Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - CHOOSE YOUR LIFE || Powerful Motivational Speeches Compilation || Wake Up Positive

Episode Date: August 31, 2022

"Your life is a result of the choices you make. If you don't like your life, it is time to start making better choices" - anonymous

If someone were to tell you life is easy, they'd be incorrect. If they were to tell you there's a specified path to contentment, they'd be misinformed. If they were to tell you there's a book of answers to every question you'll come across, they'd be misled. The point is not that life is easy, predictable, or defined. The point is that despite the fact that it's none of the things. those things. You're capable of making something from it. That from a seemingly endless barrage of unknowns exists the pieces to build something truly extraordinary. I came across a quote

a few years ago from Abraham Maslow and a concept that was in Ernest Becker's book, The Denial of Death. And the idea is we are simultaneously gods. and worms. Every once in a while you come across an idea that changes the way you see things. That's definitely one of them, right? A duality that is perpetually under tension. Gods and worms. We're animals. We're flesh and bone eroding by the day. We're given a temporary stay on a giant rock rotating around the sun while simultaneously equipped with the power to not only be aware of that finitude, but to transcend it, to dream, to see things that are not yet there.

Our minds are miraculous. We are both gods and worms. So what do we do about this? How about use the fact that we're going to die, the fact that in many ways we don't have control, the fact that life is messy and unpredictable and often a maze of complete chaos. To, rather than shrink because of it, take off the guardrails and reach for the heavens.

To put things into existence that do not yet exist. Why not go all in? After all, the thing about living is the saying goes, is that no one makes it out alive. No one hops on the roller coaster to constantly look at their watch to dwell on its temporary nature. No, it's to enjoy the ride. And what is our time here? But a few short rides around the sun.

So when it feels like life is too big, when the day overwhelms or disintegrates into chaos, Don't fixate on the rocky nature of the world around you, but on your ability to take it all and make it mean something. Cherish the idea that although everything around you is dictated by natural laws and constraints, your mind is bound by nothing. And where you seek answers, you will find them, where you pursue more, you will unlock it. Our finitude, our challenges are essential to our existence. They remind us that we have nothing to lose, that the song will end, so why not dance like it's your last time? Because sure, in time we will be dirt for worms.

But that's exactly why, as long as we're here, We'll live to, in our own unique way, bridge the gap between the ground we walk on and the heavens above. What if the so-called detours in our lives weren't detours at all? What if they were the way? And all that time spent worrying, analyzing, critiquing was nothing more than an inability to realize the perfection of the moment. The greatness that completely oblivious to us we've stumbled upon. Sometimes we can fall into the trap of looking at life in a way that I believe is too linear. And I certainly think we benefit from simplicity for a variety of reasons, clarity, the ability to make something repeatable, the gift of focus.

But here's the thing, truth is so rarely black and white. And that begs the question, well, what do we make of all that nuance in detail, all that other stuff? The surprises, twists, turns, mistakes, sudden goodbyes, unexpected hellos, the cutting away and the taking on. Because life is messy, unpredictable. And our greatest lessons seem to come from places we least expect them to. Our most memorable moments are often somehow dropped into our laps. It's the whole John Lennon notion that life is,

what happens while you're busy making other plans. And it's interesting to me that I've spent a decade pointing at this metaphorical mountaintop, pouring myself into a methodical plan, just to see again and again that the value continuously comes from the places I didn't anticipate. Where if I kept my eyes closed or even blinked for a second, I might have missed it. Seems like The important things often dress themselves up as mistakes, problems, setbacks, and detours. So why bring all this up? Well, in case you're like me, and you have that tendency from time to time to beat yourself up for the times you fell short, let yourself down, the times you swung and missed.

For anyone who thinks a deviation from the original path is in some way of failure. You know, my goal is to remind you that these things, every single one of them, they all come together to make you you. And the more days I collect, the more I realize they are not only part of the chapter, but integral to the storyline. They're the character development. See, somewhere, at some point along the way, you'll have situations that change, things that come and go, relationships that fall apart, forever things that ended up being rather temporary. And that animal brain will tell you that, you know, this was somehow a total loss, that your days were wasted, your time was stolen.

