Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - Break Your Negative Thinking | WAKE UP POSITIVE | Morning Motivation

Episode Date: September 14, 2022

"Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same" - Isaac Slade

One of my favorite quotes is sometimes success is simply hanging on when others would be letting go. The reason is that it reminds me how frequently the advantage is in not stopping. It's in consistency. It's in showing up. When I run particularly long distances, almost like clockwork I can break it down to feel feeling good at the beginning, usually a little rough stretch in the middle, and then somewhere on the second half, I catch a second wind or a second blast of energy. The question just becomes when?

Will you hang in long enough to capture it? Because you don't know when it might be, where it will show up, you don't know when you'll find that nice rhythm again that makes the sport so enjoyable to me. When I say, you can pull an infinite amount of life lessons from running, this is one of them. That depiction of trusting that the road ahead has everything you need to cross your finish line. Even when the short-term chaos is all you can see and feel, even when it's hard to look up and imagine. Right?

Because it's easier said than done when you're tired and worn down to continue on, right? you're in the trenches. There's an uncertainty to the road ahead, but each footstep is a shot on target. Each step forward is saying, I'm worn down, but I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. And life can present an almost eerily similar narrative, right, whether personally you're at a low point, whether you've been working and working and working and haven't seen the result you're looking for, whether you're uncomfortable and starting to wonder. whether this reward is really worth the high price tag.

You need to remember that second wind, that second blast of energy, just enough momentum to ease your worry and recalibrate your journey. It's there. It's waiting. But you know the rules of life. It won't come to you. You must go to it. Through the storm into the night beyond the comforts of home.

most sadly don't arrive not because they couldn't but because they ultimately let go they look too far down the road at the distance to be traveled and forgot that their only job was to hold on through the doubt the pain the worry no miracle just a willingness to fight each battle as it presented itself to let time stack up to let the distance over your shoulder accumulate. See the thing about stopping is that you never know when that much-needed second wind will arrive. There's a saying that many of life's failures had no clue how close they were to success when they gave up, when they turned

around. Now I'm not suggesting the road will be perfect or that it won't come with its adversity, mistakes, and lessons. But what we always have control over is the ability to push forward until we finally come face to face with that which we so desperately needed it's there I could say it a million times and it wouldn't be enough the pieces exist will you hang in long enough to collect them when the road is intimidating will you hold on when you run into those moments self-doubt will you hold on when you feel small navigating the ups and downs of life will you hold on because if the answer is yes you'll find yourself crossing some

finish lines that will blow your mind you'll get from life that which most can only dream of and again not because of the miraculous but because you knew that the second wind was coming you knew it would be there for you so long as you kept moving forward holding on when most would be letting go it's in our moments of greatest distress that we must find it within ourselves to see that which is difficult to see it's when things seem hopeless tragic it's when we feel lost that we forget a universal truth. Behind every struggle, no matter how big, there is a win.

An answer, an opportunity for recreation. See, it's very easy in the midst of a storm to forget that it will pass. The dark skies block out the light, so we forget the warmth of the sun. And the wind and the rain and the rain, It forces us inside, so we forget the perfection that is simply breathing in the cool air. We forget that all storms have one thing in common. They come and they go. They are temporary.

And what they leave is hope. Answers, the clearest, brightest of skies. See, I'm not asking us. I'm asking you to see something that's not there. I'm not asking you to imagine or live a life of make-believe. I'm reminding you of what you already know exists behind those clouds. Better days, your solution, your victory. I'm asking you to look to precedent.

Because every day leading up to now has had its adversity. The road to the current moment was paved with trials and tribulations and what you've done every day until now is figure it out. Find a way. How many times do you have to prove to yourself that you have what it takes? That you'll be okay, that within the depths of your soul are answers to any and every problem that you face. I know things aren't easy. Maybe they even seem bigger, scarier, more overwhelming than they ever have. But as adversity grows, so does your resilience.

And I'm not sitting here giving you something new or an answer you didn't already possess. All I'm doing is reminding you how incredible you are, how much you've already overcome and how capable you are of common. conquering whatever is next. Sometimes in life, the difference between okay and great or stagnation and growth, it is only a change in perspective. It is how you look at the world and your place within it, that little voice in your head,

reminding you that you are capable of things beyond your current comprehension, that your perceived best, best is a fraction of what you're capable of. Reality is manageable. It's always manageable. It's the fear that if we let it will be our demise. And life's too short to bow down to a monster that doesn't even really exist, that we created ourselves.

