Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - Best Motivational Speech Compilation EVER | 1 Hour of the Best Motivation

Episode Date: June 24, 2022

Don't stop until you're proud...

It makes perfect sense in our busy lives that we sometimes lose sight of fundamental truths. At least from time to time, that's part of being human. And I want to talk about an important one. The tendency to forget that parts make a whole. Sounds simple, sounds obvious, not so much. That pieces make a stack, that little actions create big change. And I can tell you that every time in my life I've found myself in trouble or overwhelmed or intimidated,

it's because that very simple concept has alluded me. You know, and all I can see in the moment is how far I have to go. All I can see is this big, intimidating result, and I'm not there. And I want to tell a quick story to provide some context. Those of you who have seen my videos, you probably guessed it, it's running related. But if you're not a runner, hang tight because this is not in any way specific to running.

It's just a good way to articulate the message and you'll see that. So the realization occurred a few days ago doing a distance run down A1A, which is just a long, straight stretch down the coast of Florida. It's perfect to kind of zone out and just run. And that's exactly what I must have been doing, zoning out, because as I'm, you know, pretty far along, I realized that they were kind of closing off the street. There were people lining the sidewalks.

There was some kind of organized event, realized that I couldn't go back the same way that I came up. So had to run up the beach. And it was one of those things where we've all been there, right? The idea was great. Our body didn't necessarily like it. It just was one of those days. It did not feel good.

And I was really trudging my way. forward and I noticed that every time I thought about the distance I needed to travel, I felt worse. You know that feeling when you're uncomfortable? It's the thought of having to endure that for a long period of time that's most taxing. Sure, right now it's uncomfortable, but you know, what creates the anxiety is that it goes on for a long period of time. We don't see an end to the immediate. We can't stop thinking about the space between where we are and where we have to be. So I'm continuing along and, you know, my mind sort of makes its way back to my freshman year in college. And this is an important part in my life, specifically because it's when I really learned what it meant to work hard.

I had no idea, you know, and I speak about this often because I went through high school. I had good grades. I was a decent athlete, but I didn't understand what it meant to truly work. You know, my first month in college as part of the rowing team there was where I learned that just because you're suffering, just because you're hurting,

doesn't mean you're entitled to anything. Someone else out there is suffering just as much. The difference is they might be getting more out of it. They're not feeling sorry for themselves, and that mentality was eye-opening for me. It's not look at me. for putting myself through this. It's, yeah, it's uncomfortable.

She's also uncomfortable. Which one of you guys is going to turn that into results? That's what defines winners. And I remember, you know, the first workouts I did. I remember doing jump squats and wall sits with my teammates and emphasizing ways to break down the exercise into simple pieces. Mentally, right? Little pieces that the mind was okay with that weren't so scary.

A two-minute wall sit is pretty intimidating. A 20-second wall sit, that's not so bad. So do six of those. Say something funny between each set. Find a way to tear down the mental obstacles because the body can take so much if the mind lowers its defenses and simply allows it. So anyway, I'm making my way forward up the coast

and I stopped thinking about how far I had to go. I just stopped. I did not let it enter my brain. My focus went very specifically to every two steps, counting one two, one two, one two, because anyone can do anything for two steps. It's not hard. Again, it just so happens that they stack up and create miles,

but miles is not my concern, right? I'm not physically able to leap a mile. No one can do that. What I'm capable of doing is taking steps. That's all I can do. And it's manageable, and I can say without a doubt that that changed my experience, it took the pressure off. And if you don't feel like you're in control, you will have a very tough time generating results. Because again, no one can leap a mile.

And so a big part of success is rearranging the deck so that you have that kind of success. control, you're behind the wheel. Sometimes it's just reminding yourself that the little things create the big things, the pieces stack up, and every single thing in life can be broken down into those little pieces. And guess what, they're not scary. When you take the cover off, they're not overwhelming. Most importantly, they're completely within your control. On a similar note, a friend of mine recently asked the other day about YouTube. He's got a follower base of entrepreneurs. A lot of them are looking to take their business onto the platform. It was asking me some questions. And he asked, you know, what was the moment that sparked your

channel's growth? And it's a funny question because the 100,000 subscriber mark was something that, you know, right from the get-go, the onset that I was looking forward to. I was aiming for. But there was never that mile leap, right? There was no single video that changed. change the trajectory of my viewership or channel or business. That's not how it happens. It's a step-by-step process. You can't jump to 100,000 or 500,000 or a million subscribers. And starting out, all I would think about is how far I had to go.

