Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - CONTROL YOUR MIND | Powerful Motivational Speeches

Episode Date: November 18, 2024

Sometimes, all it takes is a small change in perspective to transform how we see the world. Riding a Ferris wheel is the perfect metaphor—without traveling far, we’re lifted high enough to see things differently. From above, what once seemed overwhelming or insurmountable feels smaller, and what felt insignificant might suddenly appear full of possibility. This simple shift can inspire us to reframe our challenges and approach life with fresh eyes. Life is often about finding those Ferris wheel moments—small changes that help us see the bigger picture. We don’t need to travel miles or move mountains to gain clarity; sometimes, stepping back and shifting how we view the same scene is enough to reignite our passion, recalibrate our purpose, and remind us of what truly matters. What would your world look like from a new vantage point? Monday Motivation Newsletter: https://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletter Free Ebook: www.eddiepinero.com/ebook  YouTube: www.eddiepinero.com/youtube 

On the rooftop where I live, there's a view of Scottsdale, Arizona. And particularly at night when you're up there looking down to the city facing north, there's a ferris wheel. And every night this ferris wheel is lit up, different colors, and it really stands apart from everything else. A few nights ago, I was up there walking around, kind of getting some fresh air before I called it a day. and my brain took me on one of these little side quests, right?

I just could not stop thinking about this Ferris wheel. And it turns out for good reason. And so per standard operating procedure, I want to take you on this little journey with me. So let's start with a simple question, really. What is a Ferris wheel? Well, it's a portal to see the world differently. Think about it. People take time to travel to it. They wait in line. They pay money to get on this thing.

Which, by the way, doesn't move fast. It's not an adrenaline rush or anything. It's merely a chance to get to the top and see a view. A view of the same place these people were just walking around. The exact same place. The same place they live. Same place they spend their days, same place they drive around. But they knew there was something beautiful about seeing all that stuff from atop. The Ferris wheel, from a new lens, a fresh perspective. They knew that it would feel different up there because it is different up there. And this is sort of an obvious thing.

The beauty exists if only we can get ourselves atop, this circle-shaped elevator thing and prove it to ourselves. And I'll speak for me, okay? There are days where I walk around and I feel excited. I feel energized by life's upside, enthusiastic about what I'm bringing to the world. And then there are days where I walk that very same path, retrace those very same steps, and I don't see it. I don't feel it. Things seem difficult, impossible, colorless.

But I've danced this dance. And I know it's not a reflection of reality. It's merely the story I'm telling myself in that moment. So how do I solve for it? What do I need? I need to get to the top of the Ferris wheel. I need a new perspective on this. Not something new, but a new perspective.

I know there's magic right here. I just happen to have blinders on at the moment. The other day I was talking to a friend of mine who is a YouTube data, we'll say, analyst, a very good one, right? Strategic thinker. And we're going over some stuff. He's looking at the watchtime and retention of some of my videos. And he goes, you know, man, this retention is really, really good.

A lot of people watch these 30 to 60 minute videos all the way through, which is very rare on YouTube. And then he kind of makes the offhanded remark, you know, you could be the next Tony Robbins if you wanted to. And I say that, not as a humble brag, he was half, you know, playing around. But for a second, right, hearing that, I was like, man, Ed, did you forget the type of impact you could have? And you could help more people. You can do so much more. You're still at the base of this mountain.

Infinity is right outside. If you're willing to dive deeper. If you're willing to see it. And it was this jolt of hell, yeah, just excitement. I felt myself going up that Ferris wheel, which is exactly what he was for me in that moment, right? In a sense, elevating my perspective. And isn't it funny how when things click

or suddenly we feel ourselves capturing momentum, right? You get that energy, that charge. It's like often nothing around us changes. It's our thoughts about them that changes. How we see them changes. That's why to me it's not a small thing or minor detail to know when you feel down and out. Your absolute worst, even.

It's not the thing. the complete inverse doesn't exist. The solution doesn't exist. It's just that from your vantage point, right now, you can't see it. You don't have the view. And knowing that, that simple truth changes the question from, well, does better exist for me? To, of course it does.

How do I elevate myself to see it? to get there. How do I help myself better understand? And then as things evolve, when you find your grounding again, because you will, you get to then be that ferris wheel for others. You get to lift up the world around you, not making them brilliant or beautiful or powerful,

but showing them how bright, brilliant and beautiful and powerful, they already are. It's the product of having learned that yourself. Not once or twice, but repeatedly. What you need exists. What you want is there. And I ask that you hear that. Truly, take that in, understand it.

