Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - Apply THIS PRINCIPLE And You'll Never Be The Same | Best motivational Speeches | Wake Up Positive

Episode Date: October 25, 2023

"I used to say, 'Things cost too much.' Then my teacher straightened me out on that by saying, 'The problem isn't that things cost too much. The problem is that you can't afford it.' That's when I finally understood that the problem wasn't 'it' - the problem was 'me." - Jim Rohn Join Almost 100,000 others in subscribing to my weekly newsletter: eddiepinero.com/newsletter

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on new tech. Upgrade the whole team at Lenovo.com. Unlock AI experiences with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, powered by Intel Core Ultra processors so you can work, create, and boost productivity all on one device. Win the tech search for business PCs at Lenovo.com. One of my favorite ideas by legendary author and speaker, Jim Rohn, was, it's not that it costs too much. much. It's that you can't afford it. And whoa, what a flipping of this script. It doesn't cost too much to someone else out there. There are people who can afford it. You're just not one of them. At least not right now. Why has this had such an impact on me? Well, it's my reminder, first and foremost, to take that finger pointing out at the world, turn it around and

and pointed directly at my chest. It says, maybe the variable here in need of change is me. Maybe if they can afford it, so can I. Maybe it's not the price that needs to come down. Maybe it's that my value in the marketplace, my skill set, my abilities need to rise. That's not too expensive. I just need to level up.

There's nothing like taking what would be a gripe with the world and transforming it into the very reason you're going to be better. Because really, we always have that choice. We can project out and complain about the ones who scratched and clawed their way to the top, who have more than us, or we can join them. Option one keeps you down, on your back looking up at the sky. Option two places the world in the palm of your hand. So given the choice, don't complain about the price, become someone who can pay. Don't envy their success.

Drive yourself to stand atop a podium of your own making. Don't throw stones, stack them, and make them your foundation. Life is a game of bettering yourself, especially when it's not easy to. You know how much easier it is in the short term to put your feet up and list off all the people who slided you along the way? Refer to them as the problem. You know how easy it is to find reasons you can't? To paint worst-case scenarios into the sky? Incredibly easy.

It's temporary weight off your shoulders. It's oh, I can't get to the moon, so hey, no need to build that rocket ship. What's for dinner? Yeah, that's what we call the easy way out. And while it may feel good in the short term, it doesn't bridge that gap between the cost of what you want and what you can afford to pay. What it does is justify and rationalize not enough. Because when you fight for your limitations, as the saying goes, You get to keep them.

And in a world where victimhood is becoming currency, the more and more people are falling for the illusion of short-term gratification. The temporary peace of mind we get when we deflect. When you call yourself a victim, it's not your fault. But when it's not your fault, it's not yours to fix. And there lies the issue. The name of the game is betterment. It's progress.

That's not too expensive. I just need to increase my worth. I need to put myself in a position where I scoff at what was once considered too expensive. I need to build myself up, not wish the world around me was pulled down. And when this switch occurs, life changes. You realize the fluidity of things, that everything is relative. You can't change the price, but you can change you. And you can do so in a massively substantial way.

You can build yourself up so high that the old you becomes unrecognizable. But the first step is realizing that personal agency opens the door. Accountability and dedication push you through. push you through it. That's where the magic is. Becoming so valuable that the externalities are minor details, observers of your ascent. It's time to take the ideal and chip away at it like an axe to a tree.

It's time to look at the world less from a lens of what am I allowed to do, and more from the perspective of it's all mine if I find the courage to grow into my potential to capture and cash in on my value. Every day you choose to become more valuable and skilled. Every time you do the hard thing today for a greater you tomorrow, expensive means less and less. The price tag is fixed. Your potential, your greatness is not.