So let's commit to being the ones who find calm when others panic and see opportunity. where others see hardship and see what can be gained when others remain fixated on what has been lost. I love to simplify to find clarity in that which appears overwhelming and complex. So here's the formula. You minus negative thoughts equals infinite possibility. You are capable of handling anything life throws at you. In terms of potential and resources and ability, you are.

You can overcome. The only thing that can make a situation debilitating or permanent is you deciding it so. Therefore, the obstacle will never be life. It will be your thoughts about life. Your thoughts determine how you react. That is reality. Is it a lost job or an opportunity to begin again, to grow, to fall in love with something you've always wanted to do. Is it lost time, loneliness, tragic seclusion, or a chance to write

chapter one of your book, scene one of your movie, lay the first brick of what will become your empire? I've been sad and I've been happy and I've been broke and I've had money and I've felt alone and I've felt loved but through it all, every step, every Every tribulation I've come out stronger, battle-hearted, cognizant of the fact that happiness was a choice. Money is re-acquirable, that some people go, but the ones that matter stay a part of you forever. Life is a gift. It's a gift when things are hard. It is a gift when they are easy.

It is always a gift. So don't let your losses define you. finding. If you get back up, it is nothing short of a victory. Armor that you now wear as you make your way into the world. A world that can push you down, but it certainly can't keep you there, not if you don't let it. For your mind, your body, your soul, made of the same elements that surrounds you, the same stars comprising the use. universe, they have equipped you to weather any storm, outlast any earthly dilemma, do anything, and be anyone. Never forget that. Never forget.

When you look at erosion, I like, say dunes on a beach. What you see is something giving itself away little by little. deteriorating. Sure, there will be events that expedite the process, but generally speaking, it's lost a little bit at a time, day by day, right in front of our eyes. Until the time comes when we realize that what we have is no longer recognizable. It's sort of redefined. And I think in a lot of ways, ways we find ourselves in a similar situation. The concessions we allow every day, slowly you redefine who we are. You know, and it doesn't seem like much, that's the thing,

it never does. Quietly detaching from what you believe, taking on an identity that doesn't quite align with who you are, doing things, being places that causes something in your gut to protest, toning down the color in your life so that you blend in. These are not epic, monumental decisions. It's the drawn-out erosion of what makes you who you are. It's the chipping away of what makes you spectacular. See, the idea that now isn't permanent, so I'll just suck it up now. What's the big deal? I'll just settle for now. Let me tell you, if that's your rationale, you're forgetting how easily tomorrow becomes never and now becomes forever. We operate under an illusion that things will become easier.

That change will be less strenuous down the road. We'll make things right, get back on track, be happy then. But the harsh reality is that things don't get easier than they are at the present moment. And it's quite the opposite. And to disregard or ignore this is to let yourself wither away at the hands of procrastination. If you're planning to wait for that, get comfortable. And see, conceding day in and day out,

it alters your understanding of who you are and what you're capable of. Our actions reinforce our beliefs. Imagine a straight line, a simple, straight line drawn on a piece of paper, right? You're in the middle. And on one end is who you are, in your heart, in your soul, and on the other end is everything you're not.

Every time you sacrifice your principle, your beliefs, every time you say that's not me, but fine, that's not where I want to be, but okay, it's only temporary, you take a little step toward what you're not. And another step, and another step, and one day you look in the mirror, and you have no clue who's looking back at you. Because you've conceded one small decision at a time,

you've given away your sense of purpose. Sure, the situation is difficult, but the best things in life are the things that are not easy. You have to fight for those things. You have to stand up in the face of struggle, adversity, the narrative that others want to write for you. We stay within guidelines because we think the outside is scary. No, what's inside is scary.

What's outside is what you need. And when you stop banking on the anticipated miracles of tomorrow and manage the reality of today, you succeed. It's life's greatest test. Are you brave enough to be you? Are you strong enough? long enough to fight back when you're tempted to hide, to blend in.

Every time you summon the courage to stay true to yourself, it gets easier. The difficulty lessens, you become free of the mental chains you've placed around your ankles. There are certain things in life worthy of compromise, but your identity, your journey, what makes you feel alive, that is sacred ground, that That is worth defending until your last breath. No one can take that because it's yours. And when you look back on your life and the amazing people in it, a life live fully, will always supersede marching through your days, wearing a mask, and following someone else's agenda.

