Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - Don't Compare Yourself To Anyone | Life Changing Speeches

Episode Date: February 28, 2025

The stories we tell ourselves shape the lives we live. If you’ve ever felt stuck in who you’ve been, remember—you're the author, not just the character. Your past may have built you, but it doesn’t have to confine you. You can rewrite your narrative at any moment.George Eliot once said, "It’s never too late to be who you might have been." You are not bound by old habits, past mistakes, or outdated beliefs. The pen is in your hands. So, what story do you want to tell next?More from Eddie Pinero:Monday Motivation Newsletter: https://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletterInstagram - @your_world_within and @IamEddiePineroTikTok - your_world_withinFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/YourworldwithinTwitter - https://www.twitter.com/IamEddiePineroBusiness Inquiries - http://www.yourworldwithin.com/contact#liveinspired #yourworldwithin #motivation

George Elliott wrote, it's never too late to be who you might have been. See, you are a storyteller, a creator of narratives. In what you see when you look in the mirror are stories. Stories about your past. I am the type of person who does X, right? X being an accumulation of history, of things you've done, you used to do. And in theory, you know, there's truth to that. We are what we repeatedly do.

But here's where it becomes a problem. When you confine yourself to that narrative. When you become stuck there, when you are unable to become something new because you're telling yourself that's not who I am. Just because that was the narrative doesn't mean it always has to be. you can always pick up the pen and start writing a new chapter. I put on a green shirt last year, last month, every day last week. Therefore, I am someone who wears green shirts. Therefore, tomorrow I must put on a green shirt.

It's who I am. Seems a tad ridiculous, right? Until you change the example a little bit. You know, I was called out recently for saying, I am a runner trying to put on weight. Building muscle in the past has been a challenge for me, right? Because I am a runner. And I was.

I was running seven to ten miles a day. Well, now, in the present, the story's changed. I've essentially stopped running, at least distance running. I'm focusing on the gym. And in a group setting with my trainer there, I recently said, it's been challenging for me to put on weight as a runner. He looks up and he says, ah, limiting belief. You're still identifying yourself as what you were.

And he's dead on. 100% right. That's an old story. I ran long distance for years. Had a quote-unquote distance-running body type for years. So what? Therefore, I'll continue to have a distance-running body composition, right? It's the exact same thing as the hypothetical green shirt.

Just because you were that doesn't mean you have to be that. Just because that's what you did doesn't mean it's how you must identify. No, it's time to flip the script. And when you start unpacking this idea, you know, it gets crazy quickly. Like you realize how many areas in our lives we create these limiting beliefs. How much we adhere to or shackle ourselves, tie ourselves to old narratives. They're everywhere, right? I make $80,000 a year.

I'm looking for a new job that pays about $80,000 a year. year. It's like, why 80? It's just as arbitrary as 25, which is just as arbitrary as 175. Like, why can't you aspire to be more? Why don't you feel deserving of more? Right? I'm not talking about snapping your fingers, right? There's no magic involved in this. It's very practical. It's, when you decide something is what you deserve or something is what you're going to be, my friends, that's what you will get. You know, you, you know, you, You have to decide you are worthy, you have to improve your worth, you have to see yourself as something different before the world will ever adhere to that or give you something new.

You know what one of our greatest superpowers is? The reminder that we can change, that we don't have to concede or accept anything. If it isn't adding value in some way, it can be changed, transformed, mitigated. I think the issue is that sometimes we just forget that we are the ones telling this story. I was reminiscing recently about 2013, 2014, commuting to work from Boston to Worcester with a friend of mine, and you didn't particularly love the job, right? And so on the commute, we would, you know, joke around every day, you know, and I put joking in quotes because we were truly hoping for it, right?

It's like, you know, wishing we'd get a flat tire or something would derail the commute. And, you know, as time goes on, hindsight's 2020, you look back and you realize just how, like, weak and pathetic that is. Like, hoping for external circumstances to guide you where you most want to go because, you know, I won't speak for him, but me personally, I couldn't manufacture the courage to change, right? Not for a long time, at least. Because here's the deal. No one was forcing me a gunpoint to be there. I didn't have to do it. anything. It was as simple as the story I told myself was every day, over and over again, this is what you're supposed to do. It doesn't matter if you like it or not. It doesn't matter if it lights you up. Doesn't matter if this is the best use of your skill set. This is what

you do. That was the narrative playing in my head, right? And therefore, it's what I did. Changing that thought pattern was one of the most challenging things I've ever done, but it's unequivocally true that at any point I could have looked around and said, this isn't me. I'm going to start building a life that is. Eventually, I got there. It just took time. And to one of the reasons I'm so passionate about, you know, trying to give others that nudge to empower people to, you know, make change in their lives, as opposed to looking around and hoping outside circumstances, you know, push you to where you need to be.

It all comes back to that idea that we have way more control than we think we do. we just have to be aware of the lines we draw around ourselves. There are so many places where it's like, oh, we can't step over there. Why? I just never have. This is what I do. This is what I've done in the past, so this is what the future must look like. It's all story. Everything is story, and any story can be changed or rewritten.

No chapter must be a continuation of the rules from the prior chapter. See, as George Eliot states, it's never too late to be who you might have been, to walk away from the narratives in your brain that confine you. When you know something's out of alignment, that's something we feel in our bones, by the way. We know deep down that that's the truth. We just need to understand that what's happening now is not a life sentence. We're not confined to reality as it is. Again, your superpower is the ability to reinvent yourself. And just as acquisition is valuable and necessary, so is the ability to walk away.

And on top of that, the ability to walk away usually precedes one's ability to let the important things in. You're only stuck if you believe you are. You're only free if you believe you are. Therefore, what you believe is not some supplemental things sprinkled on top of reality as it exists. What you believe determines what reality means to begin with. Somewhere along the way, we all come face to face with the gatekeeper. Watcher of the road ahead, protector of the path before us, he is your defining moment. The reason you either go home or push forward.

He's where your story ends or begins. And see, I've met him before many times this gatekeeper, guardian of all that's worth possessing, acquiring, and conquering. I've witnessed the pain he inflicts, the doubt he manufactures, the obstacles he creates. And what's interesting about the things in life worth having, is that they're never easy to obtain. The universe has this way of making sure

you really want those things you say you want. Because a lot of people talk, and they wish, and they project. But what they fail to see is that it's not until the wheels hit the road that the truth materializes. There is a cost for everything. You don't get day without night or courage without fear or bliss without pain. The road to every kingdom travels through hostile territory,

and the harder you pull that arrow back, the more power it contains as it leaps forward. Resistance in life, it's not a detriment. It is a simple triage process, in which only those willing to endure the cost of excellence are able to access its bounties. You can have all the world if you give all of yourself. The question is, when the gatekeeper approaches in its decision time, what's your move? We are a product of the pain we endure, the sacrifices we make, the struggles we overcome.

Let's not complicate that which is simple. It's not the universe, but your mind that needs convincing. Because once that floodgate opens, water is walkable, walls are climbable. Once you empower yourself, the status quo is left powerless with no option but to watch you bend life to your will. It's not during the easy time. But the midst of your journey, the heart of your race, when you most want to pack your bags and call it a day, that that gatekeeper stands before you, hand extended, whispering that you want it, but maybe not that bad.

And it's in that exact moment that you dig deep, look him in the eyes and show that there was never a doubt. Only belief. And no matter what awaits, you endure. you'll break through because gatekeeper or not, that's who you are. The world, it needs you. But it needs the real you. Not the one with the mask looking to blend in, nor the one making all those concessions to avoid being left out. No, the real you.

With your flaws and your insufficiency. efficiencies, your strengths and your gifts, your hopes, your dreams. It needs the you that so often hides away underneath that blanket of caution and skepticism. The you that's coupled with vulnerability, more easily ignored than brought to life with conviction, but that's the you this world needs. When I was younger, I seemed to separate life into two categories. Me and one, and everyone else in the other. And guess which of the two categories I assumed had it all figured out?

