Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - CONTROL YOUR BRAIN | Listen To This Every Morning | Best Motivational Speeches

Episode Date: December 9, 2022

“If you fail to control your own mind, you may be sure you will control nothing else.” - Napoleon Hill

In a way, the world is a mirror that reflects how you feel. And if life is consistently mirroring back images that aren't ideal, perhaps it's time to chip away, not at the world, but at yourself. It's time to work. And sometimes, that's roll up your sleeves and be better work. Let's get up a little bit earlier work. It's at the gym or study or give more. more work.

But sometimes it's acknowledging that if in this chapter of your life, you find everything around you intimidating or too distant or out of reach, it's not because the world is too big, but rather you've let your own image get too small. It's the identity that needs the maintenance. We do things because we see ourselves as doers of those things, right? Soccer players play soccer. Writers write. Painers paint.

No one who's ever identified or introduced himself as a runner has ever broken a world deadlift record. No, runners do runner things. Bodybuilders do bodybuilder things. People who view themselves as small do small things and people who see themselves as capable or strong, daring, adventurous, larger than life. Well, you get the point. We're out there over-analyzing all these details, trying to decipher code without realizing that we've already won or lost. You gave yourself permission to run 50 yards, and then became Sherlock Holmes trying to figure out why the world wouldn't let you reach yard 51.

We go as far as we allow ourselves to go. We do as much as we allow ourselves to do. We become who we allow ourselves to be. But I'm not saying the other variables don't matter. Of course they do. I'm saying over time those variables become blocks for us to build ourselves up or build walls around ourselves that keep us down in one place. If the world feels bland, give yourself permission to seek out the beauty.

Be someone who finds joy in life. If the world feels lonely, give yourself permission to connect with others. Be someone who brings people together. If the world feels chaotic and confusing, give yourself permission to break it down. Be someone who turns big things into small, manageable things. If the world feels sad and disheartening, give yourself permission to uncover what makes you smile.

Be someone who, in the darkness of night, can find that light switch. Because for every reason to be sad, there's one to be happy. For every reason to be weak, there's one to be strong, so on and so forth. Of course, it's not the easiest to remember when we look out and don't like what we see. But knowing that the solution is internal, knowing that you decide who you are, where you're going, and where you stop, as much as humanly possible, it puts fate in your hands. Which is right where it should be.

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

Like so many epiphanies and what happened during a difficult, kind of a trying time, it wasn't where I wanted to be. And I remember sitting down and asking myself, you know, dude, are you on your own, team here? Are you helping yourself? Using the metaphor, the question was, am I watering the weeds in my life or the flowers? And by the weeds, I mean, am I allocating energy to thoughts that are detrimental to what I want?

Am I keeping myself in places I don't want to be and in relationships that are counterproductive? Am I thinking about what can go wrong instead of all that can go right? Or am I watering the flowers, the positive, highlighting the the possibility, the things I'm appreciative for, the seeds, the potential that can grow a mile high. See, I've always known the value in choosing to see the possibility. But the million dollar question is, how do you remain aware? Because that's the thing about weeds, they're sneaky, they'll take control of your life without letting you know they're doing it.

So I'm thinking this through and it dawns on me, this is not complex. This is simple. It's one identifying where you want to be and two, analyzing your actions based on those priorities, right? That's it. And so for every pillar of my life, health, relationships, career, finances, I made two dots. One for where I am and one for where I want to be. Everything in the middle is life.

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

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

That is where the weeds live. That is wasted space. Why exhaust that energy? To think, you know, I'm not good enough to get this promotion. How does that help you get to your point B? It doesn't. Eliminate that thought, right? Point B always exists.

Just that notion pushes a lot of things to the side. You have to be good enough. You just need them proof. Maybe it's enhanced skills. Maybe it's more effort. Maybe it's changed approach. But tackling these things will water the flowers. It moves you along the path.

And progress is happiness. For me, health is a big thing. I run all the time. But I'd like to be more fit. I'd like to eat healthier. There's room for improvement. And I know it's possible. Because that is my point B.

I know that saying I don't have time or I don't have the right body type or jeans or trying to convince myself that fast food, just this once will be okay. No, all of that stuff is watering weeds. It exists outside my path. My time should be spent realizing how incredible the human body is, taking care of it, pushing it, being proud of it, taking accountability for it. That's me.