Because you won't drive towards it. if you don't. You won't buy a ticket to the Ferris wheel if you don't believe in the view. So remember when you are at ground level feeling stuck or lost or whatever your situation is, it's not that there's no solution, it's that you need to elevate yourself and see the world from a new lens. I want to share a theme with you that continuously re-emerges in my life.

And every time it does, I'm grateful. I'm a little bolder, a little wiser, a little more grounded. The idea is simple. It's creating a low barrier to entry. Let me explain what I mean. The other day, I was on a call with Ashley, who was a brilliant member of the team here, and we're talking about social media. And as we're talking, I'm going on and on about the end state, how I think things should in a perfect world be with our platforms and the output.

And it's important to note for this particular project, we're kind of on the ground floor, right? So in reality, I couldn't possibly know what the end state's going to be. There's a lot of epiphanies to be had. There's twists in terms that I couldn't possibly anticipate. I think it's great to have a North Star in a vision, obviously. But winning in the long run requires observation and reflection and adjustment and on and on. So as I'm speaking, you know, she's listening, nodding her head, you know, agreeing with the vision. But after some thoughts as well, why don't we just start with what we have now, right?

Keep the barrier of entry low so that there's less friction and we can. start seeing how, you know, things evolve. And I thought that was just incredible, right? That's what I temporarily lost in the moment for sure. You win by going and then evolving. So many would-be amazing pursuits were never started because, you know, we make initiating them too complex. Same thing happened on another call that same day, right?

I'm talking to Tyler, a business partner, for another project coming around the corner. And I'm sending them videos, talking about ideas for rollout, different avenues we could take. Which, again, it's great. It's better to have a large vision and trim it down than no vision at all, but the convo is the same. You know, Ed, I love it.

It's great. But what if we start with one thing though, one idea, let's get the gears turning? That needed to be the theme for the day and I appreciated it, right? So a few thoughts. One, surround yourself with sharp people like Ashley and Tyler that keep you grounded, but two, and perhaps the main point, stop creating friction for yourself when you're beginning new things.

I've talked about this in different contexts, you know, and I've hammered it into my day-to-day in many ways, right? Like if I'm going on a run, you know, I have the running stuff by the door and ready to go with a glass of water the night before so that when I wake up, the process feels It's so easy that to not go would seem stupid. But life is complex, and so are we. It was a great reminder that your handle on something in one area of life doesn't mean you'll implement it across the board.

And I was grateful for that reminder. It was what I needed at that time, right? The reminder that winning is going. Winning is beginning. Because you're immersing yourself in the process and you're acclimating to it. You're seeing what works and what doesn't. You're growing, as opposed to taking an extra three months

to put into place parameters that will probably change anyway. One of my favorite mantras is simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Powerful, but sometimes elusive. But if you can keep it front and center, it adds immense value to your life. The most powerful thing you can do is have a general sense of direction and go now with what you have. Ashley and I will change our social media tactics many, many times in the future

because we're collecting data and we're moving forward. Tyler and I will approach our venture in probably countless ways. Because we're not in love with a particular strategy, we're in love with the end goal. And perhaps you, in your world, are at a point where you're seeking to initiate something new. And you're playing with the pros and cons,

your listing ideas in your head. Categorizing details and nuance that, sure, it seems important right now in this moment, but will it forever? My advice to you is to mitigate detail and instead place the value on finding the courage to begin now. Before you're ready, before you have all the answers, before you know how X, Y and Z is going to unfold, Mitigate the friction to such an extent that the pursuit feels like an ice hockey rink. You're sliding into whatever comes next. Never underestimate how powerful that is.

And be reassured by the fact that in three months from now or a year from now the journey won't look the same. You'll be better in execution and wiser in strategy because you simply created a low barrier to entry. leveraged, perhaps the most important ability you possess. You began. We spend a lot of time and we exhaust a lot of effort looking for that so-called edge. Capturing the little changes or advantages that add value and ultimately pushes closer to where we want to be. These so-called life hacks are everywhere from, you name it, reshuffling daily tasks to activities,

you know, exercises that enhance our performance, food, supplements, apps. The list goes on and on. And I'm speaking broadly here intentionally because that, quote, unquote, edge could mean a million different things to a million different people. Obviously, tremendous value there in finding ways to become better, faster, and stronger. But why this topic excites me, and what I'm specifically looking forward to exploring, is what I believe to be the most important advantage there is. And that's consistency. Consistency, the unsexy, unremarkable answer.

