Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - BE DIFFERENT | Positive Morning Motivation | Powerful Motivation Speech 2022

Episode Date: June 22, 2022

"Doubts kill more dreams than failure ever will"

Chlorox Centiva smells like grapefruit. It's like chlorox. Looks like... Yeah. Okay, we could be here all day. Try Chlorox Centiva for a trusted clean with long-lasting freshness. Also available in lavender and coconut. News is directed.

Stop hitting snooze or 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. Standing on that ledge, staring out at what we know we need to do, at the moment we least want to do it,

well, that's where the future is shaped. When procrastination feels like the answer, or avoidance the optimal choice, where does one draw their strength? They say routine is a powerful tool in this fight. And I believe that when something becomes habit or part of the process instilled in the day-to-day, there's just simply less room for negotiation. We show up with our eyes on the prize. But here's the thing, we are human.

They're simply going to be days when the world pushes back. Life is a game of complexity. It's unpredictable. You want to talk about the good days, fine. It's easy to show up when we're feeling good. And thankfully those days outnumber the others, right? Creating the bulk of our consistency, 10,000 hours. But not all of them.

I mean, life is about momentum. Myself, after coming off a pretty terrible weekend for a variety of reasons, I found myself on that ledge again. When the alternative route made itself known, where it felt mighty tempting to call it off, take a break where my worldview had come into question, I had to ask myself, who are you? Really? It's easy to rationalize walking away in these moments. In his book The War of Art, Stephen Presfield says, our job in life is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it. Well, who would have known how much goes into that process of becoming, how committed we have to be. How committed we have to be.

to the road before us and not only when it's sunny, but when the skies are dark and gray. And how if we allow ourselves in those difficult moments to say, sometimes it's okay to wave the white flag, it's okay to walk away, then you leave the door cracked to make that same decision at any other point in time. Right, quitting, conceding can very easily, become a habit and a habit we want to avoid at all cost. Right? I have this little rule that no matter what, I can never leave dishes in the sink overnight.

Never. I treat this arbitrary little promise to myself, like it's life or death, which, again, random, but hear me out. It's half practical, half symbolic. I know that if I say, okay, just this once, I've effectively removed the barrier separating order from chaos.

If it's okay just this once, then it's okay 1,000 times. And a messy sink becomes a messy kitchen, becomes a messy house, becomes a cluttered mind. Extreme, maybe. But critical, right? Here is where the symbolism comes in. I understand how fragile that divide. how when I'm tired or have a headache or I'm busy, it's still priority. Because I want to hammer my subconscious with the understanding that I show up when it's inconvenient.

That very moment when, you know, I could easily trick myself into thinking it's small or dumb or arbitrary. It's a sink, who cares, right? That's the moment that I need to bleed into the rest of my life. And I think that's exactly it, right? the floodwaters are always looking to come in and how many cracks until the room gives way. You know, when you've had a few rough days, when you've lost something important to you, when you're sad or disappointed about an outcome, what then? When life calls you to exceed expectations, what then?

Because the world around you will always give you evidence to support dialing it back, selling yourself short if that's the case you're looking to make. But here's the deal. Should you choose the inverse, you are strong enough to be better than you've ever been in those challenging moments. You can show up when it hurts. You can reestablish your why and carry forward even after the turbulence of yesterday. Life will never be easy.

It will never all make sense. And this understanding has helped me to roll up my sleeves and continue forward. When I'm disappointed with yesterday, or overwhelmed by the conditions or landscape of the moment, when I question how much I have left. But I've found that when I look hard enough, there's always something to draw on. And that's the message of note. That's what we must show ourselves. When you're on that ledge, this can be where you're at your best.

