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

Episode Date: October 28, 2022

"Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach" - Tony Robbins

There's power and simplification. Not because you can't handle the complex, but because too much noise drowns out the meaning. It gets in the way of the things that actually make the difference. Our blessing and curse is the finitude of our time. So by default, that makes the word, no, a gatekeeper to the contentment we feel in our lives. What are you keeping out?

What are you saving space for? Clarity is not a luxury, but a necessity. And when one has limited capacity, they must both cherish and protect it. So why does this matter? It matters because when you simplify things, the path is never as intimidating. The problem is never unsolvable.

The opportunity is never too far away. It matters because we dress the solutions up in irrelevant detail and then call them the problem. We don't see things as what they are. We see them as stories. We tell ourselves. We see too much. And it just so happens that the biggest leaps forward one can take in life or the result of not secret formulas or hidden answers, but in freeing ourselves of that excess. saying no to the wrong things so that we can say yes to the right things. Underneath the stacks and accumulation of nothing is something. There's something to the notion that the road to recovery is always a single decision away. That it's already there.

But you just haven't been able to acknowledge, to choose it. When life becomes convoluted, there's a lot of... this tendency to think, I am the problem, I am broken, I am incapable of X or Y or Z. And it's like, no, you've just let so much in that what was once obvious is now buried. You're looking at the giant ocean before you, forgetting that a very tiny boat can traverse it. Basics. Let's ask the question, where is it I most want to go and what would one step in that direction look like?

Sometimes we have to go knowing that mile 10 will have its monsters and mile 50 will have its setback. But to not take step one in anticipation of those future problems, of something way down the road is letting that excess in. Simplicity is the goal. Simplicity. Ask yourself, can you start? Beginning grants you one of the greatest weapons to possess,

an ability to adjust, the ability to adapt, the ability to utilize the now. And this is not to dismiss the pain and difficulty associated with our most challenging times. It's to remind you that during, those times you feel lost or closed in, you don't need to reinvent the world to your left and right. It's not bigger than you. So much of the time, it's about composing yourself enough to reach out for the light switch that will illuminate the path just enough for you to look up

and walk right out the front door. The hard thing brought me through hell, but also to that which exists on the other side. The hard thing prompted me to question and doubt, but also provided the pieces I used to build my confidence little by little. It made me ask the tough questions, the ones maybe I didn't want to hear the answer to, but also gave me the power to transform those answers I didn't like.

The hard thing meant forfeiting being the expert in my world in exchange for the role of student in a foreign arena. It gave me new ladders to climb, new possibilities to reach for. It showed that true growth requires a willing, to be the beginner. It took some people out of my arms, my circle, my work, and in some cases my life altogether, but always seemed to open the door to those souls better aligned, to those conducive to the journey and the process. Let's remember what the hard thing is.

Beyond the pain, because we all know it does bring that. Beyond the change, beyond the change, Beyond the challenges, because there are certainly many. Beyond all that exists the hope and the change and the promise. Robert Frost says the best way out is always through. Through because it's the chaos, the haze, the darkness of night that shapes us. It's in being broken that we learn to rebuild our world with the pieces, and perhaps most importantly. We learn that such a rebuilding process

is possible to begin with, that the now is not mandatory or permanent. The hard thing, as it turns out, is nothing more than a transaction. Turbulence for the view above the clouds, fear in the moment for confidence in the future. It's learning that, although life sometimes appears to paint a picture,

of conformity and helplessness. There's always a path leading to the very place we need to go. It just asks we find the courage to walk it. Churchill has said the pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty. And this beautiful message rings true. Because from the difficulty is the advantage. And sure, our first instinct is to see the problem.