So rise to the occasion. Tap into U2.0 and prove just how relative cost really is. I remember running one day. This was years ago now. I lived a little bit further south. I was jogging down the Hollywood Beach boardwalk. And that particular day happened to be a struggle. I think I just underestimated the heat and felt,

up on my way back. But as I was passing all these people who were walking on the boardwalks, some going to the beach, some were going to get food, everyone was kind of doing their thing, I just remember thinking how funny it was that in that, you know, that one second glance that happens between two people as they pass one another, that no one I was passing knew how awful I felt. And they'd never know. It felt odd to me, that so much hurt could be hidden in plain sight. Not that in a million years I'd want them to know or they needed to know,

but it's the idea that this bridge between their world and mine would never be crossed, that my little hell was the secret the Hollywood boardwalk would keep forever. In a way, it's kind of crazy to think about. How someone can be going through their own, struggle, and it's never apparent to passers by. Think about that.

The vast majority of chaos on planet Earth, it goes unseen. Everyone's just kind of carrying around their own invisible burdens. That Hollywood boardwalk probably keeps more secrets than I can comprehend. And you know, I've talked about this before, how over time one of my biggest mental shifts was detaching from this notion that everyone has it all figured out and I'm the one stumbling through. Everyone else jumps out of bed, you know, excited, screaming, let's go, world, let's do this, right?

Well, I dealt with my unease and my concerns. And that's just wrong, right? Yeah, there's certainly variability in everyone's problems. We're not all the same. But everyone, everyone is climbing, their own mountain. Everyone has their own cross to bear. I remember a quote from Victor Frankel, he said, to draw an analogy, a man's suffering is similar to the behavior of a gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly,

no matter how big the chamber. Thus, suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering is great or little. Therefore, the size of human suffering is absolutely relative. Eye-opening message. Relative and felt by all. See, there's two things I take from this. First, and probably the most obvious, I think it calls for us to be more compassionate to others,

at least as much as we can. I've fallen short here plenty of times we all do, but it reminds us that it should be a North Star. And two, there's a pragmatic element here, signifying that very rarely is what goes on around us about us. Very rarely is it personal. Because often our first instinct is to assign intentionality to things that happen around us.

How could this happen to me? How could they do this to me? And in truth, it's just not about you. Again, the deepest, most complex aspects of human beings are invisible to everyone but the person they're happening to. Everyone is, to some extent, running down their own boardwalk on a hot summer day. So going back to that example, let's make up a sense. scenario, let's say I clumsily bumped into someone, ran too close to them. They could think, jerk, they could think get in your lane, they could think pay attention, have some respect,

I'm walking here. But would that situation be the product of my disrespect? Or would it be the fact that I'm exhausted, that I'm hot, that I'm dehydrated and only counting steps in my head? buildings could have been collapsing around me and I would have had no idea. I'm focused on making it through. See, there's value in understanding this. So much value. The world is not working against you.

It's comprised of 8 billion souls with different movies playing in their heads. And you can get more from it when you understand that. You can be more valuable when you understand that. You can give you. yourself more grace when you understand that. People cannot see your

pain and you can't see theirs. But it is a shackle being removed to take life's events less personally, less seriously even. As you create something beautiful in your own world, understand that there are no true adversaries.

I remember reading in the Four Agreements a while back. And this is kind of a sloppy paraphrasing, but people don't do things because of you, they do things because of themselves. And so as you run your race, as you make your way into the world, understand that everything around you is assigned value by you. And those passers by aren't for or against you.

They are in the midst of various personal journeys, trying to run their own races, as are you. Look, the sun is hot. That humidity can be suffocating. The path laid out before you is long. These are tough obstacles that you have to overcome, that we all have to overcome. And in time you will. But don't create additional adversaries that do not exist.

Don't imprison yourself with stories that don't hold up. It's not all about. you and understanding that, as it turns out, can be what makes all the difference. Ready to prioritize yourself in the new year? Your skin is a great place to start. Dime Beauty, founded by a master aesthetician, is more than just a skincare company. With four skin-conscious categories, skin care, beauty, body care, and fragrance, dime offers simple, spa-worthy products that will help you enter 2025 with confidence. Whether you're revitalizing your regimen with nourishing products or building one from scratch,

Dime makes it easy. The work system, our all-in-one best-selling routine, includes a cleanser of your choice, toner, serums, and moisturizers, taking the guesswork out of skin care for your healthiest, happiest skin yet. Dime's commitment to clean ingredients and sustainable packaging ensures every product is as gentle on your skin as it is on the planet. With thousands of glowing five-star reviews and a loyal community, the results speak for themselves. Revive your skin and give yourself the routine refresh you deserve by visiting dimebeautsio.com. That's dime beauty co.com. Your best skin awaits.

