Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - Are you letting life pass you by? - Best Motivational Speeches for Happiness

Episode Date: September 4, 2024

"Happiness, not in another place but this place…not for another hour, but this hour." — Walt Whitman In this episode, Eddie Pinero reflects on a moment when the full moon briefly emerged through a clearing in the clouds—a sight that many would have missed if they weren’t paying attention. This story serves as a powerful reminder of the beauty in life's fleeting moments and the importance of being intentional in noticing them. These moments are the essence of life, guiding us if we’re willing to pause and appreciate them. How often do we let such beauty slip by unnoticed? 🌙✨ Monday Motivation Newsletter: https://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletter Free Ebook: www.eddiepinero.com/ebook  YouTube: www.eddiepinero.com/youtube 

It's going to show up for you, she said, pointing up at the night sky, which was completely covered in clouds, hiding a full moon behind it. In fact, the sky revealed only the moon's glowing silhouette. And still, I felt like it was the brightest I'd ever seen it. I wasn't exactly sure. I never really paid attention like this. But in that moment, it felt remarkable. It was around midnight.

We'd pulled over a few miles north of Scottsdale, got out of the car, and we're standing about 10 feet from the road on a little clearing amidst the cacti and other desert plants. Both looking up, taking in the silence, the loudest silence I'd ever heard. Again, things are just so, so different when you pay attention. A few moments went by, and we watched as the moon pushed its way from behind the clouds, through the darkness, and right to the center of a small clearing in the cloud-covered sky, as if the world had created one tiny window for that moon to peer down at us, unrestricted. There it was.

It was perfect. I told you it would show up for you. she said. I could somehow feel her smiling as she said it, but I didn't say anything because I didn't know what to say. Believe it or not, sometimes even people who yap for a living have no words.

Then, just as fast as it arrived, it disappeared behind that cloud-covered curtain again. Just as fast as it was shining down in all its beauty, its power, its light. It was a memory. It was just like life. I feel like I've been reminded lately how fast things come and go.

How intentional we have to be about stopping and capturing the beauty around us because it is so easy to miss. It's so incredibly easy to watch. walk right by. That window, it appears and it closes. And I've been thinking, I've been asking, what is that window? What is that little flicker of light, that piece of life, that candle that the universe

seems so hell-bent on blowing out? It must be an opening to your soul. It has to be a portal from God's ears to your heart, a message from the ether to your hands. Will you accept it? Will you listen? Because you can't dance in the moonlight if you don't get out of the car. You can't give yourself to the world if you stay inside. You cannot lead if you watch from afar. It's going to show up for you. because you're going to let it in, to seek it out. It's going to show up for you

because you're the kind of person who chases life down, who recognizes that this little window we're dancing through is the magic. It is the show. It's not a means to an end. It is everything. So don't lose sight of that. Put yourself in places where you are free to be the best version of you.

Surround yourself with people who love you fully for who you are. Who push you to step into your greatness and embrace life. Amidst the darkness, find the moonlight, because it's there. I promise you, behind the clouds, away from home, beyond normalcy, it's going to show up for you. because you are going to find the courage to seek it out. There's a quote that states, whatever you are, be a good one. The pride you take in your work and the quality you're looking to obtain throughout,

well, it's just as important as the direction you are heading. And I spent some time thinking about this. It was recently on an 11-hour flight home from Japan where, um, You know, I got to see a lot, I learned a lot, a few things I want to share over the course of the next couple weeks. But there was one that stood out to me above all, right? One that I felt I needed to inject into my personal life. And so let's start there. It's the apparent pride that the Japanese take in their culture.

Now, admittedly anecdotal, based on a relatively quick experience, I was only there for about a week, but also it was the thing that was most evident, right, that jumped out at me. It felt sacred from the way they talked about being Japanese, at least those few short conversations I was able to have, to the cleanliness of the cities and buildings. I mean, the subway in Tokyo was so clean that it felt like a simulation. to every car that drove by being washed and waxed, and I mean every car. I saw no trash on the street. There were no homeless people out, which, given that I was in the busiest part of Tokyo,

seems to be quite the feat. The bottom line is, these folks across the board take tremendous pride in themselves and their communities. Now, I can't speak, nor am I going to attempt to speak to the socioeconomic. not make impact of that type of standard. But I can tell you that in many ways, from a personal standpoint, there was something powerful about it. I can tell you that my first instinct was, again, to inject that mentality into as much of my own world as I can.

