Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - DISCIPLINE YOUR THOUGHTS | Best Motivational Speeches | Start Your Day Right

Episode Date: October 5, 2022

"Every morning is a new arrival" - Rumi

As you open your eyes, your feet hit the ground, you step out of bed, maybe as you sit and reflect with your coffee at the kitchen table. I want you to do me a favor. This is something that brings me substantial peace of mind, and I'm thinking it could be of value to you as well. I want you to take those things that you consistently think about, right? The ones that have been bothering you or troubling you consistently come up in your mind. The ones that you thought about yesterday and the day before and the day before, you know, the so-called problems. Not so positive narratives. Stories about why you can't.

And instead, think about each one's corresponding ideal. What the perfect situation would look like if you could turn each quote unquote problem around. The perfect story, the most exciting narrative. And then ask, what can you do today to move one step closer to the place you want to be? How can you make those ideals real? And the reason this is valuable is because it reminds us that we are not powerless. Quite the opposite. It shows you how new and exciting and untapped your future is. This is your opportunity to remind yourself that you are not yesterday. You are not your past, you are not your mistakes.

You're not any of those things, even though our minds often trick us into believing it's so. It's kind of like running around the same block over and over again. You become so accustomed to it that you forget you can take a right out of your street and go anywhere you want to go, see anything you want to see. Every morning is a fresh start. An opportunity to connect new dots. And you can point that compass, any direction you choose. You are shackled to nothing, bound by no one.

And admittedly, that can be hard to hear. I remember the first time I had that realization that most of my limits were self-imposed. that I was complaining about the work I did, the places I spent my time and who I was spending it with. It bothered me from the second I opened my eyes in the morning until I closed them at night, until I realized that I had more control than I could even imagine. And that detaching from the past, yeah, it would hurt, it would be scary, sure, I would lose some things. But what a world to gain. What a story ahead. For some reason, things seem so messy and complex

that we overlook our ability to simplify and change them. If it doesn't bring value to your life, you have the power to fix it. And maybe not overnight. But human beings are resourceful, resilient. If you have an outcome in mind and you believe in it. A step in that direction every day

will come to mean everything. It's defining. So no, this is not just an ordinary morning. This is the beginning. This is where you are blessed with the opportunity to move away from the old and toward the ideal. There's an old idea

that once you've started, You're halfway there. How does that make sense, one might wonder? Once you've started, you've only just begun. And that's true, technically. But here's the thing. The journey, the ins and outs, ups and downs, trials and tribulations, they can all be dealt with.

They knock us down from time to time, no doubt. But we learn, we adjust, and carry on as we move forward. Most success stories, they're crushed, not because of that adversity along the way, but because they never begin. They never take shape or materialize. We can't make them real in our heads. We can't convince ourselves that they'll ever be anything. anything other than fiction.

We think that's for someone else. We look around and assume that reality is different than my reality. And overcoming this mental constraint is always the most challenging step. And that's saying, the one I continuously find myself coming back to human beings, always follow through on who they believe themselves to be. continues to be true. If you don't believe you're worthy of something, its pursuit is lost before it began.

So while the mind tries to paint pictures of how scary that road is ahead, how it's too different or big or complex, understand that should you move forward, you'll find all that complexity can be broken down. One day, one situation, situation one little step at a time. The only real demon here is the possibility of inaction because you couldn't make yourself believe it. You couldn't see yourself at the top of that mountain. And so the front door was never opened. Emerson says, hits your wagon to a star.

A beautiful reminder that that star is proof your dreams. are real and only as real as the conviction with which you move towards them. Green light your own glory, your own contentment. Because contrary to what we might think, no one comes up and bestows that upon us. To live life fully is a decision. Decision, Latin root words, cut off. It's removing and abandoning your restraint in order to be more authentically you, in order that you'll give yourself permission to chase down that which makes you feel alive and soak up all that aligns with your heart and soul. Once you start, you're halfway there.