Hey there, it's Ryan Sechrest for Safeway. Now through February 25th, stock up on your favorite self-care items and save up to $3. Shop in store or online for items like Old Spice Deodorant, always ultra-thin pads, Gillette Fusion Razors and Refills, Old Spice Total Body Spray, Tampax Pearl, and Jolette Mach 3 Razors and Refills, and Save Up. $3. You won't want to miss out on these deals. Offer ends February 25th. Offers may vary. Restrictions apply. Visit safeway.com for more detail. I woke up last night and I remembered my debt to you. Being that I stand by the promises

that I make, I jumped out of bed and I walked over to my desk. I turned on a light and I began writing. At a minimum to explain myself, but at best case scenario to provide a some reassurance, that every storm ends, that nothing is forever, and that someday, without question, I'll make you proud. See, things haven't been the easiest lately, and it's funny. Sometimes things seem so intuitive. Sometimes they make so much sense. And then sometimes it feels like you open up a novel right in the middle, and it's in a language you can't read. You know, life feels more complex, and it really is, and I feel smaller than I really am, but don't be concerned.

I've fought my way through worse. I promise you you'll be satisfied with the result. And yeah, you might have noticed that sometimes I face the obstacle of juggling two sets of standards. You know, two definitions of success, mine in the world. What I love and what matters to me versus what will increase my status, my standing in society. And honestly, it pulls me in two different directions sometimes.

Makes me think back to years past and that discomfort of experience, you know, standing on an empty foundation. But believing someday something meaningful would stand there. Realizing that when you put your head down and when you block out the noise, you can finally hear the most powerful voice of all your own. That's why you take L's in the short term, to acquire meaning in the long term. I've found that courage before. And I'll find it again any second now.

Don't you worry? Sure. You might have seen that every once in a while I forget about life's abundance. I mean, I just do. I know it's true, but it feels sometimes like the world pushes me to forget. You know, I start comparing myself to other people and I start thinking about what I could lose, what people might say about what could go wrong.

And it's like, sure, I know I'm the gatekeeper to my own mind. I understand that. In fact, I cherish the idea. But I guess sometimes doubt catches that gatekeeper napping and slips through. I always catch him eventually, though. I've had doubts before and really all I did was keep moving by them. Kind of like that time I went snorkeling in Key Largo. You had to make your way through this jellyfish field to see an under-eshoe.

see an underwater statue. My first thought was this is crazy. But then you move in and you realize they just exist. They don't have control or an agenda. And if you find the courage, they become meaningless. You can float right by them. So don't worry, I'll swim through and you'll see me on the other end. And I will catch that view. Not for Facebook or for Instagram. Because in a way I owe it to myself and I owe it to you. I didn't make these promises to run when things got challenging. I made them because they meant something. And yeah, from the outside in, things are not perfect.

I get that. I understand. But if you just hang tight, if you just remember that I've been there before, I've climbed out, I've come back, I've come back. In fact, the deeper the valley and the darker the night, the clearer the answer always becomes when I emerge. And it may be a journey, but however long it takes, I've gotten there. And I have to admit, yeah, it feels funny writing a letter to myself, but I need you now more than ever.

You've always been my toughest critic and I appreciate that but now I need you to be my biggest fan to remind me that life can be confusing and seemingly contradictory, uncertain and even chaotic. But that doesn't mean I'm not right where I need to be, right where we need to be. And if you'll just believe in me, if you'll hop along for this ride, you'll see that as sure as I'm sitting here writing, to you now, I will make you proud. I went on a run yesterday. My mind, as it often does, began to wander. Reflecting back on all the streets I've jogged down over the last 10 years, all over the country, up north in Canada, down in Mexico, across the Atlantic, as long as my body would allow me, I was running. You could say it's become over time something of a

spiritual occurrence for me. So as I made my way down A1A, I asked myself, why? Why has it meant, and why does it continue to mean so much to me, this sort of arbitrary activity or exercise? And not only that, particularly during the times where everything else in life feels so unsteady, when there's chaos and turbulence all around me.