That taking pride in your surroundings and your outward appearance makes you feel better inside. That when your world is messy and cluttered, so is your mind. That when you don't invest in your environment, it probably diminishes your likelihood of succeeding in it. There's power in pride, in caring and taking responsibility for that which is yours. I said something similar in an episode last week talking about identifying your North Star and acting the part. And someone commented under the video, agreed. How you do one thing is how you do everything. thing. And I really like that. I think it sums it up beautifully. Now, I'm not ignorant enough to think

that Japan is perfect because I spend a week there and the subways were clean. I'm sure underneath the hood, it has flaws like every society does, like every individual does. But pride in oneself and surroundings doesn't appear to be one of those flaws. I think it's a source of strength. and seeing this came at a time when I needed it most. Perhaps I may have even subconsciously been looking for it. And over the years, I've realized this in different areas of my life, without knowing in many cases that I was longing for consistency, pride not just in a few habits, but in the greater overall picture.

Getting into shape, I think, is the easiest example to demonstrate. because it's not just a habit change, it's a lifestyle change, right? To be truly fit, you have to raise your standards across the board, adjust many aspects of your life so that they essentially come together to create something new. It was pride and focus and attention on when I woke up, what I ate, obviously how and when I worked out, what I said yes to, what I said no to. my work and social lives were also

inextricably linked to those decisions and in neglecting some aspects there diminished the stock of all the others it's taking pride in how you do everything it's not allowing yourself to fall short of a particular standard when you don't let the little things fall off it creates an environment where you can conquer the big things that's why I think that quote is so impactful

Whatever you are, be a good one. Not in one area or in one aspect of who you are, but in totality. Set a standard, right? Don't allow yourself to fall below it. You will feel better, freer, healthier. If the car is dirty, the office space is probably cluttered too, which means so is the desktop, which means so is the mind and its way of navigating and processing information. nothing is completely siloed off

or on the other hand of one thing is immaculate odds are everything is so that little trip was a beautiful reminder to raise the bar in all aspects of my life the standard can't just apply to my work or my art everything is intertwined greatness is holding on

to the standard you set the value system you deem meaningful and accepting absolutely nothing. Less. Let's talk about the most important thing one can do while navigating the trials and tribulations of life. The thing that, as far as I can tell, supersedes all others, the great equalizer of human beings.

One's ability to get back up. You simply cannot defeat someone who, despite the inevitable obstacles life presents, rises to their feet again and again. You can't take someone down who molds the adversity they face into armor they wear. No, those people are gods of their own worlds. They are immune to the shackles that hold most back. world is unpredictable. It's challenging. Often it takes everything we have, right? Even the most planful and most prepared or at some point taken down, even the most skilled will at some point find themselves outmatched. There are no perfect roads and there are no flawless performances.

No one wins all the time, which implies necessarily the ones who create meaning and the world are the ones who shape it from that chaos that surrounds them, who when brought to their knees, refuse to roll over and look at the world from their back, but instead rise with a more thoughtful, aware, focused, depersonalized approach. Life is not happening to you, it's happening for you. It's not giving you problems. It's giving you building blocks. The differentiator Some people build walls around themselves, and some build staircases to the moon. But ultimately, we are all building something. You might ask, you know, really?

Rising when you fall, that's the most important thing? More so than courage, strength, intelligence, confident. More than faith, contentment, success, growth, joy, more than love. And my thought is 100% because you don't get any of those things without the ability to rise in the face of their opposites. Being those things means fighting for those things and fighting for those things means a commitment to stand, to reach for them. Even when the world says no, even when the road is long. If you learn to rise when you're fearful, when you're tired, when you're lost, confused or angry, if you promise yourself getting back up is not up for debate, that there will be no negotiation,

that it's what you do and who you are, you simultaneously hold the world in the palm of your hand. See, most focus on avoiding the ground. And because of this, they find themselves disheartened when life is, well, life. We've all been there, right? Sometimes you cannot avoid falling. Sometimes the ground comes to you. Sometimes you get no say. And the ones who find meaning in the pain,

who brush themselves off and carry on into the night, well, they're the ones with the power to change themselves. in the world. You can allow yourself to be distracted. Or, as Robin Sharma suggests, you can do incredible things, but you can't do both. You can stay where the safety and security is.