But you can always distill everything else down into that simple art of showing up, being there every day. To me, that begins at all. That will always be the foundation we build everything on. Over time, it becomes the reason you win or you lose. And I believe that wholeheartedly. Like, nothing matters if you aren't locked in and repeatedly making the daily effort. No pill is going to make you a starting point guard or a stellar performer at work or, you know, an amazing parent.

That's dedicated, concentrated, consistent effort. A metaphor I like that demonstrates this process to me is trying to get a good. get fit, right? Whether you run or go to the gym, whatever it is, it's much easier to stay home and take creatine, protein, supplements, than to actually show up to the gym every day, then to actually put in the miles every day, right? But without showing up, all that other stuff is meaningless. And that's the heart of what I'm getting at. It's the lifting that's transformative. Everything else is supplemental. It's even in the term. right, supplements.

Now, is this obvious? Sure. But man, do we forget the obvious, and there is a hefty price for doing so. It's like, yeah, we should look for advantages along the way. And this becomes more and more relevant, you know, the longer we've been immersed in the process. Those little details mean more and more,

but they never mean more than having a goal and committing to it every single day. never forget that. Showing up is power. There's a few quotes I like by James Clear, who's considered by many to be an expert on habit building, that hammer down on the power of consistency. He says, improving by 1% isn't particularly notable.

Sometimes it isn't even noticeable, but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run. It goes on to say, If you can get 1% better each day for one year, you'll end up being 37 times better by the time you're done. And I think that's what gets me, right? That line 1% better every day means 37 times better in a year.

Nothing can replicate that. There are no shortcuts to arrive at that type of progress or growth. None. And sure, the environment can change. There are times with the landscape shifts right under your feet. You have to reach further outside your company. comfort zone than you ever have. But that's still a product of your commitment to improve every single day.

The context changes, the details change, but you still show up. 1% is essentially a rhythm, it's automated. It says just like breathing air and drinking water, this is what I do, a dollar in the bank every day. What you're doing is giving life to a compound effect that will change everything. In my world, my showing up is every day, how do I become a little bit better at storytelling? How do I refine that intersection of personal development and entertainment? So that, you know, we can enjoy and get the most out of the journey.

How do I make this brand matter a little more, mean a little more, be a little more effective? That's my Super Bowl every day. And funny story, I was driving this morning. listening to a podcast about AI. Everyone seems to be talking about AI right now, and for a good reason. I heard one of the guests say that in 10 years, there will be two types of businesses. Those that successfully leverage AI and those that failed that are no longer in existence. It's a hypothesis, obviously, but it's eye-opening.

AI is going to change everything. And I had to check my initial instinct that was. honestly oh here we go right another way for people to cut corners and cheat and I had to pause and think about it like that's just a terrible way to look at a new technology that's a scarcity mindset instead think about the opportunity remind yourself that you show up every day with the same mission and the same goal you'll earn that one percent every day and this is just another supplement to your growth right utilize correctly

at least in the current moment, this is way protein or creatine for your lifting at the gym. So leverage it, that's all. Same with any new technology. And there was comfort there. There was comfort in looking back at thinking, look at all the previous technology, it's evolution. Look at the social platforms, how we interact now.

Through it all, the changes, the highs, lows, ups and downs, you showed up. You held on to that North Star and over and over again made necessary adjustments. That commitment has been everything. YouTube's algorithm changes did not kill me. It ended up making me a better storyteller, writer, speaker. COVID, you know, pushing my live speaking engagements aside for a while, causing me to further digitize my business model.

That didn't hurt me. It made the brand bigger. Short-form content, blasting off onto the scene, TikToks, IG Reels, that didn't hurt me. It forced me to be smarter and more thoughtful about how to integrate short-term content into my long-form content. How to make them work together, it ended up being an advantage. The bottom line being, when you are consistent, when you show up for your thing no matter what, no matter what changes are occurring, no matter what's happening, No matter what's happening externally,

when you're there for your mission, that allows you to make whatever little changes need to be made along the way. Being there for yourself, committing to the twists and turns, is everything. And it may be extreme to say, especially in such a rapidly changing environment right now, but my mentality is, who cares?