Well, this is the conclusion that I came to. It was the clarity. It was the simplicity that continued to pull me in and keep me going. See, when I was running, I always knew what I had to do. And there was calm in that. Reassurance. Perhaps most importantly, a purpose. Looking back, those days where it's 94 in Miami and August,

the sun's coming down, you know, I'm suffering through the run. Or days where I'm running through storms, thunder. you know, cracking all around me, my heart racing, because I know it's kind of dangerous to be there, but what am I going to do? I have to keep going. Those days up in New England in the northeast, right, in the winter, that first mile where you step outside and the wind sort of cuts through you, you feel it in your bones. All that's uncomfortable. But problems, they seem manageable when you know where you're going. When you understand the rules of the game.

And the rules of the game, every time I laced up my shoes, they were simple. You start at one point and you don't stop until you arrive at the other specified point. It placed stability into an ever-evolving landscape. It reminded me during the most difficult times what it was like to be in full control. I'm going to say something that may appear drastic here. I'm sure many of you know that saying simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, attributed to everyone from Lincoln to Da Vinci to your next door neighbor. Well, I believe that simplicity saved my life.

And I think it did many times. It's been a very up and down journey, as they all are, right? And growth is injecting yourself into a world you don't understand. It has to be, definitionally. It's being oversaturated with options. The road less traveled is paved in distraction. And when my purpose and my path felt like they were deteriorating before my very eyes, when my understanding of life felt like it was slipping away,

which is a pain pretty different than stubbing your toe, right? It feels much bigger, it's much scarier. It was faith in my ability to slay the dragon and find the treasure that empowered me. It was the thing that reminded me when I break things down into little objectives. Not only do you conquer them, but you identify as someone who conquers them. It's peeling back the layers of complexity that reminded me amidst the clutter and the noise. There's simplicity what I was meant to do. The shiny objects need not divert my attention.

We just need to take the time to identify our finish lines, and they can change what matters sometimes does. But the moral of the story is you can't live life trying to hit targets in the dark. And it just makes sense. Issues with the project I'm working on, go for a run. Feeling confused, frustrated, go for a run. Argument with the girlfriend. Go for a run, run, run, run.

And I'd come back with less in my head than I left with, which would funny enough, ultimately, be more than I left with, right? This space to think about what matters. The simplicity of starting points and ending points. Nothing in life is that complicated. It's not. But we have a tendency amidst life's storms to stop running. During the heat waves, we forget why we're there. We lose that simplicity.

We lose our purpose and our meaning because we let the unimportant things become the big things. I think that's what running is. A reminder that, you know, when life is simple, we understand where we're going. Simplicity isn't convenience. It's what keeps your heart beating in your eyes open. It is life. It's waking up, knowing what matters to you so that you can push away the things that don't. It's that reassurance that, yeah, there's a world of infinity outside the window,

but what makes you brilliant is that you can identify and latch on to a small few things. The world around us often says, you know, we need to use the whole canvas. But I say there's nothing wrong with identifying your favorite color and going from there. I say identifying your destination and moving towards it wholeheartedly with conviction is a superpower. is a superpower. And it doesn't mean we don't stop along the way. Doesn't mean nature won't push us off course from time to time. But for one who's taken the time to identify for themselves a finish line,

they are never truly lost, even during the most trying of times, because all that's required is a re-pointing of the compass. I will continue to run for as long as I can, because the further one moves into that abyss, The Moralife says, look over here. A is important. No, B is what you need. You'll never succeed without me or him or them.

This way, that way. Some in-between way is the right way. But no, all that is distraction. It makes you feel small very quickly and will make you feel unsure and ill-equipped just as fast. In my mind, The beauty in life is taking all that supposed complexity and finding within it what's required to paint our own masterpieces, to run our own races. Life is a run around the Charles.