Our eyes tend to initially fix it on that which is unfortunate. But beyond that is where we get the most incredible things life provides, as if one is removing the shell or outer layer in order to get to the nutrients in the center, the ingredients required for growth, the pieces necessary, to experience life at its fullest. And so we must be reminded that those opportunities, they're not rare, they're not reserved for everyone but you. They just tend to disguise themselves

as the things we're most inclined to disregard or walk by. But if one finds the courage to move into them, through them, if one can see the difficulty not as a deterrent, but as a bargain. They'll be given everything on the other side. Reality is not changed with the magic wand or the granting of a wish. It's from staring down the heart thing and moving directly into it one little step at a time. Quite some time has gone by since the last letter I wrote to my younger self.

a few years actually and I think we're due because older me continues to learn to both enjoy and be humbled by life to experience hello's and endure goodbyes

to win and to lose to acquire and to cut away the world is a maze of complexity to navigate and maybe we should

just start right there. Because look, kid, there are some fundamental ideas about life that you just have wrong. There is no door that you walk through where you suddenly go from not understanding to finally having all the answers. Part of growing up is realizing how little human beings know about anything. And that's okay. What you'll understand is it's not a reason to run. It's a source of courage to draw from. Oh, but adults are wise, you might think. No, adults are just children with mortgages. You'll learn that, and as we all become renters, even that's changing, right?

Oh, but him over there, or her, wait, them, they have it all figured out. No, they just walk with conviction into their individual unknowns. That's all. Oh, but there has to be some certainty. We have to know some things for sure, you might think. Well, certainly we do, or at least we think we do, but you have to understand 150 years ago, science said bleeding someone out would cure them of their illness.

Our pursuit of truth is crucial, but it's a work in progress. Life is a work in progress. You are a work in progress. So what am I talking about? matter because I don't want you to think that you are ill-prepared to venture further into your potential. I don't want you to think that other people have what you don't, that you're not enough. The world around you is chaos. It's a mess. It's clay. Some people use it to build and create and shape the reality and others, well, others don't. The kicker here,

is that nothing is built if you don't first give yourself permission to take the unknowns and make something with them. Once you understand that there is no secret code that must be figured out, you free yourself to explore and capture the essence of being alive. Again, life is messy. So go flail around, wander, go get lost. Who cares? You see what I'm saying?

You can watch from afar succumbing to the illusion that the world is some meticulously constructed orchestra where everything's playing in unison. Or you can dive in and make your own music, dance to your own melodies, because there is no perfect. There are people who stand still and people who pick up the pieces as they go. Next, and very closely related, younger me, give yourself a chance. Try things. No, more things, bigger things, terrifying things.

You see those posters of people you have hung up on your wall? They're not of a different world. They're people like you. But they decided along the way that they would try. Why? That they would step out a line, break some rules, push life, and see how hard life pushed back. Younger me on my college essay, I referenced one of my favorite quotes, I attributed it to Mark Twain.

Turns out it wasn't even by him, but hey, life goes on, right? It said, 20 years from now, you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bow line. away from the safe harbor catch the trade winds in your sales explore dream discover it's a beautiful quote and here's what I gather from it the biggest mistakes I've made over the course of my lifetime ended up being my greatest teachers leading me to something new to where I most needed to be I mean a lot of my mistakes are even

funny stories, right, that I joke about with buddies over a beer. The vast majority of things you're worried about, they either won't happen or they're reversible. But what gets you, younger me, what truly hurts is wishing you have the courage to apply to that thing that you instead let the deadline slip away, or talk to that person you walked right by, or audition, or train, or travel or follow your intuition, your heart to someplace new, those are the things we tend to carry around. The second you learn that not going is far scarier than stepping out into the unknown,

you'll possess a perspective that's incredibly valuable. It will change your life. And lastly, this one's kind of hard to articulate, but let me tell you, it continues to resurface. Here it is. If your intuition is telling you something, listen. Trust it.

If something feels wrong, let it go. If it feels like it's where you need to be, you're being pulled in that direction. Explore, move towards it. When you know in 30 seconds that someone isn't a good person, don't give them your time. When something doesn't align with your goals or objectives, don't feel bad walking away

when something excites you, trust that feeling. This is all intuition, and I've come to find that initial response to be more and more valuable. What that feeling is telling you matters. Don't turn your back on that. Now, of course, there's a line we have to walk,

or an element of pragmatism we have to hold on to. Sometimes, when we're particularly upset, it makes sense to let the emotion. subside and allow rationality to enter. But this is more about being aware of who you are and what you want, right? Don't talk yourself out of what you know you want and into what you know you don't. Life gives clues. It's not always 4D chess.

