Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - MORNING MOTIVATION | Wake Up Early And Start Your Day Right | Listen Every Day

Episode Date: July 14, 2023

"'Someday' is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you" - Tim Ferriss

Someday, the things that you currently don't understand will make sense. Someday, the big things you're dealing with won't seem so big anymore. Someday, the doubts you have about yourself will be revealed as false. Someday, you'll see that the things you worry about didn't matter at all. Someday you'll see that the road before you wasn't something you had to walk flawlessly, but rather something you had to trust and believe in. Someday you'll look in the mirror and see that you had it in you the entire time, that there was nothing you needed or should have been hoping for.

Yeah, someday. Someday that will all be true. But what about some days? from the past. I remember years ago thinking someday I would venture out into the world. Someday I'd speak my mind. Someday I would start my own business.

I would surround myself with people who believed in what I believe. Someday I'd make a little more money, have a little more time to do what I love. Someday I'd have all that. And as I look around, I realize It looks a lot like someday. But guess what?

As we grow, so do our some days. It's a chase that never end. There's always something more. There's always something bigger and better. And the problem is not the ambition. The problem is forgetting that in so many ways, You've dreamt of being where you stand right now. You have arrived.

You're not the same person that 10 years ago was throwing some days out into the universe. No, you have grown. You have learned. You have evolved. Why does this matter? It matters. Because without acknowledging how far you've come, You cannot acquire the strength needed to go where you must go.

When you don't feel good enough, it's often because you haven't looked over your shoulder and opened your eyes. The evidence is right there. It's hiding in plain sight. There's proof that you've been there. That you've faced demons and conquered them. endured your battles and overcame. You did that. And at one point not that long ago,

you couldn't say that you had. You weren't yet that person, but things are different. Now, what you have today was once only that hopeful someday. It was a fleeting thought. It had no merit and no value, yet you brought it to life.

Look what you've done. Understand how far you've come, how you ran when you could, you walked when it was possible, you crawled when you had to, and continued on to arrive at a someday that is right now. You, my friend, are a maker of things unseen, an architect of tomorrow's and some days. So don't you dare. Don't you ever entertain the delusion that this gift suddenly stops now. Suddenly the burden is too much. The mountain is too tall.

No, what you do is overcome. That is who you are. You've done it for you. You've done it for the ones you love. And in some cases, the ones who didn't even understand, but you kept going. marching through the fires of hell to turn some days into right nows. And I get that the road before you is uncertain. There's no way to know exactly how life will unfold.

But that's besides the point. A bird can't predict every gust of wind it's going to encounter. It spreads its wings, takes off, and adapts because it can, because it always has, because that's what it does. I'm not advocating that you should have all the answers. No, I'm suggesting that you trust yourself to find them. To move forward into the haze that surrounds you, to make sense of the seemingly illogical,

bring about reality from the make-believe. Someday you will have what you're aiming for. But here's to never letting a today go by without realizing that you are always living out a someday from your past, you are always arriving and leaving simultaneously. The accomplished end the student, crossing a finish line and on the starting block, with another race around the corner,

another chance to stretch your legs and reach for the heavens. If you ever forget that, I ask that you find it within yourself to look over your shoulder. to remember what you once asked for, and to appreciate the journey that you have undertaken. You did that. Now onward you go, you have more some days to bring to life.

We all fall down, but only a few choose to get back up. A few depersonalized failure. A few understand that falling, is the cost of greatness. Your reality is not what happens to you. Your reality is how you internalize what happens to you. Or obstacles stop signs.

Or are they checkpoints along the way to something greater? Checkpoints that make you stronger, build you up, become your armor, that is ultimately, the difference. What we misinterpret in life is the meaning behind that difficulty, that pain, that suffering. No one gets a pain-free life. No one gets a free ride. Suffering is inevitable. As Nietzsche says, to live is to suffer, to survive is to find meaning in the suffering. And what's changed my life, and I don't mean here and there, I mean truly transformed the course, and trajectory of what's possible is simply redefining that which is difficult.

