Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - How To Rewire Negative Thinking | Powerful Motivational Speeches

Episode Date: November 3, 2023

"Negative thinking definitely attracts negative results." - Norman Vincent Peale

Hey there, it's Ryan Sechrest for Safeway. Now through February 25th, stock up on your favorite self-care items and save up to $3 shop in store or online for items like Old Spice Deodorant, always ultra-thin pads, Gillette Fusion Razors and Refills, Old Spice Total Body Spray, Tampax Pearl, and Gillette Mach 3 Razors and Refills and Save Up to $3. You won't want to miss out on these deals. Offer ends February 25th. Offers may vary. Restrictions apply. Visit Safeway.com for more detail.

on new tech. Upgrade the whole team at Lenovo.com. Unlock AI experiences with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, powered by Intel Core Ultra processors, so you can work, create, and boost productivity all on one device. When the tech search for business PCs at Lenovo.com. When you look at erosion,

I like, say, dunes on a beach, What you see is something giving itself away little by little, deteriorating. Sure, there will be events that expedite the process, but generally speaking, it's lost a little bit at a time, day by day, right in front of our eyes. until the time comes when we realize that what we have is no longer recognizable. It's sort of redefined. And I think in a lot of ways we find ourselves in a similar situation. The concessions we allow every day slowly redefine who we are. You know, and it doesn't seem like much, that's the thing.

it never does, quietly detaching from what you believe, taking on an identity that doesn't quite align with who you are, doing things, being places that causes something in your gut to protest, toning down the color in your life so that you blend in. These are not epic, monumental decisions. It's the drawn out erosion of what makes you who you are. It's the chipping away of what makes you spectacular. See, the idea that now isn't permanent.

So I'll just suck it up now. What's the big deal? I'll just settle for now. Let me tell you, if that's your rationale, you're forgetting how easily tomorrow becomes never and now becomes forever. We operate under an illusion that things will become easier. that change will be less strenuous down the road. We'll make things right, get back on track, be happy then, but the harsh reality is that things don't get easier than they are at the present moment. It's quite the opposite. And to disregard or ignore this is to let yourself wither away at the hands of procrastination.

If you're planning to wait for that, get comfortable. And see, conceding day in and day out, it alters your understanding of who you are and what you're capable of. Our actions reinforce our beliefs. Imagine a straight line, a simple straight line drawn on a piece of paper. Right? You're in the middle. And on one end is who you are, in your heart, in your soul, and on the other end is everything you're not. every time you sacrifice your principle, your beliefs, every time you say that's not me but fine,

that's not where I want to be, but okay, it's only temporary, you take a little step toward what you're not. And another step, and another step, and one day you look in the mirror and you have no clue who's looking back at you. Because you've conceded one small decision at a time, you've given away your sense of purpose,

Sure, the situation is difficult, but the best things in life are the things that are not easy. You have to fight for those things. You have to stand up in the face of struggle, adversity, the narrative that others want to write for you. We stay within guidelines because we think the outside is scary. No, what's inside is scary. What's outside is what you need. And when you stop banking on the anticipated miracles of tomorrow and manage the reality of today, you succeed.

It's life's greatest test. Are you brave enough to be you? Are you strong enough to fight back when you're tempted to hide, to blend in? Every time you summon the courage to stay true to yourself. it gets easier, the difficulty lessens, you become free of the mental chains you've placed around your ankles. There are certain things in life worthy of compromise, but your identity, your journey, what makes you feel alive, that is sacred ground, that is worth defending until your last breath. No one can take that because it's yours, and when you look back on your life and the amazing people, people in it, a life live fully, will always supersede marching through your days, wearing a mask,

and following someone else's agenda. It's your life. It's your gift. Live it. Ready to prioritize yourself in the new year? Your skin is a great place to start. Dime Beauty, founded by a master aesthetician, is more than just a skincare company. With four skin-conscious categories, skin-care beauty, body care and fragrance, Dime offers simple, spa-worthy products that will help you enter 2025 with confidence. Whether you're revitalizing your regimen with nourishing products or building one from scratch, Dime makes it easy. The work system, our all-in-one best-selling routine, includes a cleanser of your choice, toner, serums, and moisturizers, taking the guesswork out of skin care for your

healthiest, happiest skin yet. Dime's commitment to clean ingredients and sustainable packaging ensures every product is as gentle on your skin as it is on the planet. With thousands of glowing five-star reviews and a loyal community, the results speak for themselves. Revive your skin and give yourself the routine refresh you deserve by visiting dimebeautyco.com. That's dime beauty co.com. Your best skin awaits.