Sometimes it can be simple. What's needed is right there. But you have to look around. You have to listen and trust yourself, and no one will ever know you better than you. But if you tune yourself out, then how can you have a shot at living a meaningful life? One on your own terms, be impossible. So younger me, trust yourself. Beyond what anyone else tells you is best, are most beneficial.

Again, those are answers only you know. So listen to you. One of my favorite messages is that you are your own experiment. That as we move forward into the haze of the unknown, we understand that at times we'll fall. At times we'll see our plans disintegrate right in front of us. But this is, when we step back and really examine not a cause for alarm, but a chance to celebrate.

Celebrate because the world's pushing back at you implies that you are moving forward. And that is strength. As the saying goes in the broken places, the light shines through. Younger me, promise me you won't be scared of breaking. That you won't fear leaving the harbor. Because nothing out there is

bigger than you, or too much for you to handle or navigate. The funny thing is, younger me, that your journey is reliant on you giving yourself permission to go, to see, to explore. All that starts with you greenlighting your own adventure. But remember what I'm telling you. There is no rubric for life, it's trial and error. Remember that if you don't give yourself a chance, you simply watch the opportunity slip by.

And remember that you are the only one who knows what's best for you. So trust that intuition. The world will be whatever you choose to make it. And my hope is that you realize you are strong enough. You're bold enough, you're capable enough to make it whatever that's, might be. So younger me, go pave your path. Go blaze your trail. And remember along the way, as you navigate the ups and downs, highs and lows, remember to look up and enjoy the ride.

I used to think it was 100%. How do I get back to 100? Let's get this fully changed. Let's get this fully charged, no cracks or flaws. And so I'd wait. I'd rest, I would prepare. But guess what? Aiming for 100% is a perpetual almost there. Turns out life doesn't care much about 100%. It wants to know what you can do when you're at 80. Can you find a way to push? through when you are at 75%. How about 65? See, life is innately difficult. How do you handle that?

How do you compartmentalize it? It was recently back in Boston, running around the Charles River, first time in a while, felt a little back spasm reoccurring. That right knee, a little sensitive as it often is, and I thought, man, again, If I waited for perfection to run, I would never run again. I can count on one hand the times everything felt great.

Lightbulb moment. We work towards that. We aim high. We give the body what it needs, but we also understand perfect is more of an idea than a reality. Sometimes you just have to lace up the shoes and go. Just like sometimes you have to wake up, even though you're tired. Walk into the room even though you're nervous.

Make the change even though you're fearful. Cut ties even though you're sad or disappointed. There is no 100% that is going to come down and save you. Life will always provide the necessary ingredients, decline to grow and achieve. It does, though, leave it up to you to decide how bad you want it. So what's the plan?

To wait until you're 100%, until everything is perfect and you're living the problem-free life you dreamt of? Or is this a find-a-way now type thing? An acknowledgement that we aren't given perfection, but we are given enough to move forward anyway. An understanding that while most view discomfort as an end, greatness means seeing it as an invitation. an unavoidable cost to move into the realm of accomplishment. So while the rest of the world waits for their 100%, I dare you to conquer your adversaries while at 80. I challenge you to surprise yourself while at 70,

to disrupt the status quo while at 65. There is no waiting here. There is no serenity in growth, and how could there be? Growth is a restructuring of comfort, a tearing down to build again. Yeah, I used to think it was 100%, but now I know waiting for that 100 just becomes hope and stagnation. No, we cross finish lines and reach mountaintops while manufacturing momentum and creating possibility. Yeah, anyone can succeed at 100%, but seldom do we get there. Seldom do we see that.

So that leaves us with this simple question. What will you do where you are with what you have? What will you do now? There's a point for everybody where, you know, life tells you directly or indirectly that it's time to level up. Right? And I think that's a good thing. You know, life is a staircase where, you know, life is a staircase where, you know, you know, the climb to that next step is uncomfortable.