This is where you get to uncover just how deep rooted your greatness is. This is where you set the standard and the pace for everything to come. Can life change in a day? Well, what if we made today a day of action? of being decisive, of promising ourselves that our goal or objective is to make a single move. However small, what if today action is king, and we live by the notion that whether the result of our courage is good or bad, whether it's the result we hoped for, the one that we didn't, at least now we have. We have to be able to. have something to work off of. And that means we've moved beyond where we started. What if today we

live by the notion that a vision can change our lives? But a vision without that small step is powerless. And today we take that small step. It's easy to forget how good progress feels, how incredible it is to know that we're moving towards something meaningful in our lives. Something that we chose that we're building. We had the courage to break life down so that piece by piece we could build it back up. We are our happiest when we are progressing. We're designed to map out the unknown,

unexplored territory to make it our own. We're not just flesh and bone, but travelers with God-like capability of seeing that which is not yet there. And with an idea and courage, there's nothing we can't do. And that's why, when we stop seeing infinite opportunity, when we pretend that settling is okay, that the status quo is enough, we know deep down in our souls that something's missing, we need. the next door to unlock. So today, let's find just one door that we can open. It reminds yourself of the shock wave that goes through your system when inspiration guides an idea and progress turns that idea into reality because momentum connects

every aspect of life. Not hitting the snooze button can mean seeing the sun. which can mean you read three pages in a book you wouldn't have read, which could mean your day improves, which could mean you make a call that you've been meaning to make, which could mean a dozen wheels start turning, not because you did everything, but because you did one. Today can be the day that changes your life, and you don't even need the miraculous to make that happen. You just need to push back against the normalcy of your everyday.

Create little microcosms of chaos that you can tame, you can understand, make your own, and then stack on top of each other. Today treat that little voice of uneasiness or nervousness in your stomach as assurance that the path before you is the right one. Almost all decisions are reversible, but that a decision at least puts you somewhere, right or wrong. It moves you along and shows you more of life, the things, the people, the places you've never seen before.

And the only bad decision is no decision. Some folks never moved towards meaning, towards the things that they want in their entire lifetime because they didn't realize it wasn't an earthquake they needed to shake the old world at its foundation. They needed to make one decision. One decision that might be wrong, but at the very least would reassure them that wrong decisions aren't fatal. A decision allows you to remap a new reality and take another step and another and another.

You can change your life. today by picking your arena and simply stepping into it. You don't need to be the best or the greatest or the most innovative. No, that's for another day. Today, if you want to change your life, open the door and step in. You'll be amazed at what transpires. You're not here just to get by, to check a box. No, you're here for something different. Maybe it's your desire to chase down that sunrise

while the rest of the world sleeps, to embrace the difficult, the inconvenient in exchange for that little bit of glory you'll soon feel as you pour your morning coffee and start your day. Or maybe

it's your fact. fascination with the fact that every time you ask yourself, if there's more, if you have anything left, the answer always seems to be yes. And maybe that's it. That what you're capable of in a world of finitude and constraint and limitation seems to be the only thing with absolutely no The human soul undergoes a sort of transformation, if you will. Every time we look around at what currently is and decide it will soon be the gateway to something more. And that's life's best kept secret.

The word decide. The idea that we choose whether to accept things as they are or to change them, that we have within us the ability to push further than we've ever pushed to find what was once only existent in our imaginations. And this will always be true. You get what you seek, what you're willing to endure. And while some see this tradeoff as too much as a cost far too expensive, Others see it as the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to give some of you so that you can grow and improve all of you. See, each footstep is far more than a point on the earth.

It's a declaration, a commitment to give more than most would give so that you can feel what only a few will feel. So remember that when things seem trivial, when it's easier to call it a day or turn it around, that the simple act of continuing forward puts you in the minority. It's positioning you to experience life as it should be lived. You're here to both cherish the now and cash it in.

Let the value of your courage compound. Let your resilience remind you just how much control you control you have and how much is waiting for you. If only you say yes when it hurt, move forward when the path is unclear, believe when the possibility only exists in your head. You're here because while it may be easier to watch life go by from the cheap seats, the risk, the sacrifice, is worth being able to look back someday down the road and know that at least you had the courage to play the game. Every run tells the tale.

All those streets, sidewalks, and paths, paint a picture. Each footstep enshrines forever a moment in time that comes together to comprise. than now. For my time in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, it was asking, why not? Why not find out if I could be a little faster than yesterday? My first dance with the clock. Waking up early, running up Snake Pond Road, sun shining in my face, inhaling that crisp morning air. It was running along the canal where the distance was precisely mapped out in paint on the ground below tattooing a path that seemed to go for as long as I wanted to push forward.