Hey there, it's Ryan Sechrest for Safeway. Now through February 25th, stock up on your favorite self-care items and save up to $3.00 shop in store or online for items like Old Spice Deodorant. Always ultra-thin pads. Gillette fusion razors and refills. Old Spice, Total Body Spray, Tampax Pearl, and Gillette Mach 3 razors and refills, and save up to $3.

Do you won't want to miss out on these deals? Offer ends February 25th. Offers may vary. Restrictions apply. Visit safeway.com for more detail. One of life's greatest lessons is that yesterday is only as powerful as we allow it to be. Yesterday is an idea, a story, a movie that started and ended. Now, it's quite possible that story or that ending is disappointing or it hurts to look back on.

Perhaps a reminder of something that wasn't ideal, something you want to break away from. So the question is, why do we give that old story power? Why do we relive it, create this self-inflicted wound? See, the past undoubtedly played a critical role. It brought you to where you are now. It, in many ways, shaped your worldview, constitutes your beliefs. It was the very road to this moment, and there's value in that. But imagine this scenario.

Imagine stepping into your car, turning the keys, And thinking to yourself that you can in this very moment Only drive down the roads you drove on yesterday Only associate with the street signs you know The places you've already gone Your reality now is determined by what you've already done So adjust and get used to it You would say that's outrageous right yesterday's path has nothing to do with where I'm going now

Just like a boat's wake trailing off behind it has nothing to do with where it's going next, the person holding the wheel controls that. We are saturated with freedom. There is so much opportunity and possibility and potential in front of us that we fail to see because we can't stop thinking about that fictitious story we call yesterday. We confuse the path we took then for the one we need now, the wake from the steering wheel, what is, and that story about what was. The gateway to change is unshackling ourselves from those imaginary monsters. And more often than not, the answer isn't in finding some solution.

It's in cutting ties with those things that no longer serve us. Then we see the world as it truly is. Then we see the magic laid out before us. And I get that it's easier said than done. Leaving a part of us behind hurts. Looking in the mirror and being vulnerable enough to say, I can be more than this. It's not easy.

But it's possible. And everything starts with how we see ourselves. And when we remain captives to the past, everything about who we think ourselves to be outdated we're neglecting one of our superpowers the perpetual ability to restart and one of the most important conversations I've ever had was on this topic seemed trivial at the time but I was having lunch with a friend and we're talking and I mentioned to her that I was full and she goes well then why are you still eating

and I'm like because I paid for it right I wanted to get my money's worth and she says in a very you know pragmatic way Eddie just just because you paid for it doesn't mean you need to eat it, right? It's a sunk cost. Why don't you move on? And the whole thing seems silly, right? It's like, yeah, if you're not hungry, don't eat. Move on.

But in the grand scheme of things, how many of us keep on consuming that which doesn't serve us? How many of us stay too long when we should be letting go? We let the path behind us dictate the one before us. See, there's a tendency to overvalue what we know, to feel so invested in how things are, even when we're not happy or it's not healthy, that we'll take the pain of now

over the potential for something greater. And that's precisely why the unknown is so terrifying. It's not concrete. It's a world unsettled. And man, do we hate being unsettled? But what we fail to realize is that every time, we close our eyes, take a breath and work up the courage to step into that unknown, to leave yesterday behind us.

Life gives us new pieces. It resets the stage. It provides new tools to build something incredible, something more ideal, more conducive to our goals, our hopes, and our dreams. And the thought is, well, but what if things become worse than they are right now? What if I move forward and I find myself more confused, more lost? What if things are more chaotic? And that may, for a moment, be true.

But what we do is we adjust. We learn things we never knew. We see things through a lens that we never could. Touch things that we never thought existed. It wasn't in staying, but in leaving that we We discovered who we were meant to be, that we allowed our truest selves to flourish in worst-case scenario. Contrary to popular belief, it's not that the world ends.