It won't highlight for you how much you actually learned, or that that point in time gave life to the next thing, which became the next, which opened the door to the next, that it was all part of this critical evolution. The thoughts you think, wisdom you now hold, none of that is ever realized without you having taken the path you took. And so I ask, was that a detour? Or was that you being exactly where you needed to be? Then there will be ideas. The ones you thought you had ironed out, nailed, hit out of the park, the plans that would change the narrative, rewrite the story. But ultimately, time just wouldn't allow them to live up to that potential. They'll fade away and leave you no choice but to pick yourself up and move on.

And your pride, your emotions will absorb all that and tell you, hey, it was all for not. Another failure, a giant L. They won't show you how learning to brush yourself off and start again is a muscle, a skill. And that being as all people fall, the ones that, who never learned to get back up are at a tremendous disadvantage in life. They won't explain that you're more courageous now than you've ever been up to this point in time, that depersonalizing our miscalculations and carrying on, well, it won't just help you succeed. It will be the reason you do, the X factor, the wind beneath your outstretched wings.

And so I ask, were those miscalculations detours? Or were they the wisdom that you needed more than anything else? And then of course, there will be the times you just don't know. Perhaps these are the hardest, you know, stuck, unsure. And it's bad enough that you have no idea. But then you look around and it always seems like everyone else has it all figured. out. Everyone else has it down. At least that's the message our brains like to create. You're alone in this. This is all you. It doesn't tell you that in reality no one knows exactly where

they're going or what they're doing. And the ones who think they do are very often redirected and for good reason, as is the entire point of this message. Right? It doesn't tell you that you You don't find yourself until you get lost. That life is not some predetermined checklist or series of qualifications. It's an adventure. Where some corners are turned, only for you to realize that the contents just around the bend aren't what you wanted. And some bridges are crossed only for you to see that maybe you were wrong about what you thought was important. And that, contrary to how you might originally feel, is a beautiful thing.

The times you're unsure reminds you to keep your eyes open, to enjoy what's around you, capture the value, explore the vastness of a world that will eventually offer up all the pieces required to build what you need. And so I ask, was being unsure. a detour or the necessary starting point to live a life true to yourself. Perhaps we've been looking at this whole thing the wrong way, a little too black and white. What if what we need to do is, while in pursuit of whatever it is we're pursuing, give ourselves a little more love, a little more understanding, because one cannot be their own greatest critic if they forget to also be their own biggest fan.

The two are inextricably linked, making it not okay to be so caught up in the former that one forgets the latter. Life is messy. So forgive yourself when your plans, from time to time, mimic the pulse of the very world we are trying so desperately to navigate. Be there for yourself. Because every step is important, every moment matters. And again I ask, what if the so-called detours in our lives weren't detours at all?

What if they were the way? And all the time spent worrying, analyzing, critiquing, what if they were nothing more than that? they were nothing more than an inability to realize the perfection of the moment, the greatness that we've stumbled upon. There's a saying, don't worry about losing other people. Worry about losing yourself while trying to please other people. And see, holding on to our authentic selves not always easy. In fact, Emerson said to be yourself in a world that is constantly,

trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. And that holds true. And especially in our fast-paced world, shiny objects constantly buzzing around us. Sometimes it seems like the only way to see with clarity is to keep our eyes closed. I was in the car the other day, had Spotify on Shuffle.

And a Jason Aldean song came on. It's called Better at Being Who I Am. And it's essentially about a guy who loses himself in a relationship a little bit at a time. And the chorus is basically him sharing his epiphany, looking around and going, whoa, what the hell happened? And it was laid out in a way that wasn't sort of the obvious, blatant, you know, be yourself. I mean, sure, part of the theme was how important being yourself is, but the emphasis was on how, how fragile of a thing that can be. He put a spotlight on the idea that he got good at forgetting he was in a place that he knew he didn't belong, how we can become masters of forgetting that,

champions of rationalization. And that was his message, being that he has somehow, somewhere, lost himself along the way. That concession after concession can ultimately put you in a place where you don't know who you are, where you can know something isn't quite right, and still slowly and subtly it creeps in. It can consume your reality, and that's what cut through me. Not simply because it occurred. It wasn't so much the epiphany itself, but more so that he showed how easily the erosion of the self can occur in our lives, how easily we lose ourselves, how sneaky the whole thing can be. And this particular example is pointing to a relationship with his girlfriend, and it certainly

