Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - LISTEN TO THIS EVERY DAY - Best Motivational Speeches to Win!

Episode Date: October 4, 2024

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. - Robert Frost If you're lucky enough to be different, hold onto that gift. I spend a lot of time exploring the power of perspective—how our reality is shaped by what we see. What one person views as a barrier, another sees as an opportunity. The same goes for those qualities that make us unique, ones we might hesitate to fully embrace.What will you do with what makes you different? Monday Motivation Newsletter: https://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletter Free Ebook: www.eddiepinero.com/ebook  YouTube: www.eddiepinero.com/youtube 

If you're lucky enough to be different, don't let go. I spend a lot of my time and energy exploring the power of perspective, how our reality is determined by how we interpret what's in front of us. How one person can look at one thing and see pain or a problem or a barrier, and another person can look at that exact same thing and see opportunity, or a future win or a bridge to something. better. And I think one of the best examples of this is how we perceive those qualities that make

us unique, those things that put us in a different category. Maybe we're a little hesitant to fully embrace because they're not common. And when it comes to that which separates us from everyone else, well I believe we have a decision to make. I'm going to go back to Robert Frost's fork in the road, right? He says two paths diverged in a wood, I took the one least traveled by and that made all the difference. On the surface, you could easily brush this off as trivial. It's like, oh, nice, that's cute.

He took the path less traveled by. But what does that mean? As it turns out, it means a lot. It means instead of burying what makes him different, he made it his battle cry. Instead of slipping under the radar and sneaking through life like so many of us do, he signed the dotted line for the pain of being a beginner, the struggle of being uncertain, the discipline and sometimes torturous road, that is, turning a passion into excellent,

trading peace of mind for the pursuit of meaning in life. Exploring what makes you unique, it takes courage. And in that message, he, chooses courage. Because it's not just that you're alone. Taking that path means every step of the way your mind screams at you reminders that you're alone. It's not just fighting traffic patterns, it's fighting your DNA. It's resisting that impulse to please sit down, shut up, and blend in. So is it a trivial decision? I'd say not really. Maybe even the most important decision you can make. Because I promise you it's not your commonality with those around you that will bring fulfillment

That will leave a mark on your life and the world that surrounds you No, it's that thing that's unequivocally you That's a little out there that's somewhat strange that you don't know why but it's gravitational force pulls and pulls and pulls A tug of war where one One side begs you to just relax, conform, do less, begs you to never be laughed at or criticize, to take the easy road. Then you have the other side, poking, prodding, asking you, hey, yeah, but what if? What if you sacrifice the comfort of right now?

What if you explored? What if you took that which you love and you ran with it? What if you worked for a delayed payday? What if for a moment in time when people ask you what the plan is, you will be able to You have to look back and say, you know what, I'm not quite sure what I'm building. But I'll keep pivoting until it's so clear you can see it from the moon. Those are the paths that pull us apart. And every time I've lost my way, it's because I've doubted my unique path.

And I mean that every time. It's when I become impatient with the journey or look around and see someone else winning in a different arena. different methods, different strategies, see the latest trends and success formulas. Hey man, I want part of that, right? I'm human. I want to win. I want to succeed.

But just like a little opening is enough to let in the outside water that sinks the boat. Well, a little bit of doubt is enough to derail your process. A process that you have to believe in, protect, nurture. A process that I've come to separate into two pieces. Number one, believing that the exploration of that thing that makes you unique, it's valuable. That your abilities mean something. They're not inconsequential. They're not stupid or trivial or unnecessary.

If it means something to you, it will most certainly mean something to others. And you bringing it to life not only helps you. yourself, evolve, grow, flourish? It helps the world. You just have to believe that enough to bring it to life. That's number one. Number two, trusting that as long as you don't stop in pursuit of your unique self, you can't lose. You can't lose. And I don't mean continuing to ram a square peg into a round hole. I mean growing, learning, experimenting, seeing what works. There's a saying that when you hit a dead end, it's not that the goal or the dream should be abandoned. It means the plan needs to be changed or adjusted. And as you get better

and more experience and continually work to adjust your strategy and your plans, learn from your mistakes, it becomes a matter of time. You increase the odds with every step forward. Being different is the most precious thing afforded to. But to realize that miracle requires a combination of both the mythical and the practical, the imaginary, and the real. Dream that dream, visualize that growth, create a world out of those ideas that don't exist yet. But also understand that the conversion process from dream to reality, is a practical one. It requires repetition.