No, the worst-case scenario, should you find the courage to move forward, is that you end up right back where you started, a little more confident, a little bolder, and better prepared to live this life like you never had. All that's needed is for you to convince. convince yourself that there is more. You just need to taste the fruit step into the sunlight. That's the difference between reality and the story in your head. Reality is that this world has for you everything you need to change, to grow, explore,

build a light that means something. It has the support structures and the resources for you to pull yourself back up every time you fall. To say, okay, that hurt, but now let's try a different angle. There is undoubtedly what you need. And the question is never whether the X on that treasure map exists. Trust me, it's there. The question is whether you can pause that story in your head.

The tales of a dark, mean, and scary world trying to hold you down, pause the idea that you're nothing more than the you of yesterday. You're nothing more than how people knew you to be. Pause the idea that you're nothing without that job title or that relationship. Pause the idea that you need him or her or them in your life. Every day you wake up, you are a blank canvas. Who cares about yesterday? What do you want to paint now?

When you walk out your front door, where do you want to go now? step outside that circle of familiarity. See how artificial and in some cases ridiculous these boundaries are that we place around ourselves. Life is an invitation, not a set of requirements. And when you free yourself of that, not only will you feel like someone new, not only will you experience life as it was meant to be experienced, But you'll see that this world will conform to your new definition. This world wants to support you.

It wants to lift you up. And yeah, it may be challenging and strenuous. It may force you to work harder and be braver than you've ever been. But it is at the end of the day, your ally. You just have to see your future self before it materializes when no one else gets it. So move on from all that does not serve you. break away from the old rules, regulations, and guidelines. Maybe you exhausted time and energy into creating this reality.

Maybe it feels like a monumental piece of your identity. Maybe right now is the only security you have. Fine. But my hope is that you can respect it and walk away. See it as the sunken cost that it is. Just because you paid to get there doesn't mean you need to keep paying to make wrong decisions. Just because it took your time doesn't mean it's entitled to keep stealing your time. Just because it's part of your identity now doesn't mean it must be tomorrow.

Just because it creates security doesn't mean it's right. Jails and steel bars are also incredibly secure. No, today we are breaking free, leaving the past in the past and setting our sights on the horizon. Today is the end of yesterday and the beginning of the rest of your life. At the intersection of what is and what can be, our stories are written. It's where decisions are made and lives are ultimately defined. In which way you go when staring at this fork in the road,

can mean everything. Maybe you go left, take the easy path. Minimal upside, minimal downside, proven and tangible. It gives immediate identity, but also brings with it some degree of regret,

not because you won't like who you are, but because you'll never know what you could have been. Maybe you can't live with that. Maybe you go right. Let's say you roll the dice, dream chaser, eyes fixated on the horizon, moving toward it, soon to realize that the world you live in

will bring you to your knees faster than you can blink. That uncertainty hurts, that effort without immediate validation is pain, and that the road less traveled is less traveled because of the difficulty associated with it. And now you have a very important question to ask yourself. Do you have what it takes? Can you see the big picture when the sky appears to be falling down around you? When all it takes is to backpedal and be comfortable again, to take the other road to return to what you knew, can you still move forward?

See, it's a funny thing when you're in pain. It becomes very easy to forget why you began. The pragmatic human brain sees discomfort. as a problem and it wants it gone immediately. People don't give up because they're cowards. They don't quit because they don't have what it takes. They give up because they can no longer see the big picture. They forgot why they started.

When all you see is directly in front of you, you lose the ability to see your finish line. When you're at a crossroad, you have to know this. If you take the hard road, you are betting on the future at the expense of the present. Dreams are a sacrifice. They're not some fluffy concept invented to prop you up after a hard day. Sure, they're the top of the mountain, but they're also the bottom. They're the dirt, the rocks, the scratching, the clawing.

They're what people don't see. the chapters that are not read aloud, and when you're in it, when you are truly in it, uncertainty needs to be embraced like it's the wind to your sails. You signed that dotted line for a reason, because you can see past the immediate, the now, because to get to the top, you start at the ground floor and you elevate past every single level that stands between you and your dream. Now will not intimidate or discourage because you are bigger than right now.

You are the pages unwritten. And you did what so few people are willing to do. You didn't look at the pen. You picked it up. Now write. Write a story for the ages. Ready to prioritize yourself in the new year? Your skin is a great place to start.