I grew up watching the Kobe's and the Brady's of the world. I remember thinking, how do these guys get better when things get difficult? I mean, as a kid, I could feel the pressure watching from the couch, but they somehow elevate themselves when the odds are stacked against them. Same exact situation that causes most to doubt, to run, to lose their self-belief.

What they see that alludes most is that in every pressing moment there's opportunity. Every loss has something to gain. In every failure, there is victory. Everyone has the same rulebook. It's just that some people only see what is right in front of them. Others learn to read between the lines and create outcomes that have not yet arrived. When things are hard or challenging or uncertain, it's not that you should keep going. It's that you must keep going.

Everything good, everything rewarding, worth having is on the other side of that struggle. Everything meaningful is built from the days you felt like there was no possible way to move on, but did anyway. That is the core of greatness. carrying forward when it would have been easier not to. When you feel the hurt, the emotional turmoil, and I get it, we all do, but beyond that feeling, what are you willing to see?

Beyond the ashes, what are you willing to build? What are you willing to do with those pieces? Because it can be nothing or it can be everything. It all depends on how you choose, how you choose to step back and look at the world. Your perspective becomes the roadmap for your reality. So understand that feeling down or lost is normal, but staying down is a choice.

There are no problems. There are stepping stones, the very situations that make you who you are. The little decisions that over time equip you to step up when it matters most. When the pressure's on, the odds are against you, the rest of the world says no. No matter how hard it gets, there is an answer.

Rise above the emotion, the chaos, the present moment, and see the big picture. Not only will you survive, you will be better because of this, because you kept moving forward when it wasn't easy. No matter how much. how hard life got, you never lost sight of the opportunity. And that made all the difference. A little girl walked up to the edge of a river,

took a piece of paper out of her pocket, folded it into a little boat, and pushed it out into the open water. The little boat made its way with the current, kind of unsure where it would take him or what it would ultimately mean. And for days he felt helpless, lost. Until one day a storm pushed him to the edge of the riverbank.

A man picked up a little boat and began examining it. Is this my home? asked the little boat. Well, wouldn't you be the only one who knows the answer to that? The man asked. I suppose so, said the boat. It doesn't feel like home. So the man nodded, started to put the boat back in the water. before the little boat cried out,

wait, I don't want to go back in the water. I'm scared, I'm lost, I'm alone. The man, with a reassuring smile, pushed the boat back out into the water and said, look, I've felt how you feel. And I've been where you are. I know what it's like to not know where home is, but the only way to find it

is to carry on. That water is your path and little boat, you're not alone. So the little boat kind of gathers himself, starts making his way down the river. A few more hours go by. Suddenly he runs into some plants that are popping out over the surface of the water. He realizes pretty quickly he's stalk. He can't move. The panic starts to set in.

He's freaking out. He's thinking, now I'm never going to find home. All these terrible thoughts start going through his mind. He's screaming for help. But then he sees all of the world. The mom with her son over on the shore, the child points the little boat, says, Mom, look, another one's stuck. We need to help it.

The mom says, no, this one will break free too, just like the last one did. Give it some time. The little boat hears them and starts thinking, wait, someone else got out of this situation. The thought never really crossed his mind, that it was possible. So he takes a breath, starts rocking from side to side, building momentum. him a few seconds later the plant's grip starts to lessen. He nudges his way to the front of the brush and sure enough slips back into the flow of the stream. The little boy points his mom look the little boat got out she says he sure did baby he just had to realize that he could so the

boat again collects himself keeps making his way down the river proud now right feeling accomplished growing into a paper boat of his own making when sure off that wind shifted direction. Suddenly he's not able to go where he wants to go, starts drifting towards the muddy riverbank. How could this be happening again, he thinks to himself? But see, that little boat started to learn a thing or two about life. That it wasn't all smooth sailing, that it would present its obstacles, but that contained within that little paper sea vessel It was far more power than he knew. So he unfastened the excess paper on the back and the sides of the boat and created a little sail,

and at first nothing happened. He waited, knowing that this was it, this was make or break for him. He adjusted one more time. He could see the shore, feet from where he was. And then suddenly he felt himself turned. The boat started making its way back downstream, against all odds, he had managed to get back on track. And he was so excited about this

that he didn't even notice the water had cleared out and led him to this giant opening. It took him a second to adjust, but when he did, he saw boats of all shapes and sizes from paper to the largest boats he'd ever seen. So he went up to the first one he saw, a little red and white canoe drifting around. He said, I can't even believe this.

