Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - DISCIPLINE YOUR MIND | Powerful Motivational Speeches | Listen Every Day

Episode Date: September 1, 2023

"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” - Carl Sagan

I was having dinner not too long ago with a friend of mine. I see him as somewhat of a mentor as well. He's a bit older as a couple decades on me as an entrepreneur. And we were talking about personal development, different ways to invest in yourself, what has the most ROI kind of throwing ideas back and forth. And I started talking about different coaches I've linked up with some of my observations on that. And he jumped right into this story, says Eddie,

way back in the day, I paid a huge amount of money to spend the weekend with someone that I admired as an entrepreneur, as a business mind, with the intent to learn about him, his systems, his approach to his business and life, the whole thing. It was basically an investment into my journey. And he went on to say, I arrived for the weekend. didn't take me long to feel completely underwhelmed, completely let down. Everything about the guy in his organization was sloppy, nothing seemed to be methodical, very little was extraordinary or groundbreaking. He said, I couldn't believe it, you know, especially after tens of thousands of dollars spent, right?

He spent a lot of money. Couldn't believe that someone, he looked up to it, so little to offer. And I'm sitting there just kind of like a wide-eyed. Like, oh, man. And almost instinctively, I said, man, you must have been so angry. And he goes, in this cheerful voice, oh, I wasn't angry at all. This is a direct quote. He says, it was the best money I've ever spent in my life.

I said, oh, yeah, how? He says, it was that day I learned that, hey, if this clown can do it, If this guy can pull it off, what in the world is stopping me? What's my excuse? Basically said that day has been directly correlated to the success he's had since. Wow. Right? To which I responded, hey, thank you for the theme to what will become this Monday's YouTube video, right?

Because the world needs to hear this message. So many of us need this. There's a tendency to put other people. people, people we don't know, people we know nothing about, right, on a pedestal and see ourselves as perpetual outsiders looking in. This notion that they have what I don't. When so often, that thing they have is simply, even solely, self-belief. I know so many competent people that second-guess themselves out of starting or growth or progress. They see their inadequacies as substantially greater than their strengths.

They don't go because they contemplate. They don't speak because they internalize. They don't create because they worry. And it's like if you don't, someone else will. And that's someone else could very easily be less suited for the job. But they did the thing that you wouldn't. The thing, as it turns out, that matter. most, they trusted themselves to give it a shot.

They understood that nothing starts until one looks in the mirror and believes in the pair of eyes staring back. And I look back and it just all makes perfect sense. You know, I think of the frustration in my parents' faces when I was a kid and would say, I can't do that. It was the frustration of people who care deeply about me, watching me get in. my own way. Yes, you can, Eddie, you are the one stopping you. You know, my grandfather's saying everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time. No one is that special. And I think it's a critical reminder. It's not to say that success isn't warranted, that people who have done great things aren't qualified or talented or haven't earned it. No, not at all. The opposite, in fact.

Time plus effort, plus consistency, tends to land people in pretty remarkable places. But it's like no one takes that path or starts that journey unless they see themselves as worthy of it until they give themselves permission. It makes you wonder how many people are simply too intimidated to lace up their shoes and walk out the front door. Don't even give it the thought. Hey, that's someone else's reality. I'm confined to this space right here. Think back to the early days of any incredible transformation. I'm going to use a pretty cliche example,

but I think it will do a great job of demonstrating my point. Think back to Michael Jordan playing JV basketball in high school, his sophomore year because he didn't make the varsity team. And at that point, if he was looking for evidence as to why he wasn't quite good enough, there it was. He could have easily found it. Not skilled enough, not quick enough, lacks vision. Certainly, as this coach pointed out, not tall enough, right? What in the world gave him the right despite his circumstances to think he was good enough to ultimately play at a high level? Who gave him permission to be that guy? He did. And it's just that. We don't see or think about any of

Now, we see the NBA legend, the greatest ever, forgetting that at one point he wasn't. And his life continuously consisted of crossroads where he had to bet on himself, times where instead of accepting outcomes that weren't ideal, he sacrificed. He said, I do not accept that. He put in ours, which is a concept that we take for granted, right? People don't sacrifice unless they believe something will come from the blood, sweat, and tears, he believed that it would. You have to believe that it will as well.