Dime Beauty, founded by a master aesthetician, is more than just a skincare company. With four skin-conscious categories, skincare, beauty, body care, and fragrance, Dime offers simple, spa-worthy products that will help you enter 2025 with confidence. Whether you're revitalizing your regimen with nourishing products or building one from scratch,

Dime makes it easy. The work system, our all-in-one best-selling routine, includes a cleanser of your choice, toner, serums, and moisturizers, taking the guesswork out of skin care for your healthiest, happiest skin yet. Dime's commitment to clean ingredients and sustainable packaging ensures every product is as gentle on your skin as it is on the planet. With thousands of glowing five-star reviews and a loyal community, the results speak for themselves.

Revive your skin and give yourself the routine refresh you deserve by visiting dimebeautyco.com. That's dimebeautyco.com. Your best skin awaits. It's Ryan Seacrest for Safeway. Now through February 25th, stock up on your favorite self-care items and save up to $3 $3. Shop in store or online for items like Old Spice Deodorant, always ultra-thin pads, Gillette Fusion Razors and Refills, Old Spice Total Body Spray, Tampax Pearl, and Jolette Mach 3 Razors and refills and save up to $3. You won't want to miss out on these deals.

Offer ends February 25th. Offers may vary. Restrictions apply. Visit Safeway.com for more detail. distinction between what we think is holding us back and what is actually holding us back. And that may even be putting it lightly. Most of the time we're just plain misinformed. Most of the time, we're looking externally at irrelevant discrepancies between ourselves and someone else. We're looking at things that happened yesterday, possible outcomes that may happen tomorrow.

We're creating entire stories, crafting narratives, building hostile worlds that simply don't exist. When what we need is simple, to give ourselves permission, to let ourselves walk out that front door and towards what we love. for. And this came to light recently. I shared a simple 20-second message on TikTok where basically I highlighted John Green's quote about the best things in life occurring after we find the courage to depart or leave where we are, right, to build again. And as I was looking at the response, it was both beautiful and eye-opening. Hundreds and hundreds of comments from people saying that the message helped them feel empowered to do what they've been putting off.

And some called it fate. Some called it what they needed to hear at the exact moment they needed to hear it. And as I'm going through, I keep thinking the same thing over and over and over every single one of these people. They already knew in their hearts what needed to come next.

They knew what would make them feel alive, they knew where the compass was pointing, yet their default led them to the same place we've all been, waiting for external permission, waiting for life to give us a reason to say, okay, the light is now green, you can go, the time is right. Now don't get me wrong, it means the world that a simple message can shift one's perspective that way. I've been on the receiving end. I'm stuck looking for some type of guidance we all have, but I think we'd all agree that if that guidance helps us get back on track, and the real question should be, how do we live so that we can stay to the best of our ability on track? Find ourselves less prone to those occurrences, more confident in ourselves, in our dreams, in where we're going. And for me, it's been understanding that in my life, I am the one that pre-year-old.

signs and sends the permission slips. I say go. And when I remember that, I'm free to do what's best for me. I'm simultaneously the architect and the pieces, the wind and the sail. See, you don't need a reason to walk out of a relationship you're not happy in. You don't need a reason to leave a job

that's not pushing you to be who you most want to become. You don't need a reason to change a habit or reinvent yourself or begin again. Know all you need is the courage to green light what your heart already knows it wants. We think that the external world has the answers for us. When in reality, we've had them the whole time. We just want something to point to, to say, see, I was right. But we don't need to be reactive. We can be proactive.

You can be the one that lights the fire. When you follow your intuition, your heart, your sense of purpose, life conforms because it has to conform. When you become an immovable object, life around you moves. it makes way and if it doesn't, then you go back to the drawing board, you adapt and adjust. And that's the beauty of life. That's how we build meaning, trusting ourselves to walk into that resistance. Because the friction and the headwind is never what's holding us back. Are they uncomfortable?

Yeah. At times, does it scare us? It's supposed to, but it's not what holds you back. Waiting for someone or something to come along and greenlight your journey through life is what holds you back. And it's funny, I think we again and again overlook the simplest of truth. The hardest part is starting. It's convincing yourself that, one, it's possible and two, you're worth it. everything else you face from the second you walk out, that front door can be conquered.

In fact, we ourselves grow along the way so that we can rise up and meet the demands of life. But it's unquestionably doable. That thought as you look out the window, right? What if the worst case scenario happens? Can't. Because the worst case scenario is sitting in that seat your whole life looking out of the window and imagining a world where you found the courage to be more, to explore, to live life as it was meant to be lived.