But then you get there and things sort of normalize. And you know in your soul, it's time to take that next step, right? Step up again. And that step is going to be just as uncomfortable as the one before. It's going to be different. It's going to be bigger. You'll have evolved. But change is always uncomfortable.

And that's just the way it works. And I want to share with you something that a friend of mine Evan told me. And it helped me see that process differently. He was talking to me specifically in terms of being in front of a camera, which will make sense when you hear the metaphor. But I think it's applicable to, you know, everything. Any situation, you know, I was talking about that need, that feeling, that want to take

the next step. And a very basic question, you know, what do you want to do? and I wasn't exactly sure how I saw things evolving, right? And so the metaphor was, well, you've been Mickey Mouse for so long that you've been sort of neglecting the Walt Disney side of things. And maybe that's intentional. Maybe that's how it should be. Maybe someone else should be Walt Disney.

Maybe you should be Walt Disney and Mickey less. Like however you want to, you know, you can bend that and reshape it a million ways. but the idea was, you know, when you are so focused on being in front of a camera, telling your story, writing, creating, sometimes you lose sight of where the ship is going. And I just thought that was such a powerful metaphor. If it makes you think, and I've spent weeks thinking about it, it's the right message. It's what you need to hear. And I've been talking to people who are,

You know, doing things that have nothing to do with speaking or, you know, content creation, anything like that. And when they talk about their situation, it's funny, I find myself relaying the same message because it's like, you know, you are so in the weeds of your day to day doing things that, you know, are important, but they're smaller details. They're more technical things. They're more day-to-day operational things that you don't know where that metaphorical ship is sailing. And it's because you haven't been able to step back and really think about it. You know, really assess where you're going and why and why it matters to you. And so one of the answers that I've found, well, it's a two-part answer. It's finding a way, and this is not rocket science, but it's sort of step.

Step one, to take the smaller things and get them off of your plate. But the other thing is to make intentional time to just think, to really reflect on life and where you're going and understand. Like really try to deeply understand where you are now, where you want to be, and how you can bridge that. You know, that's a powerful thing to be able to comprehend. And it's very easy. When I talk about this, the thing that drives me crazy is it feels so obvious and feels so intuitive. I could have spent another two years neglecting that. You just get so caught up doing what you do in the day to day, right?

Falling behind, catching up, you know, managing the pieces, moving the widgets around, trying to stay afloat that you don't have time to ask a big picture question and so that's what this is all about it's are you so busy being mickey mouse in your life that the Walt disney's side of things is being neglected need some love needs some vision and some understanding and if that's the case beautiful because now you're thinking about it now the wheels are in motion and uh you know you can you can point that ship where you need it to go. There's a saying that just because you spent a long time making a mistake doesn't mean you need to continue making it.

There's an incredible advantage in life for those who can separate past and future. Who can recognize sunk costs and walk away, walk away from the past, move on to new things. But here's the challenge, right? Like so many things our instinct is to preserve. It's, yeah, but I've invested so many years. I've spent X amount of dollars and maybe I don't like where I'm at, but look how long it's taken me to get here. Well, here's the reality.

That time is gone. That money is not coming back no matter what you do or what direction you take from here on out. There's no reason to think you have to maintain this. trajectory or hold on to a specific identity or pattern of behavior yesterday isn't the focal point here. The goal is simpler. What matters now and how will you get there now?

You've grown, you've evolved, you've changed, and your targets have shifted, so why shouldn't you? The idea of sunk cost is so important because it's essentially realizing that you're not indebted to the resources you've spent or exonerated. There's no need to be a slave to previous decisions that you've made. No, just chalk it up as an integral step in your learning process, an aspect of growth, and move forward to what matters, to what you care about. And if that seems obvious, I challenge you to think about the decisions you've made over the last year,

and I guarantee you you've let factors affect your decision-making that are irrelevant to your goals. because we feel this camaraderie with yesterday, like there's a debt to be paid, but, man, life is too short to run in place. If it's not pushing you forward, drop it. If it's not what you need, forget it. In other words, don't be one of those people that wakes up and makes the same mistake every single day because you've spent a long time making it. See, reality only exists in your head. That's why it's beautiful. You can unlock the cell door and walk out.