Or you can risk what you have in pursuit of your dreams, but you can't do both. You can remain the character depicted in yesterday's, story or you can take those lessons experiences and craft a new story but you cannot do both life is a game of trade-offs where any decision to go in one direction is a simultaneous decision to not go in another a commitment to X is necessarily a rejection of Y at least in that moment making this question all the more important.

What is your North Star? I ask, because everything you do is bringing you closer to or holding you back from capturing it. One of my lifelines over the years has been clinging to the quote or idea that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, consistently trying to arrive there. Why? Because when things get complex in my life, I don't know what I'm choosing.

Clutter means I've lost sight of what's necessary versus what's trivial. I become unclear on those critical trade-offs I'm making. And we've all experienced this, right? The simplest questions are always the hardest to arrive at. We can talk in circles about the details. But how often are we honest with ourselves about the why? I remember job interviews in college going on and on about the books I read, the papers that written, current events.

But then falling flat on my face when asked, so who's Eddie Panero? A dude doing an interview? Like, what do you want for me? My brain had never gone there. Or even less formal. I'll never forget a friend of mine a few years back, asked me what my perfect day was,

just casually as we're driving. I said, I don't know, Tom, I've never really thought about that. He goes, then how are you ever supposed to have a perfect day if you don't know. And how simple. Simple and simultaneously incredible. Who wants a life without perfect days, right? Like, what is all this for?

The world is infinite. And you can be ruled by its variability and its complexity. You can run around adhering to all its rules, hoping you're doing the right thing, whatever that is. Or you can identify, carve out, and rule over your own little pieces. of it. Your own kingdom. You can choose you. If you take the time to uncover who you are, what lights you up. And then, as Emerson advocates, hits your wagon to that star. The best investment

of our time is to truly understand and decide what we should be saying yes to. Because if we don't know what matters, then nothing does. Here's a famous dialogue from Lewis Carroll's Alice Wonderland. Alice, would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? That depends a good deal on where you want to get to, said the cat. Well, I don't much care where, said Alice. Then it doesn't matter which way you go, said the cat. Well, so long as I get somewhere, Alice added as an explanation. Oh, you're sure to do that, said the cat.

If only you walk long enough. Beautiful passage. If you don't care where you go, any road will take you there. And see, it's not wrong to not know. It doesn't make you bad or mean life is a waste of time. It just means you're taking a large portion of control, which is one of your superpowers and tossing it up into the ether. It means you are bowing to hope.

And I know that no one here wants to live every day merely clinging to hope. This is not a we'll see how it goes, channel or podcast, right? This is about the little changes that take life from a six out of ten to a nine or a ten out of ten. It's about using what's around us to maximize the miracle we are living and breathing every day. Again, life is complex. So for you to take the time and simplify to remove what's unnecessary, what an advantage. Yeah, I could do this or that.

I could go here or there. But guess what? I've spent the time thinking, asking myself the tough questions, and now I can be more deliberate in choosing my path so that I arrive at a correct destination, a destination that belongs to me. that means something to me, that lights me up and excites me. That's living.

And of course, this isn't a one-time lightbulb moment, a permanent move. No, as we grow, we change. What we want shifts. Hey, sometimes the current path even reveals itself to be the wrong path. It's happened to me plenty. But when you're consistently in tune with what matters to you, who you are, you can make the adjustments. You can be deliberate.

No more shooting targets in the dark because life is too short Are days numbered, our arrows finite? Live life like each day means something Because each day is transporting you to your something. Let's use the pieces around us to build our own skylines, etch our own stories into the sands of time. If a decision to do one thing is a simultaneous decision to not do something else, make sure to have that North Star in scope so that you don't amidst that chaos of life, unknowingly turn your back on it. Ask yourself who you are.

And be as patient as possible working for that answer. Because as far as I can tell, that information is the key that unlock. infinite possibility. It's knowledge that opens the door to life on your terms. It was in the middle of a workout the other day, and right before things got intense, right before we picked it up a level, I heard someone say, brace yourselves, your minds are about to start lying to you. Now, note, the message was not brace yourselves, you're about to lose focus. Brace yourselves, things are going to get challenging. the path's going to be unclear.

No, the message was much, much simpler. That we would be told lies, objectively. And who would tell them, well, the adversary within each of us, the dark side of the moon, right? Just as there's light, there's darkness, just as we have the tools to build, we have the tools to tear down. In fact, our life trajectories hinge on whether we find those reasons we can or we find reasons we can't.