Learning, losing, adjusting, and people don't like that. It's much easier to blend in than spend years pushing through the agony of setting yourself apart. But it's worth it. And the evidence is so obvious, so plainly pointing to the fact that we only celebrate the outcasts. The crazy ones. We sit around campfires,

listen to lectures, watch movies and documentaries about the people that had every reason to doubt themselves but kept moving forward. About the people who could have swept their unique abilities under the rug, but instead use them as their foundation

for everything. Not being distracted by what's popular or how anyone else lives or operates. not seeking to be anyone but themselves, knowing that that is enough, knowing it's the seed to something precious. The only question is will you provide the right conditions and nourishment for that little seed to grow? Will you do what so few people have the courage to do? Let their authentic selves shine through.

Let who they are emerge. Emerson has a quote. He says, to be yourself in a world that's constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. He goes on to say, my life should be unique. It should be an alms, a battle, a conquest, a medicine. And see, perpetual happiness is a fool's errand. Now, life is full of trials and tribulations and ups and downs. But fulfillment comes from that quest.

for meaning, for more, for building something, for creating your unique self, a process, a pursuit that must be chiseled from stone. It's never given or provided. It has to be found. Take it. And as Emerson beautifully implies, now is the time. The question is, what are you going to make with this once in a lifetime opportunity? What will you make of the possibilities that only you know, only you understand, that only you can bring to life? Never doubt yourself or your gifts or the things that set you apart. You don't need everyone else to believe in them. You just need to convince yourself.

else, it falls right into place. I saw a quote that read, people wait all week for Friday, all year for summer and all their lives for happiness. In many respects, waiting is what humans do. We wait to start or wait to stop, wait to go, or wait to leave, we wait and we wait and we wait. And in doing so, fool, not time, but ourselves. That clock is going to tick away regardless of the IOUs we write to it. It will take those plans and dreams and ideas,

and with its two hands carry them away as part of the perpetual rhythmic march. See, one of the most dangerous words in our vocabulary is tomorrow. A concept, illusion. A hesitance that becomes oxygen to the eventual flame of regret. It becomes the stories we tell about what could have been if only tomorrow arrived a little sooner. But the problem with waiting for tomorrow, as Jim Rohn has famously said, is that when it arrives, it's called today.

Tomorrow is the box in which we place the things we've not yet found. the courage to start. But I want you to be that courageous. I want you to take the shot, to step out, to create momentum, knowing that your journey will be one of imperfection. But imperfect is how everything valuable begins. Perfect, on the other hand. You know what's perfect? Tomorrow is perfect. Ideas that never start, that contain no mistakes are perfect, wishing is perfect, hoping is perfect. But capturing the beauty contained in today, that's not a perfection game.

That's a willingness to start and adjust along the way. It's a commitment to begin now. So let's disarm tomorrow. by making our magic today. By pointing directly at all those things you've been worried or scared or intimidated by and simply taking one step towards them. Rather than waiting for life to push you forward,

walk yourself there and let life react. There's often a vast 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. long for. 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 stock 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. For me, it's been understanding. that in my life I am the one that creates, 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 it makes way. And it's a 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? Sure. 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 at, out 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 There's a saying that some people feel the rain others just get wet. I've always found this interesting this idea how the same subject same situation or occurrence can be interpreted so differently, right? It can plant the seeds for such different outcomes. Like Yashimi and Koga mentioned in their book,

The Courage to be disliked, well water is 60 degrees. And it's always 60 degrees. In the summer and the winter, but depending on what time of year, right, the makeup of the outside world, that 60 degrees feels different. The water didn't change, its circumstances did, and our thoughts are no different. It's not the world that writes the story.

We do. And every second moment day is merely an interpretation. Does time tick by? Or is it driven into a state of flow? Is it transformed into something more? Was losing an indicator that, hey, maybe you're not good enough? Or is it your motivation to be better than you've ever been? Is your day an allegiance?

to the present, or an invitation to chase down tomorrow. See, the world doesn't get to tell the tale. The world is paper, it's ink, its ideas. The world is everything you need to decide how your story's going to go. How does he see the world? How does she define reality? That's the question. Because you don't need to change the world, you need to change the way you see it.