In fact, your life, if you started right now, made a little dot or mark on the present moment, then you could live two simultaneous existences at once. One track where you saw yourself as something extraordinary and sought to live that out. And the other track, where the same you, saw greatness as some intimidating, larger than life, reality reserved for other people, the few. You viewed yourself as an outsider, average, incapable, undeserving. The difference between where those tracks would end up would be worlds apart. Again, because humans follow through on who they believe themselves to be.

We don't do things unless we believe they're possible. We don't sacrifice unless there's some sort of delayed gratification. We don't climb unless there exists a summit. What makes life both beautiful and mysterious is that we have to arrive at those outcomes before they exist. As Babe Ruth famously said in that article in the 1940s, it's hard to beat a person who never gives up. And it's hard to beat them because they believe themselves worthy of what they are chasing. So when will you?

When will you find yourself worthy of that next level? When will you find yourself worthy of the financial success, the physique, the significant other, growth in your business? When will you let yourself be more or different or happy or whatever it is that seems just outside the scope of your reality? This world is built by people who understood what they wanted and granted themselves. the freedom to pursue it. No superhuman strength required to place greater value on yourself. No record-breaking IQ necessary to live life on your terms, just a choice. Truly, a decision.

And sure, it will be strange and awkward at first. You'll feel like an imposter in your own body at times. After all, getting what you've never had means doing what you've never had. doing what you've never done, but this is par for the course. This is life. And life cannot give you what you don't ask for. You can't arrive at a destination. You're not traveling. You can't be who you don't believe you're capable of becoming. So know that that aforementioned reflection in the mirror has a depth to it. That must be explored. And that what separates immobes, immobligion, from infinity is the understanding that, hey, if it's possible, then it is most definitely possible

for me. I had a friend recently told me consistency is more important than intensity. Interesting, I thought, right? Put it in my back pocket and moved on with my day. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how valuable those words are, how necessary. I think because typically my brain associates the acquisition of more with an increase in intensity. It's like you want more, okay, find a way to give more, to be better. That's the equation my brain was familiar with. And while not necessarily wrong, what it can do is diminish

the power of showing up. It neglects the compound effect. Reality is that consistency over time becomes intensity. A snowball rolling downhill doesn't just increase in size, it increases in speed. Intensity is second to consistency, because consistency creates intensity. Consistency is the material from which everything else is made. And we forget that. Thinking about how much bigger, better, stronger we'd like to be, why can't I just leap a mile? Well my friend, it turns out you don't have to.

Miles are comprised of single steps. I wanted my run yesterday to be about three-fourths intensity. Decided the goal would be to land just under eight minutes per mile. 759 would put me in a good spot for my plan for the week. But as happens, from time to time, the sun, the heat, my body weren't about it, right? And halfway through the run, I'm a little higher than I wanted to be, averaging about 801, 802 per mile, a little above my mark. And I thought to myself, you have to be better. You have to make a move right now.

You have to find something in there. But did I? Did I have to find anything? Because it turns out I was right on track. and didn't see it. What I needed to do is simply hold the eight-minute pace. 8-01. Just hold it. That keeps me in the game.

Then we kick it up at the home stretch. And the last sprint will be enough to get my cumulative average down to 759 per mile. No miracles here. Forget the intensity. All the world is asking of me is consistency. Show up. Step by step. Keep myself in the game.

It's amazing that when you're hurting, the mind plays highlight reels of everything you lack, everything you're not doing, right? It's reaching. We get so uncomfortable or impatient that we think we need to perform magic tricks. And it's like, no, keep showing up. Keep yourself in line.

The intensity is a derivative of the consistency, and it will make its presence known. So during those first seven minds, I showed up, I committed, and I held on. Right? Understanding the assignment. Big picture. Thought only about consistency, staying calm, and then as planned, picked it up at the last mile.

Hit that goal. See, these little mental games are packed with value. They reinforce bigger picture truths. Show up, put in the work, find your rhythm, and hold. Don't stress yourself out looking at finish lines you have not yet. lines you have not yet crossed. Don't let the delta between where you are and where you want to be intimidate you. That's precisely the reason people quit and walk away.

