but there's definitely some information worth noting I've picked up my phone zero times today which is obviously valuable I've second-guessed my messaging and communication a lot less don't have time to waste on the small things

nope not when you fly out at noon this is information I'll take with me. Little nuggets of wisdom that I've been able to collect. And so I'll finish with an important reminder that this is not so much about efficiency as it is about awareness and a willingness to adapt. Like becoming a robot is not the goal here. But the discipline to step outside yourself

and look at how you're spending your time so that you can make it more value. and meaningful is. We let the outside world dictate far too much, and we don't even realize. We just sort of move through it. We relinquished control because we had no idea it was ours to take. We are very often unaware of the power that we have

over ourselves, our circumstances, and our lives in totality. We're unaware of just how much value we walk right by. The opportunity is not days, weeks, or months. months away, it lives with you now. Every breath, every step, every decision, you just have to open your eyes and invite it in. I was in Arizona last week. Got a chance to interview Joe Polish, best-selling author and founder of the Genius Network. As I was sort of making my way around the Genius Network office with my coffee that morning, I noticed in one of the meeting rooms there were some quotes hanging on the wall. One of them was Joe's that said, be willing to destroy anything

in your life that isn't excellent. That's certainly a big state. I started thinking about my little corner of the universe, running through all the things that might not meet that standard of excellence in my life. A few certainly came to mind. It was freeing to think about, but could excellence really be a standard for everything. I mean, that's a high bar. And so I wrote it down, a little reminder to bring it up later during the interview. A few hours go by, mics are rolling, and I asked the question. So be willing to destroy anything in your life that is an excellent. Beautiful quote. But how? And Joe smiled, kind of paused for a second. It says, willing, right?

The key word there is willing. And I'm paraphrasing. But his point was essentially, it's an acceptance of what is and a willingness to be rigorously honest with yourself. Because look, there's not an athlete, entrepreneur, parent, or student who didn't have to at some point play broken. We all do. But to live like that? That's not a life well-lived. That's learned helplessness.

And that quote on the wall is about taking a stand. It's the moment you say, I want a new standard for my life. I'm going to be more assert, more caring, more aware. Excellence is not a requirement per se because human beings can't be excellent all the time. We are flawed. We are trying. We are growing. but what you can do is look around you and start moving towards that version of yourself. Start cutting away the metaphorical chains around your ankles. In his book, What's in It for Them?

Joe highlights British Olympic rower Ben Hunt Davis, who had one standard for the men in his boat, one question that would be asked every time they were confronted with the decision. The question was, will this make the boat go faster? If no, then it's not for them. And this framework guided their journey. This contributed to their success, this clarity, this line of sight. It's an awareness we can all learn from.

Understanding that we're not shackled to yesterday, we're not tied to the old stories, the old relationships, the old ways of living. No, our paths are not dictated by what was. But rather, our willingness to be aware to ask the questions that position us towards our North Star. And as the conversation was winding down, Joe pointed to a quote from the movie Vanilla Sky.

It states, every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around. Change doesn't happen without the understanding that more is possible, that perhaps you'd been conceding too much while asking too little of yourself. Perhaps you've been surrounding yourself with inadequate resources. Maybe you've been building walls that without your knowing it became self-induced limitation. And yeah, excellence in every single aspect of life is unobtainable. But what a beautiful standard. What a journey to embark upon.

a horizon to chase down. And the point is not to recklessly destroy your current reality, but to build a bridge connecting what is to what can be. It's loving the reflection in the mirror enough to know you are better. You can be better. You will obtain better. You need not be perfect or flawless, but you must be willing.

willing to destroy anything in your life that is an excellent. How much did you care? What do you mean? I didn't understand the question at first. In that room, how much did you care what they thought of you? Like if zero is not at all and ten is you cared a lot, how much did you care? Hmm. 8, I said, probably around an 8 out of 10.