I had no idea what I went through to get here. I almost landed in the wrong place. Then I got stuck in some brush. I thought it was over for me. Then to top it all off, I started drifting towards the muddy riverbank and I barely adjusted course. I'm talking seconds. The red and white canoe smiles and says, well, so did I. And that's just it.

That's the magic of this place. You can't even get here. Until you learn that the wrong stops are inevitable, but that they don't define you, that you have the strength to keep searching. Until you learn that you have the ability to get yourself unstuck. That life setbacks aren't forever and that you can find a way. Until you learn that some things you can't control, but how powerful are the ones you can. As the saying goes, you can't change the wind, but little boat, you can always adjust your sails. These are the things we all had to learn.

Little Boat looks at him and says, But how was I supposed to know that? That I wasn't the only one. Well, that's the thing. You don't really find out until you arrive. I guess it's just one of those funny aspects of life. Well, I'm going to tell the world, said the little boat, that no one is alone.

That we all get off at the wrong stops. That we all get stuck. that we all have to adjust course, but the trick is to keep sailing down river, no matter what, keep sailing down river. I'm going to tell everyone that they are not alone. That's a brilliant idea, said the red and white canoe. Now, come on, I'll show you around.

You're going to really like this place. That thing that gives you butterflies, that lights you up, That world you see when you close your eyes, chase that. With all of your soul, chase it. It's easy to brush off life's potential. It's just outside the realm of possibility. To see the ideal is some form of windows shopping that you can almost touch.

A fantasy to be explored when you sit back in your office chair or pass time in the doctor's office waiting room. But I think these aspirations mean more than that. Not distractions, but a North Star. Not a diversion, but the path. And by the way, I'm not naive about this pursuit. and all that it entails the truth behind it, I'd never advocate that what's possible or meant to be is somehow easy. In fact, I'd argue the only way something is meant to be is if you're willing to commit to

the difficulty in bringing it to life. Otherwise, it wasn't meant to be anything but a missed opportunity because it surely will be a difficult road and here's what we come to learn everything of value is difficult. You know, in an attempt to oversimplify, I often break life down into the easy thing versus the difficult but meaningful thing and in some ways sure that's true. But I can also honestly say it would have been more difficult for me to have stayed where I was, not moved to. at all, to not have pursued what I believed in, it would have been more difficult thinking about that life I could have lived, the doors that could have opened, and that's just it.

Life is about choosing your difficult, the difficult you seek out intentionally, or the difficult you come and let take control, render you helpless. And I think when we find ourselves in routines, or we've built for ourselves, a world we know we don't want to live in anymore, or we've outgrown, it's not that the current is real and the future is not. It's that we, somewhere along the way, decided to face the wrong opponent. Some adversaries make us strong. They force us to be more to grow. Other adversaries or opponents, they sit back and they let us defeat ourselves, and that's what we don't want. See, when the world knocks you down, you get to rise again.

Wiser, tougher, stronger. But when you keep yourself down, well, there's nothing to be. gained from that. Those two opponents, they are not the same. I reference my speaking career because for me, it's where that transformation is most evident. It's where it all began. My opponent was very much me. Avoiding opportunities, hiding from failure, I didn't give life a chance to knock me down. And so it didn't. How could it? I'd already placed my myself in chains. And because of that, guess what, I stayed the same. I couldn't evolve. My ideal future was an idea that would briefly entertain me from time to time and move right on.

It wasn't until I found the courage to switch my opponents. From myself to the world, I let life humble me. I gave talks where I was nervous and had cold feet, keynotes where my delivery was mediocre at best, where I barely got by. But with these battles came metaphorical riches, came that trust that had to be manufactured, that confidence that had to be earned. When I got out of my own way,

I was able to let the trials and tribulations of life create a new foundation. for me to stand on, to redefine reality. And the good news is that anyone can do that. Anyone can ask that question? Is something external in my way right now that I need to figure out that I need to solve? Or am I in my own way?

