Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - LISTEN WHEN YOU WAKE UP | Morning Motivational Speeches (50 Minutes)

Episode Date: April 1, 2023

“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don't go back to sleep.” – Rumi

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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 lease 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 common 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 and pulls. A tug of war. where one side begs you to just relax, conform, do less, begs you to never be laughed at or criticized, 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 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 something. someone else winning in a different arena using 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.

The 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 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 dreams 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, 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 used 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 authenticity. 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. No, 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 and 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. Everything else, it falls right into place. Standing on that ledge, staring out at what we know we need to do, at the moment we least want to do it, well that's where the future is shaped. When procrastination feels like the answer or avoidance the optimal choice, where does one draw their strength. They say routine is a powerful tool in this fight. And I believe that when something becomes habit or part of the process instilled in the day-to-day,

there's just simply less room for negotiation. We show up with our eyes on the prize. But here's the thing, we are human. There's simply going to be days when the world pushes back. Life is a game of complexity. It's unpredictable. You want to talk about the good days, fine. It's easy to show up when we're feeling good.

And thankfully, those days outnumber the others, right? Creating the bulk of our consistency, 10,000 hours. But not all of them. Life is about momentum. Myself, after coming off a pretty terrible weekend, for a variety of reasons, I found myself on that ledge again. When the alternative route made itself known, where it felt mighty tempting to call it off,

take a break where my worldview had come into question, I had to ask myself, who are you? Really? It's easy to rationalize walking away in these moments. In his book The War of Art, Stephen Pressfield says Our job in life Is not to shape ourselves Into some ideal we imagine we ought to be

But to find out who we already are And become it Well who would have known How much goes into that process of becoming How committed we have to be to the road before us And not only when it's sunny But when the skies are dark and gray and how if we allow ourselves in those difficult moments to say,

sometimes it's okay to wave the white flag, it's okay to walk away, then you leave the door cracked to make that same decision at any other point in time. Quitting, conceding can very easily become a habit and a habit we want to avoid at all cost. Right, I have this little rule that no matter what, I can never leave dishes in the sink overnight. Never.

I treat this, you know, arbitrary little promise to myself, like it's life or death. Which, again, random, but hear me out, it's half practical, half symbolic. I know that if I say, okay, just this once, I've effectively removed the barrier separating order from chaos. If it's okay just this once, then it's okay 1,000 times. And a messy sink becomes a messy kitchen, becomes a messy house, becomes a cluttered mind. Extreme, maybe. But critical, right? Here is where the symbolism comes in.

I understand how fragile that divide. How when I'm tired or have a headache or I'm busy, it's still priority. because I want to hammer my subconscious with the understanding that I show up when it's inconvenient. That very moment when, you know, I could easily trick myself into thinking it's small or dumb or arbitrary. It's a sink, who cares? Right. That's the moment that I need to bleed into the rest of my life. And I think that's exactly it, right?

The floodwaters are always looking to come in. And how many cracks until the room gives way? You know, when you've had a few rough days, when you've lost something important to you, when you're sad or disappointed about an outcome, what then? When life calls you to exceed expectations, what then? Because the world around you will always give you evidence, support dialing it back, right? Selling yourself short if that's the case you're looking to make. But here's the deal. Should you choose the inverse, you are strong enough to be best.

better than you've ever been in those challenging moments. You can show up when it hurts. You can reestablish your why and carry forward even after the turbulence of yesterday. Life will never be easy. It will never all make sense. And this understanding has helped me to roll up my sleeves and continue forward when I'm disappointed with yesterday or overwhelmed by the the conditions or landscape of the moment when I question how much I have left.