I'd get all worked up and stressed out and, you know, disappointed. But you learn lessons as you go through things. And I realize that you don't get X many subscribers. in a day. And if that's your focus, of course you'll be overwhelmed because you can't control that. But what you can control is every thought, every video, every interaction with someone who cares about your message.

And if you stay true to that, your consistency manifests itself in the form of a growing subscriber base. You know, and the point is it doesn't matter what you're doing, right? Talk about running, talk about YouTube. It could be sports, it could be relationships, it could be anything. Yes, you want to understand where you're going, you want to know your target, you want to lock in a direction, then let go. Goals derail us because we forget what they're made of. They're made of little vulnerable pieces.

To get to the top of a mountain, you have to climb it rock by rock. And when you're looking up from the base, yes, it's demoralizing. It might even seem impossible. But no one can cover that distance. It's about the steps to the top. And then at some point, so long as you decide not to turn around, so long as you remain committed to overcoming each tiny obstacle, each barrier, you'll be at the top looking down at everything else, everything below you.

Why? Because you didn't see the stack. You saw the pieces that were laid on top of each other one by one. And that makes all the difference. Success is seeing what's beyond the surface. What's past the thing staring you in the face. And if you can manage to do that, you'll see that nothing in life, nothing is too big or too tough for you.

There's a quote attributed to H. Jackson Brown Jr. He says, nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity. I tend to agree with this. I also think it's interesting that these missed opportunities are also the most difficult, if not impossible, to quantify. So if you think about our common understanding of progress or growth, it's a sacrifice.

It's doing X, brings us Y, doing the work, gets the result. It's a simple formula, and you can show your proof. You can work backwards. I started working out one hour a day. Six months ago, this is what I look like now. The cost was one hour a day. The result, well, this is what I look like now. But what's the inverse of that thinking? What's the cost of not doing the work or starting the journey or taking the steps? See, we don't think about that. We don't think about the opportunity cost. Our instinct is not to question the actions we don't take. I was listening to an old lecture from Jim Rohn,

who I love because he's such a practical thinker. He's got ideas you can literally plug right into your life. And he had an amazing point. He was talking about a conversation with an old friend in which he asks his friend, who apparently watches a lot of TV. He says, hey, what does that TV cost? His friend says, well, I think it was like $500.

Jim says, no, I don't think so. As friends says, yeah, I bought it, $500. He says, no, I think it's costing you about $40k a year. Why? Well, not because of what he paid for the item, but because of the opportunity cost. What his time using that TV could be reallocated to. That's what's so incredible about that point.

It's like, just because you don't have something doesn't mean you aren't, in fact, losing out on it. Time is our most pressure. of commodities. Its utilization is the gateway to transformation. It should be protected. And, you know, the intent of the message is not to walk around

panicking about every second, you know, of every minute, but more being aware, holistically, how recklessly we use our time. I don't know if you've ever looked at the screen time usage on a cell phone before going to bed at night. It's terrifying. Some of it was necessary, but I mean,

a lot of it wasn't. And what does that cost? What is two hours a day of not moving towards a dream or goal costume? What about when it accumulates and it becomes 14 hours a week? Or roughly 56 hours a month or times 12, 672 hours a year?

I mean, these numbers start to get eye-opening. All it takes is a little awareness and we see how often we dispose of time, like it's valueless. Everything we do is a cost. Because in doing it, we are making a decision to not be doing something else with that time. And again, I believe in balance. I want to emphasize that. I'm not suggesting that we walk around like robots, clocking in, clocking out, checking boxes so that we don't ever waste a minute.

Right? As the great Keith Urban says, the best days of my life for all that wasted time, you know, we should explore and enjoy and love and laugh and experience life. But that awareness makes us more intentional with those pursuits. With our work time and our playtime, it forces us in a way to prioritize, to ask ourselves what we want. Instead of only looking at progress like this vending machine where you put an X and Y comes out, well, we can ask ourselves, what happens if I don't put an X?