Don't lose sight of the greatest gift you have. The new beginning that lives in every second where you can take a turn you've never taken before. Remove the mask and play a role you've never played. Let that sense of excitement pull you to new things. Let go of what you can't change. and pursue what you can. Forget the time spent.

Think of now. Where can you invest now? Your surroundings didn't magically arrive. You chose them. And you can just as easily take that wheel and leave. Simple formula. What is best for you and how do you get there? Not where you feel obligated to be or expected to be or pressure to be.

Where do you need to be? Everything else is no. noise. Everything else is a rope keeping your ship on shore and you are not confined to that harbor for yesterday's destination. You're built to chase the horizon, follow your curiosity into the sunset. You don't make decisions based on yesterday's story. You sculpt it with tomorrow's possibility. Human beings don't see we interpret. We don't take in what happened. We take in the implacients. We take in the implacept. of what happens. Everything in our world is story. Similar to the idea of

two ideologically different news organizations, right, reporting on the same event. Neither will be completely factual. They'll both uphold their individual narratives. They're not black and white. They're interpreting gray space. And our individual lives are no different.

We are our own broadcasting channels. Using data to support our individual narrative, See, we know what the story's going to say before the story occurs because we will make it so. We'll make life fit our beliefs. That's what means to be human. So here's where the value lives in the context of this message when we find ourselves in a consistent state of despair or frustration or anxiety. It's a fool's errand to look for solutions in the external world.

Because everything we find, everything we come across, will support our current beliefs, our current story. That's what we'll keep playing in our heads, and it's why money can't bring fulfillment, and another person can't take you from incomplete to content. It's why status will never equate to happiness. Those acquisitions are like putting premium fuel in a car with a broken engine.

It's just not the answer that we hoped it would be. To change your world, you must change your story. Whatever it is that needs to be changed. The location, the objective, the characters, maybe the journey altogether, but it's the neural network behind your eyes that must change, not the detail it takes in. And so if you feel stuck or feel like

where you want to be seems unrealistic. You have to know right now that the very fact you think that way is the problem. So ask yourself, not your girlfriend or your boss or your neighbor, but ask yourself

what a turnaround looks like. Do you know? Or have you acclimated to being unhappy? Have you even asked yourself what happiness looks like? Or is your personal broadcasting channel so hell-bent on ensuring your life outlook stays the way it is that it's not even paying attention to the data it takes in?

See, I believe wholeheartedly that the first step in any facet of transformation is remembering that you have control that things in your life that bring you down or hold you back can be changed. In fact, the very things working against you can work for you. But you have to be aware. You have to think about it. Now, I'm not a believer in magic, right?

I don't think you sit back, say, I don't want to be unhappy ever again, snap your fingers and smile until the end of eternity. But I do believe that once we're aware of our manufactured shackles and our self-imposed limitation, we can start chipping away, doing the one, two, or three small things every day, tiny swings at the tree until it falls. Right? If it's, I'm not happy with my work life, Well, what does a better situation look like?

What bridges that gap? I'll wake up 20 minutes earlier on weekdays and master Microsoft Excel. I'll send one message on LinkedIn asking an expert about the field I want to move into. I'll read 20 pages a day in a book related to business. You think those things are small? See what they look like compounded in a year. Not only that. This is the most important part.

You are taking the power back. You're taking control. And that's what feels good. That's where we get our identity. You get a little disappointed at how you've let your physique slip when you look in the mirror. Don't be sad about it every day. Again, ask yourself what the inverse looks like and start doing small things. Subtract one sports drink and add one green smoothie.

Double your water intake. Do a 10-minute daily workout on YouTube. Like the pieces are out there. And to find yourself again is to realize that they're out there. Realize that you're playing a movie on loop in your head that isn't right. It's just not you. And well, what movie do you want to be playing in an ideal world? Scroll through the library, find it, click play,

and start doing the small things that make it real. there's so much power in progress. I've seen this unfold in different areas of my life, but particularly as a writer, as a speaker, it's like you identify who you want to be. You start making tiny steps, and after a while, you're surrounded by the change that you've created. How can you not believe something that you're starting to live?

