Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - LISTEN, FOCUS & GET IT DONE | Best Motivational Speeches | Wake Up POSITIVE!

Episode Date: September 9, 2022

"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do" - Henry Ford

Dear Keeper of Dreams, I know who you are. I know everything about you. You disguise yourself as perfection. You are the fear that does everything you can to hold me back. That begs me to be complacent. But I see through you. Keeper of dreams, you are the journey never started. Because when you look at the road ahead, you see struggle.

You see impossible. You don't see the opportunity or the reward, but I do. Keeper of dreams, you are the voice in the back of my head that constantly reminds me conformity would be easier, that forfeiting greatness would lift a tremendous burden off of my shoulders. But I live for that burden. Keeper of dreams, you are the odds, telling me that I am only one in a world of seven billion,

that someone else will achieve it, create it, make it happen. But if there must be one, it can and will be me. Keeper of dreams, you are the voice of supposed rationality, warning me that I'm wandering into an area I know nothing about, that I should wait, that I'm not an expert, that I'm not good enough, but I have always believed that learning as you go is better than not going at all. One day, keeper of dreams, I will not know you.

I will have left you behind, outrun your grass. See, because what I'm trying to do doesn't leave me time for you. Greatness doesn't come from following the path made by the crowd. It comes from the relentless carving out of your own. Normandy gets you more of the same. It's an exchange of dreams for the ability to feel like everyone else in line at the grocery store. Keeper of dreams, I appreciate the beauty in life too much. The pursuit of the things that will make every day better than the one before it.

I will never give that up. I want what seems unnecessary, over the top, out of the ordinary. Keeper of dreams, don't you get it? You will never win. I will give up my car, my clothes, every luxury in my life before I concede to you, before I give into it as easy. I may be in winter now, but spring is coming. Summer is coming, and all I can think about is sitting on top of the world and being so thankful that I left you because Keeper of Dreams, you can't keep mine.

They are my oxygen. They are why I get up in the morning. So while I thank you for reminding me of what it takes to win in this world, smothered with mediocrity and insecurity, I'm dismissing you to somewhere else. Anywhere but here, because keeper of dreams, my ride awaits. I was thinking this morning about a conversation I had with my grandfather. This particular example, I was living in L.A. at the time, my grandmother, my grandfather. They flew in from Boston. And, you know, I think we're doing some family stuff,

but I wanted to hang out with my friends down the street, right? I wanted to go to Kyle's house, play Star Wars, whatever it was we were doing, and that felt like the world to me. Like, I didn't want to miss out on that because I felt like I'd lose it. If I wasn't there, I'd lose something. And I remember him taking me from the kitchen to the living room being like, Eddie, you have to relax. He's like, that stuff, I promise you will always be there.

The fun, the escape, the metaphorical. going to Kyle's house will always be there. You have to do what's right for you. And then when you need that, it's there. It was almost like all the nuance and the detail is reacquirable. And why I'm bringing this up, and it's a little bit of a pivot. But, you know, I've seen throughout my life, right, personally, this sort of loss aversion, like I mentioned a few days ago, where you don't want to leave a bad situation because you fear that the very basic,

boxes that you've checked, you can't get them back, right? It's like you can have a job that's, you're not satisfied, you're unfulfilled, there's nothing great about it, you've lost your sense of self, your purpose, but you're getting a paycheck, right? Or, you know, at least you have some direction in the day or in your life, you can say who you are, there's some identity, there's some very basic boxes. You're not happy, but the basic boxes are checked. And what you fear is, If you leave in pursuit of something different, maybe you can't check those boxes again, right? Or you're in a relationship and it's like, it's not right.

And you know in your core it's not right. But there's very basic boxes that are checked. Right? You're not alone. You're with someone. There's some predictability in your life. Like, it'd be tough to lose those things. And so that's really the, the,

sense of what I want to say, right? Having the self-belief and the self-trust, because that's really what it comes down to, to understanding that if you move into the unknown, you can recreate those things. You can check those basic boxes off. But if you don't have the courage to move out of that situation, you'll be shackled to a world that's not really meant for you.

Right? So like, the job thing. And by the way, I always worry about saying this because there are people that love their jobs. I'm never, ever knocking a nine to five. Like, it's just my thing, right? That was, for me, I felt so constrained and I'm just such a, like, I love to be creating and sort of out on the fringes. That's just, like, what motivates me. That's not how everyone works.