What happens if I keep it in my pocket? What won't come out? What could have existed that now won't? See, just because you don't see something slipping away, that doesn't mean that it isn't. And the immediate, the world in front of you, unfortunately, won't remind you of that. That's a bell you have to ring yourself.

You have to peel back the, what am I doing, and unveil the, what could I be doing? What could I be creating? What could reality look like? Maybe you think about it, and you find that you're right where you want to be, and that's great. Maybe you realize you've accepted a tolerable existence at the expense of an ideal existence.

In which case I also have great news, you can change that and you can change it now. We have to understand that you don't only have what's in front of you. You also possess a reality unseen and undiscovered. So don't let the former cover up or diminish the ladder. Don't lose the possibility of tomorrow with the distractions of today. Don't forget the cost of inaction with regard to those things that truly matter. It's not your fault where you start, but it's your responsibility to choose where you end up. A couple years ago, I was doing a half marathon on Cape Cod with my sister,

and I was real excited, and we planned it way in advance. and we're training and getting ready to go. And I woke up that morning, and as fate would have it, I felt terrible. I felt absolutely terrible. And I did one of those things similar to the running in the rain story, where I'm looking in the mirror and you're rationalizing, right? I'm like, well, you know, why don't I show my sister some love and just cheer her on from the sidelines?

She would use that. I'll help her go faster because I don't want to run. I can't. I can't do it because I don't feel good. But we ultimately get there and I run. And as I'm going through, I'm realizing, you know, kind of checking in on myself every mile or so and realizing like, I feel oddly good right now. Like, spectacular.

And I ended up finishing and doing way better than I'd ever done ever, I mean, as a personal best. And I started thinking, I almost didn't even do this. I almost stayed on the sideline. You know, how many times in my life did I almost do something? How many times did I pass up on something? How many times has someone here almost written what would have been? a best-selling book. You know, the almost, as Monica said in her speech,

what if she almost didn't go to the top of that mountain? What if Wade didn't start that gym? This was maybe a yes or no flash and a pan decision that changes the trajectory of your life. We all deal with these dark periods. They happen, but it's how you react to them. Are you going to let the situation take control or are you going to take control of the situation?

Chris Rock has a great story where he's talking about, you know, if my car is broken down, I'm standing there on the side of the road, people just go by me and it's frustrating. It's like, I need help. And we get that, but he says, anytime I get behind it and start pushing, though, what do people do? They pull over and they help you push. Right? The world wants to help people who want to help themselves. That's just how we are.

Every situation is going to present its obstacles. But there's always that flicker of life. There's always that opportunity to better yourself in the situation. Human beings don't see we interpret. We don't take in what happens. We take in the implication of what happens. Everything in our world is story. It's similar to the idea of two ideologically different news organizations,

right, reporting on the same event. Neither will be completely factual, they'll both uphold their individual narrative. their individual narratives. They're not black and white. They're interpreting gray space. And our individual lives are no different. We are our own broadcasting channels.

Using data to support our individual narratives. See, we know what the story's going to say before the story occurs because we will make it so. We'll make life fit our beliefs. That's what it means to be human. And so here's where the value lives in the context of this message when we find ourselves in a consistent state of despair or frustration or anxiety. It's a fool's errand to look for solutions in the external world. Because everything we find, everything we come across will support our current beliefs, our current story. That's what we'll keep playing in our heads.

And it's why money can't bring fulfillment. and another person can't take you from incomplete to content. It's why status will never equate to happiness. Those acquisitions are like putting premium fuel in a car with a broken engine. It's just not the answer that we hoped it would be. To change your world, you must change your story. Whatever it is that needs to be changed. The location, the objective, the character,

maybe the journey altogether, but it's the neural network behind your eyes that must change, not the detail it takes in. And so if you feel stuck or feel like where you want to be seems unrealistic, you have to know right now that the very fact you think that way is the problem. So ask yourself, not your girlfriend or your boss or your neighbor,

but ask yourself what a turnaround looks like. Do you know? Or have you acclimated to being unhappy? Have you even asked yourself what happiness looks like? Or is your personal broadcasting channel so hell-bent on ensuring your life outlook stays the way it is that it's not even paying attention to the data it takes in? See, I believe wholeheartedly that the first step in any facet of transformation is remembering that you have control, that things, in your life that bring you down or hold you back can be changed. In fact, the very things working against you can work for you, but you have to be aware.