In my mind, I was the one, the only one who didn't know. The one who was winging it, stumbling my way through each and every day. All those other people, though, they not only had plans, They had the right plans. They knew the right details, but I didn't. And so in my head, me being right required I necessarily look to them. I follow their lead. Since there exists an established correct path, that must be where I steer the shit.

But then some time passes. You grow older. Maybe pick up a little wisdom along the way. and you realize that no one really knows what they're doing. There are very few objectively correct roads that must be traveled. Life is not a paint by number, it's a blank canvas. And understanding this changed the image in my head. From one of me knocking on the door of a party everyone else was at,

to visualizing almost eight. billion individual souls running around trying to figure things out in the limited stretch of time they have here on planet Earth. I realized I had at times felt small only because of the gravity I attributed to people who were just trying to figure it out themselves. And the point, certainly not to diminish anyone else's journey, it was to give myself permission to embark upon my own. It's just hard to do that when you view everyone else as one collective, all-knowing entity. As opposed to 8 billion people just like you with thoughts, fears, hopes, and plans. The question is not what is the right thing to do here. The question is, when will you allow

yourself to venture out into the world and find what the right thing means for you? That's That's what's required. And the world will be better for you having found it. Because after all, no one sees life like you do. No one has the background or worldview. The universe has conspired to put you as you are here now. Almost an impossible occurrence in and of itself. How easy that is to forget.

We were born on the summit, yet the inclination for some reason. is to keep our eyes closed. No, open them. Take it all in. Allow the view to propel you forward. The world needs you. It needs you with your mistakes that have helped you evolve into the person you could never have been without them. It needs you with your worries and your fears. Conquering them will be pivotal in your evolution. It needs you with your flaws and blemishes. How else would life convince you that the things that make you different are the same things that make you strong. It doesn't matter how many people tell you or try to explain to you the magnitude of what's at your feet. Life does not begin until you allow yourself to start living.

Until you realize that yesterday does not define you. And the categories in which you've placed yourself, they're transitory. The past is not, the reason you can or can't begin again. It's not who you are forever. No, it's the advantage you now possess as you move forward should you choose to move forward. It's in realizing you are bound by nothing that you free yourself. And for the one wondering why does it matter what I think? Why should I start or try or risk anything? Why should I pick up the brush and start painting on that canvas before me. Well, because

that step is where it all begins, the meaning, the purpose, it's all predicated upon our willingness to pick that brush up and start painting. You ask, what's the point? The point is everything. One detail at a time,

we dismantle our previously held notions about what life is supposed to be and finally start living one that matters. No one's masterpiece will look like yours. No one's One's depiction of life will follow the same parameters you've etched onto that canvas. In fact, there are people that will be changed forever because you chose to live your life fully.

There are lives of those around you that will be transformed because you picked up the brush. There are stories that will now end in triumph because you found the courage to start, to see light in yourself. being fulfilled and the world being better off they're not two different things. When you live a life true to yourself, when you let go of the half-toes and step into the get-toes, the world experiences the luxury of the beauty that comes next. When you fill your cup up first, you're able to then replenish those around you. That's not nothing.

So who are you? characterizations, beneath the roles you've taken on, beneath what you feel you're supposed to be. All that. Who are you and will you give life to that person? Will you be that courageous? After all, that's what life is. It's not a game of right and wrong so much as it's a game of courage. The ones willing to take the leap end up worlds away from where they begin.

My ask of you is that you begin tearing down those walls created in your head. The ones that accumulated over days and months and years. The ones that box you in or keep you out that suggest you are anything other than that one in 400 trillion miracle. Ready to embark upon the right of a lifetime. And sure, it means shedding the comfort of obscurity. The safety of projection. Looking yourself in the mirror and saying, I am worth it.

And there's more out there means without question you are taking off the training wheels, dancing with vulnerability. But it also means when that time comes and you look back on how you lived your days, you can say I truly, you can say that the world needed me. And I had the courage to heed

It's calm. Stop protecting what you've built. Like what you've built is what holds the value. No, the value is in the builder. His or her knowledge and ability to build again and again if they so desire. On an episode last week, I talked about a conversation recently had at a mastermind in Santa Monica. I want to pass along one more piece of wisdom from the story. that day that I found to be incredibly valuable.

This was just a random comment made by someone in the group. And so to kick off the scenario, someone asks everyone in the room, hey, but what if things don't work out? And it was more specific. I forget exactly what it was, something along the lines of what if the monthly revenue decreases, or, you know, what if, you know, my target or my intended outcome doesn't evolve or unfold the way I wanted it to, what then? Is it worth taking the risk? And this person stands up and says, listen, we need to stop looking at our businesses like it is the only business, like it is

something that needs to be protected, that if it falls down or if it's taken away, it's over, it's the end of us. We are entrepreneurs, which means the power and strength is in our ability to build again, not the thing that's built. theoretically, we should be able to do this over and over and over again. And what we do, and obviously I'm paraphrasing all of this, right, but what we do is we put cages around ourselves and our potential. You know, we shackle ourselves to the current moment instead of taking the necessary risks

because we're thinking, what if we lose it all? Well, fine. It's the ability to build again. And I loved the idea. Because man, it's relatable to me. I have three businesses I'm growing right now and every single one of them I find myself playing conservative at times, not wanting to break the momentum or what's going. I've spent a decade building this and the most valuable thing I've acquired or produced is not the company. It's the ability to add value. That's what what's been built. And even if the physical company disappeared overnight, no one can take

what's been learned. I think it was in the book The Happiness Hypothesis, which was one of the first books I read almost a decade ago prior to starting my personal brand and really beginning my journey. And the idea was, like, you could take everything away from the top, I don't no, two to five percent. Maybe it was all the way up to ten. And they would reacquire it in the next 10 years. Because it's not the stuff they had that made the difference. It was their ability to acquire it. Their understanding of the world, not looking at life through a scarcity mindset, but an abundance mindset, positioning themselves to build and grow. That's something that cannot be taken away.

This is all a message that is hitting at the exact time I need to hear it, right? Be bold. No, that's not bold. That's maintenance. That's doing what you've always done. Plus, maybe a little extra here or there, right? Truly living is about uncapping yourself in totality. Really reaching.

Because you know that it's not the entity that holds the value. It's the one or ones who brought it to life. It's crazy to me that even when you are aware of fear, when you understand our proclivity to play scared, right, you get it, it's something we need to look out for. Even then, do we still find in our own lives places where we're limiting ourselves? As if the fear just hides in the shadows, controlling the subconscious from a distance,

like a puppet master, strength, growth, evolution is the ability to find that fear and dismantle it. As was said to me a few years ago, most actions are reversible, right? Meaning you can make a mistake and it can be reversed. It can almost always be fixed or at least re-approach from a more intelligent angle. But what certainly cannot be fixed or changed or adjusted are roads never walked. Adventures never begun. And with a scarcity mindset, you spend your entire life in your corner protecting the little

fragments of life you've collected along the way. That's it. But if you can flip that, if you can find a way to see the abundance, the value, the infinite opportunity, you realize it's not in those little fragments you've collected, but the understanding that you can always collect more and not only only that build something beautiful with them. Not only acquire more, but use them to create a new reality. Bend and shape the word normal like it's clay.

Like the world around you's not giving orders but taking them. You hold the value, not what you've made. You. We've all heard give a boy a fish, feed him for a day, teach him to fish, feed him for life. I'm going to give it my all, make it my priority to remember every step along the way that it's in my ability to fish that value exists. If I'm not able to catch anything on a particular day, life moves on and so do I. If what I've caught goes bad or expires, life moves on and so do I. It's in the action.