But let's say, let's say that what we fear does come to fruition. Then I ask what are the odds, it's reversible, probably high. Let's say I want to start a podcast and I finally work up the courage and I get my mic and I start my show and no one listens. But I keep going and I keep going and nothing sticks. And most importantly, I learned, look, I'm really not crazy about this idea. It wasn't what I thought it was. It's not me.

Okay, perfect. Now you know. And sure, it took time to learn that lesson. But you have the rest of your life to continue the beautiful experiment to search for what lights you up. But you found the courage to explore, to try, to begin, and you are now better because of it. That's your worst case scenario?

Sounds a lot less scary to me than a life lived sitting there looking out the window. See, we can't let the fear of an unlikely worst case stop the possibility of that, oh so coveted best case. Don't let the virtually zero percent probability of losing everything overshadow the opportunity to gain everything. Let's never allow ourselves to get caught standing still waiting for the universe to give us the answer as though we're waiting for a letter in the mail. No, give yourself permission to see the upside, to make your own decisions, and most importantly, to live your life. What's one thing I wish I knew when I was younger that I think people could benefit from today? What single piece of information could have the biggest impact?

I spent some time thinking about this question, and the more I think about it, the more the answer becomes incredibly apparent. It's that you are in control of your own life, your own destiny, your own future. And when you take accountability for yourself, life changes. Period. And if you thought that was obvious, I would advocate. taking a look around. Maybe a stroll through social media, the Twitters, and Instagrams, and TikToks of today.

And no, that's not the real world, but it's certainly a microcosm of the real world. What do you see? Well, you see chronic blame? I don't like where I'm at or things are, so that must be your fault or their fault or someone else's fault. You see people looking everywhere but in the mirror. Actually seeking out victimhood. Because that's what brings the attention. That's today's currency.

It's much easier to be the victim than the hero, because being the hero means you have to sacrifice something. It's people saying the news or some institution or the federal government is the problem. And if those things would only change, then we'd be good. Let me explain why I think this mentality is self-sabotage. and why I would take younger me by the hand and I would say listen to what I'm about to tell you. Where you start is often outside of our control.

Let's be real, life is not fair. We don't all get dealt the same hand. But this next part is I once heard Will Smith articulate beautifully is the same for everyone. What you decide to do about it right now is what matters. And that is the control that we all have. It's not your fault where you start, but it's your responsibility to choose where you end up.

You can shake your fist at the sky or you can start building a life that matters to you. It's easy to blame the world, to be the victim, at least in the short term. But a fulfilling life is about meaning, about fighting for something valuable, about evolving into the version of yourself that you always knew in your heart you could be.

You just had to unlock. See, no one down the road was ever happy with themselves for blaming the world while they bitterly remained stagnant. I would say to a younger me, worry less about how you perceived and think more about who you. you are, what you're capable of, because that you can always control. Stop losing yourself in the news or whatever the narrative of the day is.

That has nothing to do with your progression, has nothing to do with your very next step. So sure, be informed, but do more, consume less. Because by and large, it's a distraction. I would say the government, which has become the crux of our discourse today, transforming into a modern-day religion, look, the government's job is not to give you anything. It's there to protect what's inherent to you already. Your right to live life on your terms. See, satisfaction, it will come from good habits.

It will come from self-belief. It will come from taking risks and failing and learning. It will come from the courage to step out into a world that's completely unknown. It will never come from a self-interested politician or body in Washington, red or blue. So stop whining about political optics and focus on where your two feet are taking you right now. Because I promise in the grand scheme of things, that's what matters. That is your strength. Expecting someone else to come along and change your life is like,

screaming into an abyss. I would say to my younger self, when you start looking around and seeing what everyone else has and beating yourself up for not being as good or feeling like you're behind, look, it's great that their success motivates you, but dwelling on it won't make your life better. Life is a race between you and you. It's a fight between yourself and those thoughts that constantly knock on the door, looking to settle into your psyche. If you defeat that demon, you'll be where you want to be, regardless of where others are. You're right where you need to be, so keep your head up and keep moving forward.

I'd explain that to become something more, to change, requires a sacrifice that feels so substantial, so big at first, that it bullies most people into staying right where they are. That to become something new, you have to learn to play the fool, to get humbled. You have to change your relationship with short-term failure. And that's not easy. But taking control of your life is not supposed to be easy. Only worth it.