But I've found that when I look hard enough, there's always something to draw. And that's the message of note. That's what we must show ourselves. When you're on that ledge, this can be where you're at your best. This is where you get to uncover just how deep-rooted. your greatness is. This is where you set the standard and the pace for everything to come. It's been almost two years since I first read it, and still the main idea from the book, The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi deeply resonates with me. The idea that being

happy is essentially dependent upon the courage to be disliked. And at first, it might not seem like the two, you know, whatever be related. Happiness and being disliked. An odd pair. Maybe even seemingly counterintuitive. Until you realize that happiness comes from such a personal, authentic place that allowing the expectations of others to chart your course means that you'd probably never arrived there.

You have to do what's best for you. In doing what's best for you is going to come. create a divide somewhere. Why? Because everything creates a divide. Everything is subjective. I knew I wanted to dive into this topic, but wasn't sure the best way to do it. So the other morning I was trying to think of like an objective truth, something that no one could disagree with. They're sitting on my balcony and pointed up towards this guy. I thought, let's start there. Simple as it gets. Hard to refute that, right? I am pointing. up. And I remembered we're floating on a globe, a giant sphere. There is no up. Up is perspective.

Everything is perspective. What's the difference between one and two? Some might say it's one. But technically there's infinity between one and two. You can have infinite decimals. One point 9-99 goes on forever, right? Point being, there's subjectivity when we drill down into even the seemingly obvious truth. Now, the value here is not to go running around, arguing with everyone that there's infinity between one and two. No, there are certain aspects of society

that we must adhere to, otherwise we couldn't function together, right? But it's simply to show that you following the path you believe is right for you. you cannot be rightfully assessed by someone else. It's to place trust in your internal personal judgment. And when people don't understand your infinity, that doesn't mean it's wrong. And by the way, I don't have blinders on to the fact that it's hard to do.

In many ways, it goes right up against our lizard brain biological wiring. right? We're fitting and equates to survival, and ostracization becomes a death sentence, but we are, fortunately, beyond that. It's in our interest now, and in fact, I think the courage to be disliked is a critical lifelong journey. I'm better at this than I was 10 years ago, no question, but do I still have a ways to go? Absolutely. There are still things I'm working on every day to let go of. I remember reading in Jefferson's biography about how it was so hard for him to be demonized in the press all the time that it almost dissuaded him from jumping back into politics before his presidential run. Being attacked is a hard thing. But ultimately, he let his

beliefs and personal values drive him, his ambition in a lot of ways, and came to see the scrutiny as a cost, decided it was worth the price. Or like I use this all the time, take one of the biggest pop stars of our day, say Justin Bieber. You look at what people are saying about him in the comments of his video. A lot of it's wonderful. Some of it's great, sure, but some of it's awful. And that's just the price of anyone putting themselves out there. And again, you think of an inverse scenario. Imagine if he didn't. Imagine if he limited himself or didn't dive fully into what he does because he knew some folks out there would have some bad things to say. Now, we are, for the most part, neither famous politicians nor pop stars,

but our worlds contain the same elements at different scale. There are things we're all scared to do or say because of how it will be received. There are parts of ourselves that we repress because we don't know what the feedback will be. We're all scared to fail in some capacity because of how it will look. or what others will say about it, which is why being disliked is courageous. As Aristotle has said, the only way to avoid criticism is to do nothing, to say nothing and be nothing. The opposite of being fully, truly yourself is becoming the manifestation of that quote. It's never pushing yourself, never seeing what you're capable of, never exploring or executing on your dream.

dreams, your ambitions. Now this is speculation, but if I were a gambling man, I'd place everything I own on the idea that when we're old, looking back on our lives, we'll spend less time thinking about who criticized us or disagreed with us than how we spent our days and who we shared them with. Did we live in a way that made us happy that was meaningful? Because on a sphere, everyone believes they are pointing up. But in actuality, none of us are. We're all merely navigating the subjective universe behind our eyes. So why not truly explore?

Why not capture the magic out there before the hourglass runs out of sand? It's hard, sometimes it hurts, it takes all we have, it requires courage. But I think we'll all come to find. that the decision to live fully in our authenticity, regardless of whether others agreed, disagreed, or were indifferent, was the best decision that we ever made.