They get so caught up in where they are not that they forget little steps over time are what bring about change. They don't understand that the snowball is increasing in velocity as well as it rolls down the hill. that by staying focused, their output becomes the avalanche. So when you have to, when you feel like the world is increased in size and its obstacles in number, know that there is value in holding the 8, the 801, the 802.

Know the power of simply getting on base, of getting up again and again and again, of putting yourself in position to succeed. Because your time to sprint will arrive. And when it does, you'll be battle tested and prepared. But the sprint only matters because you stayed steady, stayed consistent throughout. Step, step, step.

So remember when the rest of the world is talking about the shortcuts, the life hacks, and the secret solutions that will change your reality, they're missing the mark. Because one brick at a time, one step at a time, one day at a time, you're building something that can't be manufactured overnight. You're committing to the process and will ultimately experience that, which can only be experienced by those who paid the price. Those who didn't panic or overanalyze, but put one foot in front of the other consistently. every single day. Ready to prioritize yourself in the new year,

your skin is a great place to start. Dime Beauty, founded by a master esthetician, is more than just a skincare company. With four skin-conscious categories, skincare, beauty, body care, and fragrance, Dime offers simple, spa-worthy products that will help you enter 2025 with confidence. Whether you're revitalizing your regimen

with nourishing products or building one from scratch, Dime makes it easy. The work system, our all-in-one best-selling routine, includes a cleanser of your choice, toner, serums, and moisturizers, taking the guesswork out of skin care for your healthiest, happiest skin yet. Dime's commitment to clean ingredients and sustainable packaging ensures every product is as gentle on your skin as it is on the planet. With thousands of glowing five-star reviews and a loyal community, the results speak for themselves. Revive your skin and give yourself the routine refresh you deserve by visiting Dimebeauty's CO. That's dimebeautyco.com.

Your best skin awaits. Eight lessons to live by. Number one, remind yourself to see those things we've taught ourselves not to see. The things that don't directly correlate to money or status or ascension up some social hierarchy. Underneath those things are what keeps us alive. Keep our souls lit, our eyes open, our days meaningful. We don't think we need music to invigorate the soul. We don't think we need wind on our face or sand on our feet.

We don't think we need to shut the world off so we can hear ourselves think. Now we fall into the trap of believing that beautiful is a luxury. It's not. It's why we're here. And it's not about being anti-money or status or whatever your goals are. But it is about realizing that those things without beauty and art and nature and calm are empty. There are plain without wings, lungs without air. The things we have taught ourselves not to see are the things we need above all else.

Number two, you are stronger than you think you are. You are made to endure, to pave a path, find a way, rise to the occasion. And we know this when it's easy, but we forget when it's not. When the world feels stacked against us. When you're writing things, no one reads, saying things, no one hears, making things, no one sees. When you know you have somewhere to go but aren't sure where that is, know you need to evolve into something but have no idea what. This is when you need to know that you have everything you need.

It's not about finding new pieces. It's about arranging the ones in your hand. Like smoke expands to fill any room, your potential can expand to conquer any obstacle you are stronger than you think you are. Number three, some things are beyond our control. But being ready for the opportunity when it comes our way is very much in our control. And maybe it takes a day, a month, a year longer.

You can't control that. You can't control the path of that firefly. But when it lights up and comes your way, you can have the jar ready and the lid off. If you can be well read, well prepared, rehearsed to the point of confidence, reliance on repetition and not hope. No endeavor is a coin flip when you use a double-headed quarter. One of the most valuable questions I've learned to ask is when and where in my life can I create those magic coins. Number four, we are at our best when we are moving towards something. Inaction has an opportunity cost that is more expensive than anyone wants to pay.

Places I haven't gone, risks I haven't taken. They're the loss. The dragon has the gold for a reason, and to avoid the former is to forfeit the latter. If we are not growing, we are dying. So as Emerson suggested, find a star to hitch your wagon to. And even when the world forces detours upon you, inserts roads, inserts roadblocks or temporarily covers that star up altogether. Remember that it's still there.