And you don't need to change who you are. You need to change the imaginary shackles you've placed around your ankles that are limiting the heights you could reach. In fact, the world, as far as I'm concerned, is an accumulation of thoughts, ideas. It's 8 billion individualized movie screens attempting to interact to coexist together. And when you look at it like that, it's not that your mindset plays a role or it's kind of important. No, it's that it narrates the play. It's the glue that ties everything together. What you see is what you get.

And this isn't a one and done thing. It's an everyday thing. Because there's always going to be occurrences in our lives that challenge us to threaten our understanding of who we are and what we're capable of. There will always be the temptation to make the opportunity into the problem and the hero into the villain.

But why forfeit? Why forfeit that control? I remember hearing that if you find time to be grateful, both in the morning and at night, it changes your life. Not because the world transforms, but because it reinforces the perspective you need. We are lucky to be here. We're lucky to have challenges that push us forward.

Lucky to have ups and downs that bring us closer to the people in our lives. We're lucky that chaos and discomfort open a door for transformation on the other side. And look, I get life isn't perfect. And not everything can be great all the time. But I do believe that if we can bring ourselves to stop, to breathe, to even focus briefly, we can find value in any situation. What's in front of you, it exists, right? It's the well water.

You can't go back in time or remake the obstacle at your feet, but you can always decide how to make that work for you. And that's a superpower. And I use that. I use it when my short-term ideas or videos or projects underperform. I use it when people let me down. I use it when in the moment I'm either under or overwhelmed. The question, where is the win?

In this spot, this situation where most would hang their heads and let the outside world rewrite the story, how can I find a way to hold mine high and maintain my own accountability? Extreme differences in life outcomes are so often prompted by such subtle realization, subtle decisions. Their reason to stop could be your reason to not only carry on, but thrive. And the best news is you don't need approval or authorization. You don't need the stars to align or doors to open up. You just need to give yourself permission to see the sun amidst the clouds, the hope amidst the doubt. to remind yourself that there is always something to cling to always a second chance

there is always a win all you have to do is to see it you can become so fixated on winning or losing the game that you forget to ask yourself am I playing the right one is this my game am I setting myself up to win in an arena of significance to me. Because look, there are infinite games out there. And sometimes we find ourselves caught up in a race. We have no business running. Meaning it doesn't really do anything for us.

It's not where we want to be or should be. There's a saying by someone in a few social media outlets actually restricted my post for suggesting it was Einstein. So it might not be Mr. Einstein, but whoever said it, thank you, you're awesome. The saying goes, everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it's stupid. Now, there are a lot of us fish out there attempting to climb trees as we speak, wondering why we're not where we want to be. perhaps seeing the results or lack thereof as an indication that we're insufficient, inadequate in some way, when, hey, that's not the case at all.

It's that we haven't taken the time to identify our own personal intersection of what we love and what adds value to the world. We haven't manufactured those fireworks. That's something that has to be explored, found. J.R.R. Tolkien, not all who wants. wander are lost, right? And I think we innately fear this process of searching because it's unsettling to not know how things are going to play out.

Trust me, I've been there, right? It's taxing to not have your packaged little elevator speech and a five-year vision when it seems like the whole world does. But to deprive yourself of this exploration is to potentially forfeit the very thing that you come to live for. Most of the time, purpose doesn't fall into one's lap. You have to have your eyes open.

What's meaningful must be sought out. Now, I'm going to play a little devil's advocate here because our world is not black and white. It sort of lives in this gray space, right? Can you win at someone else's game? Sure. There are a lot of people, quote unquote, succeeding in areas that are not ideal,

that they don't love, that they're not their best in, but how is success being defined? I've talked extensively about my journey and all those games I used to play the targets I used to aim for. And I know a lot of people who've come to similar epiphanies, right, but when you don't realize you can exit stage left and begin again,

start something new, you simply continue this same song and dance. Right? It's not life that keeps us confined. It's ignorance that keeps us confined. We simply have to be taught that there's more. And I understand to find an arena where you can thrive in a purely historical context is a luxury.