It's your life. It's your gift. Live it. Sometimes the inspiration doesn't come to you. No, sometimes you have to go out and find it. When it hurts the most, when the deck seems stacked against you, when the road to travel, seems to be longer than you can endure. These are the times we're tasked, not with waiting, but with creating.

And those lows, they become highs because they force us to self-assess to look around and say, I don't want to feel this way anymore. I'm done tolerating X, accepting Y, associating with Z, and so a bridge must be created to something. And your question is simply what's that something going to look like? Here's what's interesting. Knowing what you don't want is often the beginning. It breathes life into a first step. Maybe you look up and you have no idea what step 2,000 or 3,000 looks like, and that's perfectly okay.

You don't need to know exactly where you're headed, exactly what the top of the mountain will look like. What took me forever to figure out is knowing that here isn't right for you, wherever here is, is enough. Because it is the beginning. The engine that makes it all work. You don't owe explanations. Apologies aren't required of you. All you needed was that feeling in your stomach that more is out there and perhaps

you've been depriving yourself of it for a tad too long. You just need to leave scarcity behind and train your eyes to find the abundance you exist with him. The other day I saw a quick interview Tiger Woods was giving. And I'm not really a big golf guy, but when the greats talk, I listen. And those who have been following him know that he's had kind of a rocky past, right? a very public, you know, family situation to injuries, surgeries, a recent car accident. And you can only want someone like that to rise from the ashes, right? I feel like everyone's rooting for him to rediscover the dominance he once possessed.

And basically in this interview, the interviewer's asking him about day one of the masters, where Tiger played well enough to make the cut. You know, he survived day one. and was about to continue the tournament into the weekend, but it certainly wasn't the best golf he's ever played. And so upon reflecting on it, he says, and I'm paraphrasing, things aren't the way I'd like them to feel. But I've given myself a chance, and I love the way that sounded.

Not just because it came from a man who's been metaphorically battling uphill for what feels like sometime now, but because it's how we all re-emerged from our adversity. It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Your past, all of it, the ups and downs, the bumps and bruises, they've all brought you here. And if life is one giant tournament, you've made the cut.

You get to play in your masters. Tomorrow is coming. And it brings work. with it the chance to write the ship. To discover the undiscovered, to find yourself again. By showing up today, you've given yourself a chance, and that is the most powerful thing one can possess a chance. I think too often we look at what we don't have.

We spend our time focusing on the holes, the blank spaces, the gaps. Instead of looking at the opportunity we've created to pivot wherever we deem necessary, the flexibility is the asset, but only valuable when we recognize and utilize it. And yeah, that can feel like a tall order when we are not at our best, when we're operating at a level that, let's say, is less than ideal. It's easy to see all the problems we're going through as supporting evidence that the world is bigger than us,

that we are outmatched by life. But really, all these things that have come together to create our current state, there are nothing more than life providing you a chance, an opportunity to turn the page. You know, the tiger, you know, those lows, those setbacks, and perhaps even the personal anguish, one would assume would accompany those things.

They've given him the gift of now. And he recognizes that. Just like everything that has paved the way for you has done the same. It's created the conditions from which you can now grow, further evolve. It's providing a little nudge towards those things we need to do, but maybe sometimes drag our feet a little too long. So when the world throws you curveballs, how about seeing this situation as a chance

to hit off speed, to step up to the plate and make something of what we thought was misfortune? When one trades, it's happening to me, for it's happening for me, you're presented advantages that were previously unavailable. They weren't there. and not because they didn't exist. They weren't there because they weren't recognized.

Because perhaps you saw the very thing that could help you as the thing that would hurt you. But regardless, here you are. Sharpened by the mistakes you made and shaped by the lessons you learned, you are here. Not to relive the past, but to create a new reality, write a new chapter, walk a new path, you are here. And wherever next happens to be, let it unfold because you chose it.

Let it evolve because it's who you are. Leave the stands and make your way to the stage where sure the stakes are higher but so is the upside. I often talk about the power of looking over our shoulders at those highs and lows from time to time. Not because they have power over us, but because they have made us powerful. Look at all you've endured. See all that you've overcome. And for what?