You have to think about it. Now, I'm not a believer in magic, right? I don't think you sit back, say, I don't want to be unhappy ever again, snap your fingers, and smile until the end of eternity. But I do believe that once we're aware of our manufactured shackles and our self-imposed limitation, we can start chipping away, doing the one, two, or three small things every day, tiny swings at the tree until it falls. If it's, I'm not happy with my work life, well, what does a better situation look like?

What bridges that gap? I'll wake up 20 minutes earlier on weekdays and master Microsoft Excel. I'll send one message on LinkedIn asking an expert about the field I want to move into. I'll read 20 pages a day in a book related to business. You think those things are small? See what they look like compounded in a year. Not only that, this is the most important part. You are taking the power back.

You're taking control. And that's what feels good. That's where we get our identity. You get a little disappointed at how you've let your physique slip when you look in the mirror. Don't be sad about it every day. Again, ask yourself what the inverse looks like and start doing something. small things. Subtract one sports drink and add one green smoothie. Double your water intake. Do a 10-minute daily workout on YouTube. Like there's the pieces are out there.

And to find yourself again is to realize that they're out there. Realize that you're playing a movie on loop in your head that isn't right. It's just not you. And well, what movie do you want to be playing in an ideal world. Scroll through the library, find it, click, play, and start doing the small things that make it real. There's so much power in progress. I've seen this unfold in different areas of my life, but particularly as a writer, as a speaker, it's like you identify who you want to be, you start making tiny steps, and after a while, you're surrounded by the change that you've created. How can you not believe something

that you're starting to live? It has to become your identity because it is you. It's around you. You breathe it. So look around and realize the malleability of your situation. And if what you find is not you, good.

Here is your opportunity to tear down the old and construct the new. You can do that because you have control. Because it's within your grasp. So start the new movie, the new story, make yourself the hero, and set out to find yourself again. If you're lucky enough to be different, don't let go. I spend a lot of my time and energy exploring the power of perspective, how our reality is determined by how we interpret what's in front of us.

How one person can look at one thing and see pain or a problem or a barrier and another person can look at that exact same thing and see opportunity or a future win or a bridge to something better. And I think one of the best examples of this is how we present. perceive those qualities that make us unique, those things that put us in a different category. Maybe we're a little hesitant to fully embrace because they're not common. And when it comes to that which separates us from everyone else, well, I believe we have a decision to make.

I'm going to go back to Robert Frost's fork in the road, right? He says two paths diverged in a wood. I took the one lease traveled by and that made all the difference. On the surface, you could easily brush this off as trivial. It's like, oh, nice, that's cute. He took the path less traveled by. But what does that mean?

As it turns out, it means a lot. It means instead of burying what makes him different, he made it his battle cry. Instead of slipping under the radar and sneaking through life like so many of us do, he signed the dotted line for the pain of being a beginner, the struggle of being uncertain, the discipline and sometimes torturous road, that is, turning a passion into excellent,

trading peace of mind for the pursuit of meaning in life. Exploring what makes you unique, it takes courage. And in that message, he chooses courage, because it's not just that you're alone, Taking that path means every step of the way, your mind screams at you reminders that you're alone. It's not just fighting traffic patterns, it's fighting your DNA. It's resisting that impulse to please sit down, shut up, and blend in. So is it a trivial decision? I'd say not really.

Maybe even the most important decision you can make. Because I promise you it's not your commonality with those around. you that will bring fulfillment, that will leave a mark on your life and the world that surrounds you. No, it's that thing that's unequivocally you. That's a little out there, that's somewhat strange, that you don't know why, but it's gravitational force pulls and pulls and pulls. A tug of war. Where one side begs you to just relax, conform.

less begs you to never be laughed at or criticized to take the easy road. Then you have the other side, poking, prodding, asking you, hey, yeah, but what if? What if you sacrifice the comfort of right now? What if you explored? What if you took that which you love and you ran with it? What if you worked for a delayed payday? What if for a moment in time when people ask you what the plan is, you have to look back and say, you know what, I'm not quite sure what I'm building.