Whether we push those so-called lies away or embrace an adopt. But here's what I loved most about that comment why I found it so moving. You know, I'm someone who's fascinated by the power of mindset. Obviously, I read about it, I experiment with it, I talk about it almost every day.

But I guess in my head, I'd compartmentalized it as something slightly more subjective, right? We'll call it negative self-talk as an obstacle. As chaos we have to learn to navigate. And while that's not wrong, there's something about the simplicity of you can do this. And any thought in your head that says otherwise is a lie that's freeing. That message is like removing shackles. Because that voice in your head, you can call it a distraction.

A battle, you can call it the unknown, you can call it whatever you want. But the bottom line is it's an untruth. You're strong enough to handle the now, period. You are strong enough. Because the liar in you says, you need to know what X minutes, X hours, X days down the road will look like. Oh, you don't? Well, then you can't handle this. It says, you need to sustain this pace or maintain this momentum.

Imagine how bad that will hurt. You see that? You can't endure that. The liar in you says you're not as strong as the ones who did it. before you. You see them? They're better. The liar in you will do whatever it can to protect your ego at the expense of your growth. It wants to push off any type of pain because the liar in you knows one thing and one thing only safety. So as you put your head down and embark upon the journey of life, remember that when things get tough, much of what you

which will be told will be untrue. And the vast majority of that won't be external. It will be derived from whatever entity manufactures the thoughts floating around in your head. Winning is calling that liar out, stopping it in its tracks. Winning is saying, there's no proof on earth that suggests I can't take another step forward, and then another and then another.

There's absolutely zero evidence. that you can't take what's being given to you and not only survive the moment but thrive. See, when you hold the pen, anything seeking to tell you how the story ends is simply, definitionally, unequivocally, not true. Not unless you want it to be.

Because the story and its ending are yours. What will be Some truth is what you write down. Line by line, moment by moment, day by day. So when the liar speaks, understand what she is and keep writing. And when the liar cries out, understand his intentions and keep building. If you want this moment, it's yours. and that is truth.

A cheat code in life is understanding the significance of getting to one. Because if you can get one, you can absolutely get two. And if you can get two, you can get three, four, five, five thousand, five hundred thousand, or five million. Once you realize that something is possible, you're no longer the same person you once were. Your hands need not be held to the sky as though the universe is going to drop something into them. No, you've cracked the code. You have the info. And the burden has now been placed directly onto your shoulders.

That little question, is this possible, dissipates. Getting to one was your proof of that. And then the obvious accompanying question, now what are you going to do about it? What are you going to do? Because the race isn't to one million, it's to one. One is the power. One is the reassurance.

One is everything you need. If you can sell one painting, you can sell 50,000 paintings. If you can make one three-pointer, you can make thousands of three-pointers. If you can create one genius marketing video that goes viral, you can create hundreds, thousands, millions. Again, the evidence, you got one. Anything beyond one is procedural. It's a testing of methods.

It's becoming relentless in your pursuit to repeat the process with the pieces that you're discered. disposal. But make no mistake, those pieces are there, everything you need is there, so long as you get to one. I had to recently break through to this realization. Like so many of us, I'm an ambitious person. I love the game. I want to add value to more people, reach more listeners, generate more revenues, scale impact, all that stuff, of course. But for a while, I just couldn't figure out how. I became almost disillusioned. What am I doing wrong?

Maybe. What if maybe do I dare say, do I dare even think for a second that I've gone as far as I can go? But was ultimately rescued. Rescued by the realization that I was asking the world for things I didn't have instead of leveraging what I did.

I needed to separate the value I possessed from the logistics that would try, transported. Because, and this is what we forget, I've already performed my miracle. I've added value to one person, and if you can add value to one, why not 10? Why not 10 million? It's not a product issue. It's a scaling question. The car works. Figure out how to get it to the racetrack. The tool is effective. Now get it into the hands of the builders. You see, the difference, the confidence that comes with that? Instead of doubting all that you bring to the world, asking yourself if more is possible, you say, yeah, of course it is, because I've already done it,

here is my proof. Now what's around me that I can use to deliver it? How can I try things, reposition things, figure out how to scale and get further, but I know it's possible. So many of us have already gotten to one. We're adding value. We're doing what we believe in. But we're asking the wrong question. We're still asking whether more is possible. It is.