So I don't want this to be interpreted as me bashing a nine to five. It's just my story. But, like, I realize that. I could have walked away, come back in a year after living in, like, Thailand, and things would have been exactly the same when I got back. Right. I could have got a similar job. I could have found ways to check off those same boxes, right? Those foundational things, they're reacquirable.

Just like the relationship thing, right? It's like, if it's not right for you, there's 8 billion people in the world. 8 billion. You think one of those doesn't just. share your value system, one of those you can't have fun with, hang out with, relax, enjoy yourself, improve your life. Like, of course you can. But you're worried about losing the very basics, the very basic boxes that you've checked.

And it's like you have to have the courage and self-belief to walk away from those things. You have to believe in yourself enough to know that you can recreate a reality. with a similar foundation, but with the things on top of that that make you happy, make you feel alive. Like I'm prone to do, I found a random internet quote today. It says, I am learning to love the sound of my feet walking away from things that are not meant for me. And it's that simple.

You can never get where you're going if you're shackled to the things that don't move you. And if you're staying in a place of discontent. And the message is simple, right? Believe in yourself. Trust yourself. There's nothing in your life that you can't reacquire or rebuild. But what you'll miss if you stay in that place is the opportunity, the upside, the people that will change your life, the places that you've never seen, the experiences, the journeys that. Make life worth living.

The upside is just too high. We wait. We hope. We wish we imagine. But because what we have is safer than what we don't, we do not act. It's the wall standing before us stacked a thousand feet high of what ifs.

Of worst case scenarios, failed to expectations. We look up at what can be while living a life that is simply good enough. We rationalize. If we make a point to stop thinking about all the possibilities, things seem all right. But we know deep down in our souls that there's more, that things are only out of reach because the mind has convince the body that they're not worth reaching for. And this not only limits, but it denies us the very thing we need most, whether we know it or not, and that's the journey. Something worth fighting for, something bigger than what we are.

It's the missed opportunity that is tragic, never the failed expedition. But we have to be honest, we have to recognize that it's one worth taking that we're capable of so much more. And to convince ourselves that anything less is acceptable, sufficient, or worthy of our time is wrong. We need that leap of faith. The jump is in our DNA, crafting and defining our potential and transforming the possible into the real. She had a picture framed on the table that said make today amazing. Place there to remind her just how much of life is a choice, how much we get to decide.

It symbolizes that on our worst days life hands us lessons and on our best days, the highs of existence. During our low points, currency, and during our high points, the chance to cash it all in. Yeah, make today amazing. Because todays are few and far between. Todays are not an inconvenience nor an obligation. Today's are what it's all about. Today is the big show. the answers we look for, the destinations we long for.

Today is a place of dreams, that is, if you choose to leave room in your world for dream. Today is the beginning of wherever next is for you. A chance to see the new and normalize it. To stretch, to reach further out and pull image. impossible a little closer into your orbit, you can do that. And while one often can't control what they are given, they can control what becomes of what they are given. Like architects and designers engineering what will be and what the malleable world around

them will become, when one raises their standards, life seems to accomplish. Because believing it means acting the part, means making the changes, means the external world makes room, means your identity is reinforced and so the cycle goes by making today amazing, you are making yourself more. Decisions are the beginning of all things. See, very rarely is the tool in and of itself the difference. It's the vision that pulls us through. And if you take something arbitrary, say a hammer, there's no way to, based upon its existence, determine what it will mean or what will become of it.

A hammer can be an agent of chaos. It can smash and shatter and destroy. It can be the thing used to tear down. Or it can be what built. They can connect. It can alter and redefine so that something, when all is said and done, is brought into an existence that never was. It was never the tool. It was how the eyes viewed the tool.

It was the vision that designated the roles that made today amazing. And the reason we all need this reminder is, far as I can tell, is because the difficult things just so happen to be the meaningful things, because we are fighting, not against some little rule or idea we picked up along the way. We are fighting against our DNA, against thousands and thousands of years of evolution, because the fear that kept our ancestors alert and alive now in a totally new world keeps contained and our talents minimized. The approval of others that kept us safe and secure as we once traveled the landscape in small groups hunting and gathering, while now it keeps

us needlessly looking over our shoulders and craving acceptance. The unknowns that kept us out of the dark cave with the predator living in its shadows now keeps us confined. Looking out at life's potential through self-made windows. We need to be reminded to make today amazing because those things are quite the adversaries. Because our default is to just let the ship sail. Our default is to simply survive. After all, that is the standard and the rule by which living things abide.