A run down the Hollywood boardwalk, a run to the Dania Beach Pier. It's knowing where your heart needs to go and following it there. It's saying yes when required and know when required, but understanding you are the one who decided. what required means. Beauty is simple. Contentment is simple. Meaning is simple. And we can always access those things.

They're buried under the complexity we spend our day-to-day swimming in. So, neighbor, here's to the ultimate sophistication. To getting more than you've ever had in your life by building your own parameters out of less. Ready to prioritize yourself in the new. New Year, your skin is a great place to start. Dime Beauty, founded by a master aesthetician, is more than just a skincare company. With four skin-conscious categories, skin care, beauty, body care, and fragrance, Dime offers simple, spa-worthy products that will help you enter 2025 with confidence.

Whether you're revitalizing your regimen with nourishing products or building one from scratch, Dime makes it easy. The work system, our all-in-one best-selling routine, includes a cleanser of your choice, toner, serums, and moisturizers, taking the guess work out of skin care for your healthiest, happiest skin yet. Dime's commitment to clean ingredients and sustainable packaging ensures every product is as gentle on your skin as it is on the planet. With thousands of glowing five-star reviews and a loyal community, the results speak for themselves.

Revive your skin and give yourself the routine refresh you deserve by visiting Dimebeautcom. That's Dimebeautyco.com. Your best skin awaits. Terrian Sea Crest for Safeway. Now through February 25th, stock up on your favorite self-care items and save up to $3 $3. Shop in store or online for items like Old Spice Deodorant, always ultra-thin pads, Gillette Fusion Razors and Refills, Old Spice Total Body Spray, Tampax Pearl, and Jolette Mach 3 Razors and refills and save up to $3.

You won't want to miss out on these deals. Offer ends February 25th. Offers may vary. Restrictions apply. Visit safeway.com for more detail. That thing. that gives you butterflies, that lights you up. That world you see when you close your eyes, chase that. With all of your soul, chase it.

It's easy to brush off life's potential. It's just outside the realm of possibility. To see the ideal as some form of window shopping, that you can almost touch. A fantasy to be explored when you sit back in your office chair or pass time in the doctor's office waiting room. But I think these aspirations mean more than that. Not distractions, but a north star.

Not a diversion, but the path. And by the way, I'm not naive about this pursuit and all that it entails the truth behind it. I'd never advocate that what's possible or meant to be is somehow easy. In fact, I'd argue the only way something is meant to be is if you're willing to commit to the difficulty in bringing it to life. Otherwise, it wasn't meant to be anything but a missed opportunity because it surely will be a difficult road. And here's what we come to learn. Everything of value is difficult.

You know, in an attempt to oversimplify, I often break life down into the easy thing versus the difficult but meaningful thing. And in some ways, sure, that's true. But I can also honestly say it would have been more difficult for me to have stayed where I was, not moved at all, to not have pursued what I believed in. It would have been more difficult thinking about that life I could have lived, the doors that could have opened. And that's just it.

Life is about choosing your difficult. The difficult you seek out intentionally, or the difficult you seek out intentionally, or the difficult, You come and let take control, render you helpless. And I think when we find ourselves in routines, or we've built for ourselves, the world we know we don't want to live in anymore, or we've outgrown, It's not that the current is real and the future is not. It's that we, somewhere along the way,

decided to face the wrong opponent. Some adversaries make us strong. They force us to be more, to grow. Other adversaries or opponents, they sit back and they let us defeat ourselves, and that's what we don't want. See, when the world knocks you down,

you get to rise again. Wiser, tougher, stronger. But when you keep yourself, down. Well, there's nothing to be gained from that. Those two opponents, they are not the same. I referenced my speaking career because for me, it's where that transformation is most evident. It's where it all began. My opponent was very much me. Avoiding opportunities, hiding from failure, I didn't give life a chance to knock me down. And so it didn't. How could it? I'd already placed myself in chains.