It taught me that we could do amazing things when we decided to. That we have more in us than we could ever imagine. In a sense, Cape Cod was my eyes. opening up to the idea that what life gives us is directly correlated to what we ask of ourselves. So ask for a lot. In Boston it was exploration. It was pushing myself harder and further, but also stretching my worldview wider, a time for transformation. It was beginning to see the mundane, the commonplace for the world. in sheep's clothing that they are.

I began exploring city street, like I simultaneously began exploring life's possibility. I saw how taking new routes often came with two distinct components. One, an unsettling nervous feeling in my stomach, and two, an eventual gratitude for finding the courage to go there. The world will never tell you to go where you have not yet gone, have not yet gone, it will never assign you a map and hand you keys a plane or a bus ticket. That desire must be cultivated internally. Boston was me realizing the unknown wasn't a border

keeping me in. It was a hand extended. In Roanoke, Virginia, it was in a sense a rebirth. Moving away post-college. Everything was new, was foreign, but everything was exciting. I had to learn who I was in new surroundings with new people. My Nike running shoes took me through woods, downside streets, into the heart of downtown. I ran and I ran and I ran. Because with all that change, it was one of the few constants in my life. It brought me to the realization that with so many moving pieces, so many things shuffling in and out, There are parts of me that are non-negotiable. That in life it's okay and even necessary to change,

but one should never lose themselves in that process. They call Roanoke the Star City of the South, for the giant glowing star that lights up on the mountain overlooking the city. Perhaps a reminder to never lose that North Star, in our own lives. In South Florida, it was about connecting the dots. I'd been relentlessly doing. Now it was seeing.

Seeing myself as that person, as someone ready for more, worthy of a spot at the table capable of creating monumental change. Those soft sand runs reinforce the notion that I get stronger when the world moves under my feet. my feet. Those hundreds of thousands of footsteps under the hot sun reiterated that I'm willing

to do what is often deemed unnecessary or even over the top. And lastly, living in the luxury of no winter reminded me to appreciate the sun, the perks, the advantages, and the victories we collect along the way. But to never take them for granted, to be ready. Because life's winters don't always wait until after fall to show up at your doorstep. See, every step we take is a lesson. Every street, sidewalk, and path is part of a story. And sometimes we don't understand until we look back at the chapters. We don't get it until we have the luxury of hindsight. I didn't know that I look back on Snake Pond Road as sacred ground. as a launch pad to everything that would come next.

No, in the moment, it was nothing more than a temporary escape from a world that felt bigger than me. I didn't know I'd see the city of Boston as the place that taught me to question the normalcy of everyday life. To show me that one could be moving awfully fast and still going nowhere at all. No, in the moment, it was merely a decision to dip my toe. in the water to entertain the curiosity and sense of adventure that always seemed a few feet ahead.

I had no idea Roanoke, Virginia would be where I learned that, as Emerson said, to be yourself in a world constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. That there are non-negotiables and shining down above all the noise and intricacies of everyday life, the path and the resources to become who you were meant to be. No, in the moment I was simply stepping off my branch and landing somewhere new. I didn't know South Florida would be my consistent reminder to level up, to hold tightly that intersection of love and value,

to find gratitude for what I have and maintain faith in bringing about what has not yet materialized, No, at the time I was taking my life, my business, and my running shoes to warmer weather. You may not see it now. But your path, the one that led you to today, is the right path. You are exactly where you need to be for the beginning of your next adventure. But here's the thing. You.