Am I not even giving myself a shot? Have I settled for right now as truth? when right now is just the less ideal difficult. When I was little playing action figures with my buddy up the street, we used to think it was cool to see around corners, to see through walls, to know what was coming before it arrived. For action figures, absolutely.

In superhero movies, why not? But in the journey through it, life you don't need to see around corners. In fact, it's counterproductive because it is the interaction with the unknown that matters. It's adjusting amidst life's uncertainty that comes to make you who you are, transforms you and your reality. As far as I'm concerned, the only way to lose is to remain behind that corner. Peering out every now and then, whole hoping to get some kind of advantage or shortcut, willing to let life pass you by while you wait for the stars to align,

thinking that that vision of an ideal life will stroll along the sidewalk, see you and reach out a hand, that weight will be a long one, unproductive and difficult, more difficult than trusting yourself to face whatever lurks around that corner. So remember that who you are is built, And every time you do something a little bit scary or unsettling, every time you wander, a step or two outside of your comfort zone, the reward is not just the short-term triumph

you feel as you leapfrog that obstacle and carry on. No, you are investing in a new you, a new reality. You're investing in something changing before your very eyes, putting a little marble in a jar that is your potential and you can't see it. Not now, no one's going to announce it to you. You might not even realize or understand until you look back years down the road. But those little acts of courage, they matter more than you know.

They're not trivial and they are certainly not insignificant. When that movie plays in your head, and you think to yourself, I wish, or if only, and the delta between that image and the reality on the ground disappoints you, gives you a little knot in your stomach or dissatisfaction that floats around in your thoughts. Remember that that feeling is transferable,

that difficult can be exchanged for one that actually changes things. You can get off the merry-go-round and towards a new north, Star. Difficult, yes, but we've seen the goal is not to avoid difficult. It's to pick the difficult that will transform your life. It's to find meaning in a world that if you do not pay attention, will paint your landscape with routine and obligation. And today can certainly be a continuation of that script. A box that's checked, a calendar square with an X or it can be the beginning of something that gives you butterflies that lights you up. That brings you one step closer to the world you see when you close your eyes.

Why is this battle you versus you? With all the complexity, all the obstacles out there, why are you your greatest opponent? Well, to put it simply, because all those obstacles and all that complexity still can't tell you no. They can't say enough is enough. They can't look back at you and say, let's just settle for what we have now. No, only you can do that. The world may create the landscape, it may construct the terrain and those obstacles. But you are the sole decider on where along the way you stop.

You decide how far you want to go and how much you are willing to endure. When it comes to your advancement or limitation, you are in the drivers. I just picked up a copy of Will Smith's recent book. And one of the ideas that stood out to me was resilient. And this part in the book, it's actually kind of uncomfortable to get through, but incredibly powerful. He's talking about his childhood and the polarity of his father's personality. A man who would do anything to provide for his family, he took pride in that and saw

it as his primary responsibility. But simultaneously was their greatest source of pain. And he mentions his father hitting his mother from time to time. And one particular example struck his mother in the face so hard that it knocked her on the floor. And as she stood back up, she said something along the lines of, you can hit me, but you can't hurt me. And that was the first time Will understood as a child, the difference between what the outside world inflicts upon us, and how we choose to react to that occurrence. That understanding is power.

That's why you are the author of your story. In this sense that every single thing dropped at your feet, every situation, every occurrence, they come with an implicit question attached. A question that you and only you are responsible for answering. The question is, what does this mean? And how you respond to that question determines whether you go left or right at that metaphorical force.

in the road. Does the occurrence detract from your ambitions or is it a multiplier? Does it confirm your doubts and insecurities or is it your reason to rise to the occasion? An opportunity to stretch, to evolve. That's a gift. That's an invite. Not some sort of divine punishment. But the challenge is removing the layers until you arrive at the value. And it's hard. But you get there by saying yes. You get there by choosing to see the value. And here's a quick example. My favorite thing about athletics,

which was for me a ton of running. Now I throw more interval training in there, but the same concepts apply. It's a chance to remind myself that I don't negotiate with my weakness. I don't give myself an opportunity to rationalize with the voice that wants me to quit. That question, that fork in the road, I answered it. I charted its course before the workout started.