It's in the doing. That's not only why you can take the role. risk and shoot for the moon. It's why you must. So imagine years from now. Way down the road, you're older, sitting on your front porch, kind of fist propped up under your chin, you're staring out, and thinking about your life. You're thinking about the decisions you made, the things you did and didn't do. What would you be thinking? What would you change? Would there be regrets. There's a lot of research around this topic in one of the most important books written on it by Brani Ware talks about the regrets of the

dying. One of them is wishing I had the courage to live a life true to myself. So you're sitting there, you're looking out, you're imagining what if you acted differently? What if you tried? What if you started? And you you you're When you go back to that moment where you were looking fate in the eye, then you had to make that decision, right? That singular decision. It showed its face repeatedly, but the decision more or less remained the same. It was vulnerability or safety, choose one.

Vulnerability or safety. Safety, that innate desire to not disrupt or challenge the way things are. Even when you know in your core, there's more. out there. See, safety is the wolf in sheep's clothing. Watching life happen through a window is incredibly safe, but it means you're forfeiting the essence of life in exchange for a front row seat to watch others live it. It means you don't capture that adrenaline that drives us. You don't take part in the emotion that excites us. It means you don't meet. the people who would change your life and you don't see the places

that would take what you know of reality and transform it. No, equating safety with contentment is the product of outdated thinking, an outdated operating system. It's indicative of a way of looking at the world that used to be life or death, But now in 2020, in modern day society, it's regret. And the first step in changing something is to become aware of your current circumstance. It's to realize you're not wrong or guilty for thinking small or taking a backseat to fear. That's what humans do.

It's our default setting, but it's your fault if you don't do anything to change it. It's your fault if once recognized you don't pick up the pieces and create a different narrative. You know, I always say the most important changes we can make, they're simple. They're not easy, but they are simple. And that road to something new always starts with seeing beyond the confine. of the world that you've accepted for yourself. Understanding the reality that dictates your reasoning, thought patterns, and decision-making can change.

Because my friends, if you can remember one thing and one thing only, it's this. Fear is not the enemy. It is the ally you need most. Inaction is the enemy. Doubt is the enemy, not fear. Seneca says we suffer more often in imagination than reality. Mark Twain says do the thing you fear most and death of fear is certain.

It's like jumping into a pool on a hot day. You get a second or two of discomfort before you can acclimate into something better. See people are stronger than they think they are. They are adaptable. They are resilient. But to see this, we must move beyond the stories in our head. So back to that rocking chair, you're thinking back, that fork in the road, and maybe you choose the challenging path, the one that scares you, and maybe you fall flat on your face. But you get up a little smarter, a little better equipped, and you keep going.

And maybe you fall and you fail again and again. And in comes the criticism. But you see that maybe criticism doesn't kill you. In fact, it does nothing if you don't let it. And again, you pick yourself up and you carry on. And you pick up some allies along the way. You expand your skill set. You drive towards mastery.

In day in, day out, you continue to fall to train. But eventually you look back and you see something you haven't seen before distance and you realize you are not The same person you once were you realize what you have right now Simply through a process of falling and rising again you have redefined your existence you've redefined what's possible You've redefined the people the places the things that matter and it dawns on you that falling that fear that the unknown wasn't the problem, that that's not scary, it's just part of being better. It's the cost of greatness. You've been looking at things wrong, hiding from exactly the thing you should have been running towards,

allowing into your life the very things that held you down, making you think comfort was the goal when it was shackling your feet to the ground and advising that spats, Actating was a good thing. No, not you. And when you sit down on that rocking chair and you look out, thinking of the life you made, let it be one of adventure. The failures that made you stronger, the wandering that unveiled life's beauty and the ends that became beginnings,

because that is the essence of a life truly lived. Ready, fire, aim. It's a saying that is often said with a bit of humor, kind of reflecting back on moments of chaos, right? Things were coming at us so fast we didn't have time to think or plan, we had to be ready, fire, aim. Implying that, you know, they were quick starts moving forward with the project or initiative before they knew entirely what they were doing.

Go and figure it out along the way. jump and grow wings on the way down. I can think of ten different ways to say that off the top of my head, as opposed to its alternative, ready, aim, fire. Which at surface level is more logical. It implies a little more accuracy, a little more time and energy exhausted on precision. If you're going to shoot the arrow,

it makes sense to know where it's going, right? And while which one of these two phrases is right, in my mind is somewhat context-dependent, I'm going to explain you why the first one has changed my life. The ready-fire aim approach. To put it simply, it's because in the past, you know, I've been prone to over-analyze, to, you know, over-extensively weigh out the pros and cons. and, you know, that's resulted in being paralyzed by options. It creates stagnation, immobility, which is what you don't want.

The greatest improvements in my life, personally, have been from going before I was ready. The simple idea that you don't have to know, and in fact you won't, but you have to start. And life starts providing you these little pieces of wisdom, these little puzzle pieces, to start constructing reality. It's the thought process that, sure, you don't want to go in blind, right? Have a foundation. Educate yourself. But the vast majority of the value is going to come from what's learned along the way.

Even if on paper you theoretically had all the answers, life's variables are constantly changing. They're transforming what was once truth. You know, the ability to adapt is often, you know, far more important than what you know when you begin. You can watch 300 tutorials on how to put out a YouTube video. Finally, after a month, feel like you have enough info, release one, and ultimately you'll just realize how much doesn't apply to you in your situation. How much falls through the cracks. How much was unforeseen, right?

or you can release it to the world as soon as you possibly can and get 300 videos worth of knowledge by simply doing, going, experiencing, learning in real time. That's where the magic is. I recently put on a retreat for my new project called Levels. And I'd never run a retreat before. I knew there would be things that didn't go exactly. exactly how I thought they would or weren't perfect.

And theoretically, you know, we could have picked a date six months out and over-planned and over-considered. But ultimately, you know, chose to pick a date one month out, plan the best we could, and start creating momentum, get the process going, start collecting data, learning what works and what didn't. I mean, we hedged a little bit. We invited folks that were close to us, that were friends or business acquaintances, but the focus was on getting the ball rolling and it ended up being an absolutely incredible experience. One of the best weekends of my life,

the feedback was just phenomenal. And yeah, the next one will certainly have some changes. There are some things we'll do differently. But we have data. We have experiences. We have earned confidence. You cannot read that or study that. That's info.

you can only get by walking down the path. There's a ton of value you can get in life by simply looking around and asking, where have I been aiming too long without firing? That's not a place you want to be. We all know this, right? We all know that person that's always talking about what they're going to do, what they're going to do.

Someday, just you wait, you'll see. It's like, well, what are you doing? Like, what are you doing now? These two things can be true at once. You know, first, it's true for them. If they don't go, they'll never get there. But second, there are areas in all of our lives where it's true for us. We just have a hard time seeing it.

The old parable, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. Give life a chance to open up for you. Push hard against the unknown. The most important things you'll ever experience in life will be because of your doing, not your thinking or planning or discussing. And you won't be perfect. Sometimes you'll swing and miss the target altogether.

But what you will be able to do is re-approach stronger and wiser. You'll be able to come back more informed. And with that edge that will allow you to ultimately succeed. That is how excellence is created. Ready, fire, aim. Life's best kept secret? Simple. Show up.

Show up when you're tired. You're down. Show up after defeat. Show up when you're stressed, when you're worried. Show up when you don't feel like it. In fact, that's when it's most important to show up. that becomes the great differentiator. See, a lot of us somewhere along the way we adopt this idea that winning is about the home run.

It's stepping up to the plate and swinging so hard that the ball leaves the park and it never comes back to Earth. And while, yeah, that's a fantastic sentiment. And if or when that happens, that's great. But sustained success isn't one monumental occurrence. It's little victories consistently occurring over and over and over. Very small, in fact, to those walking by, they're probably too ordinary to be considered successful or acknowledged. They're too mundane. They're only victories because you decided they are.

And when you think about it, the evidence is out there. Successful teams don't build game plans around the hell Mary with no time left on the clock. No, they show up every day and master the task in front of them. They compound the opportunity available on a daily basis because it's there, and that puts them in a position to execute. However the situation unfold. They showed up when it quote unquote didn't matter, and that of course means everything when it does matter.