You are programmed to survive. You're not programmed to build an art studio because it's your passion, right? But there lies the battle. We are at a place in time where we have collectively cultivated abundance. The phone you're using to consume this content, that little thing can be a portal that transports your thoughts, your creation, your business to the masses.

You have at your fingertips access to billions of people. You have reach that humans only 30 years ago all the way back to the beginning of mankind can only dream of. The means are there. In so many ways, it's about freeing yourself to pursue the opportunity that exists all around you, because we self-limit. Alan Watts asked the ever-important question, what would you do if money were no object? Now, in a practical world, why ask such a question?

Simple, because removing those monetary constraints as you contemplate your answer, allows you to truly analyze what endeavors are meaningful to you. When something is meaningful, you want to do it. When you want to do it, you immerse yourself in those little intricacies, in those details that the average person simply doesn't pay attention to. Making you so good at whatever that thing is that eventually, not only can you be the best at it,

but you can monetize it and probably at a very high rate, It's not money holding you back. It's not time holding you back. It's not the external world holding you back. It's what you have been conditioned to believe that's holding you back. You are a genius at something. You are king or queen of your empire, victor within your arena. But to realize these things, you have to, one, understand it's a possibility,

and two refuse to stay stagnant. We have to stop conceding so much while simultaneously accepting so little. Life will never provide what you do not ask for. So why? Why be scared to ask? Life won't tell you you're a fish climbing a tree. You must tell you that.

life won't expand your horizons and adjust your trajectory, you must initiate that change. To find your genius, you must be willing to leave what's insufficient. To capture what's meaningful, you must be willing to leave what is meaningless. Let's agree to alter the question, do I have genius level talent? Because you do, and you live in a society that also rewards those who realize it. The question we need to be willing to ask is are you willing to walk on shaky ground, to abandon, at least for a period of time, safety, and the comfort of predictability in order to find that genius?

Are you willing to nurture the greatness that already lives within you? Because it was never a matter of ability. It's a matter of what you're willing to discover. We have so much to let go of. To dismiss. Ideas, narratives. They're not ours. Not in our best interest anyway. Yet we carry them around. Carry them around like we're

perpetually tied to the lies they espouse, the fiction they propagate. We have to let go. Before we add a single thing, before we adopt another way, it all has to go. I don't remember where I've seen it, but I know I have. Maybe cartoons when I'm I was younger, but I'm imagining that character that is taking off their jacket or shirt, and there's always another one underneath it. And they're like confused, frantically pulling off shirts and more and more keep emerging. They had no idea how many layers they were carrying around with them. And funny enough, 20 years later, I'd be thinking that we are no different. There are so many layers and so many of them should be gone, should be left, should be confined to the dust,

bin of history. Those boundaries in your life. Who set them? Who said this is as far as you can go? Who put that little fence around your world and ask that you stay obediently confined to its borders? Who said that what you have is all there is? Who said upside is too dangerous?

Who said life is about predictability and routine, so stop asking. asking questions. No one. No one said those things. So hey, there's a start. Empty your pockets of the boundaries that are making life heavy. What about yesterday? Might as well take off that backpack, tip it upside down and pour out the yesterday. You made mistakes yesterday. Ah, but that's not today. you didn't like certain aspects of who you were yesterday. But that's not today either. Your friends, maybe family, maybe others in your life, knew you to be someone. Someone you don't think you are or someone you wish you weren't. Well, more breaking news, that was yesterday. Did you even realize you're still carrying around who you were yesterday on your back?

Your next step has a lot to do with now and very little to do with yesterday. So embrace and wave goodbye to those calendar pages you've already turned. That's the best move for everyone. Oh, and those concessions you make, you didn't think I'd forget those. You can't forget those. Unshackle them from your ankle. Those things you say, eh, you're not ideal. but it's easier to live a lesser life with you in it

than it is to go through the trouble of pushing you away. Perhaps the people that darken your light, the actions that you know are not you, the time exhausted living for someone else, gone, gone, and gone, it has to go. And look, we all know life is tricky. It's hard to walk away from things so ingrained into our daily lives for so long. But let's play a game.