That to find ourselves requires we must first lose ourselves is, I believe, life's greatest paradox. leaving that carousel of comfort, the predictability of what we know, the certainty of who we believe ourselves to be, for a promise with no real guarantee of being kept, well, it's nothing short of irrational. Are the odds in our favor, perhaps not?

But by stepping off, by placing our bets on a different track with a different prize, with a different prize at a different time, we have increased those odds from zero to, well, I guess we decide. And see, the world teaches us that it's advantageous to spin. A spinning carousel is predictable. It can't be cheated.

There's very little room for loss, or humiliation, or setbacks, or even life to get in the way. You know where you start, and you know where you end, and that's just the thing. This spinning world is so we, easy that people don't want to leave. In fact, it's not until you walk away from the crowd that you even face the unknown.

And that's precisely why it's so hard to walk alone. It's hard, it's challenging because of the now. Not because the now can't be measured or understood, no, we get it. But because there's this little whisper in the back of our heads that the now might go on And on, and on forever. That that check will never be cashed. The summit never reached. No, just footsteps down a perpetually long, windy road.

And that's, you know, when maybe, just maybe we miss that carousel. We miss the safety and security. And that's what sometimes makes it such a stressful thing to walk alone. We think about all of ourselves, our mind, our heart we've. left behind along the way. Truths, we now have to face things they never taught us on that carousel. We had to learn that we were wrong about who'd be by our side through it all. We could no longer hide behind the notion that when things got tough someday everyone, everything would be there would be the same. We learned to swim by jumping into the deep end, seeing in real time that

people only believe it already exists. What's put in front of them. That ideas are empty. That a dream is a language only spoken by its creator. And if you want it to mean anything, you must dedicate your life to translating it. We learn how much is backwards, how much of life is reactive.

That success is being one of the few who don't react, but build a world to react to. And in the thick of it all to internalize the process. process because talking while talking does nothing. Plans are just potential energy confined to your pocket. You have to be okay growing that seed by yourself, like a runner making her way past a crowd. Right? The crowd sees calm, sees peace, sees the finesse of an athlete gliding over the pavement. They have no idea the war being fought behind her eyes. The silencing of constant whispered. to slow down, to do less, the repression of pain that consumes her to such an extent,

it can't even really be pinpointed. It just kind of floats over her body. They'll never know that. And what we learn is that they don't need to. It's the truth. And see, it's also what makes it quite lonely to walk alone. Walking alone, well, it's a lot of things. But it's never boring.

It's never dull. And if you can hang in there long enough, without even noticing the headwind you've been fighting, it becomes a tailwind. And where we may have felt alone, the idea pops into our heads that maybe that's not quite right. If anything, the wind at our back is now momentum. It's a partner along the way. That carousel, yeah, it's still spinning, but somewhere else. Some far off place beyond our field of vision. And no, things don't ever become easy, we wouldn't want that.

But difficulty is interpreted differently now. Not a burden, but a cost, and one we'd gladly continue to pay. And that space that once felt so empty, so desolate, It's so helpless. Well, now it's made up of people who see what you see. Who hopped off their own carousels and wandered through the desert. They too navigated through the impossible and the never been done. It's funny how, at some point, we always find each other.

And I suppose now, having traded the carousels for the adventure, we can walk alone together. Us against the world. Standing up in defiance of the aught, chasing that glimmer of hope, all in on a pursuit to find what most won't and see what most can't. Not because we were made different,

but because we chase down the idea of different. It gets a tough rap. walking alone. And in so many ways it's a fight. It takes all of you. But you don't come out the same person you were when you stepped in. The same person you'd still be today had you stayed on that carousel. So if you are still spinning, step off. And if you have, if you're still adjusting to the discomfort of reality. If you're making your way through the hell of uncertainty or questioning whether you have what it takes or have the strength to commit, I promise.