You must keep lacing up your shoes. Keep getting up in the morning and chasing those sunrises. Keep dreaming, growing. Keep your eyes, ears, and heart open. Because the world has so much to give you. But you have to allow your feet to carry you there. You have to give yourself permission to take it all in. The normalcy of right now,

down the road will end up being anything but normal. these steps are the steps that make you who you are, so own them. Believe in them and most importantly, keep taking them. Why is this battle you versus you? With all the complexity, all the obstacles out there, why are you your greatest opponent? Well, to put it simply, because all those obstacles and all that, complexity still can't tell you no. They can't say enough is enough. They can't look

back at you and say let's just settle for what we have now. No, only you can do that. The world may create the landscape, it may construct the terrain and those obstacles, but you are the sole decider on where along the way you stop. You decide how far you want to go and how much you are willing to endure. When it comes to your advancement or limitation, you are in the drivers. I just picked up a copy of Will Smith's recent book. And one of the ideas that stood out to me was resilience. And this part in the book, it's actually kind of uncomfortable to get through, but incredibly powerful.

He's talking about his childhood and the whole level. of his father's personality. A man who would do anything to provide for his family, he took pride in that and saw it as his primary responsibility. But simultaneously was their greatest source of pain. And he mentions his father, hitting his mother from time to time. In one particular example,

struck his mother in the face so hard that it knocked her on the floor. And as she stood back up, she said something along the lines of, you can hit me, but you can't hurt me. And that was the first time Will understood as a child, the difference between what the outside world inflicts upon us and how we choose to react to that occurrence. That understanding is power. And so why you are the author of your story. In the sense that every single thing dropped at your feet, every situation, every occurrence, they come with an implicit question attached, a question that you and only you are responsible for answering. The question is, what does this mean?

And how you respond to that question determines whether you go left or right at that metaphorical fork in the road. Does the occurrence detract from your ambitions or is it a multiplier? Does it confirm your doubt and insecurities or is it your reason to rise to the occasion? An opportunity to stretch, to evolve. That's a gift. That's an invite. Not some sort of divine punishment. But the challenge is removing the layers until you arrive at the value.

And it's hard. but you get there by saying yes you get there by choosing to see the value and here's a quick example my favorite thing about athletics which was for me a ton of running now I throw more interval training in there but the same concepts apply

it's a chance to remind myself but I don't negotiate with my weakness I don't give myself an opportunity to rationalize with the voice that wants me to quit, that question, that fork in the road, I answered it. I charted its course before the workout started, knowing this is going to be uncomfortable at times, but it's where I need to go. There will be no more thinking from here on out. So today's workout, for example, switching deadlifts, burpees to school.

squats, to core, you don't think. You see the next requirement, the next task, and you simply say, yes, you don't need your mind for this. In fact, you go before your mind even knows where it's going. Because that dotted line has already been signed. And that was the breakthrough for me. When you separate what you have to do with the hurt associated with doing that thing, you free yourself. After all, what's there to hold you back if you can't talk yourself out of doing things? See, we tend to think our greatest adversity is the pain or the confusion or the unknown.

But it's like, no, those are the byproducts of doing anything of significance. The adversary is the voice that begs you to slow down because of those things. And if you can figure out in your own life, how to create space between the two, how to separate the task and the discomfort often brought about by the task, there's nothing that will ever be able to slow you down. And look, I'm not saying that you walk around without ever utilizing the power of that brilliant mind you possess.

The one's ability to think is everything, but what I am saying is there is a time to shut it off. There is a time in which to avoid over. overthinking, we simplify. Action, reaction. One more mile, okay, end of story. One minute of jump squats next. Roger that, period.

It's taking the emotion out of the process, refusing to leave the door cracked for the inner dialogue that says, hey, maybe you don't do this, maybe you slow down. Are you sure you can handle what's next? No, all of that is tuned out. It's assignment, go. Next, go.

Next, go. You know this is the right thing. You did your thinking before grabbing the sword, shield, and stepping into the arena. Now guess what? It's instinct. It's doing what has to be done. And what has to be done hurts. And look, you didn't have to accept that. You didn't have to step in. you could have stayed home, but somewhere along the way you looked in the mirror and said, the difficult path is the one with the value. And now here you are. Face to face with hungry lions, clashing swords with your adversaries. There's no turning back now.

Now is when you parse out pain from the objective. The pain is now part. of the audience. It's not with you or in you, it's watching from above as you do what you came here to do. So yes, those swords clash, but the eyes remain focused on what's ahead. And yes, those lions roar, but that's background noise.