The burden is just on you to bring it to fruition. The burden is on you to find a way. To scale the value contained in your one thing. And by the way, if you haven't arrived, arrived at one yet. Buckle up. Getting to one was one of the best periods of my life. Finding your value proposition, enjoying the process, exploring, finding that intersection of value and personal contentment. You'll eventually arrive there. But remember, for you, the goal is not one million, it's one, one idea that works, one approach that lights you up, one action that

opens your eyes to the upside, that makes the world better to those around you. When you've found your one thing, when you know what makes a difference, then you move on to the scaling chapter, right? Then how do we turn one into one million? But they're two different questions. So remember that moving forward. No matter how stuck you feel, if you have one, you simultaneously have a little seed capable of producing infinity. It just needs attention. Trust yourself to work through the logistics because that's all it is. Transform the if into how and start building that staircase straight to the moon.

Find away. Because first and foremost, there always is one. Find a way because you are more than strong enough. Because anything other than a solution or some semblance of progress means you gave in. Called it quits, threw in the towel, and giving in is not who you are. Find a way because that discomfort today will it becomes our greatest source. of pride tomorrow. The simple decision to carry on or stick it out now is so much more than it appears to be

when under duress. Sure, it's easy to turn around, but everything, everything relies on your moving forward into that darkness. Find a way. as while we may think we want safety and need predictability, our souls want adventure. Life's meaning is comprised of the mountains climbed and dragons slayed, so step out and slay your dragons. Find a way.

Because an evolved self has to be earned. promises to yourself is no small ordeal. Putting your head on the pillow at night, knowing you followed through on who you decided you would be, that's power. It creates a trajectory towards infinite possibility. It points you at the stars. Find a way because you must reinforce the fact that the way that the way of the way that the The world is clay to be molded, not a checklist.

It's a game, not a chore, a gift, not an obligation. When you find a way, you become the ruler of your own kingdom. Look, there exists a way, a path. That's not the question. The question is one of effort. Is there a willingness to move beyond the parameters? parameters imposed upon you by others, by the past, by the thoughts that bounce around in your head. Is there a willingness to endure to rest in the short term?

Is there a willingness to fall down now, to look dumb, to not always be perfectly packaged or assembled? Are you willing to endure that in exchange for the infinite? I remember hearing the mantra, there is always a way to get to your finish line. It's not can I. It's not, is it possible? No, it's how. How do I get there?

The dots exist. You have to be the one to connect them. You have to build bridges over the oceans of unknowns. The valleys comprise. of the unforeseen, oh there is a way. Remember that. Remember that it's not the destination that's in question, but one's willingness to knock and knock and knock

until the right door opens. Remember that you have everything you need, that you are armed with all that is required. You were made to connect those very dots before you. You just have to decide what's more important to you. That feeling of reaching the top of the mountain or the feeling of its shade at the bottom. What will you give to be more than you've ever been? Do more than you've ever done.

There is always away. Are you willing to find it? If someone were to tell you, life is easy. they'd be incorrect. If they were to tell you there's a specified path to contentment, they'd be misinformed. If they were to tell you there's a book of answers to every question you'll come across,

they'd be misled. The point is not that life is easy, predictable, or defined. The point is that despite the fact that it's none of those things, you're capable of making something from it. That from a seemingly endless barrage of unknowns exists the pieces to build something truly extraordinary. I came across a quote a few years ago from Abraham Maslow

and a concept that was in Ernest Becker's book, The Denial of Death, and the idea is we are simultaneously gods and worms. Every once in a while you come across an idea that changes the way you see things, that's definitely one of them, right? A duality that is perpetually under tension. God's and worms. We're animals, we're flesh and bone eroding by the day. We're given a temporary stay on a giant rock rotating around the sun, while simultaneously equilateriously, equilitary.

with the power to not only be aware of that finitude, but to transcend it, to dream, to see things that are not yet there. Our minds are miraculous. We are both gods and worms. So what do we do about this? How about use the fact that we're going to die, the fact that in many ways we don't have control, the fact that life is messy and unpredictable and often a maze of complete chaos.

To, rather than shrink because of it, take off the guardrails and reach for the heavens. To put things into existence that do not yet exist. Why not go all in? After all, the thing about living is the saying goes, is that no one makes it out alive. No one hops on the roller coaster To constantly look at their watch

To dwell on its temporary nature No, it's to enjoy the ride And what is our time here But a few short rides Around the sun So when it feels like life is too big When the day overwhelms or disintegrates into chaos Don't fixate on the rocky nature of the world around you, but on your ability to take it all and make it mean something.