Well, to put it simply for the gift currently at your first, fingertip, the chance to say years from now, that sure you lost yourself. Things became chaotic, confusing, convoluted. Maybe you were unsure, maybe at times you even felt alone, but those times, the same times that could have kept you down, instead reminded you what you were capable of becoming. You don't get the light at the end of the tunnel without walking through the darkness. And so to remember that, that all this has unfolded to bring about something beautiful on the other side, well, that just might be the perspective that you've needed, that you've left behind. The world will only give you what you ask for.

And so right here, right now, instead of accepting a continuation of your past? How about demanding an evolution of yourself? That game of life awaits. And so for your sake and the worlds, don't be afraid to play. What is the difference? When I think back to the first time I deviated from my comfort zone,

my routine, I lost the soul. certainty in my life. And as much as I wanted to go back, I remember telling myself one more day. Just one more day until someday became the current day and that made all the difference. Day one starting my company. I remember turning the camera on and feeling so lost saying words into a microphone that I almost didn't press record. But I did. until one day I realized not only was it bearable, it was my purpose. The vehicle that transported my thoughts to the world, and that made all the difference. During the time when some of the projects I invested the most time and energy into flopped,

I remember almost saying this isn't for me, but I kept creating. I kept creating until I found that in. intersection of what I love and what adds value to the world. And that made all the difference. What's crazy is how small a decision that difference seems in the moment, how insignificant the decision feels. As one stands and looks out from their doorway, the difference between going and not going.

Stepping out or staying in, making the move or waiting one more day. That difference is sometimes disguised in a cloak of triviality, but do not be fooled. The little decision to move forward, to hang on when your ego is screaming at you to just let go, walk away, find some semblance of comfort and predictability. Those decisions to endure in the moments of hardship are what we come. to look back on as the turning points that reshaped and redefined life as we know it. The courage required to make the call, release the video, register the business, send

the message, reconnect with that loved one, deviate from what your friends are doing. All those things, they may seem small enough now to spend a minute or two thinking about before moving on to our routines and what we are comfortable doing. After all, it's easy to disregard the small things. But the acorn that becomes the oak tree is small. We must, along with the current reality, see the potential in what those things become. And sure, there are times where the present and the ideal are so different that it seems almost incomprehensible. But how do we get there?

We get there by making the little decisions. that will ultimately make the greatest difference. You are always one decision away from that evolution. So next time you find yourself looking down at the step in front of you, the step you know in your soul is the right step. Reminds yourself, yes, it sure would be easy to walk away here. It sure would be easy to turn back. Yeah, it's just one tiny step.

But in totality, it's absolutely. exponentially more than that. It's the lifeblood of your new reality. The water to your sea, the oxygen to your lungs, the crossroads in front of you will be, with your permission, the beginning of something larger than life. It will ultimately be the difference.

Every run tells a tale. All those streets, sidewalks, and paths, paint a picture. Each footstep enshrines forever a moment in time that comes together to comprise the now. From 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 life.

worldview wider, a time for transformation. It was beginning to see the mundane, the commonplace for the wolves 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 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. 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 me. 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. That had 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. 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 is the place that taught me to question the normal 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 exists 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. I would be my consistent reminder to love. 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. The other day I woke up with the plan.

Three things I had to do. So I wrote them on my white paper. They were essentially my objectives for the day. But it ended up being one of those days where things didn't unfold the way I anticipated. And for a variety of reasons, curveball after curveball, with some sloppy decision-making sprinkled in there. Eventually, morning became afternoon, afternoon became evening. I found myself exhausted and looking up at a whiteboard that was showing me I had accomplished, none of the things listed. And I hate that feeling.

Having clear objectives and not meeting them. Right? And so after dinner, I got a phone call and I found myself talking about how I fell short. Getting it all off my chest, letting it all out there. And I got that reassurance that I wanted, without

even realizing that I wanted it, right? The voice said back to me, Eddie, this happens. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. No one's perfect. You put a lot of pressure on yourself. Tomorrow's a new day, right? That type of thing and it's like, okay, exhale, time for bed. And the next morning, I was outside relaxing, doing some thinking, and came to this point.

And you'll see how these dots connect here in a second. But essentially, I see life as a staircase, right? Where we thrust ourselves out into discomfort, into chaos. and then amidst the storm, we're forced to grow. We step into shoes. We were once unable to fill. And what was once bigger than us is now normal. It's every day.

It's ordinary because we fought for it. We pushed ourselves through. That's evolution. But now, guess what? That old ceiling has become the floor. It's time to evolve. It's time for that next step in the staircase, time to thrust ourselves back into the chaos of life so that we can again tame something bigger than us.