And oh, that first step, often perceived as the beginning, but in actuality, a point few ever. give themselves the luxury of experiencing. Step one, believe it's possible. Step two, believe you're worthy. Step three, go. Everything else works itself out. You're capable of dancing through life's chaos,

of managing the world's unknowns. So know that, understand that, but most importantly, be one of the few who gives themselves permission to experience that. And it starts... Let's talk about a point, a destination. What I believe to be a critical

or the critical landing spot as we go about our lives. The intersection of purpose and value. Where our personal loves and passions collide with the gifts that we are, capable of giving to the world. Someone once told me that if you're doing something you love, but it's not doing anything for others,

it's just for you, it's not monetizable or adding external value, that's fine, right? It's often incredibly healthy, but it's also a hobby, right? Not a job, business, or career. On the other hand, if you're doing something that does add some external value

to others, but inside it feels wrong. You're not at all passionate or excited about it. You're now robbing yourself. One, because you're exhausting your limited time on this planet going through the motions, and two, because if you aren't at all invested in or excited about that thing, there's going to be little incentive to innovate, to go above and beyond, to find that ever elusive value that hides in the fringes. So the answer, The goal, as far as I'm concerned, is searching and exploring until you find that point, that aforementioned intersection where you get both, where you wake up excited, thinking about what lies ahead throughout the day and are simultaneously able to add value to the community at large.

That feeling of being able to pour your heart and soul into something while also knowing there is much at stake. It's extraordinary. The thing is, though, it's often a challenge to capture. I remember I was invited to do an interview years ago, one of the first I'd ever done, and I still remember this question, right, to this day. How did you end up a writer and the speaker? Did you plan for it? Was this the goal? And I remember saying, no, it wasn't the goal. and he asked so you fell into it? Then I kind of said, yeah, that's about right. I fell into it.

That was essentially that. And as I look back now, that answer, even all of these years later drives me crazy because it does such a disservice to the truth. That's like saying someone fell into their dream job. How does anyone fall into any role? No, life is about growing, learning, adapting and repeating the cycle.

It took me time and persistence to find that intersection of internal purpose and external value. I talk about the journey a lot, so I don't want to go into too much detail, but very briefly, you know, I went from a corporate position where I may have been adding some value, but was pretty dead inside. I'd then move to, you know, playing acoustic shows and writing music. around Boston and it was an improvement I certainly enjoyed that to some extent but had a ways to go and also the external value wasn't quite there and then moved to writing speeches which I discovered writing was what I loved about the music like

that was an epiphany that was a light-ball moment so I started writing more and more and more like a crazy person and started to finally feel that power of impacting others in a positive way Okay, noted, right? This is a good thing. Keep moving forward. I started moving on to making videos combined with writing and oh man, getting warmer, right? And by the way, video is scalable.

So I'm helping and adding value to even more people. They move on to YouTube, keynote speaking, and ultimately the media company I have today. And so I look at all that, right? The whole process, pretty sloppy. Right? A lot of unforeseen changes. of things I didn't expect or anticipate, a lot of poking and prodding, and every move was getting me closer to what brings me joy in my left hand.

While I held on to what makes society a better place in my right hand, right? What adds value to those around me? I wanted to find that intersection, right? While cutting away things that I wasn't crazy about, right? I didn't like. The so-called hobbies that I enjoyed but, you know, weren't going to be the train. that I took to impact or prosperity. So, no, this exact career progression was not planned, right, in any way.

But this feeling, finding this spot in life, obtaining this sense of purpose was incredibly methodical. And so now when I'm asked that same question, I give a very different answer. And that's critical because it's hard to not know. know what the future holds. It's uncomfortable. One demographic I get a lot of emails from is college grads, right? The whole world's in front of them and they don't know what to do. My answer is always the same. You don't have to know what the future holds. You're not supposed to know. The idea is to explore. It's to move closer to the things that make you feel alive little by little. While, by the way, simultaneously

cutting away the things that, sure, we're worth a shot, but after some exploration, you kind of feel like, eh, not for me. Right? It's a continual process of honing in. And looking for that spot where it's like this makes me feel good. This is the starting point. So now, how do I position myself so that I can add value to others while doing this? How can I be a light in the world? And I believe wholeheartedly We all have that. We're all capable of that. It's just different for all of us and requires searching. We have to get over the fact that it's scary stepping off that ledge to navigate the waters of life,

knowing that this just might be one of those experiences that goes awry. Yeah, you put the time in, the energy in. And all you left with was the understanding that, wow, this definitely. is not for me. And that's perfectly fine, right? It's like noted, now on to the next. I say all the time, life is not a standardized test.