Cherish the idea that although everything around you is dictated by natural laws and constraints, your mind is bound by nothing. And where you seek answers, you will find them, where you pursue more, you will unlock it. Our finitude, our challenges are essential to our existence. They remind us that we have nothing to lose, that the song will end, so why not dance? Like it's your last time. Because sure, in time we will be dirt for worms. But that's exactly why, as long as we're here, We'll live to, in our own unique way, bridge the gap between the ground we walk on and the heavens above.

The hard thing brought me through hell, but also to that which exists on the other side. The hard thing prompted me to question and doubt, but also provided the pieces I use. to build my confidence little by little. It made me ask the tough questions, the ones maybe I didn't want to hear the answer to, but also gave me the power to transform those answers I didn't like. The hard thing meant forfeiting being the expert in my world in exchange for the role of student in a foreign arena.

It gave me new ladders to climb, new possibilities to reach for. It showed that true growth requires a willingness to be the beginner. It took some people out of my arms, my circle, my work, and in some cases my life altogether, but always seemed to open the door to those souls better aligned, to those conducive to the journey and the process. Let's remember what the hard thing is.

Beyond the pain, because we all know it does bring that, beyond the challenges, because there are certainly many. Beyond all that exists the hope and the change and the promise. Robert Frost says the best way out is always through. Through because it's the chaos, the haze, the darkness of night that shapes us. It's in being broken. being broken, that we learn to rebuild our world with the pieces, and perhaps most importantly. We learn that such a rebuilding process is possible to begin with, that the now is not mandatory

or permanent. The hard thing, as it turns out, is nothing more than a transaction. Turbulence for the view above the clouds, fear in the moment for confidence in the future. It's learning that although life sometimes appears to paint a picture of conformity and helplessness, there's always a path leading to the very place we need to go. It just asks we find the courage to walk it. Churchill has said the pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.

And this beautiful message rings true. Because from the difficulty is the advantage. And sure, our first instinct is to see the problem. Our eyes tend to initially fix it on that which is unfortunate. But beyond that is where we get the most incredible things life provides, as if one is removing the shell or outer layer in order to get to the nutrients in the center, the initials in the center, ingredients required for growth, the pieces necessary to experience life at its fullest.

And so we must be reminded that those opportunities, they're not rare, they're not reserved for everyone but you. They just tend to disguise themselves as the things we're most inclined to disregard or walk by. But if one finds the courage to move into them, through them, If one can see the difficulty not as a deterrent but as a bargain, they'll be given everything on the other side. Reality is not changed with the magic wand or the granting of a wish. It's from staring down the heart thing and moving directly into it one little step at a time.

adversity. Thank you. To the challenges, the ones I hated in the moment, I am beyond grateful. They became invaluable. Those moments that forced me to be more than I was. Step out before I was so that I could arm myself for the path that was meant for me. Thank you. Thank you. to those times I was afraid. You taught me that the darkness is never as bad as our thoughts make them out to be. And when we learn to trust ourselves, we realize that fear becomes strength. Thank you to those times I fell short of expectations, the times I didn't quite hit the mark. You taught me that it's not about me.

It's not personal. It's about taking that awareness and going at it again more intelligently. Thank you to the times I felt alone. The times I didn't get the support I hoped for anticipated. You did two things. You reinforced the value of an effective, committed team, but you also emphasize that if that candle is going to stay lit, it's going to be because I commit to keeping it lit. And when tempted to point out and blame the external world, I must pause, reassess, and focus on the world within.

Thank you to those times of stagnation, the valleys of despair, of uncertainty. You reminded me that momentum has to be manufactured. And the answers we need are never big or complex. They are small and they are simple. We are always one step away from getting back on track. Thank you to the unexpected setbacks. But from out of nowhere obstacles, you taught me that the trials and the tribulations, they are not the exception, they are the rule.

That success isn't running from them but learning to deal with them. There's a saying that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. Thanks for showing me to allocate my energy to the reaction. Thanks for the times I looked around and couldn't find a conceivable way. The times things seemed helpless and hopeless. You taught me that even in our darkest moments there is an answer that I am capable. I am strong enough. And who would have thought that all these things, all these situations I would have loved to run away from,

were a gift more valuable than any other. Who would have thought that predictability and comfort were wolves in sheep's clothing, that danger is never the obstacle? It's in thinking you've been slighted by life when the obstacle arrives. In reality, every setback is a chance to be more, to step into that future self, to live life. It is from our struggle that we acquire our strength, from our pain we find just how far we can go. So to these challenges that made me who I am, thank you for the insight, the lessons, and the evolution.