And something I remind myself every day and something I think everyone should hear, those waiting for life to hand out miracles will always be left behind by those willing to, well, show up when it's not fun, not sexy or exciting, days when you're tired, when you're weak, when you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders because, well, we all know that happens. We all know how easy it is for that to be the excuse, or become the free pass, especially when you know in the back of your head this is practice, right? This is a rep. The world won't end if you sit this one out.

But if you wouldn't sit out the real thing, the Super Bowl of your pursuit, then we have to understand the value of the mundane staircase leading to that event. Each seemingly insignificant step is your Super Bowl. It's not that it's close to the same. It has to be the same. It's the old saying, you play the way you practice, but turned way up. Now we're saying there is no difference. And when the lights are turned on and you're standing on that stage, it's not some new experience you have to figure out and navigate.

It's the continuation of that staircase, of the old, of the familiar. You showed up then, and you'll show up now. Now, when you were unsure of yourself then, you didn't hide. You trusted yourself and now that same trust stands by your side. When you were tired, weak, when you had nine million things on your mind, you didn't fail. You blocked out the world and you found clarity and now that same clarity simplifies what lays before you. When you felt discouraged where the finish line fell too far away, you reacquired your meaning by simply executing, by being there. And now every part of you will execute here just the same.

So while it's their Super Bowl, their championship, their one shot, this is your every day. It's your DNA. It's watching that ball roll down the hill that you created. Pushed by momentum you brought to life. You'll do what you came here to do because you made that decision. Every step along the way, every single day leading up to now. One of my favorite quotes is sometimes success is simply hanging on when others would be letting go. The reason is that it reminds me how frequently the advantage is in not stopping.

It's in consistency. It's in showing up. When I run particularly long distances, almost like clockwork I can break it down to feeling good at the beginning. Usually a little rough stretch in the middle and then somewhere on the second half, I catch a second wind or a second blast of energy. The question just becomes when? Will you hang in long enough to capture it? Because you don't know when it might be,

where it will show up, you don't know when you'll find that nice rhythm again that makes the sport so enjoyable to me. And when I say, you can pull an infinite amount of life lessons from running, this is one of them. That depiction of trusting that, that the road ahead has everything you need to cross your finish line. Even when the short-term chaos is all you can see and feel,

even when it's hard to look up and imagine. Because it's easier said than done when you're tired and worn down to continue on, right? When you're in the trenches. There's an uncertainty to the road ahead, but each footstep is a shot on target. Each step forward is saying, I'm worn down, but I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. And life can present an almost eerily similar narrative, right, whether personally you're at a low point, whether you've been working and working and working and haven't seen the result you're looking for, whether you're uncomfortable and starting to wonder whether this reward is really worth the high price tag.

You need to remember that second win, that second. blast of energy, just enough momentum to ease your worry and recalibrate your journey, it's there. It's waiting. But you know the rules of life. It won't come to you. You must go to it. Through the storm into the night beyond the comforts of home, most sadly don't arrive.

Not because they couldn't, but because they all. ultimately let go. They looked too far down the road at the distance to be traveled and forgot that their only job was to hold on. Through the doubt, the pain, the worry, no miracle, just a willingness to fight each battle as it presented itself. To let time stack up, to let the distance over your shoulder accumulate. See, the thing about stopping is that you never know when that much-needed second wind will arrive. There's a saying that many of life's failures had no clue how close they were to success when they gave up, when they turned around.

Now, I'm not suggesting the road will be perfect, or that it won't come with its adversity, mistakes, and lessons. But what we always have control over is the ability to push forward until we finally come face to face with that which we so desperately need it, it's there. I could say it a million times and it wouldn't be enough. The pieces exist. Will you hang in long enough to collect them? When the road is intimidating, will you hold on? When you run into those moments of self-doubt, will you hold on? When you feel small, navigating the ups and downs of life, will you you hold on? Because if the answer is yes, you'll find yourself crossing some finish lines

that will blow your mind. You'll get from life that which most can only dream of. And again, not because of the miraculous, but because you knew that the second wind was coming, you knew it would be there for you so long as you kept moving forward. Holding on. when most would be letting go. There's a quote attributed to Seneca that states no man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity, for he is not permitted to prove himself. Meaning it's in pursuing the difficult thing that we obtain meaning.

Recognition that we prove ourselves. But prove ourselves to whom? This is the same Seneca who famously says stated that we suffer more in imagination than we do in reality, that he is most powerful who has power over himself. And that's one of the beautiful things about stoicism. It makes us ask a very simple but often overlooked question, who's really the adversary here? Who's the opposition we're dealing with as we fight our battles? What is it that must be transformed? Is it the outside world? or the way our eyes view the outside world.

What's really holding us back? The circumstances? Or our own personal thoughts about the circumstances? And I think this is where we misunderstand the challenges before us. I want to delve into this power of perspective to explain that we are the gatekeepers between, ourselves in our ideal lives. And very often we do a good job of ensuring that gate stays closed.

We sabotage our own goals, our own dreams, our own happiness, while simultaneously pointing the finger at a million externalities. See, when we look at the difficulties of life, and there's no doubt that life can be a very difficult thing, it's easy to look at the world as this binary playing field. Me versus the world. And in fact, we often visualize the world as the enemy pushing back against us, as if its motives were counter to ours. So many of these narratives, these stories, they actually say nothing about the outside world.

And when we look deeper, it becomes apparent that they actually say a whole lot more about us. It's the one viewing that gets to decipher what the circumstance means. And so all narratives are reflections of the observers. Jim Rohn used to tell a story about two brothers who had an alcoholic father. He'd come home drunk, he'd abuse his sons. They had a terrible childhood. And as they each grew up and had families of their own, their paths, kind of diverged, right? One became abusive, and the other was kind and loving and caring.

And when confronted, the now abusive brother stated, well, look, how can you blame me? Don't you see how I was raised? But the kind, loving, and caring brother stated, of course I'm like this. I could never put my family through what I went through as a child. Same circumstances. Different lenses. interpretations, which means different real world result. And the idea here is to emphasize how one of the most important abilities a human being possesses is the ability to interpret the world around him. I think of us as subjects navigating a world of objects, as though the things around us don't have meaning until we place meaning upon them.

That's what humans do. Create narratives out of objects. And that often overlooked, seemingly insignificant ability, places a lot of power in our hands. Very rarely is it what we see, it's what we think and what we do about what we see. You ever hang out with people that just tend to be happy, upbearing, positive energy. I have a very good friend like that where his first inclination is always to find the positive. In moments where I've sort of trained myself to pause, take a second, sift through the emotion, uncover the value in a tough situation, refocus, and take a strategic step forward.

I look over at him and he's already arrived there. He's been there for three minutes, right? eliminated the negativity, it's his first instinct. He's the metaphorical kid hopping around in puddles, whistling at the top of his lungs, while everyone else is hiding out from the rain, or at least trying to find the courage to run out onto the street with. Then there are people who seem to always find the negative. It doesn't really matter what this situation is.

Happiness is fleeting, only to reveal the negativity that never seems to go away, right? Like the kind of person that if they won the lottery, their first thought might be, oh no, but what if I lose it all? Both examples are people projecting themselves onto the world around them. The same way that smoke covers and consumes an entire room. It's not the room that's the culprit. Here's another example from Jim Rohn, since we're on a Jim Rone kick. He's making a similar point, and this is all from a collection of speeches.

He has on Audible, comparing human. to oranges, which is probably not a comparison you've made recently, but he said there's consistency to an orange and that it can be filled with one thing. When you squeeze an orange, orange juice is coming out, period. It will never be apple juice or grape food juice. It will only emit what it has inside, which is orange juice. And while here's the connection. When life pressures us, challenges us, or metaphorically squeezes us, we only emit the emotions that are contained and available, that are alive and well within us. If there is no jealousy contained in our thinking, we're not going to project jealousy out into the world. If there is no hatred within us, we will not project hatred onto others.