But I'll keep pivoting until it's so clear you can see it from the moon. Those are the paths that pull us apart. And every time I've lost my way, it's because I've doubted my unique path. And I mean that every time. It's when I become impatient with the journey or look around and see someone else winning in a different arena, using different methods, different strategies, see the latest, trends and success formulas. Hey man, I want part of that, right?

I'm human. I want to win. I want to succeed. But just like a little opening is enough to let in the outside water that sinks the boat. Well, a little bit of doubt is enough to derail your process. A process that you have to believe in, protect, nurture. A process that I've come to separate into two pieces. Number one, believing that the exploration of that thing that makes you unique, it's valuable.

That your abilities mean something. They're not inconsequential. They're not stupid or trivial or unnecessary. If it means something to you, it will most certainly mean something to others. And you bringing it to life not only. helps yourself, evolve, grow, flourish. It helps the world. You just have to believe that enough to bring it to life. That's number one. Number two, trusting that as long as you don't stop in pursuit of your unique self, you can't lose. You can't lose. And I don't mean continuing to ram a square

peg into a round hole. I mean growing, learning, experimenting, seeing what works. There's a saying that when you hit a dead end, it's not that the goal or the dream should be abandoned. It means the plan needs to be changed or adjusted. And as you get better and more experience and continually work to adjust your strategy and your plans, learn from your mistakes, it becomes a matter of time, you increase the odds with every step forward. Being different is the most precious thing afforded to. But to realize that miracle requires a combination of both the mythical and the practical, the imaginary, and the real. Dream that dream, visualize that growth, create a world out of those ideas that don't exist yet.

But also understand that the conversion process from dream to reality is a practical one. It requires repetition. Learning, losing, adjusting, and people don't like that. It's much easier to blend in than spend years pushing through the agony of setting yourself apart. But it's worth it.

And the evidence is so obvious, so plainly pointing to the fact that we only celebrate the outcasts, the crazy ones. We sit around campfires, listen to lectures, watch movies and documentaries about the people that had every reason to doubt themselves but kept moving forward. About the people who could have swept their unique abilities under the rug, but instead used them as their foundation for every. reason, not being distracted by what's popular or how anyone else lives or operates, not seeking to be anyone but themselves, knowing that that is enough, knowing it's the seed to something precious. The only question is, will you provide the right conditions and nourishment for that little seed to grow? Will you do what so few people have the courage to do? Let their authentic, shine through. Let who they are emerge. Emerson has a quote. He says to be yourself in a world that's

constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. He goes on to say my life should be unique. It should be an alms, a battle, a conquest, a medicine. And see, perpetual happiness is a fool's errand. No, life is full of trials and tribulations and ups and downs. But fulfillment comes from that quest for meaning, for more, for building something, for creating your unique self, a process, a pursuit that must be chiseled from stone.

It's never given or provided. It has to be found. Take it. And as Emerson beautifully implies, now is the time. The question is, what are you going to make with this once and a lifetime opportunity? What will you make of the possibilities

that only you know, only you understand, that only you can bring to life? Never doubt yourself, or your gifts, or the things that set you apart. You don't need everyone else to believe, in them. You just need to convince yourself. Everything else it falls right into place. When it comes to the almost 8 billion people on planet Earth, there's undoubtedly a variance in the resources at our disposal, the influence we have. What we all share is the ability

to rule over our own lives, our own thoughts. As Thoreau said, think for yourself or others will think for you without thinking of you. See, life moves quickly. And if one is unable to slow it down to examine the world around them, well, they'll find themselves a cog in the wheel of their own existence, a pawn on the chessboard of life. Because reality is a battle. A battle of self-interest that requires that we build walls around their own.

that which is precious that we protected it all costs. Your worldview is the foundation for everything of value in your life, yet it's constantly under attack. Attack from the negativity at the gate, the suffering, attempting to breach the walls, the outside influences, praying that you'll outsource your thinking, that you'll let them rule from afar.