I only get one of these things, even if it's just a little at a time. That's the beauty. Simply existing on a path and revolving around your ideals, your vision, your priorities brings about joy. Negativity, it truly is a learned thing. It's manufactured. All there are in life are circumstances, circumstances that are neither positive nor negative, just pieces.

And you decide what to do with them. Do you focus on the negative? You can. But that won't put you in a position to change your circumstances or bring about happiness. When you decide to see the opportunity, you free yourself from the shackles of fate, because destiny never put you in the situation you did. But guess what? You can take yourself out of it. A field of sunflowers grew one root, one stem, one pedal at a time.

The same field that was at one point nothing more than dirt and weeds. It was always possible and so was your ideal life. You just need to water the things that matter. Use what you have where you are. A friend of mine at one point found himself in his mid-20s fighting his way back from what he refers to as a pretty substantial setback that had occurred.

He was basically rebuilding his life. He found himself looking up at an enormous mountain to climb. Unsure what he would do for a living, how he would make ends meet, very much lacking direction. And as he pondered, he got a job as a pizza oven repair guy, learn the ins and outs of the craft as he showed up every day, I still focus down the road, still contemplating what would be the best move for his future.

And as some time passed, he started to realize he was mastering the very niche craft that he was showing up to do every day, right? It was acquiring a very specific competency in quickly becoming great. After a little bit of time, he started thinking, Hey, I could branch out on my own here. I could start my own pizza oven repair business. And he did. And after not too long, hired an entire team to work with him,

then progressed into delivering and installing new ovens all over the country and is currently working on some new technology as well to supplement the install and repair part of the business. The guy's doing incredibly well. And it's interesting because you're having a conversation with him about his success, and it's like, how on earth did you find yourself doing what you do? It's so specific. And he'll tell you, you know, he worried, he pondered, he thought about business degrees and career trajectories and all that.

But the difference was that he didn't take the moment for granted. he saw the value where he was with what he had where he could have seen it as a bridge job or a chapter in the story or however you want to describe it he saw it as an opportunity he saw the present as the answer show up and give everything you have to being great now because when you're competent in a craft and ambitious

as he is that's a scary combo The world becomes yours. Use what you have where you are. And you will, because of this monstrosy, doors unlock that perhaps you never thought possible. There are pieces around you now that will push you to grow and evolve.

The problem is we very often dismiss them. What my friend turned into an empire, a success story, could just as easily have been an obligation while he waited for the world to give him something different. And sure, I think it's important for me to emphasize the point isn't to stay where you are forever if you're unhappy.

Of course not. The point is that there's value in aiming to be exceptional at whatever it is you are doing, whatever you are committing to, even if it appears mundane. The point is that so much potential is sewn into our, our day to day, it just tends to blend in and not feel important, at least at first glance. You know, doors open for people who are great at what they do, and people who are great at what

they do live with a curiosity, consistency, and intensity that others might not. It's amazing how when we feel that we are gaining competence in something or excelling in something, it becomes enjoyable, which highlights the fact that, you know, so often our stagnation is a byproduct of us standing in our own way, choosing not to grow. I mean, I can't explain how trivial what I do now felt when I first started in 2014, sharing my thoughts into a microphone, making little three-minute videos, uploading them to the internet, right, to an audience of my immediate family for zero dollars. You know how dumb my rational brain was trying to convince me that was? You know how easy it would have been to move on and simply look back on that period of time as

my little YouTube experiment? But again, there is this strange phenomenon that when you inject yourself into something and vow to get better at it, it lifts you up, it excites you, it brightens your world. I had, as I've talked about, uh, so much. many times found that intersection of what I love and what adds value to others. And that was everything. And the solution appeared not because, you know, I bumped into someone that had some life-changing opportunity for me. It wasn't because I found this shortcut or secret formula. No, I just used what was already sitting in my little apartment on Comav in Boston. It's incredible how often our answers are right where we are. That's why as I've progressed through this journey, I understand

balance. I understand the value of sure, looking at that horizon, having big plans and ambition, but also cherishing the opportunity at our feet now, looking around, because again and again and again, the opportunity is disguised as triviality, is the stuff we walk right by. Always remember. that there's something around you that can be transformed into opportunity, even if it's small. And if you choose to look for it, you will empower yourself. Every day things. I can throw off examples for days. The internet, incredible resource, leverage it.