Why is that powerful? It's powerful. because again it's one of the most important things you can do certainly one of the most important things I've learned to do is take that finger pointing blame at the outside world slowly turn it around and point it back at myself and ask what thoughts what emotions what ideas am I letting live inside my head

that's altering the narrative the story I'm telling about myself in the world that I live in. And while one might think, well, that's uncomfortable, that's unfair, a little extreme, why should I point at myself? It's not my fault. I would challenge you, at least for the sake of the next few minutes, to see such a change as empowering, as your advantage, as the bridge from where you are to where you want to be.

See, if you always have feelings of, let's say, jealousy around a particular person, that feeling in your stomach like, oh, they have it all. They're ahead. They live how I want to live. They're this and that, and I kind of hate them for it. You're naively giving the external world the power. You're saying, I feel the way I do because of that out there. Some cosmic injustice. You are powerless because you're neglecting your personal agency as a factor. But when you turn that finger around And say, I only feel this way because I'm allowing myself to. Then you can ask the question. So many never think to ask.

Why? Why do I feel this way? Which lights a path to how can I fix it. See, the key to a better life is realizing you don't have to be in the passenger seat pointing at in blaming the driver, complaining about the road. being taken, no, you can get into the driver's seat. You can take the wheel, you can take control, inherit responsibility. And there's more at stake, there's greater vulnerability. But the upside is unfathomable. And I find myself thinking all the time, man, people are blaming the wrong things.

They're shifting blame to the wrong adversaries. The real villain here is not, the driver or the road or the weather. The real villain is the voice in your head pleading with you not to take the wheel. Pleading with you to ride shotgun and complain as the world passes you by. And of course it makes sense to qualify that with the inevitability that there are some things placed upon us that are just bigger than us that we can't control. And you can make a list however long you want to. Natural disasters, decisions, and actions of others, health problems. We don't often get to choose the landscape. So as the Stoics would say, understand that. Understand what you can't control

and what you can. Because the beauty is that you can control how you can navigate that landscape, and that is power. That is what makes the difference. See, the two brothers, I mentioned, a few moments earlier, same landscape. Different navigational tactics. Different view of what it all meant. One took the wheel and one did not. So that's Seneca quote. That states, no man is more unhappy

than he who never faces adversity. For he is not permitted to prove himself. Well, it's perfectly clear, as far as I'm concerned, the question is not whether or not not to face adversity. I think we all understand that. What I hope we take from today is a better understanding of what the true adversity is.

A better understanding of the fact that in front of us, there is always an answer, a key to every lock. Some people just don't think to look. They're so busy peering around every corner for external enemies and scapegoats that they don't give themselves permission to succeed. Maybe unfortunate, but it's true. You can hit the bullseye over and over again. But if it's the wrong target, it won't do much for you.

You might as well have missed by 50 feet. And I think that is what we overlook. You can't always fix the outside world. You can't change the unchangeable, but you can always change yourself. You can always fix you. As Tolstoy said, everyone wants to change the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. You're capable of being both your greatest adversary and ally. So choose wisely.

Because the world around you will do nothing more than respond accordingly to your decision. Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to change himself. This was written by Leo Tolstoy in reference to people's proclivity to point out at the world and project blame rather than to point in at themselves and ask, why? What can I do? How can I be better? Which when you think about it is basically a shark forfeiting its bite, right? Or a bird giving up its wings. Our personal agency is without a doubt our superpower. Yet, from my vantage point, sometimes feels like we're walking away from that superpower, a tiny step at a time. Little by little, day by day,

we're allowing greatness to fade while bringing about the death of the hero. And, well, that's a pretty big claim. What could I possibly mean by this? It's funny, when people ask me what I'm most proud of, My mind pretty quickly goes to my work, the brand that I've dedicated the last almost decade to building. But I don't think that's right. I think it's a product of my answer, but it's not my answer.

What I'm most proud of is shipping away at the monster that is the victim mentality. You know, my default when things went wrong for so long was to feel bad for myself. It was easier to be the victim and sulk than it was to keep taking the hits. It's like a cheat code. When you can just bask in your sorrow and hate the world, you don't have to do anything. It's like a giant ibuprofen for the discomfort that is life. But it relieves this symptom, not the cause. And to understand, to overcome this worldview is like being gifted with a new pair of eyes.

And what I learned was that self-pity, it gets you nothing. It leaves you resentful, disappointed, envious, wandering down a path that is not your own. What I learned was that my story needed a hero. That's why, as I grew, I spoke about the power and the beauty of doing the difficult thing. Running in the rain, chasing the metaphorical fireflies, taking the last train home. See, until you immerse yourself. into that vast unknown you stay in a cell of your own making. You build walls of limitation and you exist entirely within them.

And as time has progressed, I look back, there are two things worth mentioning. One is that we find life's meaning in the difficult thing. And two, there is a fundamental misunderstanding and even from time to time contempt, for what the difficult thing means, for those who speak of the difficult thing, as though hard truths are in some way inconsiderate. Like diverging from the comfort of one's feelings implies the lack of empathy. But that's wrong. If you love someone, if you care about someone, if you care about yourself, you say what is true. And what is true is that the shit is that the shit is that the shit is someone, if you care about yourself, you care about yourself, you say what is true.

And what is true is that the shelter and the temporary comfort of victimhood is a high, not worth the withdrawal, not worth the suffering. It got me nowhere, it will get you nowhere, and that is a reality that will never cease to be true. We live in a world that's been shaped entirely by those who found the courage to do the difficult thing. Everything around us is a product of the courageous decision to take the now and bend it. And that means taking hits. It means being criticized. It means by definition you are choosing to be uncommon.

You're choosing to change things. Yourself. And by default, the world around you. There's nothing wrong with being common. Quitting is relatable. Failure is relatable. Falling. short is relatable.

We're all human and we've all been there. But these stock features of humanity, they are not worth celebrating. We don't put on pedestals the familiar. No, we put on pedestals the times that we've reshaped the familiar. And a world of participation trophies is a world that has disincentivized that which makes life worth living. It cripples the very pursuit that ignites the soul, a push towards the extraordinary. it's time we resurrect the hero.

See through the facade of short-term comfort that leads to long-term emptiness. In a world where attention is currency, it's time we acknowledge the payment we receive when we play victim buys only despair. Sure we're flawed. That will always be true, but we are capable of manufacturing greatness. greatness, we're capable of capturing hearts and captivating minds. If you could only see within yourself that story unwritten, if you could feel the greatness that awaits, the roads to be traveled, and mountains to be climbed, there would be no debate. There be no hesitation about that march to the belly of the beast.

If only to show that our demons exist solely where we allow them to. Resurrection the hero. Fight those battles that light you up, blaze your trail through the valley of darkness, take that path unknown to the common man, unseen to those who live within the confines of what is. Resurrection that hero because you need you, because the world needs you. There's no time to be down. to be down or sad or dwell on the mistakes of yesterday. There's too much on the line to pretend that settling was the plan all along.

Or to point at the obstacles with disdain and hatred while life rotates around you. No, resurrect the hero. Resurrect your answer. Resurrect the person you were meant to be. It may not be simple or intuitive. It may cause you to give more. you knew you had, it may not be easy. But my friend, easy, never changed the world.

Sometimes success is merely hanging on when others would let go. Not doing anything spectacular or out of the ordinary. Not leaping a mile or jumping over a mountain, but simply carry it. on. Thomas Edison has a famous quote that's really stuck with me over the years. He says, many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up, right? How close they were to the finish line when they turned their back and said it wasn't worth it. It's really an interesting thing to grasp. Success is seeing what others can't. It's believing when others don't. It's taking the abstract, those visions,

those pictures in your head to make believe in finding the courage to make them real. Bring them to life. It's this constantly evolving process and it grows a little bit every single day. Sometimes we feel that progress. We feel the momentum. We do something big and it's exciting. And sometimes the progress feels small. And there are times when we get knocked down and we don't see it at all. We feel like because we weren't validated that we lost, that we failed, that it wasn't enough. We forget that's part of the process, that progress is a journey. And it goes when you go and it stops when you stop.