Who cares about all the detail and the minutia and the externality? Who cares? You know what matters. You know what you're here to do. So keep that front and center. Simplicity being the ultimate sophistication doesn't get simpler. Show up.

Never let that 1% that James Clear talks about out of your site. And then make the adjustments as necessary. Integrate the life hacks and the tech evolutions. Fighting for that 1% every single day. becomes 37 times better in a year. Think about how powerful that is. Let the world argue over this and that. Let them be on this path versus that path.

Your strength is entrusting yourself to adjust along the way. But knowing that through it all, you will be there every morning when the sun comes up, the light moves through your window, you'll wake up committed to being a little better than you were yesterday. And that's why through it all, the turbulence, the highs, the lows, the ups and the downs, you will still be standing there ready for whatever comes next. Today is not an obligation. Today is a gift. Why is it important that this distinction comes through loud and clear.

Because the same action can differ wildly, depending on what brought it about. Was it an order or a choice? Were we told or did we arrive there ourselves? And we know this innately from a child being told to go to his or her room for punishment, that place where they'd gladly be if it wasn't being mandated by angry,

parents. When we're instructed, being told to, mandated, when we're doing something because we have to, we process this differently than a choice or a conclusion we came to on our own. We think about it differently when it's something we get to do. When I talk about transformative perspective shifts, this was one for me, going from what's expected of me. How do I not mess this up? What would make me look like the person I'm supposed to look like? To instead understanding that, listen, today is a gift and I'll never get it back. A series of opportunities and decisions. A choose your own ending story waiting for me every day as the sun comes up in my eyes open.

To me, the difference is more than semantics. The difference is between feeling free and going into autopilot so that I mitigate mistakes. and blend in, that's not freedom, that's becoming a prisoner of your own making. You can walk the same road and see it differently every time. You can take in the same event and come away with very different interpretations of it. All depending on the role you chose to give yourself as you walked down the path or peered in at the event. Were you the hero in the story, or you were you the hero in the story, or an extra.

Someone who capitalizes on all to be gained or someone who hides from the fear that they might misstep. Obligations are about minimizing risk and doing what is merely required. An opportunity on the other hand asks, what more could you do with what you have? How could you take what you love and multiply it? How could you capture your inspiration and delve further into your. The one living out of obligation will always find the problems and the negative. But the one who knows they have in their midst the greatest winning lottery ticket of all time, well they'd be foolish not to cash it in.

And so look, you might be going through some problems, as we all do. You might have your challenges and your struggles. They're unavoidable. But these are part of a greater never, a greater narrative. They're what will build you up and push you forward as you move deeper into the miracle that is your life. And that's the difference.

The first step in being able to capture the opportunity is understanding that you are living in one. Life is not obligatory. It is a giant get to. And when you realize that, You are truly... The other day, I heard someone say that they've found some of the most important things in their life

in places where they weren't supposed to find them. Which is interesting to me. One, because that seems to happen a lot. And two, because it's like, who creates the parameters around what we're supposed to do? Who sets the rules to begin? with. You know, I'm continuously blown away by our tendency to create imaginary walls and then live within them, to build steel bars around ourselves that separate the now from future opportunity.

In one of the first videos I ever made, I talked about this nagging feeling of discomfort that occurred right after I left the corporate world and started my own business. And at that point, to call it a business was giving myself a lot of credit. I was basically just starting to make videos and put them out on social media. But I would run in the middle of the day, right? That was my thing. Right through Boston along the Charles River, I loved running. But I couldn't help feeling this guilt like I wasn't supposed to.

Like I was doing the wrong thing, doing what I was taught not to do. My whole life, I learned that you go to school or work during the day. That's the right thing. In a decade removed, I've grown and I've learned. I know how crazy it sounds now. But it took me a long time to even enjoy it and not feel like some deviant who was leaving everything he'd worked for up to that point

to go and fail spectacularly. The supposed to followed me around like a shadow. Constantly trying to pull me back in. Freedom to me. is separating oneself from this exact sentiment. It's doing what's best for you, exploring your own worldview, blazing as the saying goes, your own trail,

because you'll find very few supposed tos there. I think this is a microcosm of a greater truth. The most important things we do in life, our pivotal moments, our epiphanies are found where we weren't supposed to find them. because what we're supposed to do is very rarely methodically thought out. It's simply the norm. It's marching orders.