To maintain control over your own outlook, It's no small feat. It's perhaps the most important battle of your life. It's the difference between intentionality and chance, the role of the ruler or the ruled. As the saying goes, if you don't build your dream, you will spend your days building someone else's. If you don't ask yourself what you want in life,

those needs will ultimately be buried under nonsensical obligation that takes their place. Where there are vacuums in awareness that you will be filled, usually not by actors with the same interests as you. See, mistakes are not the problem. No mistakes mean you're present, driving towards something, collecting data for this experiment that is life.

It's autopilot that destroys. Like that frog put in a pot heating up, So slowly it never knows to jump out. The external world becomes its demise. And this message isn't to instill fear or intimidate. It's to remind you to ask the question that so few ask. How is my life best lived? And what can I do to bring that to reality?

If you can think for yourself, you're never out of the fight. If you can think for yourself, you're always a decision away from advancement in the direction of that which matters most. So trust you to do what's right for you. In a world where no one knows what they're doing, I can assure you you don't need external endorsements or stamps of approval. Take Robert Frost Roadless Travel by and don't look back.

Don't feel remorse. That's where you're forced to find yourself, to ask the tough questions to embrace who you are. Because the crowd is antithetical to rationality. Not just because responsibility dissipates. Not just because human beings become essentially well-dressed chimpanzees, but because rarely on the micro level is the collective goal, your goal. Have the courage to see that.

Have the courage to understand that life is not an instruction manual. Everything around you you have in one way or a way or you have, have in one way or another accepted. And in accepting it, you have chosen it. By not saying no, you have in fact said yes. So realize that the world around you doesn't change until your thoughts become the bridge that connects current to future, today to tomorrow.

Until you realize life can't make you a victim or a pawn on its chestboard without your permission, whether implicitly or explicitly. No, you have the ability to think. control, orchestrate something greater than what's in front of you. Let today be your next courageous step in the direction of that reality. Dear younger me, there's a lot that you don't know. A lot you're pretty sure you understand, but couldn't possibly wrap your hands around.

Because the most important things in life, the things that you'll remember, They're the very things that seem like footnotes in your story. Background noise, hidden in plain view. So Younger Me, hear me out because time goes by quickly. And we only get one opportunity to do this dance, one chance to do this thing right. Younger me, when you wake up, be thankful for you. the shoes on your feet, the house you live in, the life you lead. Because if all you do is focus on what you don't have, or the next milestone, happiness becomes a mirage. Younger me, the world

as you know it isn't something that was destined to be. It's here because people no smarter than you have the courage to build it. Never be scared to challenge what is. This place will be better because of it. And younger me, it will always be easier to play it safe, to stay comfortable, but I want you to understand something. That's not where you'll find the good stuff. If you don't take chances,

you'll spend your time wondering what could have been. Younger me, believe in your greatness. This world can be a tough place, and if you don't believe in yourself, no one will do it for you. No one will hand you the sky. Earn excellence every day, it's there, I promise. Younger me, don't get distracted by the small stuff, the little things

that so easily consume our energy and emotions. Don't lose sight of who you are and what means the most to you. Everything else washes away. Younger me, you didn't have all the answers, but somehow you were exactly what I needed you to be. You created a map. You showed that change can't happen until one falls victim to life's imperfections.

That risks aren't taken until you've experienced regret, that confidence isn't acquired if you don't learn to play the student. And most importantly, if you don't allow yourself to get lost, you will never discover who you truly are. 20 years from now, when we meet again, younger me, I know you'll do the same.

I know you'll have given me everything I needed, nothing more and nothing less. Because time goes by quickly. And we only get one opportunity to do this dance, one chance to make this right. And I promise you, younger me, that it won't be wasted. I'm going to make everything around me beautiful.

That will be my life. Elsie DeWold. Changing for the better is not about the creation of miracles. It's about choosing to see the ones that already exist. Life is hard, but coincidentally, hard things tend to be the gatekeepers to the important one. We are let in when we bring ourselves finally to shake hands with and embrace the very things we once saw as the problem.

Whereas Ryan Holiday has famously put it, the obstacle tends to be the way. How funny, how counterintuitive, how upside down life can see. But I think that's it. Sometimes it's not even that we're looking at the wrong things. So we're looking at the right things the wrong way. Avoiding the call to step further into the world and deeper into ourselves. Terrified of scraping our knees on the climb, we burden ourselves. With a much more painful choice of staying at the bottom of the mountain and looking up.