Shining as bright as it ever has. Waiting for you to reorient yourself. Remember who you are and carry on. Number five, when it's your fault, you are in control. I used to hide behind the notion that bad grades were because of a bad teacher. That missing the promotion was because of the boss. that an inability to influence was because the world didn't understand. And to whatever degree these things may be true, we win when we dial them back to zero.

If your bad grades are completely your fault, you'll better prepare. If your lack of promotion falls entirely on your shoulders, you'll find ways to add more value. If your inability to influence is because you're missing the mark, you'll stop projecting yourself onto the world and start asking the world how you can serve. Before it can become an opportunity, it has to first become your responsibility. To grow, we have to plant roots where it hurts, where the eagle lives, where we have to first be humbled.

Then we can accelerate. vertically. Number six, if it means something to you, there is value. It's not stupid. Just because they don't get it doesn't mean that they shouldn't. Just because it's not happening today, doesn't mean it won't be tomorrow. Life is a lot like six-year-olds playing soccer. Everyone chases the ball because that's what we're told. That's where the attention is. That's what's flashy. But as an outside midfielder most of my life, I know that some of the most potent attack sequences manifest on the outside of the field and then are re-centered. To run up the sideline without the ball is to see what happens before it happens.

The magic is created in the empty space before it translates to the high traffic, high-reward areas. And just because you're metaphorically running without the ball doesn't mean you're not in prime position to have monumental impact. You're not reacting. You are creating. Don't forget that. Number seven, nothing is mandatory. Everything we do, we choose where we are, who we're with, how we spend our time. And it's easy to look around and think we are programmed to exist between specific parameters. We're not. And often we don't see until life forces a change upon us how much flexibility we have in life. Now sure change obviously brings with it

its challenges. New questions, uncertainties, new places to map and people to meet. But as Mark Manson says, there is no problem-free life. No, the beauty of life is that we get to choose which problems we will spend our time solving. Problems to solve are what make life meaningful. So if you're looking at around and not seeing what you want to see, you're not stuck. You're simply solving the wrong problems. Perhaps it's time to find some new ones. In number eight, tomorrow is not your answer.

It's your problem. Tomorrow is your excuse to wait. To hold off to rationalize stagnation. Tomorrow is the status quo. It's a fresh new coat of paint on a car that won't run. where a new roof on a house with a cracked foundation, tomorrow can only tell the story that has acted out today. That means without stepping into the limelight right now,

in the immediate, in the present, there will be no story. If stories aren't made tomorrow, they're made now. So let's stop expecting the messenger to be the author. And let's take fate into our own hands, write our own headlines during the only moment, moment will ever have the present one. So let the rest of the world dance around tomorrow. That's not where your mind should be. You should be working on the melody of today. Life is perspective. So during the good times, find gratitude and during the difficult times,

find the opportunity. When you have the the answers when you know, be proud of your knowledge. And when you don't celebrate all the wisdom to come, when the sun is shining, cherish the warmth on your skin, and when it's not, learn to run in the rain. When you're focused, appreciate the clarity. And when life feels chaotic, embrace. the chance to manufacture order. When people come into your life, value the ride that you'll share. And when they leave, take note of all they gave along the way. When you

win, reflect back on all the hard work that made it possible. And when you lose, take in the lessons that even winning can't provide. When things go as planned, level in your ability to execute. But when your plans and life's plans diverge, remember that some things are simply outside of your control. And now, this moment is a chance to identify and utilize the things that are in your control. Henry David Thoreau, it's not what you look at, it's what you see. So see the world as you'd like it to be.

Never turning a blind eye to reality, but realizing how much control you have over making reality your own. We are the builders. The world around us merely provides the components and the pieces. And if one were to live as though there were value in every moment, they would inevitably find themselves looking for that value.

perhaps even when it was difficult to find, most elusive. When most would hang their heads and walk right by it, I look out my window and see a world that is neither valuable or valueless, I see a blank canvas in which we are tasked with making that decision. Life is a roller coaster ride. It has ups and downs, the obvious and the unexpected, And while some think nothing of the high points and dwell on the low points, there are an abundance of resources, of beauty, of joy,

reserved for those who understand how great the highs are and how valuable the lows, who take what comes, not as walls to live within, but as parts to assemble. not as antithetical to their hopes and dreams, but as the very foundation they will build those hopes and dreams upon. This world is not for you, just as much as it is entirely yours. It calls for you to be that arbiter. For what you decide will inevitably take.