And that is the problem. Because if you care, you are not free. I've been working my whole life to obtain that word in its truest sense. Freedom. And I made progress. The world around us is tough to change. But most things worth changing are tough. I've uprooted and walked away from people that brought me down.

Plenty of times. I've walked away from places that just weren't me. I've committed to carving out a path that I deem meaningful in my life. See, but you can always turn your back and walk away from people, from places, from situations. Here's a little caveat. no one seems to tell you about, though. You have to take yourself with you. There's no destination to which you can arrive without your thoughts.

There's no place you can show up without your narratives or your view of the world. And the more I navigate this floating rock we're on, the more I'm convinced that weather is determined by the onlooker, not the atmosphere. Some people simply choose to see sun. Some people choose rain. Our forecasts are internal. I've referenced this book often because it's one of the few cheat codes, not to any subset of reality but to life in general that allows us to reverse engineer true contentment.

It's called the Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Brani Ware, where she speaks with mostly older people during their final day. asks them what they would do differently if they could do it all over again. Regret number one, and we can actually stop right there, is I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the one others expected of me. Meaning, the number one thing people wish they did differently was careless. They wished they'd lived in their authenticity, put more weight on their goals, and their dreams,

than those of strangers that pass like ships in the night. Every time we repress who we are, our future selves shed a tear. And I know that's not pretty or uplifting to think about, right? A future you looking down

and wishing you'd sought out that freedom in its truest form, the freedom to live fully. But look, sometimes carving meaning out of life just isn't pretty. Sometimes what's necessary is not pretty. Say, everything's relative. And perhaps understanding that it's not others who are the judge. But it's instead that older version of you sitting on the bedside, reflecting back on this one roller coaster ride. Maybe that's who we're living for.

That's the well from which our courage should be drawn. We are guests, passing through a miracle, with minds that falsely and irresponsibly whisper, we have all the time in the world, trying to convince us that the trip lasts forever. But it doesn't. Your life is a raindrop in the thunderstorm. It will be over as fast as it arrived, and how you choose to live it will be everything. See, there will always, in some capacity, exist that voice, asking. asking you to dial it down. There will, from time to time, be sweaty palms and shaking knees.

You know, those human things. But when you find yourself standing on the edge of that door, looking out at a world that you know calls your name, let your voice be louder than all of it. Let the beating of your heart be stronger than your fear. And if you can't do it for you, then please Please do it for that version of you years from now, looking out the window, smiling about how you almost said no. You almost boxed yourself in, you almost let what matters pass you by. But instead, you captured life like a child chasing down a firefly, that in a world of constraint, you allowed yourself to be free.

The other day was on a podcast with Evan Carmichael, who's a YouTuber and entrepreneur. And we were talking with Shaquille, who was the host, about the mental side of the entrepreneurial journey, how we set goals, but also prepare ourselves for the inevitable adversity associated with growth. And one question, Shaquille asked us was, where do we see ourselves in five years? Okay, so side note, I have a unique relationship with this question. As someone who was unsure in experimenting with their career, right, for much of their adult life, I never quite knew how to answer it. You know, it's like two things can be true at once. It's a very reasonable question.

But I also didn't like answering it, right? Hated it to my core, you could even say. I could never really articulate. Why? It just made me uneasy. Like five years of lifetime. How am I supposed to know? And again, no knock on the host at all. It's a very common and practical question. I'm glad he asked it because it opened the door to a pretty cool conversation. So anyway, he asked the question and I'm thinking, oh man, like, how am I going to approach this? And before I said a word, Evan blurts out, look, if you know exactly what you're going to be doing in five years, you're thinking too small. In that comment, to say it made me happy was an understatement.

It was like, thank you for saying what my mind has been trying to piece together for a decade and a half. If you know exactly where you're going to be, of course you're limiting yourself. There's just too much predictability, too much routine, process, and not enough experimentation, not enough life. Why? Because growth is unpredictable. It takes us places we didn't expect, shows us things we didn't anticipate, it unveils truths and minor miracles about ourselves that we, let's face it, never would have seen had we been dismissive of all life's variability in opportunity.