Let's pretend it was. Pretend life was that simple. Things I need to leave behind A, B, and C. Well, that's definitely simple. Perhaps not easy, but simple. And now through this simplified lens you have a target to aim for. Something to chip away at. You have your block of marble. Now comes the process of chiseling a little bit at a time. And that's the goal.

And that's the goal. Because to not carry these things ends up meaning everything. Space no longer occupied by the wrong things creates space for the right things. Knocking down what doesn't belong creates a platform to build what does. So onward, we must go, not falling into the trap of pointing at externalities, blaming the world for our confinement. But instead understanding that we have been, perhaps without even realizing it, taking our confinement with us, in our pockets, on our back, trailing behind our every step, a subtle resistance. And when it goes, we can finally grow. We can become more.

So what can you do now to live a life that's more meaningful, that's more true to yourself? Well, you can start. Start by doing less of what weighs you down. When you're at your lowest point, you are, often without realizing it, positioning yourself to arrive at your highest point. Potential energy accumulating to propel you through an atmosphere of new beginnings. See, I believe our adversity is life asking that we submerge and die. deep, sometimes very deep, just to remember how badly we need that oxygen above.

So that when we again come up for air and we will, we notice the warmth of the sun on our face and the calming sound of the waves crashing on the beach. You don't make the most of what's around you until you recognize that what's around you is the opportunity. And so life reminds us. A taxing reminder. Right? It rarely gives without first taking away. It rarely opens new doors without closing old ones. And that, to put it, simply, can hurt. They don't teach you in school that growth is painful. But as it turns out, a life without growth isn't much of a life at all. And so we must dive deep. We're given no other choice. Without night, there is no day. Without suffering, there is no beauty. Without those depths below, there is no surface above. Our submergence

is our transformation. The cocoon that separates who we work, from who we will be. But unlike the butterfly, it doesn't just evolve once. Our journey requires that we are continuously growing a new pair of wings. Life is chaos. Life is unpredictable. Life is hard, but you were built to not only endure in its arena. You were put here to excel, to learn the rules and then expand upon the rules.

Sometimes break the rules. You were put here to take the difficulty and provide meaning to it. Piece by piece is if it were the construction of a rocket to the moon. Little pieces of at one point frustration and confusion and chaos combined, reused and transformed into exactly what you need them to be. emergent properties. You just have to be willing to see beyond the now and assemble.

To come up for air and soak in all that awaits at the surface like you've never done before. The other day, I was texting with a friend of mine. Out of nowhere, she goes, what's wrong? And I'm thinking, nothing, right? I haven't said anything.

You know, what do you mean? She's adamant, right? She goes, something feels off. I thought about it and realized, yeah, she's pointing out something I've known for a little bit here. Something is off. I'm hiding from myself. Feel a little burnt out, a little tired. Certain areas of my life had become unevenly distributed. In fact, I was flirting with that thing. I've always feared doing most. Simply going through the motions.

That scared me. I don't want this, right? I've come too far to feel like this. I'm better than this. How do I fix it? How do I solve it now? Figure it out now. But eventually came to realize the now part just might be the whole problem.

Fix the now like it's a headache and me shaking my fist at the sky will be ibuprofen. No, battling imperfection is a fool's errand. It's setting yourself up for disaster. We are humans, not gods. We are perfectly imperfect. And when something is off, don't fight, listen. Don't retract, expand. Here is the opportunity.

I'm under the surface. Diving down into the depths of my own soul. hear what it has to say, so that when I come up for air and I will, the sun will warm my face like it never has. The crashing waves will offer a symphony to my ears that I've never heard. And I'll see that the world I'm taking in is more a reflection of me than of it. As that saying goes, you don't see the world as it is. You see the world as you are.

And how lucky to have taken a step back, a trip below the surface, to realize again that I am the painter, not the critic. My world had become black and white, not because we live in a black and white world, but because sometimes we forget to put the color in. Sometimes we don't give ourselves permission to expand beyond the parameters we've created for ourselves. So with the breath and the oxygen will come a new appreciation, a liberating gratitude. There's nothing so sweet as remembering that both the castles in the air and the chains at our feet are imaginary. And hey, you get to choose which one to believe in. See, what time has taught me is that there is strength in our vulnerability. In the times we fall or lose ourselves.