Now, I like that metaphor because it dispels the notion that there is a simple right or wrong approach. That's not how anyone has ever arrived at excellence. Excellence is an experiment. Excellence is a journey, and journeys take courage. Believe me, it might seem easier not to go.

It might seem easier to stay where you are in order to make this or that person happy. To save yourself the short-term angst of not having a plan. But in the long run, if you're not happy and you don't, in some capacity, step into that unknown, you eventually come face to face with that word we all hear so much about regret and that is how I see the process saying no to what you want so that you can avoid this short-term discomfort is essentially picking up the phone and making an appointment

with regret the only question is whether the reservation is in two months two years or two decades so why not set out in search of that remarkable place, that intersection of what you love and what lights up the world, what prompts you to jump out of bed in the morning, and what just might inspire others to do the same. When you are in doubt, take the question, is it possible, and substitute it for how can I get there? When a overwhelmed, remember that you are not alone in your frustration or your uncertainty, that the world around you was built by people, men and women from all different backgrounds and all different

places with all different stories who took that light in themselves and didn't stop fighting, pushing, searching until it became a beacon, not just for them, but for those around them. I said it before, I'll say it again. We are all capable of that. That version, whatever it is in your specific life. You can have that reality. You can be that person. But you must both believe it's possible and start moving towards that life-changing point.

Lead yourself first. Before we can influence, before we can ever persuade or change anything externally, we have to first lead ourselves. And that means delivering on the promises we make to ourselves. It means showing up when we tell ourselves we're going to show up. It means putting ourselves in an environment conducive to growth. There's an old metaphor from Wayne Dyer about an orange, where he essentially says that it doesn't matter what you do to an orange. It doesn't matter how hard you squeeze it, or how many you have, or how you manipulate it. Grapefruit juice will never come out of an orange.

Only orange juice can be emitted, and similarly, we can never give or contribute what we do not have inside ourselves. We can't expect our lives to look like anything other than a culmination of the tiny action, steps, and decisions we make on a daily basis. The external world is a product of the internal world, and the internal world is not realized until we learn to rule over ourselves and our lives with conviction. You can break this down in many different ways. Jacco Willink says discipline equals freedom. John Maxwell talks about a leadership lid where success levels can never exceed leadership capability, and sure it applies to teams,

but it also applies to self-leadership. Are you searching for and committing to the little hinges in your life that, as W. Clement Stone says, swing big doors. That make the difference. Are you taking responsibility for your shortcomings like leaders do? Are you learning to trust yourself? Are you seeing past the trap of perfection and committing to progress? Are you taking the little things seriously?

Because at the end of the day, all things are comprised of little things and only little things. The bottom line is that we master nothing until we master ourselves. Trust ourselves. The bottom line is that we win when we lead ourselves. to hold ourselves accountable for the little things that matter even when it hurt or retired, even though no one's going to come up and reprimand us for falling short. There are often no visible consequences when we let ourselves down, so let's manufacture that urgency.

If you promised yourself you'd get up when that alarm clock goes off, it becomes no longer optional. If you promised yourself, you'd go down. down the road that scares you, it becomes no longer one road of many. It is now the only road. Even though it may be scary or intimidating, it's the darkness that must be confronted. You are more powerful than you know, you are more capable than you understand, but you must lead yourself to your potential.

little things matter. And so while the temptation is to brush them off is insignificant, while the rest of the world ebbs and flows through life like jellyfish with the tide, your superpower will be to see, harness, and multiply those little decisions like they are gold. Your strength is that when it's easier to run, you'll be the one that instead stands up and leads your self to greatness. As long as I've been alive, there's existed a battle between what I want in the moment and what I need. And it transforms.

It takes different shapes, but its impact is always felt. And so the question remains in spite of the option to concede the temporary way out. Are we willing to endure the now for a beautiful forever? commit to that delayed gratification. Hold off just a little longer, do a little more. See, every time I hold the line, every time I refuse to give in, the victory tends to be just a little sweeter.