can be this. But it doesn't have to be, and often it's not. It can be a job you don't want to do, but hanging in there just one more day, you know, turns into more days than you can count. It can be time with the wrong people, doing the wrong thing, going against your best judgment. It can be the business decision

for a short-term gain that ultimately points you in a direction you don't want to go, right? Before giving life to that convenient phrase, well, I've come too far to turn back now. Life is like a small child, always gently tugging on his mom's sleeve to get her to stop,

doing what she's doing and go get ice cream, right? It's the temptation to move away from the task at hand to abandon the principles just slightly, the objectives, just enough that they'll be pulled off track, right? That's always there. And to reiterate, because this nuance is why I think the idea is so important. The message is not simply about being authentic. I think we all understand the value and necessity of authenticity, or at least I hope. Your value is in who you are. The things that make you unique are the gateway to a life of fulfillment. What makes you you? And how can you delve into that? Share it with the world. That's the good stuff. Okay, so let's presume we know this. My fascination and goal is to point out the fact that so much around us is looking

to take that authenticity and subtly, over time, transform it, that if we are not aware of what we are, we will lose who we are. And that's where you end up in those wrong relationships, wrong places, doing the wrong things. A lot of times it wasn't deliberate or conscious. It wasn't one swing of the axe. It was letting yourself slip away one day at a time. It's the pressure of an infinite number of things. Right? The billion choices you have pulling you in all different directions. It's the people in your life that may have different incentives than you. It's that deep biological tendency to want to appear like you're winning now. It's your brain telling you to do what the crowd does because the alternative creates pain.

It's not wanting to let others down because you want to be their source of happiness. Completely forgetting that an empty, cup has nothing to offer. It's the deception online. The highlight reels, filtered pictures, humble brags, and exaggerated success stories, all

prompting us to say, well then I must have miscalculated. My path must be the wrong path. And maybe we don't come to this realization and immediately jump ship, but we take in a little water every day. Every time we open the app and feel lesser because of an impossible standard.

Every time we put the thing that meant something to us on hold for someone else. Every time we chase that shiny object in exchange for what we expect will be short-term validation. But here's the crazy part. It's like when I shut everything off, when it's just me and my thoughts, no distraction. I have a very good sense of who I am and what I want, just in my gut. I know what feels right to me. And it's only when the chaos comes in that the target can get blurry and the goal seems to live a little further away.

And maybe that's why that song had an impact, why the light bulb went off. The idea that something so obvious, so powerful, so important can elude us and deceive us. There's something to that. I'm better at being who I am. Of course I am, and so are you. So why don't we? Why isn't there an emphasis there? Why is that something that doesn't get our thought and attention?

We can't afford to forfeit that instinct. And so this is the part where I remind myself and everyone listening that you get nothing in life without some semblance of self-trust. You have to take the time to understand who you are and trust yourself to build that from the ground up. Without that, you'll get swept up by the currents of everyday life. But to know what matters in your world, and to hold on to it with conviction, that's what it's all about.

And then, yes, you'll have success letting people into your life. When they contribute to who you are as a person. When they align with your values, when they feel like wind on your sales. And yeah, of course, take the proven paths and utilize the beneficial tactics, but only when they align with what you are building. If not, walking away is the best option, wandering around until you find alignment. Now, that brings more value than a toolbox of the wrong tools.

And sure, sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do. I get that. That's called being responsible, but those things, as annoying as they are, should be contributing to something that does matter to you. The building's foundation is not fun or sexy, but it's necessary. Just make sure you believe in what will ultimately be built on top of it. Otherwise, you are most certainly wasting your time. Your gift is you. You have something to share, something to explore.

explore, nurture and grow. Stand in front of that. Never hide behind it. Protect it. It's the benchmark against which all other things should be measured. We're all better at being ourselves than some impersonation of what we think the world wants us to be. I think the question comes down to,

will you allow that greatness for yourself? Will you be courageous enough to keep the spotlight on what matters most? Will you maintain the awareness that when you're walking down a path that doesn't align with who you want to be, you can self-correct? Turn around. Put emphasis on that part of you that lights you up. Because that will not only benefit you, but it will benefit everyone around you and ultimately benefit. The world. The road to this moment wasn't an easy one.