It's what the crowd is doing. It's what will help us blend in. And it's interesting, as I've pushed further and further into life, I've come to believe that rarely is what's best all one thing or all another. It's working to find a balance that supports your ideal life trajectory. That balance will lean substantially more one way or another, depending on who you are and what's important to you. And so, I'm not suggesting one always needs to be different.

Or if something is common, it's wrong. No, thousands of years of evolution and societal stressors have in many ways narrowed down for us what's effective and efficient. It's helped us survive. And to dismiss this outright is obviously counterproductive, but it does explain why any break from these norms physically hurts, we associate them with survival. And here lies the divide between surviving, which we are supposed to do, and excelling,

which is to embark upon a different game altogether. Survival is mitigating risk. Excelling is hunting down the opportunity. Survival is blending in. Excelling is asking, What about me is unique and how can I dive into that fully? Survival is not having to innovate on any large scale because the instructions are clear and laid out for you.

Excelling is asking, now that I know the rules, how can I bend and maybe even break them so that I can improve my life and the lives of those around me. And I'll continue with the same example, because I know a lot of folks find themselves in a similar situation now. I wasn't supposed to deviate from my previous life trajectory. My education, my career track, my 401k, but I did. And I found something I otherwise would never have, an ability to work on what I enjoy and share that with others.

I wasn't supposed to leave home, the Northeast. the most important people in my life live up there. But I've found comfort, peace, and new beginnings down here that I never would have experienced. I wasn't supposed to do many of the things I'm doing today. It was a genuine curiosity and a willingness to chase down what's meaningful, and the beautiful thing is anyone can do that.

Every single one of us can detach and depart from the supposed twos in our lives. And hey, maybe some of them should be there. Maybe some are adding value and stability that you need and maybe even cherish. But I can promise some of them aren't, and it's worth a look. It's worth thinking about those things. Where can we be a little braver, a little more courageous? Where can we venture outside the scope of what we've subconscious deemed every day life. I love the notion that there's always more in you. You just need to give yourself permission to pursue it.

It only makes sense that no journey begins until we give it the green light. The world is yours once you give yourself permission to pursue it. So what are you conceding? What have you accepted as fact that upon further review you might find to be fiction? There's a world of infinite opportunity waiting for you. Just past your acceptance of the way things are. Just beyond all those supposed to. A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.

That's from George Patton, General and the Earth. United States Army integral to the Allies victory in World War II. So why? What makes this statement so powerful? Well, it rings true because we have to move beyond the idea that we can manufacture greatness with one swing of the bat, one stroke of the pen, that if we wait for the right moment, perfection will come. The light will turn green. The stars will align and the path will emerge. I feel like I could scream this from every mountain top and it wouldn't be enough. Life is not a perfection game. Life is an adjustment game. And I'll speak anecdotally here. In my experience, looking over my shoulder, reflecting, you know, those times that I'd clung to

perfection, rationalizing my immobility by saying, hey, you're not ready. This isn't good. good enough. I'd only have to dig a few layers down to see that my not moving wasn't out of some loyalty to excellence. No, I was standing still because of fear, a fear of going, of starting, a fear of the unknown. Perfection is the biggest con there is. It's a scam. It says, wait here, your perfect moment will arrive. Hang tight. The right time is coming. No, there are. There are no perfect beginnings. There's merely the courage to move into something new or the regret that will ultimately come from wishing that you did. And sure, a part of it's almost counterintuitive.

It's like, why isn't it beneficial to wait? Why would you want to take the leap before you're ready? Here's how I see it. One of the most important distinctions to understand is that between the thinker and the doer. The thinker who ponderes, who reflects, who studies and studies and studies, thinking he or she can create for him or herself a perfect jump-off point, thinking they can obtain for themselves all the necessary information, all the answers before they begin the journey. The truth is greatness is forged through repetition via wheels on the road, and yes, you are

terrible at first, completely unsure at first, you get lost at first. But this becomes the knowledge that shapes the journey. When you go before you're ready, two important things happen. First, after falling down and feeling embarrassed and insecure, you get back up, you look around and you go, wow, okay, I'm still here. That sucked, sure, but it wasn't as bad as my brain told me it would be. Next, you learn from the exchange. You can start doubling down on what works and eliminating what doesn't. And eventually, as you take this confidence and wisdom onto the next step,

repeatedly, the curve becomes exponential. In doing, you begin stacking bricks, creating a foundation. Those experiences that humbled you. you become what you lean on. They're what turn into the experience, the knowledge, the credibility. And see, thinking you can skip all that ugly stuff by waiting on the ledge for perfection to arrive in your hands, that will be your undoing. That's just as crazy as a sailboat waiting for the wind to stop.