Make it another day. But I believe you are more, more than a living thing. The God-like ability to not just exist in a world, but create new ones is a miracle, both a blessing and a responsibility, to drive towards a more fulfilled you, a happier you, a more complete you. But one must first become aware that around them exists the pieces required. to build something never before seen.

The vehicle to those far-off places that were once only dreams, thought, illusions. I've always believed that if it means something to you, it's not stupid. It warrants exploration. For even if the thought doesn't end up being all it was cracked up to be, even if it's not the destination, but only a stop along the way, It still pushes you to the next thing and the next thing and the next thing. It still moves you forward in this beautiful game of life. So decide.

Decide to make today amazing. Choose to make it better. Let the obstacles lift you up and the momentum carry you towards something meaningful. When others stop and find reasons to doubt themselves. How about you find this small way? buried, tucked away underneath it all. The little key that may do nothing more than get you through that next door. After all, sometimes that's what life's about.

Picking up your head when it's most difficult and finding the next door to walk through. And the magic is knowing you can always do that, because there always exists both the doorway and the key, but we must be willing to find it. That's the obvious thing about those doors. The right ones will open, but they require we find the strength to approach them. They require that we seek out amazing. And so with this in mind, what is the next chapter like for you?

Are you currently enduring one of life's winters? Are you navigating those inevitable valleys of despair in which the value is in fact that value is in finding that single ray of light amidst the storm. Looking within yourself for the courage to take one more step forward and another and another are you seeking out that spark that will reignite the fire in you because it's there so long as you choose to make today amazing. Maybe you've climbed yourself out. Maybe you're looking for whatever's next. the new evolution, seeking to follow your heart and continue the beautiful progression that is light. Let the external world support that vision, choose to see the detail not as trivial but as

the answers. The tools that will lift you up and support what you are building, it's there. She had a picture framed on the table that said, make today amazing. Place there to reminder how much of life is a choice. Because in a world of option, what a gift to choose the journey of a lifetime. What a ride that awaits so long as you decide to step in. If there's time, then there's time to turn things around. If there is a tomorrow, then there is hope today.

today. The only half-to-bees in life are the ones we prop up and adhere to. And how interesting that oftentimes we don't even realize we're the ones holding them up. There's a simple question that I like to ask as the sun comes up in the coffee bruise. Am I living today like it's an obligation or something more? Is it an automatic continuation of the past or a methodical move towards a future that lights me up? And these aren't small distinctions, right? I've lived both ways. I've felt what it's like to feel both.

I remember going to work and joking around that a flat tire would be a real treat. That's not accountability. That's not control. That's essentially living life as a jellyfish floating along with the tide. And while the lack of required output, innovation, and planning may have felt like a win in the moment, or a burden lifted off my shoulders at the time, deprived me of that which resides in the soul of every human being alive. Purpose. Personal agency. See, you can only go so far. so long being the spectator of your own journey.

You can only go so long looking out the window before you wonder just what it'd be like to be behind the wheel. When we put our actions up against the question why, it astounds me how many things are done because it's what we've always done. We act like we're expected to act. Think like we're expected to think, see you who we're expected to see, but expected by whom? Some of my greatest breakthroughs in life emerged after being asked why by people I look up to or respect.

Why have you accepted that? That's your income? Okay, great, but why? That's how you spend your day? I see how calm. And when one is tasked with looking at their own life through a magnifying glass, some hidden truths always emerge. It shines a spotlight in the corner of the room, illuminating those shadows where one can, if they look hard enough,

make out the wolf in sheep's clothing that is the phrase, because that's how I've always done it. We get in life what we accept. We are what we allow ourselves to be, and if we don't ask ourselves which mountain is worth climbing, which ocean is worth crossing, we simply float with the tides. We're at the mercy of the winds.