Thank you for showing me what no success could ever have shown. There's a Latin phrase pronounced amorphatia. It's one of the more powerful ideas I've covered. the cross. Its translation means love of fate. It implies everything that happens is good, with the very least necessary. And I think we need that reminder from time to time. Because, funny enough, it is one of the first sentiments to leave us when we're in trouble, when we're down or lost. The idea that everything has its value. And sure we don't always understand it in the moment or when we're fighting through it,

but that circumstance or even tragedy, and the great play of life has a crucial role. Someone recently sent me a beautiful clip from Stephen Colbert interview. I want to dive in, but there's a caveat. I ask that you listen to this in a vacuum. For our purposes, I'm not going to be the Stephen Colbert. who mocks half the country on live TV every night. This is the wise Stephen Colbert with a lot of value to add because he can be both.

To frame the interview, he's sitting across from Anderson Cooper, and Anderson's asking him about something he said a while back. Anderson reads the quote, I've learned to love the things I'd most wished had not happened. what punishments of God are not gifts? Anderson then looks up from the paper, looks over at Stephen, and asks, Do you really believe that?

To which Stephen responds, yes. It's a gift to exist, and with existence comes suffering. There's no escaping that. You can't pick and choose what to be grateful for. A truly incredible emotional moment. It is the realization of amorphati. Even the most trying of times are a bridge to something. Even that which is taken away creates a space for one to ultimately find what they need.

A couple years ago, I did a keynote in Hollywood Beach talking about those difficult situations. Some of them are external, but some of them we create. Chaos, self-induced, that opens the children. door to the most precious of occurrences. Things that I never would have had or arrived at, if not for the pain, the sadness, the confusion. It truly all fits together. And so I basically take a trip down memory lane, talking about the physical duress of a cold

morning run. Wouldn't you know it? Strengthens one's conviction and belief in themselves. Or the sadness in leaving someone you care about, someone you love, knowing it's no longer what's best for either of you, but was necessary. Touched on the fear. The physical resistance I felt walking onto stages in 2015 and 16, dreaming of off-ramps, thinking of excuses in my head all the way up until the mic was in my hand on stage and words came

out of my mouth that propelled me to comfort and confidence in sharing my voice. Again, it's all one big puzzle. Every piece matters. You don't get ups without downs. And as you push forward into the next thing and the next, as you see the breadth of the unexpected and the power of the unknown, you learn. You learn that the so-called lows aren't the exception. They're not a problem to be solved.

And as I sit here now, I even view them less as a cost than I once did, a pain that must be endured. No, it's all worthy and deserving of our gratitude. It all matters. It's all precious. I talked about on a recent episode, getting migrants. And one of the days I remember more than any other in my life, and I'm 36 now by the time this episode's released.

I have a few days under my belt. This one was truly memorable to me. I was having a debilitating headache and a ton of pain, finally able to fall asleep. And I remember waking up, opening my eyes and realizing that the night had finally slipped by. Morning arrived. And I felt good again.

I slowly got up, kind of tilted my head back and forth, testing the waters, all clear, and walked out down to the beach and as the sun came up, I sat on the lifeguard stand and just looked out in awe. The sand, the waves, the seagulls, the sky. It all meant more in that moment than it ever had. I was just beyond grateful to be there. And so you talk about the lows being gifts. You know, I get it.

It sounds cliche at best. maybe even ridiculous. But those lows, I swear by it, always seem to give me the things I'm most grateful for. It's a pattern that constantly repeats itself. They always remind me that the magic is the stuff I walk right by. They put me in hell for a period of time so that I understand to exist beyond that space is a mirror. Without Lowe's, life's beauty becomes a baseline. When something is a baseline, it's definitionally average, or regular, it's mundane. I've learned to love all the things I'd most

wished had not happened. What punishments of God are not. It all matters. It all brings you somewhere. And if you're at a point where you're so deep in the weeds or so far in the trenches that you've forgotten. I hope this finds you and lifts you above it all. I hope it reminds you that you will arrive at the place you most need to be. And it will be not despite but because of this path you walked that you arrived there. Some people live their entire lives waiting for miracles. And some people realize they're already in one and act accordingly. I hope today you choose the ladder because it is a gift to be here.