In fact, you're right where you need to be. So don't be distracted by those screaming of their successes or communicating, capturing every small win as they make their way around the carousel. It's the quiet ones who change themselves, the ones who take life one step at a time, one battle at a time, who redefine reality. And I'm sure you can't see it now.

No one can. No one can see the sun amidst the storm, but you'll emerge. Stronger than you ever were. You will navigate towards the idea, and away from that life you once settled for. It's a long path, but it's worth it. So get up and let your feet guide the...

Let's go walk alone. Remove the lifelines. Eliminate plans B, C and D. Let the curtains close and the lights dim. See the beginning of something new. something new requires the ending of something current. So make life propel you into Chapter 2. Let the door slam and lock behind you throw away the key.

With the boats burned and turning back off the table, we have to make it work. We have to figure it out. Well, how, we might ask, with only these pieces, with only this circumstance, with only these resources. Well, it's funny how when walking away is no longer a possibility, so many other possibilities are born. When we're stuck between the wall and our demons, we roll up our sleeves and do that, which we have been, let's face it, running from. We fight. We become proactive. We take initiative. It was always there. We just never had to. So if you can't do it on your own, make life make you. Because the bottom line is there are new horizons that await your arrival.

They are always there. But they require you to make the trip. to look out over the vastness of what's before you and convince yourself that what's ahead can become your new normal. And oh, how I wish we weren't biologically preconditioned to preserve, to stay safe, to stay the same. How I wish we weren't constantly being pulled to stay right where we are. Our minds, they love it here. with the rest of the world, the change, the hope, the progress, all on the other side of that window, all outside, all foreign to us. You don't need any of that, it'll tell you.

Or maybe, after you conjure up a little courage, it might compromise. It might say, fine, it's worth a try, put one foot out the door, but don't forget, you can always come back to me. You can always retreat. It's warm here, safe here, it's predictable here. The mind wants you to know that when things get tough, mediocrity, and comfort are always right behind you, ready to embrace you with open arms. And it's for this reason that those boats must be burned, that the door must be locked, and that chapter must be closed.

The journey before you, it's going to be difficult. There's no question about that. Anything of value brings difficulty. And when faced with the adversity, the only way to defeat it is to know there is only one way. One option available to you. And that one option is forward. It's through. There is no backwards or compromise.

There is no safety. Not if you want from life that which is extraordinary. Not if you want the things we covet dream of, whether they're interpersonal, financial, career-oriented, health-related, maybe you just know in your soul that right now ain't it? Any move to something better will present to you its obstacles. And my advice, if it's what you really want, is to have decided before you started that there is no other way.

There's no negotiating with yourself. Because if you allow that door to be cracked, life will kick it open. So point the compass north and dismiss any notion that what's comfortable is more important than what's meaningful. When you're cold, nothing is more appealing than that warmth. But warmth is deception, a short-term ploy. for you to forget what really matters. An illusion.

See cold subsides, but victory is forever. Knowing that you pushed forward when most wouldn't is forever. Transforming potential into strength when your knees shook is forever. So burn the boat. For no other reason

that there is no way forward so long as there remains a way back. Make life make you win. And where most would look around and see evidence of defeat, you'll find again and again in the same quote-unquote evidence to tools to build ladders to new beginnings and bridges to new worlds. There's a saying that I love

that most of life's successful people were too ignorant of the odds to know their accomplishments were coming. considered at one point impossible. And I love it because it highlights that there was never a fallback option, a concern for the statistics. There was no worry or exhausted energy on what if. Rather, it was constant building and adjusting, finding ways over, through, and around the

walls that inevitably stand before us. There was no way home. So they pushed forward into their greatness. And so can you, whatever shape, form or color greatness looks like in your eyes, whatever mountaintop appeals to you, if you want it, if you're willing to decide before you go that you will one day stand amongst the cloud peering out at that world you deemed wasn't against you but for you. Anything is possible.