Take the next intimidating thing and make it commonplace. And as I sat there outside thinking, I found myself to be at that next step, ready to leap out again into the tumultuous winds of life. but this time it felt different. There's an intersection, and I talk about it often, of doing what adds value to the world and doing what makes you content personally. Okay, I think where those two things meet is peak living.

That's where the magic happens. And I'm fortunate enough that these thoughts, speeches, episodes, videos, whatever you want to call them, on some days literally reach over 200,000 people, and that's not meant to be a humble brag or anything like that. It's just to me so incredible that I can't process it, right? I get emotional thinking about it.

My dream is to add value to other people, provide that little lift that might help someone look at their own problems differently, maybe see a path when before. They were unable to. That's what it's all about. And then, in addition to that, a parallel track, on a personal level, feeling like I'm growing and evolving as well,

constantly stepping up those stairs one by one, having the courage to continue fighting those unknowns and making sense of life's complexities. That's why so many of you were on this journey with me. And so as I looked up at that next step, and it felt bigger than it ever had before, I knew the task needed to be bigger than it's ever been, which would require of me one of the biggest changes I've ever made, and that scared me to death, knowing that in order for something to be born,

something must die. Something must be left behind. I'd been stepping forward for years, and thank God for that, but now it was time for a leap. And so back to that whiteboard I mentioned earlier. If you hang in with me long enough, I usually come full circle. Right, back to the list of goals I miss, the bad day. Why am I so fixated on that? Well, it has nothing to do with the day itself.

Everyone swings and misses from time to time. It has nothing to do with those three goals. Everyone falls short here and there. That's part of life. It's about the person I want to be. be as I endure those turbulent times. It's about the strength to handle my own chaos and battles differently. Before you can lead others, you need to lead yourself.

And that means being vulnerable. It means being honest. It means looking in the mirror and asking yourself the tough questions. It means being stronger than I've ever been. There will be times that require of me that I push forward without having to hear from my parents or girlfriend or buddies that everything's all right. The next step requires that I trust myself to be the guy in my own life. To have impact in the world, one must find strength within themselves where they didn't know it existed. This is a leveling up that I know is required for me to be more than I've ever been, stronger, bolder, more confident when I'm most fearful.

There was a line I used to draw separating me and the people I look up to. And the moment for me was a message. I knew it was time for me to mentally remove that line. You'll never be more than you envision yourself to be. It was time to be my own answer. Promote myself to that next level. From the kid with the dream to the man that makes it happen, it's time. It's just simply time.

Even the ones I love, the ones closest to me, they can't provide that. It has to be internally derived from a place so deep that come hell or high water. It's happening. In telling people about my little misfortunes so that they can pat me on the head and tell me things are great, that's antithetical to what is required of me next. There is a level of courage and strength and excellence in all of us that lives at the bottom of this abyss that we must pull up with everything we have until it becomes intertwined with who we are and where we're headed. And as I sat there, I knew it to be true. I couldn't help.

but feel that change was about to happen and it would stem directly from how i see myself it would be the product of who i knew myself to be and so now most importantly i present this question to you are you at that next step are you looking at a chasm that must be crossed were all your little decisions all the courage and discipline and strength that you utilized to get here that has positioned you for this moment, is it telling you something is next? Is it time to dig deeper and be more than you have ever in your life been? In my example, by the way, was not about holding in our problems

or dismissing those around us. Asking for help and we need help is courage. The small circle we surround ourselves with is a direct reflection of who we are. No, for me it was about being the type of of person who trust myself to weather those storms, about moving with greater conviction, graduating from going to be to is currently.

That whiteboard, that phone call was the turning point and nothing more. And my example may fit your life like a glove. You may think, wow, that's exactly the lens I need right now. But maybe it's not. Maybe your situation is a little different. Maybe the road you're on is newer, less traveled. Maybe it's the courage to take that first step, to play the student.

Perfect. Because whatever it is, as you look up at that next step, what matters is that you know in your heart and soul that you have what it takes to become that person. It's not bigger than you, it is you. Someone once told me that the world will not believe it until you do. So believe. Believe it like your dreams depend on it because as it turns out they do. As it turns out everything about your future is make believe until you breathe life into it. Look around you at your country.

current reality. Remember that it is a product of what you've allowed and that at any time you can up the ante. Climb the step, reach a new level. You have it within yourself to do that. Just give yourself permission to be that person. And it will be scary. It's going to hurt at times.