So what is this force keeping us from greatness? This invisible, unquantifiable adversary, telling us to stop, to submit, to just accept things as they are? Well, as Stephen Pressfield states in his book, The War of Art, this is resistance. The ego in disguise, it's the desire to stay the same, pushing us away from the very action necessary to obtain what we truly want. Not in the moment, but in our souls. Our true reason for being, after all progress is happiness.

So we follow this train of thought. The next logical question must be, well, can we control this enemy? This resistance? As it turns out, not only is the answer yes, but one's ability to do just that makes all the difference. We can harness that demon that lobbies so hard for the status quo. We can learn to laugh every time it throws a fit when we attempt to change ourselves, our situation, our environment. It can be told no. Fact, Pressfield states that people who live free lives have learned to master themselves.

People that can't master themselves will find someone else to rule over them. Whether it be excuses, critics, or other outside constraints. See, the key, the answer couldn't be simpler. It's not easy, but it's simple. Show up. And as a writer, I really resonated with this. The hardest part isn't writing. It's sitting down to write.

It's arriving. And now life can flow through you. You're able to be that messenger that carries the divine so that it can be shared with the world distributed to the masses. But you must first say no to that voice proclaiming that it's not important. That it doesn't matter. You must tear down the idea that you're not good enough. Walk up and sit in that metaphorical seat, whatever it is for you. Begin speaking,

writing, painting, analyzing, constructing, devising, but you must sit down and begin. That is the essence of the war of art. The war that is you versus you, that resistance, proclaiming that your next move is too little to matter. That the same is the best. But you have to see beyond what's in front of you. It's why the author is so adamant about not giving in saying if you cave in today, you're twice as likely to cave in tomorrow. It's like talking to a telemarketer. You cave, you give an inch, and it's over.

See those little decisions, the ones we're so inclined to overlook, the ones we say, we'll come back tomorrow. They're insignificant. That's essentially making a hole right through the center of a dam. Eventually, the entire thing is coming down. But the good news, those same little decisions are within your grasp. You can own them, master them, and ultimately master yourself. Start by simply showing up when you don't want to because this is war. And this war, the one fought every day, is what will ultimately.

hand you the keys to the kingdom. Life is the manifestation of stories. Stories we tell ourselves about the world and our place within it. Rules that we've constructed and we respect we adhere to. They dictate the outcomes we get. They become our reality. Because to establish a parameter means at some point there's a line that we don't cross. Right.

And there are obvious lines that we've been. point to and we say no thanks. For example, our values, right? I won't do X because, well, it will hurt someone I love or legal parameters. I won't do why because I know the repercussions, they're too much. It's not in my self-interest. And these are obvious, these are talked about, we're aware of these stopping points. But I want to talk about a different set of rules. The stories we're writing without realizing we're doing it. how we think we're running a sprint, but I have no idea that there's heavy weight on our shoulders holding us down,

and you can't take that weight off if you don't know it's there. And this all came to me a few months ago. I was in L.A. for the weekend, having lunch with some incredible entrepreneurs. They've done some amazing things. One of them sold a dating app for hundreds of millions of dollars, another one a health care company, another one had a very successful food distributing business,

and I'm sitting there kind of blown away. And my priority was to listen, not run my mouth or fabricate or impress, but to simply observe what creates this type of result. I was listening to Alex Mayer, who created Zeus, talk about his upbringing. He came to the U.S. as an immigrant from Iran and worked his way up from nothing. It's not like these folks were given the world. They took it.

And it took me about three minutes to find a commonality in their worldview. To me, it couldn't be more evident. It was impossible to miss. They don't look at life how I do, or at least how I did. See, the story I told revolved around my parameters. Sure, I had moments of boldness, I pushed myself, I worked hard, but I looked at life in terms of what it would allow.

Here's how things are. Okay, how can I stretch that? But that's like repainting or adding onto a house that was already built, right? There's only so much flexibility, so much you can do with that. But these guys are going around the table talking like little kids on Christmas, right? Talking about life like it's a game. Talking about opportunity like it's an apple waiting to be picked from a tree right outside.