Just like that famous Dalai Lama quote, right? The only way to fail is to quit, period. No one ever stops because they can't. They stop because they decide to. They stop because they see that huge mountain and they think that's impossible. They forget it's only made of little rocks. They stop because they get so disheartened by the distance of the finish line that they forget it only takes a collection of little rocks.

steps to get there. You don't have to leap the entire distance. You know, I've been there. This is me speaking from experience. It took me years to figure it out. And even now, life is rapidly evolving. I've poured my heart into things that, let's be honest, no one cared about. I've invested in opportunities that fell apart right in front of me. And each time it felt like the end of the world. I've been lost. I've been undefed. Sure. Gotten up after things didn't go as planned and it felt like a loser. I had to look myself in the mirror and pick myself back up off the floor.

But there's one thing that I kept doing that I never thought twice about. And that's continuing on. Whether life lifted me up or it beat me down, my plan for tomorrow was always the same. Get up and try again. Keep going. And as I sat down this morning with my pen and a piece of paper, I thought, what's the one thing I would want to be told if I started out again? What's the one thing that people need to hear most? And it's to simply keep going. Keep taking steps. Because one day the world will start to make sense. And you'll look around and you will be thankful for one thing. that when most would have stopped, you didn't.

When the world said no, you said yes. There is nothing so powerful as a soul that refuses to back down. See, persistence is not an important thing or an essential thing. It's everything. So live as to see. Not what can be lost, but what will be gained. Find that light in darkness, even if it's a flicker, even if it's a spark. See, every loss makes you a little tougher, and every instant of sadness uncover

uncover something beautiful. Every moment of fear teaches you to be a little braver. Every broken heart opens the door to a new connection. Instead of doubting yourself, feeling inadequate in life's darken moments know that you need what you are going through. You are uncovering the little victories hidden in plain view so when the world feels like too much and your patience is thin, be stronger than that voice in your head begging you to think small. Stand on every experience, the good and the bad, let it elevate you to a beautiful tomorrow.

A tree grows, not because it wants to, but because it was created to. It's a story about potential. And about a decade ago, right when I started writing, speaking, creating content online, I came across that message, and it was transformative for me. The idea that human beings are the only life form that will do less than that. than they possibly can. The full quote, by no surprise, Jim Rohn, he says, every life form seems to strive to its maximum,

except human beings. How tall will a tree grow, as tall as it possibly can? Human beings, on the other hand, have been given the dignity of choice. You can choose to be all or you can choose to be less. So why not stretch up to the full measure of the challenge and see what you can do. Beautifully said.

Right. Imagine every night of your life going to bed knowing that there was more inside of you. Imagine running a race, knowing there were other levels that you could have reached for, but didn't. Imagine looking back on a life

of infinite possibility and knowing you created finite parameters. Now, I'm not saying, saying you have to live every waking moment obsessed with always being better than you currently are. Right? I'm merely asking you a question. Aren't you curious? Don't you want to know what that ceiling is, that space for which excellence has been reserved? I often think every time I hop on a rowing machine at the gym that, you know, it highlights the gap in black and white between what I'm

doing in what I'm capable of. Love-hate relationship with that machine. It brings me back to my college days, the days I first learned to truly push myself. I get on it now for one-minute sprints as part of a sort of a workout program I'm doing. And I just think, there's no evading that concrete number the screen gives me exactly how many meters I went in 60 seconds. Right there, right in front of me. And then I ask, imagine if the stakes were high.

Imagine if this wasn't just a workout. Imagine if someone said on sprint number four, Eddie, if this is not your fastest sprint of the day, you lose X. Or Y is going to happen to you. Whatever those variables may be. Eddie, if this isn't your fastest sprint, insert worst fear. What's going to happen? I'm going to break that record. I just am.

My body is going to find a way. And that's what's interesting. That's the point. What this metaphor is not an indicator that you need to go around scaring yourself into personal best. But what it is is a reminder that there's always more right there, right in front of you, if you want it. It's a pointing out that we all live somewhere under what our best could be. and knowing that is such a powerful tool it's powerful because there's no screen showing you the meters you traveled

when it comes to where you are with your work or your health or your relationships there are indicators sure but so much goes unmeasured how much did you do today did you feel good about your output how good because there's always another level

And maybe the solution is more. Maybe the solution is an audit of time spent. Maybe it's adjusting your compass altogether, but there exists a best in you that is untapped. Always. And the question remains, aren't you curious? Aren't you curious what that next level looks like? That should make you feel good.

Because your current circumstance is as permanent as today's weather. What you don't like can be changed. What isn't aligned can be adjusted. If it's not good enough, you can make it so. One of my favorite ideas,

life is a game of adjustment. The question's how far are you willing to push, to grow, keyword, willing. Some people decide to stop at point A. Others stop at point B, others point C. And that's for them to

decide. That's a decision, a personal decision they've made. But the million dollar piece of knowledge is that in all cases, that landing spot was a decision. It was not fate. It was not handed out by a stranger on the street. You choose how hard to pull and you decide which levers are worth pulling. See, we are the only living beings capable of underperform. And that's amazing. Take that. Run with that. Because it also means we are the only living creatures capable of rationally looking around, assessing the situation, and saying, I don't like this reality. I'm going to rebuild my own. The world is yours. You just have to decide which world you are willing to accept. Which world are you willing to fight for? Which world are you going to

call your own. 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 Presfield 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, What 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.

In 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, this line, the hardest part isn't right, It's sitting down to right. 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,

claiming 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, and we'll come back tomorrow, they're insignificant. That's essentially making a hole, 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 The kingdom. 90 seconds is too much. It just is. I can't do 90 seconds. And I can't do 90 seconds because my brain can't compute 90 seconds. But I can do 30 seconds.

And I can do 30 seconds forever. As we navigate our day to day, it's hard to see that. Because so often our day to day lacks clarity. So what can we do? about it. Well, we can place ourselves in situations where we are reminded. One of them, I've talked about before, being the cold plunge, immersing yourself in cold water. We're sure, there are health benefits, some of which are debated and disputed, but I certainly notice value in that department. But to me, that's not the biggest value at, not even close.

To me, it's simply the daily reminder that I can do hard things, that it's who I am. We need to reestablish that consistently. Confidence is earned. And I know in my life I must earn it repeatedly. And when I'm immersed in the cold and shivering, there's always a point in my mind, however brief, that I'm thinking I want out now. The other day, I was at this point, looked at my watch 90 seconds left, and that day in that moment, it felt like an eternity, just too much. And those of you who are endurance athletes, for example, you know that when your body's operating at max capacity, you're suffering, you're exhausted, 90 seconds is truly a lifetime. When you look at it like that, it's too much discomfort for a minute and a half.

Your heart starts beating, your mind starts worrying, right? So what do we do about it? We look at it a little differently. Because from a different angle, you can skip it. You can do 30 seconds. The brain can grasp and digest 30 seconds. You can do anything for 30 seconds. So you start counting.

All of a sudden, 30 gone. Now what? Well, you just did 30. You see how quick that went? Do another 30. Okay. Done. Just like that.

Now what? 30 more. But this is the last 30. You don't even feed you? anything on the last 30, right? Come on. Adrenaline's going. You can feel the finish line. This is free time. This is a gift. This is cruise control. And now done. You didn't have to do 90 seconds. You only had to do three by 30. And anyone's saying, come on, man, that's the same thing. Yeah, it's the same when you're not under duress. But it's a miracle.

when you are. So why is running life? Why is cold plunging life? Why is putting your body through stress or difficulty life? Because you remember that life is taking big, difficult, seemingly complex things and breaking them down into manageable tasks. that is life. The pieces are always manageable.