Whether it's connecting or sharing or creating or learning. Your day-to-day effort. Like my friend with the pizza oven installation. repair company. That world doesn't exist if he doesn't take the little things incredibly seriously. Show up to whatever you do with the tenacity that will propel you to new height. Whether it's in that same field or it carries you over to another. Or utilizing your network.

There are people you know today right now that can contribute to your momentum or seek them out. Time, the 30-minute blocks that we deem insignificant or downtime between, one event and another. Think of the compounding of turning that into a, you know, a push-up session every day or your 30-minute audiobook time. And sure, all of these examples are sort of sporadic, they're contextually different, but they have one very important common theme, and that's opportunity being squeezed out of resources that we already possess. It's instead of walking by the pile of bricks every morning, picking one up at a time and beginning to stack them. I'm a firm believer that the difference maker for so many is not IQ.

It's not going to this or that college. It's not your background. It's, did you recognize the opportunities surrounding you? Did you find the value or the excuse? Because both will always exist. And that's what we have to understand. The details around you can be your reason for staying right where you are or for doing the unimaginable.

So understand the power of utilizing what you have where you are. Make a point to look for the tools within reach. They say what's trash or junk to one man can be treasure to another. We'll understand that your eyes are capable of seeing both. You have to leave them to the value. You have to become comfortable with pausing, letting the emotions subside and asking, how can I win here now with the pieces that are available to me?

Because they are available. And if you're willing to pick them up, you can undoubtedly, as Thoreau said, build your castles in the air. Hardy fiber cement siding handles conditions that can cause damage to vinyl. From fire to hail, Hardy Siding stands tall through it all. Helping trade professionals look their best when they recommend Hardy siding and trend. See the proof at James Hardy.com.

There's a story about some frogs and these frogs as they're sort of making their way through the woods, the ground breaks underneath them and two of them fall into this little pit. way, way down. They tumble and eventually they hit the bottom. They're looking up and they're realizing how far they've fallen, right? Moving around, panicking, essentially coming to grips with the situation that they're now in. They start frantically jumping, trying to climb the walls.

And as they're jumping, the frogs on top are looking down and they're basically yelling, look, we're sorry this happened to you. But this is a lost cause. There's no way out for you guys. There's no need to jump around. This is a futile situation. But they continue to jump and their jump, not willing to come to terms with that possibility.

Not yet. And again, the frogs up top, they yell down. You know, there's no way. It's over. You're going to die down there, guys. You need to ultimately face that. And one of the two frogs in the pit does concede to the same. situation. He hears the voices and he stops jumping and makes his way further down the pit and he dies.

But the second one, the second one keeps jumping and jumping and adjusting his approach. Trying different things. Ultimately he does get out. He climbs over the ledge and when he gets to the top he's confronted by the others and they come up to him. They ask him, hey, didn't you hear us yelling down that the situation was impossible? Didn't you hear us say there was no way out? And as it turns out, he didn't hear because this frog was deaf, right? So we couldn't hear a single word, and this ultimately saved his life. Not because it helped him do the miraculous or the impossible, but because it blocked out the outside voices attempting to tell him what possible is.

Look, there will always be doubters, skeptics, and cynics. Aristotle said, there is one way to avoid criticism. Do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. But the beauty is that these voices have one thing in common, and that's their irrelevance. Because there's one voice that matters in the writing of your story, and that voice belongs to you. Never forget how much control you have. Never forget who holds the pen. Things are real when you make them real.

Things stop when you stop. Things change when you change them. So here's the following, not orders or expectations, but that spark that guides you to what feels right, to what means the most. Here's to an everlasting self-belief. That will lift you out of any hole, carry you over any mountain,

and most importantly turn blood. pages into a story that is truly... 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 vote. 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? This 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.

The whole John Lennon notion that life is what happens while you're busy making other plans, right? 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 in the way. 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've talked. 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 needs. 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 who never

learn 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 de-personalizing 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, you know, 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 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 show. 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, 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 detour. tours at all. What if they were the way? And all the time spent worrying, analyzing, critiquing, what if they were nothing more than an inability to realize the perfection of the moment, the greatness that we've stumbled upon? You have to see it before they do. You have to

believe it before they will. You have to be the architect of your plans and your goals because no one will build them for you. And that's just it. In a world where victimhood is becoming currency and blame is becoming the norm, we have a choice. Create a temporary fleeting escape or create a life that matters. You know how much easier it is to project out at the world? To never have to look in the mirror and address the things you could be doing better? You know how much easier it is to hate him or her or them over there?