Now does this mean we don't move with conviction in a general direction? Does it mean we don't have goals or ambitions? No, I certainly don't think it does. You can't hit targets you don't aim for. That will always be true. It merely means life is not about being perfect in bringing about a particular result. It's about making adjustments throughout your pursuit of meaning. If you feel closer to your purpose when you change the medium, then change the medium.

If it means your heart tells you left is where the value lies and not right, then go left. Right? To me, it's essentially reminding us that life is not a black and white, yes or no, checklist or test. It's a game, and you have to grant yourself the freedom to play. You have to give yourself permission to grow. I think about how much time five years is. And how five years ago, I wasn't even thinking about creating media the way I do now with the amazing team of people that helped me. I wasn't speaking on stages. I hadn't crafted my creation. style. I didn't know the people I know now who introduced me to not only new people, but new ideas. These are characters, their stories, their opportunities that present themselves only as you immerse yourself in the journey. And I was okay not knowing exactly, but merely moving towards a general direction. The most important decisions were, you know, looking back, not what I said yes to, but what I said no to, is I moved through life experimenting, learning, growing.

I was able to craft something that worked for me. Not other people. Not what's in books. There's no roadmap. No, it's an experiment. And this is more of the reassurance I would have wanted during those years from an older version of myself. Like, it's okay to not know exactly where you'll

be. Just promise yourself this. If it matters to you, you'll find a way to move to it, with it, towards it. And if it doesn't, then let it go. Surround yourself with people that lift you up. And if they don't let them go. You'll hear a lot of talk about the right way to do things, especially in this information age. Those ideas and decisions may have, in fact, been right, but they also may be wrong for you. Try, test it out, and if not, let it go. The experiment that is your life is the reward.

It's a luxury. It's such a beautiful ride. You know, don't box yourself in because of some made-up theoretical plan. Don't avoid the path to a new world because I checked my list and this doesn't line up with where I said I'll be February 23rd, 2008. Now, go live your life. Do your best to exist in that place,

the intersection of what you love and what adds value. Let it bend. Let it transform. Let it teach you things about yourself and the world. There aren't correct ways to live, but I think there certainly are some wrong ways. And that's time spent out of obligation, adhering to a story that means nothing to you. Push. See what life gives back. Your footsteps in the aggregate will reveal truths and tell stories you could never have even dreamed up.

It's in going that your book is written. And just a friendly reminder, people don't read books for the last page, the ending. No, they read them for that stuff in the middle. Right? The journey. So next time I'm asked what my five-year plan is, I'll probably say same as my 10, 20, and 30-year plan. I don't know. But I can tell you I won't lose sight of that North Star, the one that called. my name. But at the same time, I won't be afraid to wander into the night. Dance in the moonlight,

even get lost in the shadows from time to time. Growth is directly correlated to one's willingness to push forward into the dark. And well, into that darkness, we shall go. What's the difference between paying a fee and paying a fine. The answer to this question may not be as small or insignificant as we're inclined to believe. I recently picked up the book, The Psychology of Money, by Morgan Howesle. It lays out some valuable concepts and ideas

about investing and managing our finances, growing our wealth. But there's one idea that I wanted to share because, yeah, from an investing standpoint, it's important, critical even. But it's relevant. to so much more. And I think an understanding of it

will help us in many aspects of life. So first, let's start with the financial piece and then we'll sort of grow the metaphor, right? Because Howzel talks about how we should look at investing in the market. And one of the hardest things for us to deal with is the market's volatility. It's difficult for us to invest,

our hard-earned money and then see the market go, let's say, for example, down 20%. Like seeing that huge dip in our investment, that's not fun. Everyone knows that. That can be nerve-wracking. And it dissuades a lot of people from investing or keeping their money in when they should. It ultimately keeps them from getting the returns available to them, right?