There were times where you thought you knew, but simply didn't. There were plans made that drastically differed from the ones fate had prepared. There were days that made you question yourself, your beliefs, that made you ask, what is my purpose. Look, to live is to have felt these things, asked these questions, to have seen firsthand the discrepancy between what we draw up and how life unfold. And I think about this discrepancy often. The swings and misses, they hurt. You know, that quick shiver you feel down your spine when thinking about the wrong turns made. The tugging. The tugging, you feel, at your heartstrings when reflecting back on things said or perhaps worse left unsaid.

It's easy to get lost in that feedback loop, letting the past dictate the present, letting yesterday define today. But here's what I've come to see as the truth. To experience the things that make life beautiful. We have to be vulnerable in a way we otherwise wouldn't. open ourselves up to an unknown that, you know, we could have skipped all together if we really wanted to. All that pain, all that hurt the past provided could very easily be the reason you shut down, the reason you play small. That hell you walk through could be your justification

for never stepping out into the chaos of life again. That would, at first, first glance appear to make sense. Seem ideal, even. But that pain could also be the reason you look around you and say, after all that, after experiencing everything life through with me, I'm still here. And as I stand here now, I'm looking out at an array of possibility that is in. I'm equipped with an understanding and a worldview that was once foreign to me. I'm armed with the perspective that has changed my life for the better.

By stepping out into the often dangerous, brutal, unforgiving world, I have elevated myself. And that has made all the difference. And while it may feel intuitive to run from a re-eastern, iteration of yesterday's pain. It's wisdom that urges us to instead use that pain as a multiplier. The key to something more. Something miraculous. Not to cower because we once endured it, but to stand tall because we overcame it.

And that's what we often miss. we can think back to the adversity, sure, but we're often unable to see how that adversity shaped us. Our own strength, it's never going to scream out at us. It's never going to let us know it's there. We have to take the time to acknowledge its presence. We have to peer over our shoulders to see how far we've traveled. We'll always have obstacles before us.

that if we don't stop and assess, we won't see that the obstacles have gotten bigger. Not because life's gotten harder, but because our own evolution has permitted us to step into bigger arenas. It has equipped us to take on larger adversaries. A simple willingness to be vulnerable has become the flame that lives,

up your soul. So the question is will you step out? Will you see that vulnerability not as a crack in the foundation or a chink in the armor but as strength to love it requires accepting a susceptibility to being hurt? To play the game requires an acceptance that you just might come up short. To bet on yourself means understanding that you might fall right on your face. To want more than you have now means acknowledging that you might be humbled along the way. This is what it means to live, giving a peace of yourself in order to acquire that which means the most.

The torturous often counterintuitive willingness to step out into the darkness of night when your heart races and your mind moves a million miles a minute, that's vulnerable. That is power. And it's an investment in a tomorrow that otherwise would not have been available to you. You are not your past. You are the wisdom derived from its lessons. The courage removed from its trials. And the hurt That hurt that was perhaps at one point the only thing you felt, it's not your reason to shrink into yourself. It's your reason to step back out. To say to the universe, I have the strength to again dance with the unknown.

To risk the short-term discomforts that life often hands out like candy in exchange for the chance, years from now to look at your reflection and say, I got back up. I did the hard thing. I followed my heart. I wandered into that darkness to obtain the wondrous reality that is for a time concealed. I did that. So love again, grow again, try again, build again, believe. again, see again, feel again, step out into the world again. This is who you are.

Underneath the fear and insecurity, underneath all those reasons to not go. There lives the beginning of the miracle that is life. And it won't be easy. The time will never feel perfect, but the question will always exist. It will always exist within an arm's reach of where you stand. Can you be that vulnerable? Can you be that courageous? And not just when things are going well, but amidst the turmoil, the chaos, the self-doubt, when your memory only wants to play highlight reels,

of where things went wrong, where you swung and missed. Will you choose to see those moments, not as the chains that confine you, but as the strength that elevate you? Will you be vulnerable enough to give away some of you in order to expand and transform all of you? Being beings don't see, we interpret. We don't take in what happened. 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 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. So here's where the value lives in the context of this message

when we find ourselves in a consistent state of despair or despair. 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 characters, 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 small things. Subtract one sports drink and add one green smoothie. Double your water intake. Do a 10-minute daily workout on YouTube. Like 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. 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. We're not looking for mountaintops. We may be unaware. We may forget. We may be misled, but in our hearts and souls, we know. We are not looking for mountain tops.