Hold the vision. but trust the process. An idea that should act as our North Star, right, as we make our way through life, it proposes believing in a goal, but at the same time understanding that its manifestation will be unpredictable, challenging, it may not unfold the way we thought it would. To me, though, the most challenging aspect of personal growth, of building the things that matter creating realities we dream of. It's the mandatory dance we must do with time.

The patience that's woven into the equation, it's the empty spaces that we tend to use for manufacturing doubt and disbelief when life has given us nothing to react to. It's like we create monsters in our heads. And it's really an incredible thing when you think about it, right? I look back on the past decade of my life in the hardest parts, and some were excruciating.

They were pain derived from what I knew I hadn't yet accomplished. It was a feeling like I wasn't moving fast enough. Like the winners in life had that over there, and all I had was this over here. Completely nonsensical narrative, but one that certainly felt real. discomfort from the delta or the gap between what I wanted and what I had, a feeling that would randomly dip in and out of my conscious mind, as I sort of chipped away at my goals day in and day out. And I started to wonder, how can I better position myself to grow,

to maintain that ambition, but also to do it with less anxiety, right? As I stated a few seconds ago, hold that vision, but perhaps improve my trust and relationship with the process. My ability to immerse myself in various pursuits without dwelling on the fact that I hadn't yet arrived. Because look, I know this game. We all know this game. There's always going to be another finish line to cross.

That's a great thing, but can also, when we're not. looking at it correctly be to our detriment. There are always higher numbers to achieve. Again, incredible opportunity, but with the wrong perspective, dangerous. If you can't find a way to appreciate the now while you climb, you will be forever lost. There will always be a hole that's never filled. I think we need to be better about supporting ourselves along this journey. No one can be there for me like I can. And I think that's true for everyone. We need to be our greatest allies. So I brought this question up, as I tend to do, with a few of my friends, right, with different perspectives. They look at the world a little differently and basically ask, you know,

how can we get out of our own ways? Is there a lane to both be tenacious in our pursuit of evolution, to continue doing the things that excite and challenge us, while also being a little easier on ourselves, trusting that dance we do with time as the process unfold. And so I present this question to one of my friends sitting across me at the table and he thinks about it. He says, Eddie, well, that's what's got you where you are. That feeling like there's always more. It's the reason for the success you've had and the success you'll have in the future. It's what will push you. It's why you will succeed. People that accomplish things are never satisfied. Jordan was never satisfied. He was never happy. And in that context, greatness and

happiness are not compatible. And, you know, I took it in. I certainly appreciated the perspective, right? In many ways, I think he's right. Sort of reminded me of the idea behind Tim Grover's book Relentless that it's an obsession that must take place. It doesn't leave room for much else, right? Incredibly valuable to understand. If anything, just to see, just to grasp what it means to achieve in a world of obstacles. But truthfully, I wasn't entirely satisfied. How can we better visualize the process so that we're more powerful allies to ourselves?

That's what I wanted to understand. And a short time later, I'm at the kitchen table, kind of going over some analytics for social media, YouTube channel, podcast, stuff like that. And my father, who happened to fly in front, from Boston. He's at the kitchen table with me. We're having some coffee. And I made a comment about the trajectory of the numbers. You know, I forget that particular week. Maybe it was higher or lower than expected. I don't really remember. But he made this comment about the patience

that I've had with the channel over the years. Just an offhand remark. You know, he said the numbers are like the SMP 500, right? The stock market. There are days when it drops or days when it rises. but over the long haul, it steadily pointed up, and it continues to point up. And I found that so interesting. You know, I harp on the small things a lot on this channel, the little breakthroughs that paved the way for larger transformation, ideas that change the way we look at things,

which ultimately changed the way we act, which changed the results we get, and this happened to be one of them. You know, it hit me just right. what is perhaps the most important piece in the famous book, The Intelligent Investor? What is the idea that made Buffett a billionaire? It's that you invest in things you believe in

and you remove the emotion. You hold the dips, right? When the stock market takes a hit and everyone's panicking and acting emotionally and selling, you don't sell. You buy more. Right? When the world emotionally rushes out, you rush in.