But here's the point he makes. He says those people who see that volatility as a fee and not a fine are more inclined to win in the long term. Understanding that market returns are never. free. They demand a price. And that price is the roller coaster ride that we all have to deal with. That is the market. It's the ups and downs and highs and lows. That volatility is the cost of admission. And if you understand that, you're more inclined to stay calm. Keep your long-term vision. You're more than likely to come out on top. On the other hand, if when that turbulence arrives, you know, the sudden crashes, the ups and downs, and you see it as a fine,

as this terrible thing that's happening to a punishment, you're more likely to act emotionally, to be reactive, and make decisions that aren't in your best interest. To drive the point home, he mentions Disneyland, for example, the fee is $100. And people will gladly pay that fee because, you know, they get that great experience with their family, their kids that they'll have for the rest of their lives.

that $100 isn't a fine. It's not a punishment. It's an intentional, deliberate trade of one thing for another. And if you were to look at it as a fine, you'd never get to enjoy that experience. If you thought that $100 was a punishment, it just wouldn't be the same.

So why do I bring all this up? Because I'm a firm believer that the best things in life all come with that price or a fee, as House of States. But I also think we sometimes have a tendency to look at that cost, that very same cost of admission, as a fine, as a problem.

When really, no, it's just trading some turbulence now for a reward a little bit down the road. Sometimes the right thing is the hard thing, the uncomfortable thing. With dividends, It will pay so long as we understand that it's opening the door to something greater. Leaving a situation you know is not good for you hurts. Right?

We've all been there. We all know this in some capacity. But it's not a punishment or even a bad thing, right? That discomfort associated with walking away is a fee that will enable you to live a more aligned life in the very near future. Or let's say you're building something meaningful, something you care deeply about, but it's just you. You and the idea, there is no validation, certainly no external reward, not yet, and continuing forward in those moments is hard. It's taxing, emotionally draining even.

But this feeling, again, isn't a punishment. It's not a fine, it's the fee, it's the cost of admission to bring something into life that wasn't there. Life's greatest moments are expensive. It's just are you going to pay the fee to bring it about with a cost of regret at a different time? And you get the point, right? You can take this and apply it to so many things.

Falling down, criticism, feeling lost, having to start from the bottom. These things are not fines, they are fees. They are price tags. And so often, the initial price is a bargain compared to what we'll get back. We just need to stop perceiving their, mere existence is the world working against us. No, these are opportunities in disguise. It's easy to walk by the important things, to dismiss the uncomfortable things.

The harsh truth is that our greatest opportunities are often intertwined in our distress. That's why so many people walk away from the things that will make their lives better. That's why so many people pull their money from the market when it takes a dive. So many people walk away from a project or idea when things get challenging. Or conversely, it's why so many people do nothing at all. They stay in situations they aren't happy with and know they need to change because the fee to get from point A to point B feels too steep. But I think the value is in comparing the discomfort, the cost, the fee to what it's going to bring you down the road

because often it's a bargain. We need to remember that what it will ultimately provide has life-changing potential. Understand that resistance is not a fine. It is not the world telling you know. It's life asking you, hey, do you really want this? Because if you do, it's yours. So long as you sign the dotted line and pay the price, most people will be dissuaded by this.

Most people will turn and walk away. But most people, I also leave a hell of a lot on the table. And I don't want that for you. You don't want that for you. The world we live in is one of abundance. So when life pushes back, understand that it's merely positioning you

to move beyond your limits. To redefine your worldview. And while admission isn't free, it's well worth the price. The message in this episode was inspired by some background music. The very music playing behind my words right now, actually. I have this thing for acoustic tracks. I just feel like they completely change the dynamic of a story.