And because of that, guess what, I stayed the same. I couldn't evolve. My ideal future was an idea that would briefly entertain me from time to time and move right on. It wasn't until I found the courage to switch my opponents. From myself to the world, I let life humble me. I gave talks where I was nervous and had cold feet, keynotes where my delivery was mediocre at best, where I barely got by. But with these battles came metaphorical, riches, came that trust that had to be manufactured, that confidence that had to be earned. When I got out of my own way, I was able to let the trials and tribulations of life create a new foundation for me to stay.

to redefine reality. And the good news is that anyone can do that. Anyone can ask that question. Is something external in my way right now that I need to figure out that I need to solve? Or am I in my own way? Am I not even giving myself a shot? Have I settled for right now as truth? When right now, is just the less ideal difficult.

When I was little playing action figures with my buddy up the street, we used to think it was cool to see around corners, to see through walls, to know what was coming before it arrived. For action figures, absolutely. In superhero movies, why not? But in the journey through life, You don't need to see around corners.

In fact, it's counterproductive because it is the interaction with the unknown that matters. It's adjusting amidst life's uncertainty that comes to make you who you are, transforms you and your reality. As far as I'm concerned, the only way to lose is to remain behind that corner, peering out every now and then, hoping to get some kind of advantage or shortcut, willing to let life pass you by while you wait for the stars to align, thinking that that vision of an ideal life will stroll along the sidewalk, see you and reach out a hand, that weight will be a long one, unproductive and difficult, more difficult than trusting yourself to face whatever lurks around that corner. So remember that who you are is built.

And every time you do something a little bit scary or unsettling, every time you wander a step or two outside of your comfort zone, the reward is not just the short-term triumph you feel as you leapfrog that obstacle and carry on. No, you are investing in a new you, a new reality. You're investing in something changing before your very eyes, putting a little marble in a little marble, in a jar that is your potential, and you can't see it.

Not now. No one's going to announce it to you. You might not even realize or understand until you look back years down the road. But those little acts of courage, they matter more than you know. They're not trivial, and they are certainly not insignificant. When that movie plays in your head

and you think to yourself, I wish, or if only, and the delta between that image and the reality on the ground disappoints you, gives you a little knot in your stomach or dissatisfaction that floats around in your thoughts. Remember that that feeling is transferable, that difficult, can be exchanged for one that actually changes things. You can get off the merry-go-round and towards a new North Star. Difficult, yes, but we've seen the goal is not to avoid difficult. It's to pick the difficult that will transform your life.

It's to find meaning in a world that if you do not pay attention, will paint your landscape with routine and obligation. And today can certainly be a continuation of that. script, a box that's checked, a calendar square with an X, or it can be the beginning of something that gives you butterflies, that lights you up, that brings you one step closer to the world you see when you close your eyes. Stop apologizing for who you are, what you believe and how you believe, and how you see the world. Stop apologizing for your failures. They lift you up. They push you to be more.

Stop apologizing for being different, unusual or unique. There's just saying that if you are lucky enough to be different, don't ever change, embrace that. Hold it. Stop apologizing for taking a path less traveled for breaking away from the pack. It's not an insufficiency. It doesn't mean you couldn't go their way. It means you have the courage to be yourself in a world trying to make you someone else. Stop apologizing for words that don't align with someone else's ideology or worldview. Your job isn't to appease or conform. It's to grab hold of what lights a fire in you and use it to brighten the world around you. Stop apologizing for your dreams. It's okay to not be content where you are. It's okay to want to grow, to become more. The roots planting them to the

ground, they are not yours. And why waste the opportunity beyond the horizon of your current existence? See, having the courage of your convictions is like unlocking your mind. Realizing that, yeah, you have the key and you've had it all. No one else gets to set your parameters. They don't get to tell you what's right or what to believe. The people around you are not moral arbiters. They're not protectors of truth. Remember that.

Remember that no one knows better than you what's best for you. That's why there's power and intuition in following your beliefs, your strengths, in doing what makes you happy, relentlessly pursuing what makes you feel alive. The thing about dreams, ideas, potential, they're always meaningless until they're not. See, everything is crazy until it exists. So protect it. Don't bow down to pressures of now. simply because you have not yet built tomorrow.