And when the world emotionally rush in, you step out. Well, in life, there will be days when your metaphorical stock drops. At least you feel like it does. Those YouTube numbers, perhaps numbers in the old bank account, maybe fitness goals fall flat. Maybe you're just not seeing a return on investment. But we are never defined by the events of the day. Even the worst of days,

They're merely a small part of a much larger pattern, and the truth is, sometimes success is so small, you can't see it. Of course you're going to be anxious if you think every day should be comprised solely of mountaintops and finish lines, if you're always looking, comparing, contrasting. But sometimes success is 0.0001% better. Sometimes success looks like the S&P 500 taking a hit, dropping for a difference. day, a week, or a month. Sometimes growth doesn't look like what we want growth to look like. But just like intelligent investors, you are putting your money in the belief that at a certain point down the road, the value will be higher then than it is now. And this idea has been everything to me, particularly on the days when it feels like things are going backwards, over

periods of time where I feel like I've been standing still, where the voice in my head is presenting all kinds of scenarios that I could have been better or done more, and maybe so. But these times are nothing more than data points. They are steps along the way. And knowing this, it essentially frees me from the delusion that growth is always visible, that I can always look around and see visible triumph. It allows me to march towards my goals and my dreams, having a renewed relationship with each step. There's a saying that we need to keep our head in the clouds and our feet on the ground.

Life is a continual juggling of extremes, and I think this gets it right. Our strength is in the ability to take those steps, each one a message to the universe that we are stronger than we were yesterday. But what makes our journeys truly divine is that they aren't comprised of or built with those steps like a house of cards, where one wrong move or some delay will cause the whole thing to fall to come crashing down. No, what makes the journey divine is the infinite number of paths that can bring about its materialization. There are no wrong paths. Some arrive sooner. Some arrive later, some mid-jurney,

causes to realize that the compass wasn't even pointed in the right destination, right? They change what it means to arrive. But the point is, every step is required, every step is a miracle, but the power is not contained solely in one step. But rather, what we choose to make of all the steps combined, the dips, the lows, and the losses only have significance, If we give them significance, otherwise, there are just a few stops along the way to something beautiful. So why exhaust energy on data points that haven't arrived yet, on destinations in the future?

Destinations that we trust ourselves to figure out anyway. Our emphasis should be on the present moment, on gratitude for the fact that we get to wake up and choose the pursuit of. that we've chosen. In some days, those pursuits will feel like the miracles that they are. We'll see the finish lines, the mountaintops. We'll feel triumphant. And some days, those victories will be hidden in plain view, but they are there nonetheless. As we make our way into the great unknown that is life, piecing each second, each minute,

each hour together to become the path. leading us where we need to be most. Ready to prioritize yourself in the new year, your skin is a great place to start. Dime Beauty, founded by a master esthetician, is more than just a skincare company. With four skin-conscious categories, skincare, beauty, body care, and fragrance,

Dime offers simple, spa-worthy products that will help you enter 2025 with confidence. Whether you're revitalizing your regimen with nourishing products or building one from scratch, Dime makes it easy. The work system, our all-in-one best-selling routine, includes a cleanser of your choice, toner, serums, and moisturizers, taking the guess work out of skin care for your healthiest, happiest skin yet. Dime's commitment to clean ingredients and sustainable packaging ensures every product is as gentle on your skin as it is on the planet. With thousands of glowing five-star reviews and a

loyal community, the results speak for themselves. Revive your skin and give yourself the routine refresh you deserve by visiting dimebeautyco.com. That's dimebeautyco.com. Your best skin awaits. All you need in life is ignorance and confidence and then success is sure. That's a quote from Mark Twain talking about success and sort of the polarity of the process. And, you know, anyone who knows Mark Twain who's read his stuff, you know, he's a witty kind of sarcastic guy. so I'm sure he meant that with some humor, but there's a lot of truth to that quote. You know, I talk about a lot the truth so many times being in the middle,

a combination of or a multitude of different ideas. And when we think of, you know, confidence and ignorance, they're very different, right? Why would we want to be ignorant at all? Well, in a way, we need to be. And let me explain, well, ignorant in the sense that we need to be willfully dismissive of the things that are not conducive to our success, to our growth. We need to build walls, mental walls that stand between what's

good for us and what's not. You know, the odds, for example, don't do anything to help us get where we need to go. The negativity, the doubt from others, don't don't push us forward at all. The self-talk reminding us that, hey, we've tried this before and we've failed before. Remember that one time you gave this a shot and it didn't work out, that's going to happen again. All that stuff, it needs to be drowned out. Again, a willful ignorance of the odds, coupled with confidence. Understanding that the road before us will be difficult, we won't understand it.