To make up stories and scenarios about how much different life would be if it wasn't for A, B, and C holding you back. I mean, short term, it's like winning the lottery, right? You don't have to take any accountability. You don't have to have tough conversations with yourself. You don't have to reflect on the painful memories or decisions. No, you can put your feet up.

Sit back, point at the world, and say, look what they made me do. If only. But here's what's not being said. Every time you point your finger away from your own chest, every time you project blame, you're letting yourself down. Why? Because we only grow when we take accountability. And yeah, accountability can be painful, uncomfortable. But in that discomfort exists the only bridge to a better tomorrow. That's it.

You go to the gym, you put your muscles through stress. You break them down so that they can be built back up stronger. Personal responsibility cannot be the muscle we refuse to build. There's too much at stake. It can't be the thing you avoid. Why? Because it's what injects meaning into our lives. I'll never forget in the eighth grade.

And I bet every single person in that class still to this day remembers. My teacher, Mr. Betancourt, walking up to the front of the classroom, he had his hands in a bowl shape and was holding it up to the ceiling, explaining to us that you can't go through life asking the world to give you its scraps. That if you sit and you wait and you hope and you blame, you will lose. That's the recipe for bitterness and resentment. Think of it like a fork in the road. Where our two options are vastly different.

You go left at the fork and you enter a world of escapism, refusing to confront your problems. Finding reasons you can't do that which you know you need to do. Hating others, those who have built, grown, or created themselves. Or, you go right at the fork. You learn to do the hard thing, to humble yourself, to take control of your life and your world. When things aren't the way you want them to be, you look around and you immediately ask, things outside of my control may have brought me here, but what can I do to fix it?

Those of you have been listening to me for a while, you probably know my favorite articulation of this idea was explained by Will Smith. Basically, he said, look, you can't control where you start and how true that is, right? Life's not fair. Some people are born into more resources and opportunity. Some people find themselves in social situations

that aren't ideal, and that list can go on and on and on, right? Human beings are all different, so there will always be discrepancy. But, and this is Will Smith's point, where you go from here will always be your responsibility. What happens next is all you. You choose whether to complain,

shake your fist at the sky and blame the world around you or pick the pieces up and move forward. And like I said a minute ago, don't be fooled by the temptation to latch on to that fleeting moment of relief of running from accountability, the only way to win in the long run

is to face your demons. It's that whole saying, when you're riding shotgun, you can dispute the route all you want, but ultimately, it's the driver who's in control. When will you take the wheel in your own life? Ensure the stakes become higher. Now it's on you.

Now you can get lost. Now you're responsible for the maintenance. Now, if you don't end up at the right place, or I don't know, you're late to a destination, it's your fault. But now you can also be the one overseeing the journey. Now it's yours, and that's power. And as our world becomes more and more one of escapism, it's becoming more prevalent, easier to avoid or not fix something but tweet about it. How easy it is to not confront our problems,

but rather open Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and mindlessly scroll. How easy it is to leave that message on red and go about our lives, because that's easier than saying what needs to be said. Strength is being the one amidst all this escapism and avoidance to confront what must be confronted. Whether it's an interaction,

with someone else or that hard conversation with yourself, a personal change that must take place. Life is such a gift, it's such an opportunity, but we have to move through it with our eyes open. We have to see things that matter and gravitate towards truths that will shape us. Like Mr. B said, over 20 years ago now, we can't ever fall into the mentality of holding our hands up to the sky and asking life to give us anything.

We can't only point it ourselves when things go the way we want them to go. No, let's be about accountability, empowerment, understanding that if I don't like what's around me, the transformation starts now and it starts with me. I wasn't perfect, I never will be, but I can learn, I can evolve, and most importantly, I have everything I need to make that happen. It's all awareness. The victimhood idea is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and I know that may seem harsh, maybe even lacking empathy. But dropping that narrative was truly the best thing I've done in my life, and I know countless others who would say the same, you can't be both a preparedness. perpetual victim and be in control. No, life is tough.

It knocks us down and at times it brings us to our knees, but this is a reminder that you cannot stay there. It's a reminder that those who contributed to the situation are now minor detail and background noise. It's a reminder that the path forward is about you. It's about you pushing all that aside and asking yourself, What's required to move in the direction that I most want to go? Because you are that powerful.