You will. If you want it, you will. Some messages, they are incredibly simple, and this, my friends, is one of those. You have everything you need to become who you want to be. Right now, as you listen to this in real time, you don't need approval or permission or acceptance. You don't need to belong or be told it's normal.

You simply need to start to know that you will pick yourself up when you fall and keep going. Not apologize, but continue placing one foot in front of the other. Not look externally for a will to carry on that only exists within you. See, the second you begin rewriting the rules, changing the game, you put yourself in position to emerge victorious. Sometimes what we need most is not what we think we need most. It's not that break we've been waiting for the universe to provide. Or the answer we've been desperately seeking.

No, sometimes we need only three words. Don't give. Don't turn back now. And see, I know you want to. And that the meaningful thing, the right thing, requires we give all of ourselves. It metaphorically speaking is the most expensive, exhausting, sometimes disheartening. But this is your reminder that there will come a point when you look back on this moment and the best thing you'll have ever done will have been continuing to put one foot in front of the other.

continuing forward despite the circumstances, towards that which means something to you. I remember in South Florida a handful of years ago, I'd just moved down here and I was exploring the area a little bit, looking for a place to live, and I found this kind of odd little park in between a parking lot in the beach. And I pulled over, just started walking around. and ended up sitting down on this bench that faced the ocean and just looked out for a while.

I remember looking at the people who all seemed so happy, they all seemed fulfilled, looked like they had it all together. I looked at the ocean that was so much bigger than me, so vast, so powerful, at the non-stop stream of planes flying overhead that all seemed to have a direction, a purport, a purpose, they had their courses mapped. And I think I remember it so vividly because I'd never felt more alone than at that moment. Like deeply, painfully, alone, and it's not that I enjoy bringing up these types of experiences. I bring them up because time has revealed repeatedly that from these moments of doubt and sometimes even despair come what we need most.

so long as we don't run from what the world is trying to provide us. It's as though we must experience emptiness before we can become fulfilled. We need to be overcome with this sensation that there's no way out before realizing that there is always a way so long as we're willing to find it. And the pain associated with that willingness, well, it far outweighs the alternative. I often break things down into this dichotomy of the easy, meaningless way versus the hard, meaningful way. But that may be oversimplified, easy compared to what, hard compared to what?

It's easy to shut down when we're at our lowest. It's easy to stop when it hurts. But easy now evolves into what's actually. incredibly difficult tomorrow. A difficult, heart-wrenching, regretful forever. Admittedly, a controversial figure, but regardless, one of the most important quotes I've ever read. It was by Lance Armstrong in his book, it's not about the bike. He says pain is temporary. It may last a minute or an hour or a day or a year, but eventually it will subside. And something else will take its place.

If I quit, however, it lasts forever. See, the easy thing versus the hard thing is too simplified. Void of imperative context. The question is, in our darkest moments, will we stand up when it hurts so that we can walk, run, and ultimately sprint towards what matters? There's a realization that helped me. because when we're in these situations, the thought goes like this. Things are wrong, things are broken. My life isn't what it should be.

I need to fix this and make it whole, make it right, so I can live a good life like everyone else. There's a deep loneliness associated with that misconception as though the world is put together, but I am not. Well, let me dispel that notion and end that narrative. The world is a series of objects that mean nothing. other than the value we place upon them. Seven billion people.

All fighting their own battles, all trying to make sense of things. All pretending like the little fairy tale they've manufactured in their heads is the real thing or the right thing. When in actuality we are all just passengers along on a ride we do not understand. Fighting battles that we don't often comprehend and cannot grasp. But you are not broken. You are human, perfectly imperfect. Equipped with the tools to take another step forward despite the chaos and the uncertainty. Steps that become, in the end, everything.

I remember reading about Jefferson, how he had migraines so severe while president that he would do most of his important work in the morning because of the high probability He could literally be incapacitated from noon on. And I just thought, man, we are all fighting battles. We're all doing what we can to make the most of our circumstance, to redirect discomfort into opportunity and pain into progress. And what's most incredible is that we can. There's a saying that it's not supposed to be easy.