We won't get it all. It will be far from perfect. But none of those things matter to someone who's willing to adapt along the way. Right? It's like the ultimate Trump card. If the world's going to throw things at you, but you're willing to adapt and continue forward, then it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Because again, you don't need the straightest path.

You don't need perfection. You need to believe and be confident in your ability to re-rearact. the pieces as they come. And that's why I love that quote. It is a reminder. We need to be ignorant and confident. You can be too self-aware. You can be too overly analytical.

There is a middle ground there that I think is incredible. And I got an email today that was kind of documenting in a few senses, some recent success stories where people were completely. completely oblivious, completely disregarded the negative feedback the world was giving them. Right? So, for example, Jack Canfield, his idea of 100 short motivational stories in one book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, was turned down by something like 130 publishers. There's a willful ignorance and certainly a confidence there. Howard Schultz, looking to start Starbucks. He tried to get a loan or secure a loan that he needed for the company.

Like over 200 times was turned down for this loan, but kept looking, kept looking, kept looking. I think it was number 242 that said yes, that finally gave him the green light, mentioned Walt Disney, who was fired for not being creative, tries to make it in Hollywood, has a rough start there. And you just can't help it think, like particularly with Walt Disney, right? He's trying to sell an idea of a mouse that moves and walks like a human. being. That can get you a billion dollars or it can get you in an insane asylum, right? It's very hard to sell that. And all of these people continually moving through this adversity, what makes it real is in our world, you know, one rejection feels like our cage is rattled. It can be a big deal, right? If you're applying somewhere and you get told no, or a person,

turns you down. You don't get accepted to something. You get denied somewhere. Like the first instinct is to look in the mirror and say, man, am I not good enough? Am I missing something here? And why these stories are so precious? Because when you put yourself in Howard Schultz's shoes and the 120th bank tells you to go, you know, take a long walk off a short pier, how do you think he felt like how how did he internalize that how did he pick himself up and go to bank 121 still have a hundred more to go till he got that yes i think it puts into perspective the world we live in and the reality of getting things done you know we want things to be easier and the idea in our head is that it is it should be but it never never will be right it's

Darren Hardy knocking on doors. Doesn't care about how many yeses he gets. He doesn't leave until he gets turned down by X number. Why? Because in the rejection is what we need. If you're looking at doors, you know, the idea is not a world where every door opens for you. The ideal is knowing that life is about most doors being locked

and having the courage and the conviction to continue forward until one opens up. You turn that handle, you walk through, and you enter a new chapter on your life, the next thing. That's very hard to comprehend. I've lived it. I've lived it as an entrepreneur.

Can't do this for a decade without coming face to face with rejection repeatedly. It's just something that you learn to live with and not personalize. It's not a referendum on me. It doesn't mean the other person or the organization, the company hates me or thinks less of me, sometimes it's not even worth a second thought.

It's, okay, next door. If you can find a way to flip that perspective, you don't need all yes is you need one. You need one person or entity or company, organization. You need one to work out and things change. Most people don't get there because most people, by bank 20, right, by publisher 20, they're saying, well, this is not for me. It's not true. We live in a world of rejection where the victories are sprinkled in. They're sparse.

They're there for the people that can hang on long enough to get there. 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 one's 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 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 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 walked through could be your justification for never stepping out into the chaos of life again. That would at first glance appear to make sense.

See my deal, 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... I'm equipped with an understanding and a worldview that was once foreign to me. I'm armed with a 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 reiteration of yesterday's pain, it's wisdom that urges us to instead use that pain as a multiplier. The key to something 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. But 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 lit 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 piece 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. 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. 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 wondering. 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 timing 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? And 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?