You are strong enough to make that move. And there will be a point where you look around you and the circumstances of change. The people are different. The environment is different. You're different. And you'll smile at yourself knowing it's not because of what the world provided. It's not because of what anyone gave you. you. It's not because of what people out there did or didn't do. No, it's because when you were at

your lowest, when life was presenting curveball after curveball, when you looked around it, maybe even thought to yourself, there's no way forward here. You found a way to get up and create something new. When the water rises, it sink or swim. We pick up certain truths as we make our way through life, realizations, little awakenings, patterns that allow us to map the things around us so that we can navigate this crazy place. And here's one such realization for my own journey. When you pursue your best, you live your best life. your best is a North Star to guide you a bar, line, or benchmark that's always moving, a reminder that you can always do more and be more.

A reminder that life tomorrow can always be different than life today. To pursue your best, in my opinion, is synonymous with capturing all that is good in this world. Capitalizing on potential is to utilize the best. resources in need of an architect, that pen in need of a poet, brush in need of a painter, story in need of a writer or populace in need of a leader. It's a pursuit that not only supplements our existence here on earth. No, I believe it is in and of itself why we are here on earth. But like every ideal pragmatism seems to get in the way. Meaning, well life is more difficult in execution

than it looks on paper. We can't be our quote unquote best every day. We sometimes fall short of that mark. Our outcomes don't always align with our expectations. The perpetual journey to one's best is neither straight nor without discomfort. It's more like the navigating of a new world without a map or compass, a world that we're by default ill-equipped to take on when we begin. And I believe that 99% of success,

Success is reliance upon the willingness to move into that great unknown and allowing adversity to shape us. But that remaining 1% is a little bit different. That 1% is when we see what we've never seen. Do what we've never done. It's uncovering our best in those moments we feel our worst. Climbing the highest when we're at our lowest. When the water rises, it's finding a way to swim. See, the majority of life calls for tiny adjustments.

It's observing and learning and moving on. But rarely do we talk about the darkest moments when we feel as though we are up to our neck in the trials and tribulations of life. When the world doesn't relay messages of hope or prosperity, no, the only incoming message is despair. You're essentially David looking up at Goliath. Perhaps a Goliath of your making? Perhaps not that a Goliath nonetheless.

So why here? Why are these dark moments different than the 99%? Why is this stage provided at the very time when the limelight feels further out of reach than it ever has? this, this moment is when you prove to yourself who you are. You think you've dug deep in the past? You think you've given your all back then? No, you have no idea what you're capable of. The world provides a stage in our darkest moments so that you can pull back the curtains and illuminate your strength. It floods your world with adversity so that you

You can trust yourself to navigate the waters. And if you can find a way here, when the walls are closing, clock is ticking and water is rising, what can't you do? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Those moments show us what we can be, and that is why the 1% is everything. Why is it that rock bottom becomes a bridge to so many new tomorrows? the losses we dread most become the change we need most. The answer is simple because in those moments we find within ourselves the keys to transformation.

See, you didn't know that you can leap that far. And you didn't know because you've never been pushed so close to the edge, running it so fast a speed. But in those moments you learn that you can take flight. You learn you have the power to stand again. So while the vast majority of life is saying yes, when most would say no, it's how we choose to act while immersed in our lowest lows that provides the framework and the opportunity. I believe that the tears indicative of despair streaming down your face look a lot like the tears that emerged during our happiest moments. They are the same.

One just precedes the other. See despair gives you a chance to look at life differently, look at yourself differently, to look in the mirror and understand that the reflection looking back is capable of leading a revolution in your soul. And I get how hard that is. How detached from reality it might seem, but isn't that what tomorrow is? A detachment from the reality, the parameters, and the rules of today? It's not until that seed is buried beneath the earth that it plants roots, that it takes aim at the sky, and when you are stuck beneath the chaos of life, you have to know that this is where you too transform.

So forget yesterday's shoreline. This is where you build tomorrow's destination. Don't fixate on what is gone when you can dream of all that is to come. And don't dwell on who you were when you can celebrate all you will be. When the water rises, swim. Hope. That bridge that connects the present to a more ideal world. The idea that no obstacle is too big to overcome,

no situation too dire, to emerge victorious, and that you are never confined to how things are. FDR has said, we have always held to hope. The belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world beyond the horizon. Why does this matter? Well, to put it simply, before one can leave this situation they are in,

They have to believe there is another path worth taking. It's not always seeing, but trusting. It's a tale of two components. One, the belief that something better is out there, and two, the belief that you are strong enough to bridge that gap to create that world. So let's start with number one. There was a study done by Kurt Richter in the 19th.