But let's be that vulnerable. Let's show the world what we're going to be. We can create when we move into it as though it's ours. As though destiny isn't assigned but written one beautiful act of courage at a time. Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to change himself. This was written by Leo Tolstoy in reference to people's proclivity to point out at the world and project blame, rather than to point in it themselves and ask, why? What can I do?

How can I be better? Which, when you think about it is basically a shark forfeiting its bite, or a bird giving up its wings, our personal agency is without a doubt our superpower. Yet, from my vantage point, sometimes feels like we're walking away from that superpower, a tiny step at a time. Little by little, day by day, we're allowing greatness to fade while bringing about the death

of the hero. And well, that's a pretty big claim. What could I possibly mean by this? It's funny, when people ask me what I'm most proud of, my mind pretty quickly goes to my work, the brand that I've dedicated the last almost decade to building. But I don't think that's right. That's right. I think it's a product of my answer, but it's not my answer.

What I'm most proud of is chipping away at the monster that is the victim mentality. You know, my default when things went wrong for so long was to feel bad for myself. It was easier to be the victim and sulk than it was to keep taking the hits. It's like a cheat code. When you can just bask in your sorrow and hate the world, you don't have to do anything. It's like a giant ibuprofen for the discomfort that is life. But it relieves this symptom, not the cause. And to understand, to overcome this worldview is like being gifted with a new pair of eyes.

And what I learned was that self-pity, it gets you nothing. It leaves you resentful, disappoint. envious, wandering down a path that is not your own. What I learned was that my story needed a hero. That's why as I grew, I spoke about the power and the beauty of doing the difficult thing. Running in the rain, chasing the metaphorical fireflies, taking the last train home, see, until you immerse yourself into that vast unknown, you stay in a cell of your own.

your own making. You build walls of limitation and you exist entirely within them. And as time has progressed, I look back, there are two things worth mentioning. One is that we find life's meaning in the difficult thing. And two, there is a fundamental misunderstanding and even from time to contempt for what the difficult thing means, for those who speak of the difficult thing, as though hard truths are in some way inconsiderate. Like diverging from the comfort of one's feelings implies a lack of empathy. But that's wrong. If you love someone, if you care about someone, if you care about yourself, you say what is true. And what is true, is that the shelter and the temporary comfort of victimhood is a high not worth the withdrawal, not worth the suffering.

It got me nowhere, it will get you nowhere, and that is a reality that will never cease to be true. We live in a world that's been shaped entirely by those who found the courage to do the difficult thing. Everything around us is a product of the courageous decision to take the now and bend it. And that means taking hits, it means being criticized. It means by definition you are choosing to be uncommon. You're choosing to change things. Yourself, and by default the world around you. There's nothing wrong with being common.

Quitting is relatable. Failure is relatable. Falling short is relatable. We're all human and we've all been there. But these stock features of humanity, they are not working. They are not worth celebrating. We don't put on pedestals the familiar. No, we put on pedestals the times that we've reshaped the familiar.

And a world of participation trophies is a world that has disincentivized that which makes life worth living. It cripples the very pursuit that ignites the soul, a push towards the extraordinary. It's time we resurrect the hero. See through the facet. See through the facade of short-term comfort that leads to long-term emptiness. In a world where attention is currency, it's time we acknowledge the payment we receive when we play victim buys only despair. Sure, we're flawed. That will always be true, but we are capable of manufacturing greatness. We're capable of capturing hearts and captivating minds. If you could only

See within yourself that story unwritten. If you could feel the greatness that awaits, the roads to be traveled and mountains to be climbed, there would be no debate. There'd be no hesitation about that march to the belly of the beast. If only to show that our demons exist solely where we allow them to. Resurrection the hero. Fight those battles that light you up.

Blaze your trail through the valley of darkness. Take that path unknown to the common man, unseen to those who live within the confines of what is. Resurrection that hero because you need you, because the world needs you. There's no time to be down or sad or dwell on the mistakes of yesterday. There's too much on the line to pretend that settling, was the plan all along or to point at the obstacles with disdain and hatred while life rotates around you.

No, resurrect the hero. Resurrect your answer. Resurrect the person you were meant to be. It may not be simple or intuitive. It may cause you to give more than you knew you had. It may not be easy. But my friend, easy. never changed the world.