We forfeit the mastery over our own lives that await if we're willing to take that wheel and navigate. So here are a few things to take with you. First is you are bound by nothing. The parameters you exist between are of your making. You can get in that car and drive. You can walk away and begin something new. You can entertain that vision

that's been conveniently tucked away in the back of your mind. Understand that to not go is fine, but it's a decision and perhaps a decision you'll wish you made differently and second difficult today liberate you tomorrow it's easier to observe it's easier to say how you wish things were after all stepping out into the fast-paced chaotic world is tough it's scary it's unpredictable but it's where you find yourself and the path that's calling your name. It's beyond the pins and needles,

emerging as one jumps into the cold water, that they're able to find that evolution. If there's time, then there's time to turn things around. If there is a tomorrow, then there is hope. I was running over the weekend. Middle of the day, right under that smoldering South Florida sun, I was doing about a 3.7 mile stretch, which is one of six or seven legs I was doing for the Ultramarathon that day, against the clock, fighting the heat, you know, starting to really suffer,

which is the perfect environment for the thoughts that we don't want to let it. It's where we engineer compromise, create excuses, and I've been running all morning. So as I got more and more tired, you know, my mind inevitably started looking for a way out, rationalizing, slowing down. I think everyone's been there, right? In one way or another, and after wrestling with this for about a mile, came to a realization.

I'm doing too much. Not physically, but mentally. Building cognitive enemies, creating complexity. See, when you're uncomfortable, when you're in pain, things become incredibly convoluted. They seem chaotic. lack of clarity, at least for me, it creates anxiety. But that lightball moment was, you know, during that leg running to Key West at 12 p.m.

with miles to go and questions unanswered, that there's nothing complex about the situation, no mystery to resolve or riddle to figure out. In fact, on paper, this is one of the easiest things I have ever done. Why? Well, because all I have to do is not stop. That's it. do nothing. Keep this pace, one foot in front of the other.

That's my only task. No rabbits out of hats. I don't need to create the unthinkable. No, there in that moment, all I had to do was not stop. And that meant really that the heat didn't matter, that the distance didn't matter, that the world didn't matter. Those are details far too complex for me right now.

In that moment, they're way above my pay grade. I'd boiled the objective down into the simplest of tasks. Embarking upon the easiest thing I'd ever done, simply moving forward. And I started thinking about the things that accomplished in my life that I'm proud of, being knocked down, getting back up, fighting for what I believed in, creating, searching for answers. And now here, I'm really going to entertain the thought that I can't simply move forward. I'm going to be upset that this pace doesn't feel like lying in a bed of feathers. No, I like Simple. I love Simple. Simple equals clarity, equals progress, equals happiness. Who cares what's around the corner? Because knowing that won't mitigate the next 10 steps I have to take. And eventually that's exactly what I did. I started counting my steps in groups of 10 because that was really all that mattered. And like all things, you know, before you know it, you look up and the storm has passed. And I got to the end where my teammates waited with water and cold towels. And I got there without abandoning my one mission.

Not by an act of heroism, but by thousands of little acts that will remain unseen forever, that will disappear into the universe, I simply carried on a mission that I hold dear. My favorite quote, an old coach of mine used to always remind us, sometimes success is simply hanging on when others are letting go, that's it, that's all, that's everything. Because we're so inclined to overlook that simple truth because we think big results, require monumental action. And when you're exhausted, when the miles ahead feel like a huge task,

we dig deep for huge solutions. But the answers are not huge. They're minuscule. They're little things that make big things. And when I think back to my youth, my childhood, the times that'd given up or been discouraged, it was always because I didn't immediately cross the finish line

or hit the home run right away. I didn't get the immediate answer. But I can look back now and just think, if I realized that a walk or a single everyday takes you to the moon, that it's not about the miraculous, it's about simply carrying on which becomes the miraculous. See, we can't let ourselves be lured in by the guise of immediate triumph or false expectations.

No, let's remember that anyone, anyone can simply move forward. Anyone can take one more step, and that's all that's required of you. that's required of you. That's all you can do. Breathe, compose yourself, take that very next step, because if you can do that, the big picture things, they materialize. You start crossing finish lines, balls start leaving the park. Little victories accumulate and evolve. Life changes. Do not miss what matters. Don't overlook the simplest of things because that's what ultimately carries us Just home. Words like crazy, impossible, and irrational.