Knowing this is going to be uncomfortable at times, but it's where I need to go. There will be no more thinking from here on out. And so today's workout, for example, switching deadlift. to squads, to core, you don't think. You see the next requirement, the next task, and you simply say, yes, you don't need your mind for this. In fact, you go before your mind even knows where it's going, because that dotted line has already been signed.

And that was the breakthrough for me. When you separate what you have to do with the hurt associated with doing that thing, you free yourself. After all, what's there to hold you back if you can't talk yourself out of doing things? See, we tend to think our greatest adversity is the pain

or the confusion or the unknown. But it's like, no, those are the byproducts of doing anything of significance. The adversary is the voice that begs you to slow down because of those things. And if you can figure out in your own life, how to create space between the two, how to separate the task and the discomfort

often brought about by the task, there's nothing that will ever be able to slow you down. And look, I'm not saying that you walk around without ever utilizing the power of that brilliant mind you possess. The one's ability to think is everything, but what I am saying is there is a time to shut it off. There is a time in which to avoid overthinking, we simplify. Action, reaction.

One more mile. Okay, end of story. One minute of jump squats next. Roger that, period. It's taking the emotion out of the process, refusing to leave the door cracked for the inner dialogue that says, hey, maybe you don't do this.

Maybe you slow down. Are you sure you can handle what's next? No, all of that is tuned out. It's assignment, go. Next, go. Next, go. You know this is the right thing. You did your thinking before grabbing the sword, shield,

and stepping into the arena. Now guess what? It's instinct. It's doing what has to be done. And what has to be done hurts. And look, you didn't have to accept that. You didn't have to step in. you could have stayed home

but somewhere along the way you looked in the mirror and said the difficult path is the one with the value and now here you are face to face with hungry lions clashing swords with your adversaries there's no turning back now now is when you parse out pain from the objective

the pain is now part of the audience. It's not with you or in you, it's watching from above as you do what you came here to do. So yes, those swords clash, but the eyes remain focused on what's ahead. And yes, those lions roar,

but that's background noise. When you simplify your world into objective and action, objective action, objective action, there is time for nothing but forward progress. And sometimes that is all that is required of us. In the face of adversity, in the face of pain, self-doubt, in the face of discomfort, can you break your world down into nothing but one single step forward?

One more set, one more rep, one more session, one more attempt, Just one more. No rocket science, no negotiation. There's nothing to figure out here. It's walking the path before you. It's the discipline to carry on. It's one more swing of the axe. Audience or no audience.

Lions are no lions. You are bound to the universe at your feet. And that simplified concentration is why you're. You will succeed. Show them who you are. As Emerson said, to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. It is nothing short of courage.

Walk into that dark cave that is your potential. To become a pioneer of uncharted worlds in search of who you must. might become. It is courage to leave what will be accepted for an idea that will certainly be misunderstood. At least initially, it means you're playing by new rules using new metrics, not the rubric that's already been handed out, know anything but that. And that is the fundamental difference between those who create and those who react, those who fight, to discover who they are and those who hide behind the mask of acceptance. It's courage.

See, anyone can criticize. Anyone can condemn or tear down. But who's willing to run the gauntlet? Who's willing to subject themselves to that hell? Who wants something better so bad that they'd trade comfort and the reassurance of now for a life to ultimately be proud of, to be excited when the sun comes through the window, when they jump out of bed in the morning,

there are most definitely complexities in life. And we do our best to understand them, to navigate through them. But that question, that particular question in my mind will always be simple. Do you have the courage to show them who you, are to make that decision, not reflect back their wishes and their reality like a mirror, but create your own. Harness it, carry it up the mountain like a torch through the night. See, what I've come to understand is that knowing simply is not enough.

Understanding is not enough. Replicating is not enough. What these things lack is you. And if I had to best represent this understanding, it would be like this. If you take a musician, a technically sound musician, she can play. A student of music. Well, he can understand and recite. An expert in the craft.