When you simplify your world into objective and action, objective, action, objective action, there is time for nothing but forward progress. And sometimes that is all that is required of us. In the face of adversity, in the face of pain, self-doubt, in the face of discomfort, can you break your world down into nothing but one single step forward? One more set, one more rep, one more session, one more attempt, just one more. No rocket science, no negotiation. There's nothing to figure out here. It's walking the path before you. It's the discipline to carry on. It's one more swing of the axe. Audience or no audience. Lions are no lions. You are bound

to the universe at your feet. And that simplified concentration is why you will succeed. For a second, imagine that feeling in your stomach. The nerves, the discomfort, maybe even the doubt, as you walk up to do that one thing that scares you, that stretches you just a little bit further than you're ready for. And as you move towards that sort of dark, unknown the mysterious discomfort, what's on your mind?

Are you starting to rationalize? Maybe you're asking yourself, hey, why did I do this to begin with? Seemed like a good idea at one point. It seemed bold and adventurous. But now it seems like the wheels have hit the road and the narrative is shifting in real time. So try and recreate that feeling for a second. fear in the eyes. Capture what it means, physically, mentally. For me, it was public speaking. Half a decade ago, standing backstage, palms sweating, little voice in my head saying,

hey Ed, a cubicle doesn't seem so bad right now, does it, genius? Maybe, you know, for you in this scenario, it's that big test that feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, everything's on the line. Maybe it's something like starting a conversation with a complete stranger, interview for a job you want, starting line of a race, having the courage to speak your mind online. Maybe it's doing something your family doesn't quite get or your friends won't understand, cutting ties with what's comfortable, a decision to be what you've always wanted to be. There's a million possibilities. There's a lot of fear that we dance with on a day-to-day basis. But in that moment, as your feet start moving in the very direction that will bring your ideas closer to your reality,

and you're hit with that same feeling, that wall that tells us something isn't quite right. That's what I want to discuss. Because it's hard to be met with this feeling and still move confidently in the same direction. There's cognitive dissonance there. How can something feel wrong and be right? Should there be disconnect? You know, it's funny, I really enjoy reading quotes, and particularly Lewis Carroll has resonated with me over the years.

You know, things he said in his works, they're witty, they're funny, but they're powerful. And one in particular stood out to me. It's why sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. I just loved the concept, the idea of immersing yourself, you know, in the impossible, in the difficult, the thing that's not right in front of you, that sort of creating it as you go. So I got through the looking glass and adventures of Alice in Wonderland. It was an interesting read.

I'm not sure I'd recommend it for everyone, but there was certainly one thing that popped out at me, that I found incredibly valuable. And it was in Alice's journey holistically, right? So just she goes into this rabbit hole, and the world is basically upside down. Nothing is as it was before she jumped. Nothing really makes sense.

And what you see is her progression as a character as she starts continually embracing the thing that feels abnormal, upside down and weird. But with each decision to move forward, she completely redefines this insane world that wasn't particularly warm and receptive to Alice to begin. with. She stands up to a queen running around ordering executions. She navigates a world with new rules and guidelines. She transforms the boundaries that used to define reality. And what I think is

valuable is that there really wasn't this boom transformative moment where everything changes. She just keeps subtly saying yes. She keeps moving forward without knowing for sure how things will work out or unfold. As if she's supposed to. And she becomes so accustomed to superpowers. that feeling of fear and uneasiness, that it almost becomes comical. She goes with it, it becomes the author of a new story. She becomes untouchable in this world. And my point here,

and for those of you not a fan of Alice in Wonderland, I appreciate you hanging on, but where these dots connect is that it's actually a pretty simple idea. Life unfolds in a way that is unimaginable. When we shift our thinking from, oh no, here comes that feeling, in my stomach again, my heart's pounding, my palms are sweating, so I've wandered too far. When you change that to, here comes that feeling in my stomach, heart pounding, palms, sweating,

so here comes the beginning of something incredible, life ships. See, it's not running from that temporary feeling of fear and discomfort, but harnessing it. It's a weapon, it's a tool, right? It fuels the rocket ship headed to the moon. It's the water that that seed of opportunity is dependent upon. And sure, it feels new and unsettling, and yes, uncomfortable, but so is, as we learn, everything good. And sure, you could turn back.