They all have something very specific in common. They suggest an improbability of outcome. They mock scenarios that don't fit well with the standard idea of the world and how it should work. Because well, people tend to view life as it is, not as it could be. But if there's one thing you need to remember, it's this. Every single thing in your life was at one point crazy. It was at one point improbable, irrational, or absurd. But this changes.

Because at certain points along the way, people were brave enough to look up and acknowledge that reality is forever evolving. A human being in a metal object going 60 miles per hour was crazy. Flying from destination to destination through clouds was crazy. Communicating instantaneously across the world was crazy. If your idea or your dreams aren't crazy, you're simply thinking too small. You need crazy. The world needs crazy.

See, change will always be crazy. Because it requires us to break away from what is. It means you're shaking the world and declaring yes, this is possible, yes, this can be real, and the world reacts accordingly. The previous standards raised just a little, and you open the door for what's to come. Crazy is what shapes the best part of everyday life. If you're going to run from anything, it should be from the boundaries we unnecessarily create and into the arms of crazy.

Around 2011, I hurt my left arm and had to get surgery. So for a while, I was pretty limited as far as what I could do with my upper body. And that's really when I fell in love with running. I started doing it almost every day. Sometimes those long runs outside clear my mind, sort of reset a little bit. And sometimes I'd mix it up. Hop on the treadmill and do my favorite workout, which was a pyramid, right? where you break 10 minutes into four segments,

four, three, two, and one, increasing in intensity with each segment, and then you start over. And that's where this whole idea comes from. It's this treadmill workout that I want to talk about because there's a little ritual I picked up that I still implement to this day, and it was simple.

At the very end of my workout, or my run, I would always add 22 seconds. My lucky number twice, two and two. So, for example, if I told myself, you know, the workout's going to be, you know, three pyramids or 30 minutes, I would stop running at 30 minutes in 22 seconds. If I told myself it was going to be an hour, I'd stop at one hour in 22 seconds.

Always tacking on that 22. And I don't really remember the first time I started doing it or even why. But like so many things that 22 years, second period organically became a habit, sort of evolved to take on a life of its own, and would come to symbolize for me a little challenge. The idea that the end is never really the end. And no matter how tired I was or how bad I wanted to stop, especially when you can see that finish line in reach, I could always squeeze out a little more. But there's always something extra to give.

And you could certainly go down that 22-second rabbit hole, right? Just 22 more seconds. And then you finish that and you realize you can do just 22 more and just 22 more. It's like this never-ending spotlight into how incredible we are as humans. That our stopping points almost always are constructed. Rarely is there not an extra 22 seconds or 22-something. things we can endure. And not only that, I think there's a case to be made that our growth occurs in that final

push. There's a ton of value hidden away in there. The stretching of the mind and body, the last rep that breaks down the muscle, the last few seconds of that run that forced the lungs to work their hardest. exhausting that last bit of energy and focus, you know, studying for an exam. Maybe that's where you confirm your comprehension and understanding of the subject matter.

It's like when we are pushing ourselves just outside the limits we drew up, we are simultaneously expanding those limits. And so over the years, I've adopted that mentality. And I look at myself in the mirror, now and I can see it. I'm not the same person I was a decade ago. Those little decisions to add on 22 seconds, they stack up, and they stack up in a unique way. Because it's not necessarily about the time.

It's not the same benefit that, say, an hour every morning at the gym would bring. You know, obviously that would be incredibly valuable, but in a different way, I'm talking about mentally, an armor that we come to wear, an identity that gets materialized. It's how you see yourself and how you see the world. You understand how manufactured our parameters are. And I get it, we have to stop somewhere, sure. But it's an acknowledgement that those somewheres are fiction.

They are arbitrary. You weren't made to exist within them, but to stretch them, to recreate them. And that's an endeavor that is always uncomfortable. But as far as I can tell, always worth it. The strength to go a little bit further than initially intended or designed is what will place you in a league of your own.

And that's where I wanted to start, by bringing attention to the idea that there's always an extra 22 seconds and you are always capable of obtaining it. That is yours. Whether you choose to see it or not, it's an option, it's always an option. Which sort of connects us to my next thought. If I know that's who I am, someone that fights for that 22 seconds,

if I know that's what I'm capable of and that's what lights me up, What about those times in my life when I had no desire to reach for the extra 22? Because sitting here, I can think of plenty. I can think of times when there was dissonance between my identity and my actions. Here's a quick story. This was a shift in my life and my understanding of reaching for that little bit more. When people ask me about my process, right, what I'm building or where I see myself in X number of years.