Now the monster we allow the pieces to become when we stack them up and give them an invisible face, that's not so manageable. That's self-sabotage. So to arm yourself with the understanding that all big things must be broken down is to green light the extraordinary. On day one in 2014,

a YouTube channel with zero subscribers growing to help over 100,000 people a day. That's a 90-second cold plunge. That's unfathomable, unthinkable, impossible. But one video weekly, at least for nine years, that's a 30-second cold. Standing in front of the mirror, practicing storytelling, speaking. It's 30 seconds. Reaching out to others to learn to get better, 30 seconds in cold water. It's like you look back and you see that you endured that 90 second plunge

simply by breaking it down. That's all growth is. That's all evolution is. Finding the smallest piece possible in making it action. And then watching that transform, multiply, compound over time. In one of my favorite books, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, this reminder comes through beautiful.

Luis Amperini, an American prisoner of war in Japanese internment camps during World War during World War II. He basically experiences unimaginable hell in suffering. He watches his friends die, he's beaten, he's starved, he comes close to death himself, and at the end when he's rescued, and I'm paraphrasing, but I remember this part incredibly vividly, he's asked if he could do that again, and he states he'd rather die.

He's turning around and viewing it holistically like that is too much. It's unfathomable. That pain is bigger than one can even comprehend. But taking something like that day by day, step by step, he did the unthinkable. He survived. In breaking the 90-second task down into 30-second pieces, he walked away, in breaking the seemingly insurmountable down into the manageable, and looking at each individual step as a superpower, he emerged. And you talk about perspective. His experience was as challenging as it gets.

My cold plunge is laughable in comparison. But my mind doesn't know that. It's up to me to reinforce it. Building a business is nothing in comparison to Louise Amperini, but my mind doesn't know that. Healing my shoulder and getting stronger in the gym is nothing in comparison, but my mind does not know that. It's looking at the mountain and reminding myself, Eddie, you can't leap those. I've seen you jump, buddy. But the good news is, no mountains need be left here.

We ascend this thing one rock at a time, and mark my words, you conquer those manageable tasks day in and day out. You will find yourself. So when you feel stuck or too small for the task at hand, remind yourself you're looking at a 90-second block here. Break that down. Ask yourself what your 30 is. Ask yourself what you can create that's manageable. It will create your momentum. That will shoot you into a trajectory that will allow growth and position you someday to look back over your shoulder and go, wow, I endure.

all that. A transformation too big to understand on day one. It's a beautiful thing watching all those little steps add up to create the extraordinary. Just go. Sure, things will feel strange at first. Abstract at first, wrong at first. It's incredibly difficult to separate from the past. It's hard to detached from the deeply rooted biological whispering of, hey, at least you knew what to expect back there. But that whispering has preservation in mind, not happiness. And at some point, we need to stop preserving that which is not ideal. So go.

The walls that once existed, they'll crumble. And this will be startling at first. shocking at first, intimidating at first. It's incredibly difficult to watch foundational structures crumble around us, especially when you know you are the one that lit the fuse. It's hard to walk away from the faint murmur, stating, hey, this was your home. How dare you leave it? But those words, they have status quo in mind, not growth.

And home is an idea you take with you. It's no set of parameters. Just go. The stories you told yourself, the narratives you thought were forever, will prove to be nothing more than the end of an underwhelming chapter. This will feel abrupt at first. Unfair at first will leave you. deeply unsatisfied at first.

It's incredibly difficult to realize that happily ever afters aren't linear, they're cyclical. It's hard to walk away from the voices pleading with you not to turn the page, stating that because their realities will remain the same, so must yours. But those aren't the characters with whom you'll emerge victorious. Some movies must be recast, the setting, reimagined, the hero reinvented. And so it should be known that your greatest strength is the little steps that you are capable of taking, the little decisions you are capable of making.

Remember, safety is not safe when it keeps you from what you need, and the wrong nows have a tendency to evolve into the wrong forever. The small concessions, well, they become the big mistakes. So if it's a sign you're hoping for, let this be it. If there's a time you're waiting for, let now be that time. If it's someday you are dependent upon, let today be that day, as doing nothing is in fact a decision, but only one of many. One path laid out before you, one single grain of sand. where the edge of today's world touches the shores of tomorrow's.

Sometimes it's about the ability to stand up, face the horizon, and just go. Go, because it's only upon going, but you realize you're capable of the journey. You finally see in yourself the strength you've longed for. It's in going that you realize yesterday's situation wasn't even really the problem. It was your fear of the unknown, of leaving that situation. It was living with the devil you knew. Instead of potentially having to face the devil you didn't.

That's what happened to your wings. They just felt safer tucked away. But it's in going that we acquire perspective. The tragedies, the devastation, the things that kept us awake at night, they really weren't that bad, but how are we to know? When you build walls around yourself, what's within them becomes your entire world. It's in going that you create yourself. And while everything you need is already beating in your chest, the great unknown before you is the water to that seed, the key to that what you fear is exactly what you need.

And so the beautiful dance through life goes on. Not beautiful because of its elegance, it's rarely that. But beautiful because of its promise, its malleability. Beautiful because we get to move without answers in order to find answers. Beautiful because what we become is directly, become is directly proportional to what we're willing to endure. And that means that the universe doesn't judge. It doesn't know us by our failures or our mistakes, but by our courage. Our courage to face all of these things and move forward anyway. To relentlessly explore

the resilience of the human spirit, an infinite light at an infinite light. It an an otherwise finite world, a bridge that is built beneath our feet in real time. What a weight off of our shoulders to know this. We don't have to get it right. We just have to step out the door trusting that we will pick up enough pieces to put together something meaningful. We just have to go. And then the world, it opens up.

Just like that. Leave the old, embrace the new, simple you think to yourself. Well, yeah, of course, the best things in life are always simple. Always have been, always will be. We just imagine them to be difficult. We have a knack for making simple decisions into complex matrices of cause and effect. Pros and cons, wins and losses. We learn to think for years. until we finally come to the brilliant realization that happiness, that meaning that a life well lived comes when we think less. Ready, fire, aim, there is no perfect path, just an adjusted course, an endless series of change,

of learning that falling is just a road sign indicating where we need to go next. You can't plan for that. You can't chart a course that doesn't exist. No, you leave who you were yesterday behind and you set sail. They'll ask you, where do you see yourself in five years, and you'll think, who knows? But not here. It couldn't be here.

It must be somewhere evolved, where pieces of the world shaped your outlook and became the armor that you now wear. new game, new rules, new expectations, new people, new places, and what really changed? Well, how you view yourself. It's funny how it all works, how things come together when we look over our shoulders like it was meant to be, as if this had to be the way things are. No, you could very easily have stayed dreaming, looking out that window, wishing you could, could leave, hoping for answers that didn't exist. And so the complex now feels as simple as we meant it to. We move forward, not knowing, but trusting. And we look back with the sense of understanding and

a confidence that was built over time. In the game of life, there are people who go and people who stay. People who build and people who don't. And I'm not saying, you know, everything will be perfect or everything will immediately snap into place, how could I? But what I am sad is that in moving forward we pull back the curtain on the opportunity that is available to us. We move from the physical limitations of the bodies we walk around in and towards the infinite power of the mind that powers them. We become who we were always meant to be. know what that is, well, not until we look over our shoulders, of course. So go. Go make your mistakes. Go learn your lessons, feel your moments of pain and your moments of bliss, your times of doubt,

and your times of certainty. Because in doing so, you will have done the very thing so few people get to do with their limited time on this planet. Truly live. So go. Just. Why is it that when we look back on our lives, it's never the easy days or the simplicity. It's not the calm that changes our reality or makes us who we are. Don't get me wrong, calm and simplicity, they're wonderful, but they're not transformative. And why would they be? Why would we change or seek to obtain more without a reason or incentive? It's times of struggle, of turbulence. It's when life was hard that we had to rethink who we are.