You could avoid that manufactured conflict, confrontation altogether, but, man, you have to be okay, never knowing what those peaks could have been. You have to be content imagining a life. of adventure and not living it. And to me, that's a much steeper price. Because that feeling of fear in your stomach, it's temporary. It goes away, but the feeling of knowing you walked away when life held out its hand and offered you more, that doesn't go away.

And see, I look at it like this. Two things change every time you say yes. Every time you acknowledge the organized chaos and move forward anyway, you move both your internal and external worlds one step forward. Internal because life is your identity. And as has been said before, humans always follow through on who they believe they are. I've heard actors saying the most important decision they make is the shoes they put on. Because it lays the groundwork for how you feel.

You just feel differently about yourself in clown shoes than you would in basketball shoes than you wouldn't dress shoes. You feel different about yourself in a suit than you wouldn't sweatpants. And this doesn't mean go reassess your wardrobe, but highlights how malleable identity is. Yeah, we follow through on who we believe we are. But the powerful thing is who we believe we are is created every single day. Every time we use fear to propel us forward. Right? Your subconscious goes, okay, that's who I am.

am. Someone who does the uncomfortable thing. Someone who is okay with fear, that's me. Right? And that's the internal foundation that means everything. That's how identity is constructed. And if you stack that up with action every single day, you won't even be able to recognize yourself. That's the internal transformation. Then there's the external transformation. Every time you push through fear, you level up. Not significantly. Right? You aren't immediately transformed. In fact, sometimes you don't even notice, but the truth is, after you say yes, after you take that step, you're fractionally further than a few minutes earlier. Your relative ceiling is now the floor and it's time to take another step. This is how

you create distance over time. So when you hear the word fear, let's rewire that reaction. Let's change how we think about it. Because it's not a monster in the closet. It's not Not some demons staring you in the face. No, it's a ticket to something more, something to be embraced and coveted. It's the next little step in your journey. And why when most of the world bows down to that feeling of discomfort or instability

and stays the same, you will have moved forward. Not in a single leap, but a step. A step that over time will become the reason that at some point, when you look over your shoulder, you'll find a life, a world, a reality that is unrecognizable in the context of where you began. It's why fear is not to be avoided or even tolerated, but sought out as the single variable that puts a pulse in your aspirations, gives hope to your dreams. The ideal life is not predicated on the avoidance of fear, but the ability to be able to,

to harness and capitalize on its power. There's a saying that what you water is ultimately what grows. That where you place your attention ends up guiding your feelings, your perception, your actions and your life. Focus becomes identity. And change comes from bringing awareness to what we're focusing on. I remember when this light bulb went off for me. Like so many epiphanies,

You know what happened during a difficult kind of a trying time. It wasn't where I wanted to be. And I remember sitting down and asking myself, you know, dude, are you on your own team here? Are you helping yourself? Using the metaphor, the question was, am I watering the weeds in my life or the flowers? And by the weeds, I mean, am I allocating energy to thoughts that are detrimental to what I want? Am I keeping myself in places I don't want to be? relationships that are counterproductive. Am I thinking about what can go wrong instead of all that can go right?

Or am I watering the flowers, the positive, highlighting the possibility, the things I'm appreciative for, the seeds, the potential that can grow a mile high. See, I've always known the value in choosing to see the possibility. But the million dollar question is how do you remain aware? Because that's the thing about weeds, they're sneaky, they'll take control of your life without letting you know they're doing it. So I'm thinking this through and it dawns on me. This is not complex. This is simple. It's one identifying where you want to be and two analyzing your actions based on those priorities, right? That's it. And so for every pillar of my life, health, relationships, career, finances, I made two dots. One for where I am and one for where I want to be.

Everything in the middle is life, the ups, the downs, the joys, the sorrow. Everything in between is the path, the line. And it's simple. You start on point A, knowing that you can always get to point B. That what you want exists. It's there. It's available. And your attention.