It has to become your identity, because it is you, it's around you. You breathe it. So look around and realize the malleability of your situation. And if what you find is not you, good. Here is your opportunity to tear down the old and construct the new. You can do that because you have control. because it's within your grasp.

So start the new movie, the new story, make yourself the hero, and set out to find yourself again. Let's write out of the gate draw a line. The most important line one can draw a line of demarcation separating who you were and who you are. A line between the past and the present in this line marks your return. No, not to the days of old, but to step one. Your chance to begin again, to rise above, to transcend yesterday's character and transform

today's potential. See, what we often fail to realize is that there are ideas deeply ingrained in our minds, in our minds that rule over us, a sort of subconscious authority. It says yesterday you fell short, so today you are someone who falls short. It says your objective was not reached in the past. So how about a new, maybe easier one? It draws a nice little box, packs you on the head, and says, how about we make a nice, cozy home for ourselves in here?

And what this subconscious authority fears most is that you wake up, that you become aware, that you return. Not to the past, but to the power tucked away under all the stories you somewhere along the way decided were real. The second you accept that yesterday is only as relevant as you decided to be, you unchained yourself. You become unshackled. So return to that place of curiosity,

where you're not obligated to perform, but gifted with the journey before you. And that could certainly be hard. It was hard for me to look back at my life and distinguish between what I've simply accepted and life's objective truths. I'd taken orders and been obedient for so long. I'd been listening to that subconscious authority

for so many years that I had to, in a way, relearn what creativity meant for me. I had to learn not to feel guilty, going on a jog in the middle of the day when the rest of the world was working. I had to learn that my instinct wasn't to explore, but to stop short.

I wasn't pushing limits or peering around corners. I wasn't testing the waters or seeking out the hidden opportunities. Life hides away. No, I was on autopilot. And life, it had called for my return. It's funny how when you reject your potential long enough, the universe seems to tap you on the shoulder.

It makes it more and more apparent every day that something greater is within an arm's reach, backs you into a corner until you have to address the dissonance between who you are and who you've allowed yourself to be. Those orders you've been taking don't align with your best self. And so one must not only create, but in a sense return to their greatness. To accept what they've been running from, you are what you choose to be. And let's face it, it's very easy to choose to be less than we can be. There's a saying that your reality is not

destined to be. It is rather what you've chosen to accept. You only get in your life what you allow. And the entirety of this message is about one thing. That light bulb moment, the epiphany, the instant of empowerment, that this world can only give you what you ask for. And to not ask, to sit back and observe makes you a spectator, sitting up in the nosebleeds, watching the activity evolve on the court below. It relinquishes control to powers beyond you. And that's existing. It's not living. So ask. Ask life for the things that lift you up and elevate your existence. The reason a book metaphor works so perfectly in my mind is because when one opens to a blank sheet, they can write about anything. There's no limitation to what can be placed on that paper.

And sure, our proclivity may be to continue on the legacy of last novels, cast, and characters, but it's by no means required. In fact, with that pen in your hand, you can craft a new world entirely, new places, new things, new relationships and ideas, new obstacles to face and defeat. A blank page can be and mean anything, and so every sunrise, every door you walk through,

presents, in the same sense, a blank page. realize that there's no obligation to perpetuate the past or continue on in the same way you arrived. No, this day is yours. Take hold of that self you've hit away. Find the courage to unshackle yourself from how you were once seen by your friends or your teammates or your coworkers. Level up and understand that you don't owe the world any type of explanation. Remember, you're not here to conform, to obey, to live a life of obedience. No, you're here to poke, to prod, to explore, to follow the nagging curiosity to embark upon the adventure that is life.