There was no, what will the world allow? It was with a smile, anticipation, and self-believe, what can I make? And Alex, who I mentioned earlier, sold Zeus, right, created Menserbox, and he's, He loves beef, eats it all the time, right? And so it's become his next entrepreneurial venture, a healthy beef stick company. And every thought seems to revolve around that. How can he take something he loves and share it with the world?

His imagination is now driving his thought process, which drives his action. Not parameters, not someone else's reality, but possibility. See, I left the table with this feeling I've never really had before. It's like someone tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me of the, freedom contained in every single step. Not flexibility, but freedom.

Like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. Who cares if you mess up? Who cares if you lose? Who cares? That's part of this game we're playing. A game where reality isn't an obligation to be lived, it's an opportunity to be explored. It's not about what you don't have.

It's being grateful for everything that brought you to right now. because right now is a perpetual launching pad. You know, growth is learning. And that afternoon, I learned to take life way less seriously. To enjoy it. To let imagination drive every step. Because the difference is some of us build because we don't want to lose. We don't want to succumb to fear and not meeting our potential.

We fear being inadequate, falling short. We see obstacles. Some of us, we build to capture the beauty, the excitement. That makes the difference. And look, I'm not presenting you empirical data. I don't have all the answers, but I'm willing to bet that years from now, looking back, that simple understanding will have played a substantial role in whatever comes next.

The rules changed, and so did the path. Let's not become so focused on each footstep that we lose sight of where they're collectively taking us. What are you building? Why are you here? To play by someone else's rules or to transform yourself and by default the world around you? See, reality is fluid.

It's malleable and the beauty is in that process of creating a ship leaving the harbor has infinite possibility. Unlimited potential and that gives it its power. There's no right turn or wrong turn. The only way to lose is to stand still, to think that horizon in the distance is too far or not for you. See, a harbor is not a stopping point, it's a beginning. So take control over that world, push it, test it,

see what it has to offer, throw your interests and your curiosities against, the wall, see what sticks. See what ignites your soul. Test the universe because life it rewards the bold. Those courageous enough to step outside their front door and not follow, but design. Those who know things are the way they are simply because others before them had the courage to make it so. Well, now it's your turn. You defeated the one in 400 trillion odds stacked against your birth. You navigated through your low points. You've done enough to get to this very moment, this instant.

For the mistakes that brought you here will become the wisdom that leads you forward. That takes you to places you never thought possible. then where exactly that is is entirely up. Sometimes it's what we don't say that echoes the loudest. What we don't do that has the greatest consequences, where we don't go, that ultimately gets us lost. I remember as a teenager applying to college,

I was working on the admissions essay. I was brainstorming with my grandmother. talking over possible topics and approaches. And she read me this quote that's sometimes attributed to Mark Twain, but that's beside the point. The quote states, 20 years from now, you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bow lines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sales, explore, dream, discover. I thought this was the perfect bridge to the next chapter of my life. The latest horizon, the newest adventure. I thought it was incredible, and it was.

It was exactly what I needed, and so on to that next adventure, I went. And here's the thing. As life unfolded this equation, somehow transformed from exploration, and dreaming and discovery into the question, well, what am I supposed to do? Somehow without my paying attention,

life turned into a checklist. A question I couldn't get wrong, a test I needed to make sure I didn't fail. It's amazing how quickly we forget the infinite breadth of life because we're focusing on the dotted line before us. the one we're supposed to walk. Sometimes we're so fixated on what the expectation is that we don't ask ourselves where these expectations are coming from.

Who is so significant and wise that they know what's best for you to a greater extent than you do? See how that's an important question. And also one you can lose in your periphery as you follow that dotted line before you. When you have a destination in mind, hopes, dreams, ambitions, well, that's an adventure. When someone else has a destination in mind for you,

whether this authority is imaginary or not, that's obedience. And sometimes the greatest disservice we can do to ourselves is to not stop and think, to not stop and ask ourselves where we're going. and why? Do you remember when you were a child and you got into trouble, right? Sometimes you'd get sent to your room.

And for me, this was agony. When it was punishment, I wanted to be anywhere but confined within those walls. I hated being sent to my room. And then finally, the door would open. My parents would say, Eddie, you can come out now. I'd go outside, play basketball for a little bit. And then oftentimes I'd find myself right. right back in my room.