But the scars we've collected and will continue. you to collect on the way up. They do not make you less than. No, they are what make you beautiful. You see yourself and those scars is imperfect. I see someone who has lived, who has taken risks, fallen, and bounced back. I see character and wisdom and elegance and boldness. In an imperfect world, Those quote-unquote flaws and scars may, funny enough, just be the closest thing to perfection we'll ever experience. It's from our courage to step out, our willingness to crack that we flourish.

Living necessarily includes a deterioration over time. But a deterioration of the external, because the internal, the internal, the soul, It stays young. It's underneath that forever crumbling world around us that we find the divine. It is because of our scars, not to spite them, that we grow our wings. They aren't to be feared but coveted. You are more because of the mistakes you made, the challenges you face,

the adjustments you had to see through. and I believe our value increases with each tear and break, resembling the Japanese art of Kinsugi, where a pot that breaks and is put back together with golden lacquer holds more value than the original unblemished piece. See, Wolf says, I'm going to make everything around me beautiful. And I think this simply calls for an optical adjustment, a shift in relations between things and how you perceive those things.

Me, I don't want the whitest, cleanest, newest shoes. As far as I'm concerned, there's very little beauty to preserve there. I want shoes with worn souls from the miles and miles they can. carried me. Holes from the distance I had to walk to find the people who add joy to my life. Cracks from running in the rain while the rest of the world stayed inside. I want my imperfections to show that I lived while I was here. So from now on, let's stop conflating perfect. and beautiful. Perfect is no skin in the game. Perfect is standing forever in the doorway

looking out. Perfect is dreaming and wishing and hoping but never leaving because leaving is where our vision brushes up against a reality we may see as too big. No, we want not perfect but beautiful. We want scars and flaws and lessons and loss. Because from those things as difficult as they may be, we're born again. Imperfection is life, and life is beautiful. So here's to more scuffed shoes and scrape knees to walking an imperfect yet beautiful road ahead. Sometimes it's not easy to see the finish line to peer down that long, treacherous road ahead and feel completely confident that things will work out. You know, that success is waiting there for you in one form or another.

Obviously there's no road signs letting you know that your progress is paying off. There's no blatant indicator that you're on the right track. Essentially, there's nothing, right? Nothing but the feet underneath you, taking you one step at a time to a fate that's completely unknown. And it's in this instance, while looking destiny in the eye, that you have to remember. Anyone can sail in smooth waters.

Anyone can dance when the music is playing. The great leveler, though, is how you live when it's not. When you're listening like your life depended on it, but there's no song to be heard. How do you push forward? No one else can get you there. There's no shortcut to success.

You'll find that the answer's in your chest. Because it's there, you'll find the melody that's been pumping through your veins since the first day you opened your eyes. Helping you create your own music, your own song, your own voice. It's what has the power to get you through to the next level. When your instinct tells you to quit, that maybe it's just not worth it. When most give up, it's why you'll be able to hang on. Because the song will come. The skies will clear. The sun will rise.

But you have to know that, and you have to know it now, when all you have is ambition and a plan. when it's just you, your song, and the road ahead. There's no concrete evidential triumph, but you don't need that. Persistence during times of doubt, during improbability, that's what makes triumph so rare, so precious. It moves the strong-willed forward to bigger and better things. Things aren't handed to you, but they materialize over time.

They transform from nothing to something. They emerge from hardship. of ideas that were perceived by others as crazy, as most achievements throughout the course of human history were. Let people talk about odds, how difficult success is. They can't look inside of you. They can't hear your song. They don't know what you have.

But they will find out later, when you've gotten past the mud, the dirt, the grind, the stuff that no one wants to endure. And you're singing your song to the world, for yourself, but also for them, for those who need it, those seeking their own song. One day you'll be able to tell them what it took, how it wasn't easy, but you knew that if you pushed hard enough, the stars would align. You heard the music before it played, and how sweet the sound. There's a quote from Henry David Thoreau that I've learned to love over the years.