When you understand that you are not your past, when you see that the person you were has no control over the person you are in this moment, You are free. So with eyes wide, a beating heart, a head held high, step into that world. Because if you live with conviction, with absolute certainty that life may not always be easy or intuitive, but it's there for you. When you see not yesterday's constraints, but tomorrow's hope, all roads lead to an event. existence. It's not about perfect and it never was. It's about understanding that the past has given you everything you need to break away from its grasp. It has provided the lessons it has knocked you back, pushed you down and tested your resolve all for this moment. This second,

the chance to return to the greatness that has been tucked away for too long. Again, no miracle. No rabbits out of hats, just you allowing your greatness to emerge from this step forward because you can. Because you have that ability, because it's who you are. So go show the world, but most importantly, show yourself. You will be amazed at what's possible for you. If you simply allow it to materialize, If you amidst the darkness of days past, let yourself light up the night. It's not about what happens to you.

No one escapes adversity. No one lives free of discomfort or misfortune or struggle. No, it will always be about what you do with what happens to you. In other words, it's not the event, it's the response. Not the obstacle, but the ability to navigate around it. Not the wave, but the ability to ride its momentum to something greater. It is not what happens to you. It is what you do about what happens to you.

The famous Roman emperor and stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius said you have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength. And I think this realization comes down to the fact that there is always a way buried underneath it all, something powerful to leverage. But getting to the value calls for a rewiring. A change in the questions that we ask. Not how could this happen to me? How can I be better tomorrow than I am now because of what happened to me? Not can I still be that person or accomplish what I set out to.

But I am that person. Now how will I adjust my path so that I get there? We're operating within a world of value, limitless opportunity. The difficulty simply pushes us to that value faster, expedites the process. It forces us to open our eyes and see that the world works for us. So you take, for example, the fear of starting something new. That fear, it doesn't have to be an end point or a red light indicator. Fear doesn't mean you're not qualified or prepared or equipped.

It simply lets you know that you have finally acquired the courage to step out of the safety of the only world you knew and into the turbulence of growth. On to the path of something better. And where it's easy to move away from that feeling, to turn your back on the chaos and retreat to something simpler, maybe something more predictable or contained. What if you viewed the fear as the price that we all have to pay to pull the curtain back on the best things life has to offer?

Changing the question from, will I be afraid, to instead, this is important. This is meaningful. Therefore, it's inevitable that I will experience fear, but what will I do about it? How will I conduct myself amidst the fear? Will I continue forward? Those are the questions that contain the value, right? I can't keep the water from rising or the walls from caving in. No, that's an inevitability where I'm going. The worthwhile road always has to be a way. its adversity. But will I use that water to learn to swim? The walls to climb to adapt and

scale, what will I make of this? That's the question that becomes the difference. And sure, you could stay away. You could choose not to take the path that presents the danger and the turbulence. You could attempt to contain the world around you by simply refusing to experience it. But then, of course, you become presented with the question, why intentionally refuse to cash in a winning lottery ticket? Why diminish your gift in such a way? If it's not what you look at, it's what you see. Why see the world as an adversary?

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

You can't control the tides, but you can predict and plan. and execute accordingly, you control you, and that is where the power is. And of course there's going to be times where that's hard to see. When it's not your first instinct to find the value. Take, for an example, a change, a loss, the end of a relationship, the point where people tend to feel their lowest. It hurts to have something and lose it. to have what you were once so sure about challenged,

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

When those walls feel like they're crumbling down, you have to know there is more on the other side. Just beyond what the eye can see. And this isn't just an idea I play around with my head. I make a concentrated effort to think this every time something goes wrong. when my first reaction is emotional. My first emotion is anger or frustration. It's like take a breath, compose yourself, and start looking for the value.

Because here's the truth, the world is not going to end today. There's going to be a time down the road when I look over my shoulder, and right now is a distant memory. What will I have done with it? And it's the times that might have broken you that contain the greatest transformation. I like to say the greatest tragedies or the hardest times made me who I am today.

The losses taught me that I had everything I needed. The failures showed me what I'm capable of enduring. The times I was let down taught me to depersonalize the shortcomings of others, but to simultaneously hedge against them. The times I was lost showed me. We only discover or meet our potential when we leave the little day-to-day realities that we create. Why? Because we are in control. Not of the external, but the internal.

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

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