What we're seeking is different. What we're seeking is the space between the top of the world and its baseline, the ceiling and the floor. Sure, we may trick ourselves into thinking it's the top or the finale or the view. But as has been said before, if the goal were truly the top, we wouldn't bother ourselves by climbing. we'd be dropped off at the top by helicopter. No, we aren't looking for mountain tops. What we want is undoubtedly the climb.

We live for that climb. That immersion into life where we are alive, awake, that quest for purpose where humans are transformed and life adjusts to stop feeling like a standardized test and start feeling like a canvas waiting on a masterpiece. Simple? Yes, easy.

No. It's Nietzsche and Frankl's meaning through suffering. It's Peterson's choosing your sacrifice. Simon Sinek's finding your why. It's Gagin's staying hard. Grover's becoming a cleaner. These aren't parts of the journey. They are the journey.

mountain tops are meaningful simply because they remind us that we could have said no and didn't they allow us to remain conscious of our courage what we overcame and who we became along the way in the view it allows us to hold on to that realization just a little longer before setting out for new mountains to climb

but knowing the person embarking upon the next journey will be a little wiser a little strong a little more polished. As Jim Rohn said, it's not success we're after. It's what the pursuit makes us along the way. That's why Eckert Tolley says the adrenaline-seeking pursuits, such as a climb, are so powerful, because we're forced to be in that moment.

To understand what living is, we can't be pulled down by the past or diverted by the future. We are immersed in what matters. in what matters. Transformation happening in real time. Because something can be made out of nothing. But mountaintops don't do that. Elevation through blood, sweat, and tears does that. Mountain tops are symbolic of what we become. Every time we pull ourselves a little higher, they stand for a A million little yeses in a world of nose, just like the trophy, is nothing more than a celebration of trials and tribulations.

Hearing the crowd roar when you rose to the occasion, finding ways to win when the odds were stacked against you, becoming more when it felt like there was nothing left. Don't let life trick you into thinking it was ever about the hardware or the trophy case. It's not. than swimming on a beautiful day is about drying off. No, it's the middle. It's where we are forged from fire. It's where we map our destinies. It's the game of life. So remember when you do feel tired or weak or lost or can't seem to find your reason to carry on. That you can't see it now because you are entrenched in the most meaningful of experiences. You are

in fact, at the heart of what you'll look back on and realize to find you, the center of transformation, of meaning. Remember that idea that if mountaintops were the goal, we wouldn't climb, we would get dropped by helicopter. This journey, with all its ups and downs, is life at its fullest. It's why you're here. It's why you must keep going. In a commencement speech, Ed Helms referenced his character from the office. Andrew Bernard, and his perhaps most defining quote, I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days

before you've actually left them. Well, my friends, we are right now in the business of making good old days. Don't wait for any metaphorical mountain top to look back and realize how precious, how powerful, how perfect the ascent truly was. You're not the same person you were a year ago. It's an important thing to understand.

Progress is incremental. We often fall into the habit of looking forward, looking ahead. That's wonderful. We want to push boundaries. We want to be looking down that road. But something that differentiated the chapters in my life from stress and inadequacy and just not feeling like enough versus being content, but understanding this is a process,

it's the realization that you have to pat yourself on the back, that you have to turn around, you have to look behind you and you have to say, you know what, I've come further than I thought. I'm not the same person I was last month, last year, two years ago. There are things I'm doing now that I couldn't do. I think in certain ways that I never thought before. And what this does is it helps you maintain perspective.

That life is an evolution. And that you are exactly where you need to be for whatever journey you are on. In today's world of keeping up with the Joneses or Instagram, I think social media culture can be incredibly dangerous. It has its value, but like everything, the truth. is always right in the middle. It's a problem when you're looking around you and seeing and highlighting things that you're not.

I'm not this, I'm not that, I'm not that, I wish I was, but I'm not. Right? For a few reasons. One, because that stuff often is a highlight reel. It's not reflective of reality. And two, it's not your journey. It has nothing to do with where you're going. And it creates this false sense of panic.

Like, I'm not where I should be. No, you're exactly where you need to be. And you've done things and you've overcome obstacles. Some you haven't even realized that have been monumental. Success is so incremental. It's counterproductive. It goes against everything we are. It goes against how we think.