The saying goes, sometimes success is simply hanging on when others would be letting go. And that's it, holding on. I've spent a lot of time focusing on what I need to do, worrying about what must happen in order to bridge the gap. But there comes a point where the difference comes down to what you want. won't do. What I refuse to do, where the true victory will be not in saying yes, but in saying no. Simply standing tall when the world demands I bow down, success will be predicated upon where I build and defend my walls, refusing to be intimidated by the road ahead. I've actually come face to face with this adversary before.

In fact, I meet him almost every day. And not on accident. I hunt him despite his strength. I pursue him, even though he has the potential to harm. I do this again and again. Now, certainly sometimes amidst the turbulence, I lose myself.

Forget. Maybe ask myself why. What a strange dotted line to sign, right? Why volunteer to fight this battle? The questions will bounce around in my head momentarily. But ultimately, I remember why. I sign up to face this demon because if I can beat him, I can beat anyone. In fact, if I can learn to consistently show up and prevail here,

The rest of the world becomes a lot less intimidating. Little pawns on my chestboard, if I prevail here, I become the type of person who prevails, period. There's power in that. You seek out the monster to destroy the monster, and in doing so, reminds yourself that destroying monsters is what you do. Life is full of them. In fact, we can't help but come into contact with them as we ascend to greater things. But those moments end up being much bigger than we may have initially expected.

It's during these confrontations that we map out our understanding of the world. It's here we decide which rules govern our existence. See, when we seek out, confront and defeat our monsters, two things happen. We show ourselves one that we can and two that it's who we are. So you finish the dance with your demons. Conquer them, reach your finish line, take off those running shoes decompress and that's that. So you think.

But life says no, not so fast. It says just because you're not running or in self-initiated. combat with the monsters of your choosing doesn't mean they go away. It doesn't mean life is going to be smooth sailing. No, sorry, this world is tough. It's ups and its downs and those who successfully navigate its turbulence must be capable of handling that. And so the question inevitably becomes, are you? capable of handling that? And there might be a world where you're unsure, but in this world, you've seen too much. You've earned your confidence. There was nothing trivial about all those steps you've taken, all those footprints in the sand footsteps on the pavement. You weren't learning to win a race. You were learning to win at life. You were teaching yourself that context aside, things you don't love will from time to time be dropped in front of you. And when the inclination

is to run or retreat, you won't be lured in by fears, false promises. Temporary discomforts. Because the world has been dropped in front of you before and you've found your way through it. When life feels like it's collapsing in on you, the walls crumbling down. The instinct is to let all the destruction impact yourself worth, to see it as an indictment or referendum on you as a person. But no, you've felt the walls crumbling before and all you did was run harder. When it hurt, you wrote. When you were tired, you found more.

Your suffering mile after mile was not an indication that you weren't enough. It was merely an invitation to be better. After all, that's how you defeated those monsters time and time again. So here's to all those monsters we will face in life. The ones we seek out and the ones we don't. the ones we plan for and the unexpected, they're all the same. They all have the same vulnerability, same kryptonite, your mind.

And your exposure time and time again to the self-induced depths of hell has made you invincible. The world only stops people who know no better, who haven't seen themselves brush up against the demons who stand guard protecting those coveted finish lines, but you have. And where many bow down and declare their discomfort a catastrophe, you smile to yourself and call it just another Tuesday. It's been said that humans always follow through on who they believe themselves to be.

Well, you have made yourself in your mind a slayer of dragons. conqueror of worlds, and that's why those steps matter. That's why all this matters. So next time you go hunting for that overly ambitious adversary of yours, and you find yourself face to face with him, tired, weak, maybe even temporarily unsure, remind yourself why you're here. Remind yourself that each step forward is a proclamation to the world,

that it's not about the here and now, it's about life. It's about defining who you are and ripping apart the world's limitations one by one. If you move forward here, you move forward anywhere. If you stand tall now, you bow to no one. And when the time comes, life hands you its problems and its obstacles, you'll stack them up and stand upon them. And so it's into the darkness of night. The chaos of battle you go,

because that is, was, and always will be who you are.