They're different. And I can certainly look back at my own life. Think about the times where I was so busy pointing out that I didn't even think to point the finger at myself. I was so worried about life being unfair that I existed in this temporary state of paralysis. The whole time not knowing that I could have been stepping forward. Could have been tapping into the single greatest power I possess, control over my own life. See, every time you. you feel anger or the need to blame those around you,

you're taking the spotlight off of what matters and placing it on things detrimental to where you want to be, to your journey and your future. Even the most unjust, arbitrary things, let's say you didn't get that promotion you were beyond qualified for, where you were mistreated by someone, or things didn't go the way you wanted them to. You can fill in that blank,

but refusing to blame others and immediately taking responsibility, Again, even in a situation like that, it gives you one of the greatest advantages in life. It gives you that gift of control. You can now assess the situation. You can now ask yourself, hey, what can I do to change this? You can delve into the why, find the lessons and the value. You can come back and re-approach this thing stronger.

Because to blame others, to take on that role of victim, it's essentially living life in the passenger seat. It might be easier. It might be less work, less responsibility, but what you never have is control over where that car goes. But when you own it, when you say, hey, maybe it's not my fault, but look, it's mine now. It's my responsibility. The good, the bad, every aspect of my life. It puts you in position to change things, to take the wheel and reroute to a destination of your choosing. So that would be my message to the world.

I know it's not an easy road. I know life is unfair. I know things aren't perfect, but the best thing you can ever do for yourself is say, you know what, this is mine to own. And I'm going to look around for that light switch that will create momentum. That little decision that will get the ball rolling. I'm not going to sit back, shake my fist and blame life. I'm going to walk out that door and create life.

That's where you'll find what you're truly looking for. Every once in a while, for a brief moment in time, we need to pause. We need to take a breath and ask ourselves who we are. Of course, not in the literal sense, not the reflection staring back in the mirror. But in the context of the road you've already traveled, how far you've come. Because it's easy to become consumed with what's ahead, especially when you can start to feel that finish line. You can see the top of the mountain. when you know everything is about to be on the line, your greatest test awaits.

But here's one of the greatest secrets I've ever been told. That test is not about right now. It's not even about the future. It's about the foundation you've already been building and trusting yourself to be you. It's all those times you could have said, No, but you didn't. How you, like so many others, could have taken that easy road, but you opted for something greater. No, my friend, this obstacle before you is not where you prove or make or create yourself.

It's where you simply verify who you already are. Cash in on a prize that's been years in the making. It's where you validate the present years in the making. price you've been paying for as long as you can remember. And what you need to take with you, what you need to understand right now more than any other time is that you aren't here to simply survive or navigate foreign territory. No, you were made for this moment. There's a saying that pain is temporary, but quitting is forever.

And that simple quote has gotten me through some of life's greatest trials and tribulations, most challenging times. Because to put it simply, when we're overwhelmed or we're amidst life's chaos, our minds don't scream out, oh hey, you've gotten through this before and you'll get through it again. They don't remind us of our strengths or reassure us of our dedication. No, when we feel like we are neck deep in chaos, all we see is, is what we're not. That's why people quit.

They become consumed with the dark, forgetting that the answer is a light switch away, overlooking the fact that they already have everything they need. So let this be your reminder. That getting across the finish line doesn't require some miracle. Doesn't require you to do what no one in humanity has ever done before.

No, all it asks, is that you believe in yourself to hang on when others would let go to continue forward when you most want to turn back because it's always darkest before the dawn most challenging at the peak when the roar of the crowd becomes audible and the trophy visible

find it within yourself to rise amidst the pressure not to shrink, but to expand, to be the most powerful person in your life, you. Because right now, in this moment, you have arrived. Years from now, when you look back, make sure you remember one thing about this moment, that you gave everything you had,

that you leaned in on those late nights and those early morning wake-ups, the hours upon hours in the books, the preparation, dedication, and the resilience, that you knew who you were and let it manifest and lead you into the future. See, we all find ourselves at this fork in the road, the one where we have a decision to make. Will I survive,

or will I thrive? Will I exist or will I truly live? And in the race of life, it's when our hearts hounds in our chest. The blood flows through our veins. Our lungs cry out for air. Our minds beg us to stop, slow down, relax. It's in that moment that we must carry on. We must be our best. We We must put all those little pieces together to create our masterpiece. To breathe life into the foundation that you have been standing on this whole time. See, this moment is yours. If you're willing to endure, to hang in just a little bit longer, give just a little bit more. If you're willing to put all of yourself into the task.

before you you may just be amazed at what life gives back remind us of hope hope that becomes courage courage that manifests itself in little steps forward steps that over time create a new world a new world that looks a lot different than the one you once knew so dream away Dream away because we have all been blessed with the ability to take nothings and make them some things. We've all been given the power to take blank spaces and make them landscapes, to see with our eyes worlds that aren't yet there. And what a shame it would be to repress that gift.