Well, she can teach. But it's only someone who injects their authentic self into these abilities that can and touch the hearts of people around them, change their lives, fill minds with wonder and awe. Because when you take a step back and really see what's going on, the songs that are sung,

well, they're not sung because they are the most technical or most advanced because they followed the rules. No, we sing them because they meant something when we heard them. Their authors had the courage to move a step beyond understanding, and into the vulnerability that is self-discovery. That is creation.

It is a microcosm of life. And in a world where comfort is not only pushed upon us, but it's the essence of what makes us human, saying no, well, it feels like running uphill. When you blend in, you can't be questioned. When you blend in, you rarely lose. When you blend in, there is no risk, but when you blend in, there is no you. And I'm not suggesting you missed the mark or you lost the battle.

I'm suggesting that every once in a while, we need to be reminded that the journey has not even begun. That down the road, you'll see those people around you. They weren't so much concerned about you as they were themselves, that everyone is scared, everyone is unsure, no one knows or has the answer. But man, to see that, to feel that and move forward anyway, to know that you're worthy of a tomorrow greater than today, that is a courage rarely understood. And Emerson gives us with that message everything we need. The wisdom to know there's more and most importantly.

The courage to show yourself and the world who you are. They say heavy is the head that wears the crown. That with the ability to influence comes a burden, a worry not felt by the masses. That power like anything has its costs. And I don't disagree. But I can't help wondering what value lies in the old. See, today is my empire. Each action, my subject, I rule this kingdom with an iron fist because it is mine.

Because I will not let my life be dictated by foreign aggressors. Not because of the crown on my head, but because of the life that I lead. because when you govern your own beliefs and expectations, you bow to no man. My thoughts are loyal. My decisions comprise the greatest army this world has ever seen, and unless I say otherwise, it will conquer to the ends of the earth. My world is simple.

Rule or be ruled, do or wish, act, or hope. It's always easier to be the same. subject, to be directed, to take orders, to complain about the decisions made up the chain of command, but easy will never change your life, will it? Heavy is the head that wears the crown, because to have control is to take on risk. It's dangerous, it's vulnerable, but you'd be hard to find another soul who didn't want to be king or queen, who didn't envy the crown. It wasn't a matter of desire, it was a matter of courage. And when it came down to it, when things gravitated outside of their comfort zone, they simply

coward. Everyone has a crown at their feet. Everyone. The question is, will you pick it up? No decision is more consequential than the decision to take control. To rule over your life, the universe does not control you, it empowers you. Too many people complain about being locked inside a room of limitation when they have a key in one hand and a map in the other. No one can make you take the first step.

No one can push you out the door. Potential is never guaranteed to you. guaranteed to materialize, royalty must decide to rule, to differentiate themselves from everything else, from the excuses, the difficulty, and the odds. Rain over your life. Conquer the unconquerable. Be brave enough to wear that crown. The possibilities always outweigh the risk. attributed to Lincoln, he says, be sure to put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.

The other day I was listening to Dan Carlin's podcast called Hardcore History, which side note is an incredible podcast. Guys, a brilliant storyteller. And as I was listening, there's a specific idea that I wanted to dive into, an idea that I believe, if we make an effort to understand and fully commit to, is capable of changing our lives. But first, some quick context. So Dan starts off this episode called King of Kings, talking about the Battle of Thermopylae

in the year of 480 BC in ancient Greece. It's that famous story that a lot of us know where King Leonidas leads that small army, which includes 300 Spartans against this massive Persian military, force that's invading. And the quick version is essentially Xerxes, who's the king of the Persian empire and in charge of that massive army, tells the much smaller Spartan force that if they lay down their weapons, if they submit to him and let the Persians pass, no harm will be inflicted upon

them. They'll be free to go, go about their lives. And here's the famous line. And In response to the Persian command to lay down their weapons, the Spartans respond Milan-Labé, which means come and take them. It's a Spartan's way of saying, look, the only way we're laying these weapons down is if you rip them from our cold dead hands. Right? With everything on the line, the odds stacked against them, the ground beneath them, basically shaking from the mob, march of a far superior fighting force, moving directly towards their location, they would not let go