I tell them I'm playing the long game, right? Like, I'll sacrifice some short-term wins now to continue forward with a plan that I believe wholeheartedly will transform from linear to exponential, right? It's like Gary V's motto. You know, you're young, you have time. And impact is not about succeeding at 34, It's about flourishing at 45 and 55 and 65 and 75.

Like, that's fun to me. That's the exciting game to play. And it's methodical. The challenge is, you know, as you're locked into this big picture plan, you have to pass a lot of shiny objects along the way. A lot of, hey, look at them over there. Maybe I should be doing that too. If that work for her, will it work for me?

Right? Sometimes you forget to trust yourself and stay the course. And so a few years ago, I felt this pressure to pivot, to adjust focus. I'd been talking with some mentors of mine who were very successful in their individual fields and passions. And I thought, hey, you know what, it's time for me to start focusing less on the craft and more on monetizing the craft. Right? The De Niro side of things, which is great. it's healthy, but here's the catch.

As long as you're doing it in a way that aligns with who you are. And so a few months go by, and I found myself living in this overly-sized and priced condo on the beach that I was going to use to impress clients. You know, making products that didn't excite me, talking to people I didn't really want to be talking to,

living a life that was not my own, I'd lost myself. Right? My love is storytelling. It's capturing life seemingly overlooked secret. That's what I get excited about in the morning. That's the value I want to share with the world. And look, money is important. It's necessary. It's freedom. But for me, it can't be about the money or I lose the drive. Right? And here's the point I'm making where it all comes together. What I found is that When you're a stranger in your own body, there's almost no incentive to push for that little extra.

It's like, who cares about fighting for 22 seconds? I'm so misaligned. I don't even want to be here. Right? That is the red flag. That's the indicator that it's time to adjust. Because if I'm someone who wants more, who pursues and acquires more,

and I don't feel the urge to do so, You know, it's time to change. And I broke the lease, put everything I had in a car, went on a little three-month excursion, re-aligned. And if I'm not willing to suffer through that little extra, to go above and beyond, it's not for me. And so that's a big example. But it obviously manifests in smaller ways as well.

Yes, you are someone who can and will chase down the beauty in life, who will transform that little extra into something meaningful, but you also have to position yourself and the world around you to make it possible. And when you don't feel that hunger inside, and this is the point you need to understand, it's not you, it's not broken hardware,

it's not that you innately lack drive or confidence, it's that you need to rearrange this scenario, you need to find alignment. Because I promise you, if you want something enough, you'll be willing to fight for it, to hurt for it, to break boundaries for it. But you must first make sure that you're pointed at something you want, something that moves you. And here's the part where I remind you of all those things you've already overcome in your life. Of all the times you thought your tank was empty, but you found away.

all the times you were hurting but kept moving, all the times you were broken, but put yourself back together, we are not told in school or at work how resilient we are. We're not told that we often stop thousands of 22-second period short. We aren't told that we're living at a 30% capacity, operating at a fraction of our potential. We don't even realize the little miracles we've created along the way. A strong purpose and a willingness to stretch yourself as you pursue it will change your life.

And that's not hyperbole. That is fact. If you want what you've never had, then push yourself further than you've ever gone. And we're talking little stressors, expanding one step at a time. until you eventually look over your shoulder and see the miles you've traveled. Until you look at your reflection and see the evolution that has occurred. It was never just 22 seconds. It was a consistent and sustained shot at the walls you placed around yourself for the opportunity to see them crumble.

A life well lived is a dance. between having the strength to walk away and having the courage to go all in. It's juggling the idea that absolutely nothing matters, and the idea that every second is a blessing beyond which I'm capable of even explaining or articulating. Nothing matters, so live without limits or constraints, like you're on a once-in-a-lifetime,

journey, but everything matters. So know that every second along the way is perfect, a building block, a microcosm of the universe resting in the palm of your hand. And I think about this push-pull from time to time. I play with the idea that nothing matters when I need courage, when I need to convince myself to be a little bolder. Reinforce the understanding that there is no pressure here. Life can only give what I'm willing to carve out. And as that clock ticks away in the background, what do I have to lose?