Happy, you know, playing with my toys, whatever I was doing, not a care in the world. And it's like, what changed? Nothing but the context. Same me, same room, same toys, same whatever I was doing. It was, however, no longer a punishment. And I think this realization is worth exploring. We may not realize, we may not even be able to articulate it, but I think we love long for control over our lives. We long to walk our own path. And in this situation, the path led me

right back to where I was. Sometimes, though, the path leads us in the opposite direction, far away to distant world. The end destination is not as important as the fact that we chose it. that we asked ourselves why and that we believe in the answer and immerse ourselves in its execution. So when Mark Twain talks about the things that we don't do holding more weight in our hearts, it's because those things we tend to skip over

are often the very things that breathe life into our souls. We'll go to school to get good grades, to get a 9 to 5, to get a promotion, to get a mortgage on a home. But the audacity to open that photography studio. The nerve to think you could rent a van and travel the country. The delusion to think you could start that routine that will get you in the physical shape you've always dreamed of.

See, we're lucky and fortunate to have the things that we have. The quality of life we lead now far exceeds those that came before us. life is convenient, incredibly convenient. But what is convenience if it comes at the expense of purpose, of meaning in life, because that's what steers the ship? A crisis of meaning ultimately mitigates everything else. There is no exploration without meaning. And without exploration tomorrow becomes a repetition of today.

not an evolution. And what's incredible, truly incredible, is that our purpose can be rediscovered, our paths redefined. How, by having a long conversation with, you guessed it yourself? By putting the phone in another room, by disconnecting the Wi-Fi and spending time with you, something along the lines of dear self, what matters to me in this world? Where am I going right now? is where I'm going right now aligned with what matters to me in this world.

And sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes no great, but what we have now is a foundation to work off of. An awareness that should be celebrated, that you created. It's so easy to walk through life and never have that conversation. It's so easy to sleepwalk to the tune of someone else's song, the beat of other people's drums. But when you open your eyes, you see the correlation between your thoughts and your actions,

your actions in your reality. You realize that when you wake up that tendency to ask yourself what you have to do today, to reflect on your problems, those questions you assumed were normal, that you never gave much thought to, well, now you'll see you can dismantle that notion.

Now you'll see that if you can ask yourself what you have to do, you can just as easily ask yourself what you want to do, what you get to do, what life is inviting you to do. If you can reflect on your problems, you are just as capable of reflecting on the opportunity at your fingertips. If you can spend time dwelling on whether you're walking the obligatory dotted line that's been laid out in front of you,

You're just as capable of redrawing that line and allowing it to pull you into a new dimension. Listen again, 20 years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sales. explore, dream, discover. Explore, but for you. Wander down those paths that have for so long piqued your curiosity.

Try things you once felt like other people were entitled to, but you'd never given yourself permission. Be that for yourself, because no one will come up to you and randomly give you that green light. Dream, because without building your castles in the air, As Thoreau calls them, you live your entire life on the ground. You'll never hit targets that you don't create. And sure, there'll be a time that only you see the destination.

Great, that's life. But with each step forward, as it becomes more real for you, it will make sense to others as well. Trust each step like it is in and of itself a miracle. And you'll find in time that that's exactly what you're. what each step was. And lastly, discover. Discover who you are, what you're capable of becoming.

As Emerson said, to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. To forge your own path, build your own life, stay true to your own heart is courage. So sail away. you have the ability, because you are strong enough, and because the story you're about to write, doesn't continue on until you turn the page on today's chapter. It's not about what happens to you. No one escapes adversity. No one lives free of discomfort or misfortune or struggle.

know it will always be about what you do with what happens to you. In other words, it's not the event, it's the response. Not the obstacle, but the ability to navigate around it. Not the wave, but the ability to ride its momentum to something greater. It is not what happens to you. It is what you do about what happens to you. The famous Roman emperor and stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius said you have power over your mind, not outside events.

Realize this and you will find strength. And I think this realization comes down to the fact that there is always a way buried underneath it all, something powerful to leverage. But getting to the value calls for a rewiring. A change in the questions that we ask. Not how could this happen to me, but how can I be better tomorrow than I am now because of what happened to me? Not can I still be that person or accomplish what I set out to. But I am that person. Now how will I adjust my path so that I get there?