Reshape the way we look at the world. Because without chaos, you don't get calm. Without the storm, you don't get those crazy neon colors and golden rays it leaves as it passes by. In order to triumph in any capacity or any area of life, there's always a sacrifice. that must be made. The adversity is the fire that forges the iron. There's a saying

hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men and weak men create hard times. It's a cycle. This is generally used in a sociopolitical sense and I

think in a lot of ways it applies today but where I've really found it useful. Where I've found value in it is that the personal level. Because what I've noticed is that growth also appears to have a cyclical nature. And when we're in a rough situation or overcoming an obstacle, we have to push, we fight, we grow. Sometimes without even realizing it, we achieve a result. And by default, this transformation that in one way or another makes us something new. But then it becomes easy to level out. right and that's the challenge it creates this period of stagnation it's like we made the jump

and it becomes real easy to stay there and that's why i have found value in when life is not providing resistance to manufacture some because that's the only way to grow progress is happiness victor frankl and man search for meaning you know he says purpose is to find from struggle if things are too calm or simple or quiet life begins to lack meaning and that's never a spot we want to to be. Life is about the pursuit of something. You just have to figure out what that blank will be. You get to decide which mountain to climb. There's a story about a butterfly making its way out of a cocoon and it makes a little hole. It starts attempting to push its way out. Someone walks by, they see it struggling and open the cocoon up to help the butterfly out, right? Thinking that

they did this great deed. But in doing so, that butterfly has not. now lost its ability to use its wings to fly. Why? Because the strength that was necessary to fly would have been forged when he fought his way out. The butterfly was deprived of the very thing it needed to become something more, and that's the point. It's easy to get lost in the now and seek to eliminate everything that doesn't make the moment more comfortable to remove that, which doesn't make things easier. But whether we're talking about collectively or the complacency in our individual lives, we have to remember that avoiding discomfort isn't the answer. When your biggest problem is Amazon taking five days to deliver or that your feelings are hurt

by someone's comments or opinions on social media, you've lost track of yourself. You may be living in a world lacking the resistance necessary for growth. Maybe it's time to ask what matters. And I remember when I lived in Boston, I'd walk around listening to podcast downtown, and I'll never forget hearing Ryan Holiday differentiating between passion and purpose. He called passion temporary, a dopamine hit. It's the excitement before the project begins, the beginning of a journey, the honeymoon phase. But passion alone falls short. And it falls short because anything worthwhile is hard.

It tests us. It repeatedly presents us with those metaphorical cocoons we have to fight them. We have to earn our stripes, grow our wings, and if we stop at passion, there's no reason to battle on. To take the punches, knowing that they will create for us a tomorrow full of infinite possibility, and that's where we need purpose. That's why it matters. We need something bigger to March Toys, a destination that's meaningful. To remind us that those challenging times, they're not a burden. There is no poor me here.

They're the fire that sharpens us. That whispers to us not only the importance of carrying on, but the power contained within ourselves to do so. This world, it is not stacked against you. It's never the problem or the obstacle. No, it's the opportunity laid out at your feet. And it's in those very times when we're uncomfortable, when we're unsure, when we don't know where to draw our strength.

that we need to remember it comes within. It's an idea that is brought to life through courage, through understanding, through the trials and tribulations of life that didn't intimidate or hold you back, knowing that life has given you everything you need to blaze your trail. So don't be afraid to let it take you somewhere new.

It took 16 days to realize how precious life truly is. There's a book called The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan, Benjamin Hardy. And the book asks this question. Are you looking over your shoulder and measuring how far you've come? Or are you only consumed by how far you have to go? the distance between where you are and your destination. Are you living in the abundance that surrounds you or in the scarcity, the mind seems to constantly be attempting to trick us into believing.

This idea was first made known to me during a drive one day. I was on the phone with my friend Tom, who happened to have read the book, and I was pulling into my garage, and the gate wouldn't open to the parking. garage. And so I'm sitting there, speakerphone on, and I'm just throwing a tantrum, right? I'm in the car screaming about how ridiculous it is that the gate won't open when I need it to. You know, it's not rocket science. How is it hard? The thing should open when you press the button. And, you know, then remembering I was on the phone, kind of sat there for a second in silence. And after the momentary pause, Tom's voice comes through the speakers in the car. You know, his usual.

calm southern accent goes, Eddie, are you living in the gap or the gain right now? It was a lightball moment, right? It's a gate we're talking about. The slightest inconvenience. Not an intrusion to my health, my family, my friends, my business, the ability to live how I want to live in a country that provides the freedom to do that. It wasn't about the food I would soon eat or the water I had access to. Nope, none of that. It was a gate, a slow, to open gate. And I love the idea, you know, the perspective,

to stop, to look around and ask the question, how serious is this quote-unquote problem? Have I slipped back into the gap in life? Forgetting about how far I've come, how much I've done, totally omitting the fact that eight years ago,

I would have given anything to be living on the other side of that gate like I do now. Right. Your perspective is, seems to be the first thing to go, right? It requires that constant awareness and attention. And I would use this idea every once in a while on and off, right? When I could remember the gain versus the gap, attempting to cling to that perspective when possible.

But the idea didn't fully reemerge in any meaningful way until almost a year later. That same friend Tom convinced me to join this mastermind, and I'm in my first session sitting in the room. It was led by an amazing guy by the name of Ben. And Ben made it known to us that day that something tragic had happened in his family. His newly born son, Ben Jr., had passed away at only 16 days old after battling an illness.

And he's telling this story, obviously shaken, still saddened, you know, these things never truly leave you. And what he said changed my life. Rocked me at my core. He looked at the room and he said how grateful he was for those 16 days. That they were perhaps the most important 16 days of his life, that he learned more about himself in those 16 days and the rest of his life combined.

That the love he got to share, the time he spent, the miracle of being with his son, he wouldn't trade that for the world. It was as much a part of him now as the air he was breathing in. Those 16 days were in their own unique

way, perfection. And see, we're all sitting there looking on thinking, you know, this is someone who's become a friend over the past couple months, right? We are a group. We've spent time together, and it's like, well, how can we help?

How can we assist? There's suffering here. What can we do? And obviously, you know, the sentiment there is correct. You know, everyone's heart was in the right place. But I think what Ben reminded us in an incredibly moving, powerful way is that our toughest tests, our most difficult battles. sometimes our most painful experiences,

there's beauty under those things. Sometimes the things that mean the most are disguised as our toughest tests, our battles. The courage and strength he demonstrated not only to share the story, but to use it to propel himself, his family in the world around him brought tears to my eyes. It brought that gift of perspective, right?

And certainly I don't want to speak for him. But he took what I'd assume is the most challenging 16 days of his life and allowed it to blossom into the miracle it was meant to be. Which I can't imagine was easy. In fact, I can see a world where many people aren't able to do what Ben did or have find that perspective that been found. You know, not without the required growth and poise. Not without, you know, learning that that gate outside the parking garage

doesn't hold a candle to what's actually important. Things don't go the way we draw them up in life. Not always. Life is confusing and chaotic. It's unpredictable. Sometimes it leaves us with nothing more than a moment to look up and ask why. But if you're able to pause and seek out those answers, if you're able to step out of the gap and into the gain,

if you're able to accept the beauty that life is trying, to offer you. It's always there. And I hope personally to take Ben and Ben Jr.'s strength, courage, and live my life by their example. To immerse myself into life's abundance and share as much of it as I can with the world. And I encourage you to join me on the journey. Life is a miracle. Let's make the decision to see it that way. 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 in 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 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 back in my room. Happy, you know, playing with my toys, whatever I was doing, not a care in the world. 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 long for control over our lives. We long to walk our own path. And in this situation, the path, 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'd 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 of today. 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 and 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, 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 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. 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 because 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.