All of your energy should be allocated to the thoughts that reinforce that truth. That's your path. That's what you believe. That's what's important. And it's going to happen. Anything beyond or outside that line, anything that tells you you're not good enough, anything that accepts not achieving that priority, suggests it won't work out. That is where the weeds live.

That is wasted space. Why exhaust that energy? To think, you know, I'm not good enough to get this promotion. How does that help you get to your point being? It doesn't. Eliminate that thought, right? Point B always exists. Just that notion pushes a lot of things to the side. You have to be good enough. You just need improvement. Maybe it's enhanced skills. Maybe it's more effort. Maybe it's changed approach. But tackling these things will water the flowers. It moves you along the path. And progress is happiness. Right? For me, health is a big thing. I run all the time. But I'd like to be more fit. I'd like to eat healthy. There's room for improvement, and I know it's possible, because that is my point B. I know that saying I don't have time, or I don't have the right body type, or genes,

or trying to convince myself that fast food, just this once will be okay. No, all of that stuff is watering weeds. It exists outside my path. My time should be spent realizing how incredible the human body is, taking care of it, pushing it, being proud of it, taking accountability for it. That's me. One of these things, even if it's just a little at a time, that's the beauty. Simply existing on a path and revolving around your ideals, your vision, your priorities,

brings about joy. Negativity, it truly is a learned thing. It's manufactured. All there are in life are circumstances. Circumstances that are neither positive nor negative, just pieces. And you decide what to do with them. Do you focus on the negative? You can.

But that won't put you in a position to change your circumstances or bring. about happiness. When you decide to see the opportunity, you free yourself from the shackles of fate because destiny never put you in the situation you did. But guess what? You can take yourself out of it. A field of sunflowers grew one root, one stem, one pedal at a time, the same field that was at one point nothing more than dirt and weeds. It was always possible and so was your ideal life. You just need to water the things that matter. The mind is like water. Necessary for survival.

Productivity. But can just as easily drown out that likelihood of success. And I can tell you with confidence, you've never seen your body's limitations. What you've seen are the limitations of your mind. When you're tired or uncomfortable, weak or unsure, these things start as far as far as, fear, being planted in your brain and attempting to grow roots, looking to acquire the real estate that exists between your ears. It's a powerful source.

It can manipulate you, your reality, anyone and everyone around you, but it only exists with your permission, and we're not always cognizant that we've opened the gate and let it in. That's the crazy part. Oh, but we do. Subconsciously or not, it's the reason you haven't gone as far as you can go, pushed as hard as you possibly can, because at some point fear stood between you and what you want. At some point, you started asking yourself if you've gone too far. Look, it doesn't matter if it's athletics or business or art or anything.

When things become uncomfortable or hurt, fear always should. always shows its face. It's not because, you know, you're dragging your leg on the floor or your knee gave out. It's not because you can't go on. It's because those thoughts trickle into your mind about not being able to finish. What if I can't handle this? I don't usually go this far. Am I pushing harder than I normally do? Is this right? Is it dangerous? Is it over the top? These thoughts are the seed of destruction, a virus. But here's the remedy. There's a saying in naval special operations

that when your mind is telling you you're done, when you feel maxed out, you are only at 40% capacity. You haven't scratched the surface and value isn't obtained until in one way or another you're able to realize this and push the pain. the anxiety back underground. You're not stopping because you can't go on. You're stopping because of the what-ifs and the worst-case scenarios.

You're stopping because you're pre-conditioned to stay within boundaries. Because that seed has grown into concerns about the world conspiring against you, but the body does not control the mind. The mind dictates what the body does. See, the thing about life, life is that we all have narratives. We all have stories that we believe. And here's why that's important. Everything that happens to you or around you

will be molded into your narrative. If you see something as crazy or far-fetched or impossible, life will be nothing more than evidence of that belief. Pain will be a wall 10 feet high. The old saying is seek and you shall find. What you look for is what you get. Expect greatness.

the body will listen, your world will conform, that's why believing is being. Body, it executes. Loyal to every belief, you'll always be what you decide to be. Knowledge, strength, wealth, status, excellence, many different words, many different meanings. But they do share one important thing, and that's that they are all outcomes. They are not obtainable by themselves, just like an effect can't take shape without the cause that contributed to its materialization. Right? They need something else, a seed, a root, a foundation.