That getting where you need to go requires the treacherous path associated with a hero's journey, the vast unknowns, the questions that remain unanswered for extended periods of time, the villains that seemingly inject themselves into our lives, please understand that this is not a reflection of you, who you are and your capabilities, this is the game of life.

This is today's difficult. in exchange for tomorrow's meaning, the pressure that creates the diamonds, and you don't have to be sure of anything. Other than that, you know, you will continue stepping forward, because you can. Things won't always go right,

but in the failures are the new tools to grow and redirect. You won't always feel on top of the world, but it's in the valleys of despair, that we're forced to truly analyze, to think deeply, re-approach. And perhaps most importantly, you may have days where you let yourself down, fall short, perhaps lose sight of the courage to which you have attached your dreams, but that's okay.

You are defined not by your mistakes, but by the present moment, not some impossible expectation of perfection. But by your ability to rise and rise again, when it requires all of you to lift your head up and carry on. So go into that unknown, where fear is transformed into courage and doubt to strength, go. Because if not here, where, and if not now, when, go. All you need, you have. And when life finds you sitting down on a park bench, staring out at a world that feels too big and too complex,

that seems impossible to navigate, find it within yourself to smile. Smile because of what you've already overcome, what you've been through, who you are. Remember that you are exactly where you need to be staring up at the meaning in life as opposed to down at your feet. Now go. No miracles here. No mountains need be jumped or oceans crossed. But if you, one, step forward and two, believe in yourself to put the pieces together as they arrive, there is nothing you can't do. be, there is no obstacle before you that is insurmountable.

Just keep going. And sure, sometimes that's all we can do. But it also happens to be true that it is your greatest superpower. To simply find a way, to run if you can, crawl if you must, but find a way. because deep down in your soul the pieces are there and it will be at some point as you look back the greatest decision you've ever made. Just saying that in order to become something new you have to leave something behind. You have to detach in some capacity, remove yourself from the physical realm.

because the obstacles that we face are not physical. 99% of our problems are not physical. They're mental. And you know, as you sort of drive that metaphorical ship into the horizon, the biggest deterrent is never going to be the anchor or the headwind or the bowline. No, it's going to be the storyline. It's going to be the narrative of the person navigating.

person navigating that ship. And it's interesting, because our first inclination, when we feel stuck, it's always to point out, attribute our problems to the world in this predetermined position within it. Maybe that's the issue. We take our power. We put it into the universe, cross our fingers, and hope things work out. But that will always be a losing proposition. It will always come crumbling down.

Because it's not the world that keeps you from showing up. You're not physically incapable of taking that first step, or growing, or evolving, developing, becoming something new. No, that demon lives in your head. That's the mental Goliath we struggle with. Right? Because there's cognitive dissonance between who we know ourselves to be and who we want. to be and who we want ourselves to be.

That's the sea we have to cross, the terrain we have to navigate. It's not the physicality of taking the steps. Anyone can do that, it's believing that you are worthy of the journey. And you have to ask yourself, is it that you can't become something new? Or is it that you can't, won't, refuse to detach from who you used to be. You're still tucked away in that container, that box you've been building for years and years and years that you've placed yourself in because I can promise you. One of the most liberating things to understand is yesterday is not a life sentence. Yesterday's not forever. Yesterday's

not defining. It's simply a stepping stone. And every morning when you old, you're open your eyes, sun comes through the window, illuminates life around you, that's never your cue to put on a fake smile, play the same role you've been playing day after day after day. No, it's an invitation to do anything you want to do. To begin again, to start fresh. It's an opportunity to detach from that character.

Detach from the people and the things that don't push you towards what you want. Detach from the next. negative self-talk. And when all that's gone, everything is removed and it's only you and your self-belief, a will to move forward. I promise you that pendulum shifts. Life becomes simple and how beautiful simplicity is. It's shining a spotlight on what matters. It's clarity. It's taking control. It's picking up the clay and molding what you want to mold. It's opening the door and deciding to walk through.

Everything else is variable. Everything else is noise. Everything else is detail and distraction. Because what you want, it's there. And it's waiting for you to simply remove yourself from who you used to be. To step into right now and believe that you are worthy of everything else.