To label it fiction, to keep it next to our books and our movies, how much a tragedy to allow it to be merely a temporary escape. Instead of the permanent beginning, it was meant to be. So dream away. Let it lead you, because dreams, they'll either become the stories we tell or the regrets we hide away. A personal evolution or untapped potential. The reason we jump out of bed in the morning

or the reason we keep our eyes closed clinging to the last few seconds of joy before we confine ourselves to the self-made prisons we built the invisible walls that separate what we see from the possibility a short trip away. But look around you, one might say. This is reality.

And this looks a lot, different than the dreams that bounce around in my head. If dreaming was some magic formula, I'd be there already. Well, magic isn't quite my claim. No, dreams are not magic. I think their composition is so simple, so practical, so obtainable that magic isn't needed here.

In fact, thinking dreams require some simple, some larger than life magic might just be the problem. Dreams require a willingness to start and a single step forward. The rest, well, the rest we figure out along the way. Every little decision to carry on through the haze of that great unknown, that's where we discover life's possibility. And if that's magic, then my friend, we are all magicians. Okay, he might inquire further, but is any of it guaranteed?

Hmm. Well, that's a highly complex question as we make our way through this highly complex world, but I will do this. I'll guarantee one thing and one thing only if you do not dream of better tomorrow's. Today will be eternal. Things will stay exactly as they are now. See, your dream is the North Star that guides the path. The target calling the arrows, it's the lighthouse that brings the ship home from sea.

Without a foundation to build upon, you'll have nothing to stand on. So instead of talking about guarantees, let's talk about lost opportunity cost. Let's talk about what happens if you don't go. If you don't explore, if you don't build, what will you miss? See, most people, they only understand what has already been created. Let's not be most people. Why stay in the lines when there's nothing else to discover? Why black and white when color changes the dynamic entirely?

The greatest enemy of possible? of potential is one's need for certainty. It's the person who talks about something more, but knows something more will remain an afterthought. Because as beautiful as it sounds, it's not guaranteed. And because they cannot guarantee something better, they will guarantee the status quo. But I'm asking you to see the flaws in that line of thinking.

I'm asking you to understand. that our very biology cries out for safety, that we have to fight our urge to settle, our desire to take the monster we know over the one we don't, because it's the monsters we don't know that put meaning into life. It's the journey that elevates the destination,

and while it might feel like what you want in the short term, that long term, it's single term. a different tune. To get where you need to go, you have to move into the headwind that is the comfort of now. Find within yourself the courage to simply crack the door, to just let a little bit of light in and see how it forces its way into every corner of your soul. Once you feel that satisfaction action of progress. You'll be consumed, pulled in, as though the only thing larger than fear of failure is the rush of becoming who you were meant to be. I once heard something that changed the way I looked at the world, something simple, the idea that we don't climb the mountain for the view.

We climb mountains because of who we become on the journey up. up. The view is merely representative of that journey. The dream isn't in and of itself. The goal, it's an invitation to immerse yourself in all that is beautiful, meaningful, worthwhile, jaw-dropping, eye-opening, and powerful. It is what cracks that door and lets the light in. So dream away Because that dream It's no threat to your safety It's what will ultimately

Save you So dream away Dream away so that you capture that sunrise you were given Dream away so that you are pulled To that which makes life worth living Dream away so that you never lose that child inside so that you don't leave the adventure on the table and keep your ideal existence on the shelf. Dream away so that you see the abundance that surrounds us, the hope within us and the future that calls us for yourself,

the people in your life and the ones who eventually will be dream away. What's the difference between simple and easy? Well, simple is straightforward. Uncomplicated. Easy, on the other hand, means achieved without great effort. The difference between those two words is subtle, but essential to understand. One deals with the complexity of an outcome. The other, your will and determination to achieve that outcome. Becoming who you most want to be is simple. But becoming who you most want to be is not easy. Just like walking is simple, yet hiking up a mountain is not easy.