If excellence were the tallest building in your city and you ripped it apart piece by piece until only the core existed, only that foundation, what you would see is courage. because courage is the thing that gives you a platform to build on. Every starting block is comprised of unknowns. Every endeavor, every journey, every time you start something new, you're by definition a rookie. You're at the bottom of some pecking order. And I want you to never be fearful of these situations, but to be thankful for them.

They're the roots that allow the tree to grow. And the only thing required for you to move forward is having the courage to say yes. Life is opportunity. The world around you is opportunity. Some people close their eyes and ignore it. Others choose to see it. Courage is never closing your eyes. Everything around you is courage. That building you're walking by, someone had the courage to start that construction company. the music you're listening to. Someone had the courage to put their art out there into the world to embrace the critics, the naysayers, the envious.

They didn't stop. And now their creativity is flowing out of your headphones and into your life. Courage is the understanding. That simple and easy are very different words. It is incredibly simple to work harder than the person next to you. It is simple to make sacrifice. to move out of your comfort zone.

You don't need to understand Einstein's theory of relativity to be able to do those things. Oh, but side note, they're insanely difficult. At first, they will kill you inside. You'll be nervous, scared, self-conscious. Courage is the understanding that fear becomes progress, that being nervous transforms into excitement. And that what once ate away at you

at you will become the fire that reshapes your life. Allow yourself to stumble through the beginning. Let yourself fail. That guy running a five-minute mile at one point, he ran it in eight. That woman worth a billion dollars, at one point was worth a million, a hundred K, maybe she was broke. It takes no courage to run the same speed your whole life. It takes no courage to stay stagnant.

Courage is saying to yourself, I am worth more than I have now. I am faster than that stopwatch is showing. I am better than this grade reflects. Courage is when your actions take on a life of their own. When they embody that winning mentality. When your friends, your peers, and the people in your life give you a hard time

because you're not the same person today that you were yesterday. Courage is smiling and moving forward. It's when the first setback comes, and the second, and the third, and the fourth, and you go straight through it. You adapt. You never lose sight of what you want. Courage is believing so strongly in your ability

that you welcome discomfort today just so that you can turn it into an advantage tomorrow. Courage isn't listening to this, taking your quick blast of adrenaline into the living room and streaming Netflix. No, it's thinking about what you want more than anything else and driving toward it. One courageous step at a time. That is courage. I took yesterday's failure, and I forged it into iron and steel. As it burned, it took on its new shape.

Through the flames, an enemy became an ally. And there it was. My creation, designed to tear through the very elements from which it was conceived. I reached into the fire. I took yesterday's failure and strapped it to my arms. I took lifelong insufficiency and placed it over my chest. Doubt became my shield, fear, my sword. I had been recreated, reimagined.

And with the past singled out and excommunicated, there was only me. Me, the journey, and this armor that strengthened my pursuit with every waking moment. Once fear was removed, hesitation followed quickly behind action. what remained and its influence was overwhelming. I realized that the only way to weaken my current state was to bow down to this mountain towering over me to retreat because with the simple act of moving forward I had become empowered. With every step I was redefined I was something more.

Life became not a window to peer out of, an incredible sprint with no end or finish. I became obsessed with trying to capture and soak up everything I could. I wanted to trip, to stumble, to fall my way to more. I wanted to fail my way to greatness. My only fear was slowing down. It was missing out.

And as my armor grew stronger, my legs moved faster. There simply wasn't enough time to breathe it all. all in. See, it's incredibly simple. When I faced my demons, it's not just that I became free of them. They lifted me up. I'd been running away from the very pieces that I needed most. This armor is a million mistakes. It's a million tragedies. It's letdowns and lessons, but because of them, my world is limitless. There is nothing that I can't get through. I've been there. I'm battle tested and anything that stands before me will become the armor on my back as I walk over it and carry on.