of their principles. They were fighting for something bigger than them. And I couldn't stop thinking about this idea long after I hit pause on the episode. I guess I was awestruck by the power of living life with that type of conviction. Because I know in my soul that's a North Star I should be gravitating towards. We all should. The strength to be unrelenting with regard to that which we care about. The aforementioned quote from Lincoln about finding the right place for our feet and then holding steady with everything you have, all that you are holding firm. I just couldn't get that out of my head. And then it came to me that that invading force represents so much in our personal lives.

So many things. One example, being the difficult or adverse circumstances, our trying times. When you're most likely to concede that perhaps you're no bigger than that world around you. Maybe life is a movie and I'm merely the audience. My job is to clap, laugh, gasp, or cry. I am I cog in a wheel, a line in a script, powerless. In which case, you should be reminded of Victor Frankel's famous observation, that everything can be taken from a man but one thing,

the last of the human freedoms, to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. In other words, the outside world may change. It may evolve, but it will never have power over how you choose to internalize and view what's happening. That's innately yours. So when the circumstances feel like they demand more than you can give, when they suggest you leave your interpretation of life behind, the correct response is, as the Spartans defiantly said,

and take it. That army could represent a pushback against your values, the pillars of your individual foundation that you feel amidst all the pressure tempted to let go up. After all, it's easier to retreat than stand toe to toe with others. It's easier to abandon than it is to defend, at least in the short term. But as Victor Hugo writes, You have enemies, good. That means you've stood up for something, some time in your life. The enemies, obviously not being the point. I'm a believer in the conservation of enemy approach to life.

Allies just pragmatically get you a lot further. But here's the reality. Anyone who stands for something will undoubtedly create divide. They'll be criticized and condemned. And when one feels the pressure, of that criticism. They must understand that it does not invalidate who they are

or their worldview. That is yours. You are the only one who can give up or relinquish that control. So as the Spartans said, come and take it. And then lastly, my thoughts went to the little things

that make us who we are. Those tiny pieces of ourselves that we little by little, one by one over time give away, the concessions that fade into the background as we evolve to fit in so that we don't stand out. As Emerson beautifully put it, to be yourself in a world that is constantly

trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. And so that attacking army just might be the universe attempting to mold you to it, perhaps not all at once, once, but more like that frog placed in water and put on the stove, but the heat increasing so slowly over time that he doesn't realize the heat will soon overtake him. Externalities do not dictate.

They are objects in need of meaning and you are the architect here. If it means something to you, it's worth holding on to during the difficult times and the easy time. when it's popular and when it's not. There is value within you specific to you, a value that must be nurtured in order to expand. Others can't and won't see that. The world around you may even, with all its complexities, seek to suppress it.

But that flame is there, it's there and it's yours. And to anyone or anything looking to extinguish its light, Come and take it. After all, what is a life if not one lived on your own terms? The goal is not to simply exist, but to define the plane on which you'll evolve. To devise your own parameters. Be yourself as that world looks to make you something else. So here's to digging deep.

To finding within yourself the courage, to stand up to the growth. to stand up to the great armies of chaos, conflict, adversity, and their perpetual conquest. To remember how strong you are. How much control you have as you navigate the unknowns and redefine the right nows. Don't let your strength be the thing you give away. Don't let your heart be what gets left behind.

Don't let your thoughts. become illusions of what could have been if only you'd held on. And look, I'm not saying it's easy. In fact, I know that the meaningful road will necessarily be the one that requires the most of us. That makes us question who we are and where we're going. It will ask that when our minds race with doubt and our knees shake with fear, we find a way to stand regardless. us. To walk to our demons, look them square in the eye and proclaim that whatever it takes

we are willing to give. That we will fight until there's nothing left. Go until we can go no further and hold with conviction all that matters most. So the next time light demands that you fall back or bow down, the next time chaos emerges in the distance and and asks only that you lay down your arm. Here's to being strong enough, certain enough, courageous enough to say one thing and one thing only. Come and take them.