And I know the inclination is to panic, perhaps assess too quickly, to not hear but talk, to not listen but attempt to solve, which leads to the application of Band-Aid, on bullet wounds, when we are low, when we are lost, it's our chance to better understand ourselves. It's the metaphorical equipment room where we stock up prior to our next ascent. And if I could emphasize one thing, it would be that our perceived understanding of life, it oscillates. Sometimes we feel like we get it. We do. And sometimes we feel like we're sprinting with our eyes closed, it's a riddle we will never fully come to solve. But I do know one

thing. We can't change the unpredictability of the world, but by observing, by listening, by getting back up, we can change ourselves. By recognizing our strength, we can utilize the downtimes, as they are the education we've been longing for. Remember, the world does not and will not ask perfection of you. So don't ask perfection of it. You were built to endure, to overcome, and to recreate yourself. Losing your wings will never be the problem.

It's forgetting that they must be regrown. That is the problem. So step out. Rise to the surface of your world and breathe. Take in the surroundings that will become your world. resurrection story if you let them. Hardy fiber cement siding handles conditions that can cause damage to vinyl. From fire to hail, Hardy siding stands tall through it all.

Helping trade professionals look their best when they recommend Hardy siding and trim. See the proof at James Hardy.com. The other day was on a podcast with Evan Carmichael, who's a YouTuber and entrepreneur. And we were talking with Shaquille, who was the host, about the mental side of the entrepreneurial journey, how we set goals, but also prepare ourselves for the inevitable adversity associated with growth.

And one question, Shaquille asked us, was, where do we see ourselves in five years? So side note, I have a unique relationship with this question. As someone who was unsure in experimenting with their career, for much of their adult life, I never quite knew how to answer it. You know, it's like two things can be true at once. It's a very reasonable question.

But I also didn't like answering it, right? Hated it to my core, you could even say. I could never really articulate why. It just made me uneasy, right? Like five years of lifetime. How am I supposed to know? And again, no knock on the host at all. It's a very common and practical question.

and I'm glad he asked it because it opened the door to a pretty cool conversation. So anyway, he asked the question and I'm thinking, oh, man, like, how am I going to approach this? And before I said a word, Evan blurts out, look, if you know exactly what you're going to be doing in five years, you're thinking too small. In that comment, to say it made me happy was an understatement. It was like, thank you for saying what my mind has been trying to piece together for a decade and a half. You know, if you know exactly where you're going to be, of course you're limiting yourself. There's just too much predictability, too much routine, process, and not enough experimentation, not enough life. Why? Because growth is unpredictable.

It takes us places we didn't expect, shows us things we didn't anticipate, it unveils truths and minor miracles about ourselves, that we, let's face it, never would have seen had we been dismissive of all life's variability in opportunity. Now, does this mean we don't move with conviction in a general direction? Does it mean we don't have goals or ambitions? No, I certainly don't think it does. You can't hit targets you don't aim for. That will always be true.

It merely means life is not about being perfect in bringing about a particular result, it's about making adjustments throughout your pursuit of meaning. If you feel closer to your purpose when you change the medium, then change the medium. If it means your heart tells you left

is where the value lies and not right, then go left. To me, it's essentially reminding us that life is not a black and white, yes or no checklist or test. It's a game, and you have to grant yourself, the freedom to play.

You have to give yourself permission to grow. I think about how much time five years is. And how five years ago, I wasn't even thinking about creating media the way I do now with the amazing team of people that helped me. I wasn't speaking on stages. I hadn't crafted my creative style.

I didn't know the people I know now who introduced me to not only new people, but new ideas. These are characters. their stories, their opportunities that present themselves only as you immerse yourself in the journey. And I was okay not knowing exactly, but merely moving towards a general direction.