It's like, no, you need that friction, that resistance to reach your destination. And no, we cannot control everything. Yes, there are powers beyond us. But if you go now, you learn to use and navigate them. The greatest gift we can give ourselves is permission to go. It's looking a year ahead and dreaming of the moment. We pause and say, wow, what a year. The twists and turns, the lessons, the highs, the lows, the peak moments, all brought me here.

and how different here is from back there. How far I've come. Knowing, by the way, that life was never asking me for perfection, but rather a willingness to start, to dive in, to adapt along the way. I know a lot of people with businesses that exist in their minds, but not in reality. A lot of people in shape when they close their eyes,

but not when they look in the mirror. a lot of people living their best lives when talking about the future, but not when they pull up to work on a Monday morning. We shorten the gap between our ideal existence and the present moment by going, by stepping now. Even when we can't imagine how the process will unfold. Because let me tell you, life will bend and twist in ways you can't. even fathom. It'll take you places that ignite your soul, show you things you never

dreamt of seeing, but you have to put yourself in position to receive that from life. The world wants to help people who help themselves. So give yourself the gift of progress, of momentum. If a dream is only worth the action one is willing to take to bring it to life, let that action start now. Move beyond the illusion of perfection and towards the opportunity to take the imperfect every single day and transform it into greatness. Every time your mind says you're not ready, let that be your invitation to step forward. See, life may not be a race, but that doesn't mean time will politely wait for you.

We must say goodbye to perfection as we evolve, as we grow. I can guarantee you it won't be missed. I'll never forget listening to Jim Rohn was taking a walk in the middle of the day. I needed to get out, decompress, rethink, realign. And this message came through my headphones. He said, we must all suffer from one of two pains. The pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.

And I needed that. I needed that because sometimes we forget why. In the midst of the day-to-day, the trials and tribulations of life, we forget why. we endure. And there's a strange dichotomy that exists because, you know, you can't measure discomfort that hasn't arrived yet. You can identify regret

that hasn't materialized. Yet in a way, you have to. You have to somehow make that tangible. You have to know that sacrifices of today deliver you from the anguish of I wish. or if only, or maybe I could have. I've heard it said that humans' ability to delay gratification is what makes us so unique, incredible even.

But that doesn't mean it comes easy. So as I walked, I became reacquainted with the trust that I had in myself in the future and the steps I was taking. It wasn't that I'd reached some grand finale, but that I gave myself permission to stop constantly expecting one. Worrying when things didn't go as planned, feeling disgusted with myself when I fell short. This is, after all, part of a process. And if one stays the course, builds a foundation of discipline to guide them towards what they believe in, things will evolve. We feel uncertain because new things don't have a precedent, at least not a personal one. And that feeling of, I wish I knew or had some predictability, it's real, it's common.

But if minimizing regret is what means the most, then it also means that we must have the discipline to walk steadfast into the unpredictability of tomorrow. A long-term sustained discipline. And one of my favorite interviews, Brani Ware, who wrote the top five regrets of the dying, was talking about surrender and how she mentioned in her book, Letting Go. And I asked her, can you explain that?

What's the angle? Because the way I look at life, there's always something you can do. You can always improve your situation somehow. And she basically said, it's not about what you can control, what you can do. It's about putting yourself in position to live the life you want to live, and then letting go of that which you cannot control. It's about not worrying over external forces as you walk your path, because all you can do in life is walk your path.

And that became the marker. Or the question, am I walking my path? Right? Now, look at it like this. First, a vision gives you direction. Purpose, keeps you excited, injects meaning into life. Second, discipline keeps you moving. Becomes the tiny steps that transport you through your pursuit of meaning.