The procedure didn't change the context did. So let's talk about context. Let's talk about this cyclical nature of growth because it's not that most people can't. It's that most people won't. It's not that most people don't get how. It's that they don't have a strong enough, why? The path is laid out before you, you just have to be willing to walk down it.

Will you? Step one, realize there's more out there. It's not that what you're doing now isn't amazing. It's just that yesterday's act of courage is now today's status quo. What was the spectacular is now the mundane. What was once the ceiling you had to jump to touch is now the floor you walk on, so at the very least it prompts you to ask, well, what's next? Simple.

Not easy. Step two, the acquisition of courage. Yesterday's courage was a fight. It took a lot out of you, and it's ultimately what got you here. But it dropped you at the curb, it waved goodbye, and went on its merry way, and here you are. You can stay here, a lot of people do. You can reminisce of the glory days, the old path, yesterday's triumphs. Or you can do that perpetually uncomfortable exercise of vulnerability.

Stepping into tomorrow's unknown, reminding yourself that life's greatest rewards have a hefty price tag, and that price is discomfort. have already played this game, one might think. No, what you did was learn the rules. Now it's time to apply them to a new setting and around goes the merry-go-round. It might seem like a replication from the horizontal, but here's the secret. You can't see the vertical. You have yet to look down and see your ascent, see what you're becoming. Just by staying on, holding tight, just by believing in yourself enough to begin again, you are fanning those tiny flames of courage in your soul that wait to be spread like a wildfire. Simple, but not easy. Step three, mistakes. Now, of course,

it's not the mistakes themselves, you fear. It's what you think those mistakes will mean. ridicule, embarrassment, lack of direction or identity losing what you have, but here's the catch. When you realize the upside is greater than the downside, you liberate yourself. When you realize there's more to gain than to lose, your potential for greatness is born. How does one act on this? Mistakes. By making mistakes. By injecting yourself into the turbulence of progress.

Our biology has not yet learned that the uncomfortable thing is the right thing, and that's why you get resistance. That's why it hurts, and it's why few people will accomplish what you will. When it comes to your climb, every day is opposite day. When they run out, you're running in. When they play safe, you play for the victory. To become who you might be, you must learn how to get there. Mistakes are your curriculum.

Simple, but not easy. Step four, trust yourself. Okay, sure, no problem, easy. Well, yeah, it's easy when you're getting what you want. But evolution takes time, and there's nothing quite like giving and giving and giving and not getting. There's nothing quite like stepping up to the plate again and again and again and bringing no runners home. So how does one find the strength to continue walking up to the batter's box? Well, growth is exponential, and those swings and misses matter.

The infield singles matter. Everything matters. Because it's all chiseling your future self out of stone. Nothing is dependent on the next at bat, as much as all at bats in the aggregate. That's why success is so often considered to be sheer will, dependent not on the home run, but on the discipline, the self-belief, to keep walking up to the plate. Repetition and adjustment.

Repetition and adjustment. Repeat and refine, repeat, refine. Those are the materials from which all things are made. Simple, but not easy. And then we have the finale. The ending, step five. Celebrate and adjust. At some point, you'll be able to look over your shoulder

and notice something that perhaps you hadn't before. Space. Space between where you are and where you started. It's not sudden, but gradual. And undoubtedly, with enough persistence, it will emerge. These moments, they are precious. They are times to acknowledge what you've accomplished, the sacrifices you have made. They are life's way of reminding you what you are building and who you are becoming. It's a time of celebration. Every little win means something. Every small victory matters so relish in it. And then transform it. Normalize it. Recognize that that mountaintop is your foundation now. Your starting point has changed and so have you, which means so have your expectations. With an increase in ability

comes an upgrade to what's possible, what's expected. And look at that. We have arrived at a new step one. Realize there is more. This is the process for capturing that which life has to offer. If you can fall in love with that, appreciate it, respect it, while simultaneously understanding it's not scary, it's dependent entirely on your ability to push forward. If you can understand that, there is nothing you can't do.

Nowhere you can't go. Simple, yes, easy, no. But you're not in this for easy. You're in it for the journey, the growth, the adventure. You're in it because it's not easy. You'll see in time, as will the world, that this decision to endure was simply the best one you ever made.