The most important decisions were, you know, looking back, not what I said yes to, but what I said no to. As I moved through life experimenting, learning, growing, I was able to craft something that worked for me. Not other people. not what's in books there's no roadmap no it's an experiment

and this is more of the reassurance I would have wanted during those years from an older version of myself like it's okay to not know exactly where you'll be just promise yourself this if it matters to you you'll find a way to move

to it with it towards it And if it doesn't, then let it go. Surround yourself with people that lift you up, and if they don't let them go. You'll hear a lot of talk about the right way to do things, especially in this information age. Those ideas and decisions may have, in fact, been right, but they also may be wrong for you. Try, test it out, and if not, let it go.

go. The experiment that is your life is the reward. It's a luxury. It's such a beautiful ride. You know, don't box yourself in because of some made-up theoretical plan. Don't avoid the path to a new world because I checked my list and this doesn't line up with where I said I'll be February 23rd, 2008. Now, go live your life. Do your best to exist in that place, the intersection of what you love and what adds value. Let it bend, let it transform, let it teach you things about yourself and the world. There aren't correct ways to live, but I think there certainly are some wrong ways. And that's time spent out of obligation, adhering to a story that means nothing to you.

Push. See what life gives back. gives back. Your footsteps in the aggregate will reveal truths and tell stories you could never have even dreamed up. It's in going that your book is written. And just a friendly reminder, people don't read books for the last page, the ending. No, they read them for that stuff in the middle, right? The journey. So next time I'm asked what my five-year plan is, I'll probably say same as my 10, 20, and 30 year plan. I don't know.

But I can tell you, I won't lose sight of that North Star, the one that calls my name. But at the same time, I won't be afraid to wander into the night. Dance in the moonlight, even get lost in the shadows from time to time. Growth is directly correlated

to one's willing, to push forward into the dark. And well, into that darkness, we shall go. I read something this morning that said at some point in your childhood, you and your friends went outside to play together for the last time, and nobody knew it. It seems to me that many of life's last times elude us. We aren't aware of the pages turning or chapters ending.

The phases of life essentially blend into each other, one fading into the next. In fact, we don't even realize the extent to which things have changed until we peer back over our shoulders. See, life is happening to us now. While we plan, hope, and pray for better days, 99.99% of life consists of the time that exists between the so-called pivotal life events. The average, the ordinary, the things that we pay no mind. So what's the relevance?

Why does this matter? Well, because the sun coming up in the morning is life. Pouring your coffee is life. Small talk with your loved ones is life. The art you're creating, music you're listening to, the workouts at the gym, they are life. and not in a so you better be grateful or else kind of way but in a if you don't understand this contentment will be incredibly hard to capture

kind of way I have a lot of favorite quotes but this one tops them all character Andy Bernard from the office he says in an episode I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them And I can't get over how that statement proves itself to be true repeatedly.

Over and over again. How it's not until we peer over our shoulders that we realized how lucky we were, how much fun we had, how much the time meant. I recently went to a wedding for one of my best friends from childhood. And funny enough, we only lived in the same state for four years, from fourth grade to eighth grade, before I moved across. the country to Massachusetts. And I thought, as I flew to the wedding, you know what, I should post a picture of us as kids together, you know, say congrats. And I quickly realized on the plane ride that I don't think we have any, right? It's essentially only memories. It's the stories that we still to this day laugh about, those events that shaped our childhoods, the things kids go

through, that change the way we look at the world. And all that happens so fast. I think it remains so precious because we were so fully immersed in it. It was such a simple time, pivotal, and gone in a snap. I had no idea it would mean anything 20 years later, but that's life. It seems to go by in an instant. Which is why I think we need to find that sweet spot. Respect for the duality between sometimes sacrificing the present for a better future, an ability that makes humans remarkable creatures.

And also enjoying and realizing how precious the ride, how beautiful the now, whether the current season is ideal, a struggle, or in between. To feel something at all in its own unique way is a miracle. And if we look, we'll find that there is good here. There's growth here. There are moments that you'll look back on and smile at knowing that they shaped you and played a role in who you're becoming.

So the point is, as we make our way through life, it's highs and lows. Perhaps look around and make an effort to see the beauty in the journey. Understand that nothing is forever. The people you talk to, places you go, the things you do, they will all dissipate. And while sure, the now may not be perfect, and in some cases even a stepping stone along the way to a better, wiser, stronger you, the idea shouldn't be too long for the enjoyable part, but to realize you are in it,

to know that some of these things we take for granted will be missed when they're gone. Let's not fall into the trap of letting life go by while we waited for it to begin. Let's, as Andy Bernard stated, Remember that the good old days are right now and embrace today as the truly incredible gift, opportunity, and finite ride that it is.