As Mark Twain put it, it's the things we don't do that we come to regret. And then on the other side, when I need a little discipline, I play with the idea that the little things are everything. After all, two things can be true at once, and the details matter a lot. For me, getting up two hours earlier does make a difference, that pushing a little harder will add up. The little things become everything.

And painting that portrait that had been tucked away in my imagination, well, that's done one very real, very tangible brush stroke at a time. It's participating in that dance between nothing and everything. everything, the real and the imaginary. But for the time being, let's leave those very important little things and focus on the divine big things. Those nothings that with some vision and concentrated effort become some things. I have a friend that says to me all the time, nothing matters. Not in a nihilistic, you know, throw your hands up and stay inside until the end of time type way.

But in a way that poses the question, why wouldn't you risk it all? Nothing matters. Why wouldn't you risk seeing how far you could push, how long you could run, how much you could become? Because maybe, just maybe, this whole thing isn't as serious as we'd like to think it is. is. And instead of feeling confined and scared, what if you felt a lie blessed to even be here? And I think realizing that we build these imaginary boxes around ourselves and live within them is a huge step. That awareness that we spend so much time reaching out for things that will save us when in reality we simply need to set ourselves free.

We need to open the gates, build bridges to the infinite opportunity that surrounds us. And when I think about this, a feeling that still comes to mind, a feeling I had after 2K tests in college. Those of you that have been on the rowing machines, I'm sure you get it. But if not, picture a feeling similar to you. to an all-out sprint for roughly six or seven minutes, depending on when you cross the line. And when it was over,

after I'd finished picking myself up, I would just sit in the hallway, cherish the feeling of being done. After pushing my body to its maximum, I'd appreciate the nothingness, the same nothingness that I'd never pay attention to at all otherwise. But in that moment, it was everything. What a gift.

As you regain your composure, as your heart rate comes back down to earth, to just be still. I still love that feeling after physical exertion, the reminder to just be thankful for a moment of serenity. A reminder that life can and will inflict upon us these periods of absolute chaos, of turbulence. And often they're very necessary. They harden us, they shape us. but they also remind us to appreciate their absence. Same thing goes, and a lot of you, I'm sure we'll be able to relate to this for something like a headache or a migraine.

You know, when they come and go in my life, it's like the second a brutal headache dissipates, that nothingness is the greatest gift I could ever imagine. The absence of pain, infinitely more valuable than any tangible acquisition. And I think in those, moments, we get a glimpse of the world in its purest, simplest form, where all the nuance and detail we worry about doesn't matter much, because look at what we have. Look how much

surrounds us when we position ourselves to notice, when we simply pay attention. Tolstoy said, if then I were asked for the most important advice I could give. that which I consider to be the most useful to the men of our century, I should simply say, in the name of God, stop a moment. Cease your work, look around you. An incredible reminder to never forget where we are or what we were given. To remember that by breathing in the air around us, we have in a sense already one. And I love this because for a brief moment in time, it swings that pendulum to the nothing matters side of life.

When you're living a miracle-wise sweat, the small stuff. And I can ask myself, why do I get so worked up? It's no big deal. Why not take the risk? What's the worst case? That I fail and have to backtrack as a now more informed and knowledgeable person. why not stand in the face of my fears? The upside is consistently enticing. It consistently rewards. Look around and see what life has provided.

How dare we wasted. And with that said, I'd also be remiss not to include this little caveat. I'm careful with the words, nothing matters. Because even though in the context I've been using it for years, It's a positive, empowering thing. It's my reminder to push boundaries. I could also see how it begs the question, well, if nothing matters, why should I care?

And so let's reframe. Because it's not that nothing matters. It's that nothing outside the scope of your worldview matters. It's the acquisition of freedom, addition, by the subtraction of all those externalities we let hold us back. Because you know as well as I do, it's not really the externalities that shackle you. It's your thoughts about them. So open the gate to your mind, let the detrimental out,

and keep the necessary and the ideal in. Nothing matters if it doesn't align with you. your values and your destination. I know I say in every video, speech, podcast episode, that we are the authors of our own stories. And it's because we craft our nothings and our everythings. It's because your universe, the one behind your eyes, it needs a maker every morning.