50s and he used rats and it was kind of a gruesome experiment but definitely worth talking about because the takeaway is incredible right and I kind of cherry-picked the relevant parts of the experiment basically he wanted to delve into the role that hope plays in our lives and what he would do is he would drop rats into a jar of water and observe see how long they'd swim before they drown and for the most part these rats would swim for a minute or two and then ultimately give up right there was this innate feeling of hopelessness but then he made a change and and when they were close to drowning he'd reach in he'd pick them up he'd hold them for a little while and then

he'd placed them back in the water and the results between the two groups were night and day the rats saw in the second group that it wasn't over and when they were placed back in the water they had a reason to continue swimming, and they did. Some of them did for hours. The only difference being that they had hope. They saw there was more. And I don't think that's too different from us. The situation may be different, but the rules generally apply, right?

So much of conceding or giving up in life, accepting an existence that falls short of our ideals, is when we don't believe in something more. we stop swimming. You don't give ourselves a chance. Right? So instead of creating bridges to walk on, we make walls that lock us in. Hope is knowing all pain, all discomfort is temporary. And the second component is belief in yourself.

Belief in yourself to traverse that space between current and the ideal. It's self-empowerment. You can be the difference maker. in your life and others. And it's funny, the other day after reading about the Richter experiment, I was sitting at a friend's house with my laptop, kind of trying to figure out what to make of it, because the idea of hope I knew was powerful,

and I wanted to share that story. I wanted to write something that would highlight its value, but it seemed kind of unfinished. Or simply part of an explanation. I'm sitting there thinking about it, and I hear this loud bang over it. over again and I get up and I run to the back of the house, right, to make sure everything's fine, see what's going on. And my friend's standing there with goggles on, this grin on his face

and a sledgehammer and a huge hole in the wall in front of him. And I'm like, dude, what are you doing? You just knocked your wall down. He goes, yeah, I wanted to make another closet. His family's growing. He needs more space and he just took it upon himself to make that happen. I just looked at him and walked back out, started walking the living room, and it hit me. This is a component of hope. Seeing what's not there and doing something about it. If this swimming experiment is step one, this has to be step two. In real time.

Step one, believing, seeing something more. Step two, taking action to change it now. Buying into the fact that you have the power to change your own world. And it's funny because any house or room I've ever, ever lived in, my thoughts always, you know, you look around and this is this is it, right? This is the situation. This is what's being given to me. How do I make the most of it? How do I play within these parameters? Not, okay, this is fine, but it could be better, you know, by smashing down the wall in the back over there,

creating something new. And, you know, obviously the message here isn't about home maintenance. This is about taking a sledgehammer to the places in your life in which you are not content. so that you can build in its place something that matters. You look around to your left, you're right, and you're unhappy. That's not the end of the story. That's the beginning of the story. That's where the wheels hit the road. In other words, it's looking at life with the lens,

with the freedom of knowing things don't have to be what they are. They don't have to stay the same until the universe changes them. No, they can be what you make them. And what life teaches us again and again is that walls can be stepped over. Knows can become yeses. Impossibles can become commonplace. But first, there must be hope. There must be an understanding that your world is a 10,000-foot view of all the little stories you tell yourself and the narratives you believe.

See, every day when you wake up and take your first steps, breathe your first breaths, know that nothing simply is. No, it is simply chosen and can be remade. That's what makes life such a beautiful thing. It's flexibility, it's promise to provide what has been relentlessly sought out. So remember, it's when you can't find your answer. the odds look grim when the rest of the world tells you know that you most need hope. Hope, the power, the strength to look within yourself and remember that one life can change

and two, you can change it. Armed with this understanding, nothing is impossible. When others fail to see the answer, the light in themselves, in the situation, you become the reminding. that light is internally manufactured. We aren't given answers so that we may believe them. We are given the opportunity to believe, and thus we create that ending we hope to pursue. And without this, life is nothing more than a permanent status quo. It's holding our hands to the sky

and receiving what light chooses to provide. But that's not why you're here, it's not why you woke up today, not to accept, to accept, but to create, to find hope in the tragedy and the hardship and to find within yourself the strength to move forward with whatever you decide comes next.