We're operating within a world of value, limitless opportunity. The difficulty simply pushes us to that value faster, expedites the process. It forces us to open our eyes and see that the world works. for us. So you take, for example, the fear of starting something new. That fear, it doesn't have to be an end point or a red light indicator.

Fear doesn't mean you're not qualified or prepared or equipped. It simply lets you know that you have finally acquired the courage to step out of the safety of the only world you knew and into the turbulence of growth. On to the path of something better. And where it's easy to move away from that feeling. To turn your back on the chaos and retreat to something simpler. Maybe something more predictable or contained. What if you viewed the fear as the price that we all have to pay

to pull the curtain back on the best things life has to offer? Changing the question from will I be afraid to instead this is important. This is meaningful. Therefore, it's inevitable that I will experience fear, but what will I do about it? How will I conduct myself amidst the fear? Will I continue forward? Those are the questions that contain the value, right? I can't keep the water from rising or the walls from caving.

in. No, that's an inevitability where I'm going. The worthwhile road always has its adversity. But will I use that water to learn to swim? The walls to climb, to adapt, and scale, what will I make of this? That's the question that becomes the difference. And sure, you could stay away. You could choose not to take the path that presents the danger. and the turbulence. You could attempt to contain the world around you by simply refusing to experience it. But then of course you become presented with the question, why intentionally refuse to cash in a winning lottery ticket? Why diminish your gift in such a way?

If it's not what you look at, it's what you see. Why see the world as an adversary? Why see yourself as less than you are? The saying goes, when you fight for your limitations, you get to keep them. You'll never exceed the person you've decided yourself to be. And yes, the world can feel intimidating. It's unknown. You in many ways can't control the characteristics that make life what it is,

but you can always control you. Just like you can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sales. You can't control the tides, but you can predict and plan and execute accordingly. You control you, and that is where the power is. And of course there's going to be times where that's hard to see. When it's not your first instinct to find the value. Take, for an example, a change, a loss, the end of a relationship, the point where people tend to feel their lowest,

it hurts to have something and lose it, to have what you were once so sure about challenged, what you once believed in called into question. But this doesn't have to be a referendum on you as a human being, right? Sure, you made your mistakes, but you have the opportunity to dwell on them or to acknowledge them and ask the question, I know what I know now, how can I be better than I've ever been in my life? How can I position myself to get more of the good and less of the bad, same idea, different context?

When those walls feel like they're crumbling down, you have to know there is more on the other side. Just beyond what the eye can see. And this isn't just an idea I play around with in my head. I make a concentrated effort to think this every time something goes wrong. When my first reaction is emotional, my first emotion is anger or frustration. It's like take a breath, compose yourself, and start looking for the value. Because here's the truth, the world is not going to end today. There's going to be a time down the road when I look over my shoulder and right now is a distant memory.

What will I have done with it? And it's the times that might have broken you that contain the greatest transformation. I like to say the greatest tragedies or the hardest times made me who I am today. The losses taught me that I had everything I needed. The failures showed me what I'm capable of enduring. The times I was let down taught me to depersonalize the short- shortcomings of others, but to simultaneously hedge against them. The times I was lost showed me we only discover or meet our potential when we leave the little day-to-day realities that we create.

Why? Because we are in control. Not of the external, but the internal, and that ends up being a bridge to a reality that means something. So when you find yourself at the base of a mountain looking up, understand that there are two ways to perceive the climb. You can see it as the gravity pushing down on you as Earth standing in your way. Or as an opportunity to ascend to a version of yourself that previously not only didn't exist but wasn't available. This is your opportunity. the same opportunity that the vast majority of the world would disregard or misinterpret, that most would feel fear of and be dissuaded by.

Most would live in the stories about who they aren't and what they aren't capable of, but not you. You didn't place that mountain before you, but you sure can't extract the value from it. All you have to do is disrepresent. decide that you're capable and that the meaning and the value and the freedom of tomorrow means more than the discomfort of today. If you allow that for yourself, you will become truly unstoppable.

Not because the path simplified or got easier, but because the traveler trusted himself to walk down it.