And if you allow it, Each sunrise can be your genesis, your own beautiful creation story. You have your hand on the dial. And so, amidst this world of infinite beauty and opportunity, look around you, soak it all in, ask yourself, what does freedom look like, feel like? Because you were put here to pursue that. And outside of those parameters,

I believe that nothing matters. So why not live like it? Dream like it. Use the little thing in front of you to build the big things that have not yet arrived. Walk away when it's misaligned and go all in when you know in your soul it's right. There is everything to gain and nothing to lose. What motivates you? No, not when things are great.

Not when you have momentum and you're feeling good, but what motivates you on your down days? When things are a little off, not going the way you want them to, you took an L, angry with your progress, maybe even having a hard time remembering why you got into the game to begin with. What acts is your rope to latch onto and pull yourself back up to a good place? Because after all, that's what it's all about, right?

The difference between a good day and a bad day it's nothing more than the thoughts in your head. You're walking down the street. Something comes to mind that, you know, we've all been there. You're happy about it. You're excited about it. It kind of lifts you up for a second. You know, your day didn't change.

Nothing around you changed. Your mindset did. And that particular moment, that feeling, is worth diving into because it's incredibly relevant when we're talking about big picture pursuits working towards something that is a long way away I was just talking to a friend of mine lives in Nashville incredibly talented guy and he's working like crazy to get his music out there we were talking about our similarities as creators you know and the idea that no matter how much time

you put into something how hard you work you never really know how the next song, video, speech, or whatever piece of content, you know, how it's going to be received. You just never know. And that can be tough. But where we got to in the discussion, and this is really my message to you, that same rationale

can and should also be the spark that keeps you moving. Because, yes, you're uncertain, but you are also always one-crime. creation away from your life changing. And that's the reality. We are all only one creation, decision, or action away from altering our current trajectory. And that I'll speak for myself during my difficult times is what I latch on to. That excitement contained in the infinite possibility ahead. Maybe I haven't seen progress for X amount of time, but guess what? That says nothing about tomorrow, and I've talked about that a million times, tomorrow can change faster

than we can blink, but you have to see that. Consciously, be aware. We all know how easy it is to look at our losses and think they're indicative of our potential or ceiling, but they're not. The loss is the struggle, they are the seeds to growth. And I wish every single person that's accomplished anything of significance had all their risks. That backs periods of self-doubt and struggle documented somewhere so the world can see that avoiding pain and loss is not the formula. It's knowing that pain and loss are part of the process and continuing through it. Not taking it personal.

Failure is not personal. It's the water that makes the plant grow. See, 90% of the game is tricking yourself, positioning yourself to feel momentary, feel that progress. The little steps in the long journey. You know, setting up appointments, projects, events, creating visible benchmarks, even when they're tiny. Because when you feel like you're progressing,

you're empowered, when you're empowered, you win. Remember this. The only way to lose in life is to stop. It is to stop growing, stop progressing, stop failing, stop failing, Stop taking risks, that's it. And yeah, that might sound simple, might sound easy, right? Just don't stop.

But it's not. And anyone in pursuit of something greater knows it's not. When you're beat down, when you've written 200 songs and none of hit, when you've spent money, you don't even have on a film or a video when it doesn't get good reviews. When you start a company or invest in a product that doesn't meet expectations, the act of moving forward, it feels impossible, but that is the magic. I had a coach that used to always repeat the saying success is often simply hanging on when others are letting go.

Yes, you want to be great. You should. We all do, but being great comes with time, it's skill, it's ours, its commitment. Moving forward takes no skill, no talent, just self-belief, and that can be accomplished. right now. That is a wind you can pocket right now immediately. And what I tell myself during those rough stretches, it is quite simple. Any future step could be the one that changes my life. As long as I continue forward. I am one creation away from everything changing and so are you. Something can come to life because of you. When you're digging deep, when you feel like all the work, the energy is not

paying off, remind yourself that momentum, right? The wind at your back, the flip switch that changes your life. As you know it, it is one step away. And when you fall short, it is one step away. And when you fall short, it is one more step away. Because one of those steps will be it. One of them will open that door you've been pounding on it. It won't be because you did the impossible. It will be because you convinced yourself to move forward when your doubt and your insecurity begged you to stop. You knew, you knew one of these at bats would be the one to change it all and you didn't stop until one of them did.