But I digress. I was writing earlier, opened my notes, found a topic I wanted to discuss, spent about two hours on it. But as I listened to it, this song and looked over my words. I just felt like what I'd written didn't do it justice. Do you know that feeling where maybe it's your work or any other aspect of life really, where you know what you have is good enough, like no question, good enough to get by, maybe even better than average? But at the same time, you have this little voice in your head, almost guilt,

because you know there is within you something better. Like, sure, this will get you through the gate, but you just know you're conceding something. And it's that curiosity, that question, what could I have created and given to the world that just pulled me in a little deeper? I was recently in Cincinnati, one of my oldest friends, Mike. We met in fourth grade,

and we've been in touch. ever since. And we were having dinner talking about how we were always in trouble back in the day. And I mean, we were always in trouble as kids. Went to a little Catholic school in Southern California. And the way they disciplined us back then was they had this system where if you were talking when you shouldn't be, you'd get a T for talking. And that T basically counted as one strike. If you did something besides talking that was inappropriate, you'd get a an eye, which I presume is for inappropriate. An ayes counted as two strikes. And we couldn't really remember what the system was completely,

but I think we landed on, you know, if you got up to seven total strikes before the end of the week, you'd get a note sent home to your parents. And we were going back and forth, kind of disagreeing on the effectiveness of that system. You know, the classic carrot versus stick argument. You know, Mike thinks it was, a great system and certainly there was a lot of value there. You know, it kept us in check to an

extent. But I saw it differently in the sense that all it did at times was rearrange incentives. You know, like if it's Friday afternoon and I'm sitting there, I only have one tea for the week. You bet the teacher turns around. I'm throwing that apple-shaped stress ball right at the back of Mike's head. You know, I've earned myself a little breathing room over the course of the week. Why not do just enough to avoid that note going home to Mrs. P? And it just seems like looking back now that a reward-based system might have been more beneficial. Instead of tiptoeing around and manipulating the rules so that we could avoid those negative outcomes, why not learn to aim to reach for more, right, for the positive outcome?

And here's why I'm going down this rabbit hole, because I know this seems trivial, but here's the honest truth. It took me into my mid-20s to unlearn this in even the most basic sense. Certainly not just because of my elementary school. It's how we're all raised, right? To avoid the negative. To do enough to avoid punishment or embarrassment.

It's not about mountaintops. It's about dodging the T's in the eyes, learning and manipulating this system to get what we need. so that we have just enough. You know, and as an adult, I'm not talking merely finances here. I'm talking relationships. I'm talking health. I'm talking all aspects of life.

Right, that little voice that we all have, we all know it, the one that said to me two hours ago, yeah, this speech is fine. You'll avoid missing your deadline. You'll feel like you got everything done on schedule today. You won't have to call your editor or postpone anything. But, like, how good do you feel about it? Because you're capable of more. This is good.

But somewhere behind that curtain, there is great. No, I'm not saying this episode is going to be, you know, third in history behind King's I of a Dream speech in the Gettysburg Address. But the message means something to me. It means everything to me. The ability to leave good. in pursuit of great changed my life. And most of the time, not even in the larger-than-life sense,

I'm talking about the little things. I'm talking about the courage to walk away when I had to. To fight for more when I felt slighted. To get out of bed when I felt like my ego was crushed. In a world where we're conditioned to find and settle for adequate, That little perspective shift lit a fire in my soul, which honestly, if anything, just makes life more fun, more exciting, more impactful. When you feel like you're generating meaning in your own life, it puts color into the mundane. And that's the message that I want to leave you with.

When you hear that little whisper in your soul, that question, is this your best? Is this who you want to be? Is it where you want to be? Why not entertain it? Dive into the curiosity. Walk through the door and see what lives on the other side. At worst case, the decision's reversible as most are, and you backtrack to the start and repeat the cycle.

But at best, life opens up. And sometimes it's a hard conversation to have with yourself. No question. Sometimes it hurts being that. vulnerable with the person in the mirror. But your soundtrack deserves a story that matters to you. And you don't find meaning running from the T's and the eyes. You don't find contentment hiding in the shadows of life.

You arrive where you're supposed to be by following that curiosity straight into an evolved version of yourself. By listening when the voice asks, Is this where you were meant to be?