Right? It's like you exert yourself. You exhaust energy. Well, where's the feedback? What do you mean there's no feedback? Well, it takes time. Right? And the idea of showing up and showing up and showing up and showing up and getting very little back can be devastating. It can be exhausting. That's why it's so important to remember that you are evolving and that you have evolved. You are the culmination of all these beautiful, incredible steps you've taken. And let me tell you something. Sometimes the most important thing you can do is simply not stop. It's not some magic solution.

It's not to hit a home run every time you're at the plate. No, sometimes it's simply carrying on when most people wouldn't. And if you can look back and you see a sample size, you see a day one and a starting point, you've done the incredible. You're in the minority. You've continued on into an unknown that scares most people to death. Doesn't mean there's not more to do. doesn't mean you shouldn't continue evolving,

but it means you're the product of courage. That those little yeses means something. And so I have people reach out all the time. You know, I'm down. I don't feel like myself. I don't know what I'm doing. I feel like I've lost my why. Hey, I get it.

We all do. Literally every single human being has felt like that. It's not reflective of you or reality. The reality is, when you've forgotten your why, you've forgotten how far you've come. You've lost your momentum in relation to your North Star. And it's a feeling that you can pick right back up with a small win. It's amazing how many things in life, you know, they feel so big when we're looking at that mountain top.

When we're looking at the solution, they feel. larger than life. And that's what puts us in these slumps. That's what intimidates. It's like, look where I need to be. I'm not a fraction of that. But you don't need to be that. You need to take one little step forward.

And as I say all the time, anyone can take one little step forward. Anyone can do that. Anyone can create a spark of momentum. Spark of momentum over time accumulates to the good stuff, the important stuff, the meaningful stuff. So when you feel like that, remember, you're asking too much of yourself.

Not in the big picture, but today, right now. Because what you need to do right now is show up. That's it. You need to make one little decision and start a pattern that can accumulate, create a snowball that will become an avalanche. That's your job. When you keep your mind in the moment,

you open all these doors that would otherwise have been shut. No one can leap a mountain, anyone can climb a rock. What's your rock today? What's your one thing today? Some things are made from little nothings, right? What's your little nothing? What are you going to transform? You don't have to be Bezos tomorrow.

Maybe you make a business plan today. Maybe you make a call today. This afternoon, it's morning, whenever. But it's compartmentalizing that. You have so much control over your life when you realize what's actually required. And that's why, you know, again, going back to that point, you're not the same person you were yesterday. All those little decisions, all those little emails, all those times you stepped outside, all those times you made the call, created the website, networked, all those things you did brought you to this moment. Every time you ran, every time you worked out,

every time you studied, took a course, took a class, took a test, they all comprise you in this current moment. They mean something, but we don't look around and say, wow, look at all the things I've done. No, we look out and say, look what I'm missing, look what I'm lacking. You're not lacking anything except a single step forward.

The realization that all you have to do is move one step. And that simple understanding completely, completely transformed my life. I spent the first three, four years as a creator, as a business owner, just in this feeling of scarcity. Like, look at all the things I don't have. To the point where, as I'm building, I don't even realize I'm building. I never look back.

I never look around. I never appreciate life as it is. That's the recipe for disaster, because there will always be more to build. Always. It doesn't matter how far you've come or what you're doing. But when I learn to acknowledge, hey, everything that you've done has brought you here, appreciate. Relish in the moment. And then decide where you want to go next. It's a journey. It's not that serious. Life is not that serious. I tell my friend Zach all the time, you know, life should emulate his son, walking around the living room, poking things, prodding things, pulling blankets off the couch and making

tense. Like, it's an experiment. It's not a test. And you're well equipped to move any direction you want to move. You've come this far, and you can continue down that road. So that's my message to you. It's a simple. Simple but crucial. Appreciate how far you've come and understand that where you're going requires not some magic formula, but But a single step forward and a commitment down the road that you choose to go down. That will create transformation. That will bring about a life that you've never had before. Subtally, right, without even realizing.

Little by little, compounding into the beauty that we are equipped to capture it. When it comes to the almost 8 billion people on planet Earth, there's undoubtedly a variance and 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 that which is precious, that we protected at 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. are 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 don't need external endorsements or stamps of approval. Take Robert Frost, road less traveled 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 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.