He says, we are constantly invited to be who we are. Meaning, essentially, there is always a hand, you know, reaching out to invite us to leave the confinement. We've allowed to become our lives, the pressure of the outside world, and attack a world that means the most to us, not obligatory, but for the opportunity. Because it's there, it's perpetually available. and that's what Henry David Thoreau means. And what's interesting is the second we lose sight of this, our lives become consumed with things that really have no relevance to our goals or our objectives.

In fact, the daily routine becomes the goal. It's the box that needs to be checked to feel accomplished. We do things because, well, isn't that what you're supposed to do? Adher to rules and processes and guidelines, almost like we forget why that routine matters. Like we forget the car has to go somewhere of relevance. You don't just get in and drive it to drive it. That doesn't make sense.

And a friend of mine recently showed me this book of insights from different photographers. It's called The Photographers Playbook and it's life lessons that helped each one of them along the way. And one that stood out to me specifically was Andrea Parleto. And she talked about a concept called hibernation or cutting off, temporarily leaving your day to day or your craft. craft so that all the have-toes and the should-bees can dissipate and you can ask yourself the question that we so quickly lose the question that should be the target that should be the foundation we build upon who do you want to be because when all is said and done and you're looking back that's what will matter that's what

will dictate your happiness not that you were five for five on your checklist every day on your 20s, 30s, 40s, and on, right? No, what does it look like when you peel that back? What does it look like under the surface? What makes you, you? And sometimes we have to step back, go away, leave the day-to-day world we've created to see life from a different angle.

Eliminate the steps, the requirements, the technicalities, and what are you left with? When you put your head on the pillow at night, What makes you smile? Bronie Ware states in her book, Regrets of the Dying, that not living a life true to oneself was one of the greatest regrets people experienced.

Isn't it worthy of your time, your attention? Don't you owe it to yourself to make sure that your vision is defined and your action support that? See, anyone can move just to move and anyone can breathe just to breathe. With the ones who make the most of each step, each breath, they put themselves in position to live life differently. To accept the invitation to be who they truly are.

To take their inspiration, their gifts, and their dreams, and never look back. Only ones who never find their way are the ones who never leave. For everyone else where there is a wish. there is in one form or another away. We are presented quite the paradox. We're placed in a world much bigger than we are, in which we have to coexist with forces far stronger than us. We have to accept realities, both outside of our comprehension and controls, we start with an

uphill climb. But the beauty of life is that we get to decide where that climb end, because should we choose to utilize it, we are also given the incredible ability to expand. To use those daunting and impossible obstacles around us to become something greater. It's where we decide to push the buttons of conformity, step over the lines of self-consciousness, that that big, strong, scary world starts to make just a little more sense. Every time we push back against the things we're in hallows, apparently fearful of, life's opportunity opens for us.

Like a carpet that just never stops unfolding. We are both outmatched and infinitely powerful. And infinite is the right word. What you become is proportional to how hard you push. Imagine a life where you don't stop pushing. The world expands with courage. By jumping headfirst into hell, we learn to develop the tools to cope with it.

It's an amazing thing. That fear-based mindset that came stock with our bodies, it was meant to be built upon. Fear is the ultimate starting point. The one in which we should ultimately be grateful, how else would we know which direction to set our sails? Emerson says, when a young resolute fellow steps up to the great bully, the world,

and takes him boldly by the beard, he's often surprised to find, comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away timid adventures. See, I worry that some of the most important things we need to know. Life's greatest principles get buried in complexity and misunderstanding, particularly here with fear and doubt in the things that make us feel small. Right? Because it's ultimately at that point, right, when we most want to detract and cave in on our that we get an opportunity to enhance our state of existence.

It's the very point where with a simple decision, we can become something more. We can turn pain into strength and ignorance into wisdom. Sure, we're supposed to be scared. We're supposed to be timid. This is after all what it is to be human. But I also believe with all my heart, we're supposed to take those things and rule over them,

make them transportation to what could be, not a person. what could be, not a barrier around what is. That's why this danger life continually creates for us. There's nothing more than a metaphorical cocoon. It's a continual reinvention. And how beautiful it is to know that there are no bounds to our path, no borders we can't reach as we climb to this ever-changing destination. And how incredible to know that the very obstacles life places before us will Funny enough, be what gets us there.