And third, trust in the process. that you are here to give everything you have to give, and then the rest, as Bruni says, must be surrendered. But the reason I bring this up is because all of it fits together like a puzzle, like three pillars of a Parthenon. Now when people reach out to me all the time, they're upset that they're not as disciplined as they'd like to be. And they're listening to their listening to the

speeches, they're watching the videos, they're absorbing the content, trying to improve. But nothing seems to get the engine going. And I'm wondering, what is your North Star? What are you aiming for? Because as far as I'm concerned, it's impossible to be disciplined if you don't have a reason. When Jim Rhone states that the pain is in ounces now, well, there's an implicit compared to what being asked, right, compared to that top of the mountain that you'd presumably miss out on. So if the mountain top's not defined, you're on a fool's errand. That's why I had so much

trouble with my old career, for example. It's hard to be disciplined. There's no buy-in on the purpose. Using my previous metaphor, it's little steps, sure, but towards what? If you don't know, it's only practical then to look around and ask yourself, why am I taking them? Why not go drink with my friends? Why not stream this series on Netflix until 4 a.m.? Why not skip the workout? You can listen to people on YouTube,

scream at you to do more and be more and try harder all day, but without that piece, it will not get you very far. A vision, the discipline to pursue it, and a trust in the process. And you could say the same with someone who might have a clear vision, a dream, a perfect idea of what they want, but never take action, right?

The discipline never materializes. Makes the endeavor just as meaningless. Things don't change until you take that big picture, that vision, and you break it down into little things you can do every day. That's it. And isn't that amazing? the greatest most influential people, from the friends and family that inspire us,

to the greatest athletes and entertainers, to our greatest thinkers, creators, world leaders. All they do is a handful of things consistently every day in the direction of something that is meaningful to them. A process that has been talked about since the beginning of time. The compound effect, as Darren Hardy calls it. That breakthrough was huge for me. The realization that I don't need to leap any mountain. I just need to ascend one tiny rock at a time. And that is not a superhuman ability.

That is a single decision. So here the question isn't, can you be more disciplined? Of course you can. The question is, Which few things are most meaningful to you? Which will you be focusing on every day so that they expand and inject value into you in the world? And then, lastly, there is trust.

Sometimes the most difficult. Seeing the unseen. Maintaining confidence in that which is unknown. An incredibly challenging expectation in an instantaneous world, a world where things are immediate. Feedback is immediate. Messages are sent across the planet instantaneously. Goods and services arrive within hours. We have forgotten patience because it is disintegrating before our very eyes.

We are a society of now. But the best things in life, they take time. They require that we hold up our end of the bargain and that we trust life will fall into place. Belief in a process that will come to mean more than anything that arrives in 30 seconds ever could. A vision, the discipline to pursue it, and a trust in the process.

So perhaps you're overdue for your midday walk, your little excursion into the soul, to ask yourself, what is it you are moving towards? Why are you doing what you're doing? Does it mean something? And if not, perhaps some adjustment is in order. Perhaps you've lost sight of that North Star that lights up our lives and illuminates the way. Take solace in the fact that life is. not as serious as we make it out to be.

We don't live in a world of right and wrong, good and bad, yes and no, but a continuum, an opportunity to seek out and find the beautiful ups and the meaningful downs to set our sights on the horizons that matter. See when the little things feel too complex or burdensome, it's because the big, the big things are misaligned and that is a powerful idea to grasp. It's never that life is too difficult. It's that we have closed our eyes. So don't be fooled by those selling you reality as some problem, some obligation that must be dealt with. No, today is the greatest gift of your lifetime. And the same will be true every day moving forward.

And to echo Jim Rohn, absolutely it is a gift comprised of sacrifice, discomfort along the way. But that's a small price to pay for entry to the show. For the ability to embrace the mystery and embark upon the adventure when you're pointed to the right north star, Well, the road, it feels less treacherous on your feet. The hills less strenuous on your legs. What we often deem to be a lack of preparedness, ability, strength, well, might just be a lack of alignment.

So adjust. Because this world, flexible and limitless, invites you to do just that. It invites you to explore until you've uncovered your vision. To pursue it like nothing else matters. To sidestep the obstacles, invert the setbacks, and lastly to find hope when there appears to be none. To set your sails, walk your path, run your race, and surrender to that which is beyond your control.

And you'll find that with a vision, with discipline, with trust in the process, there is no situation or circumstance outside the scope of what's possible for you. Human beings don't see, we interpret. We don't take in what happens. We take in the implication of what happens. Everything in our world is story. It's similar to the idea of two ideologically different news organizations, right, reporting on the same event. Neither will be completely factual. They'll both uphold their individual 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 means to be human. And so here's where the value lives in the context of this message when we find ourselves in a consistent state of despair or frustration or anxiety. It's a fool's errand to look for solutions in the external world. Because everything we find, everything we come across, will support our current beliefs, our current story. That's what we'll keep playing in our heads, and it's why money can't bring fulfillment, and

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