Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - PICK YOURSELF UP AND KEEP GOING | Powerful Motivational Speeches | Morning Motivation 2023

Episode Date: January 9, 2023

"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection" - Unknown

Standing at the edge of the pond, looking down at my reflection, I asked the man looking back at me if he was willing to make a deal. What kind, he asked, seemingly intrigued. Well, I need you to be there. See, I have big plans and big aspirations, and sometimes things get really hard. Sometimes I feel lost and confused and overwhelmed, and I need you. to be there. I need to know you'll always I see, he said.

Eyes shifting up towards the sky as he thought through my request. This is doable. But I'll need something of you in return. Of course, I responded. Anything. Okay. You replied, do I

have your word that when you fall, that when you don't succeed? You'll get up until you do. Yes, you have my word, I replied. Do I have your word, he asked, that when you're lost, when the world shakes beneath you, you will continue on until you find steady ground. Yes, you have my word.

Do I have your word that when you feel life's resistance like wind pressing against you with all its might, you'll keep pushing into it, not hoping it gets weaker, but knowing you'll get stronger. Yes, I said for a third time, you have my word. Then I'll be there. I'll be there every step of the way. I'll be your biggest fan. I'll have your back when you feel alone.

I'll remind you how strong you are when you feel weak. I will point to the upside when you have a hard time seeing it. But you have to keep moving forward. That's your end of the bargain. I'll open those doors for you. I'll be your light in darkness, but listen to me. It will all be in vain if your feet are not continuously in motion. It will all be for not if you don't, regardless of what life throws at you, commit to carrying on.

So for the last time, look me in the eyes and promise me, promise me that you will not stop. Yes, you have my word, I said. Then my friend, we have a deal, and I will be there for you. You always lead yourself first. Before we can influence, before we can ever persuade or change anything externally, we have to first lead ourselves. And that means delivering on the promises we make to ourselves. It means showing up when we tell ourselves we're going to show up. It means putting ourselves in an environment conducive to growth.

There's an old metaphor from Wayne Dyer about an orange, where he essentially says that it doesn't matter what you do to an orange. It doesn't matter how hard you squeeze it, or how many you have, or how you manipulate it. Grapefruit juice will never come out of an orange. Only orange juice can be emitted, and similarly, we can never. give, or contribute what we do not have inside ourselves.

We can't expect our lives to look like anything other than a culmination of the tiny actions, steps, and decisions we make on a daily basis. The external world is a product of the internal world, and the internal world is not realized until we learn to rule over ourselves and our lives with conventional world. You can break this down in many different ways. Jock O Willink says discipline equals freedom. John Maxwell talks about a leadership lid where success levels can never exceed leadership capability

and sure it applies to teams, but it also applies to self-leadership. Are you searching for and committing to the little hinges in your life that as W. Clement Stone says, swing big doors that make the difference. Are you taking responsibility for your shortcomings like leaders do? Are you learning to trust yourself? Are you seeing past the trap of perfection and committing to progress? Are you taking the little things seriously?

Because at the end of the day, all things are comprised of little things and only little things. The bottom line is that we master nothing until we master ourselves. Trust ourselves. The bottom line is that we win when we lead ourselves, to hold ourselves accountable for the little things that matter even when it hurt or retired, even though no one's going to come up and reprimand us for falling short. There are often no visible consequences when we let ourselves down, so let's manufacture that urgency. If you promised yourself you'd get up when that alarm clock goes off, it becomes no life. optional. If you promised yourself you'd go down the road that scares you, it becomes no longer

one road of many, it is now the only road. Even though it may be scary or intimidating, it's the darkness that must be confronted. You are more powerful than you know, you are more capable than you understand, but you must lead yourself to your potential. Those little things matter. And so while the temptation is to brush them off is insignificant, while the rest of the world ebbs and flows through life like jellyfish with the tide, your superpower will be to see, harness, and multiply those little decisions like they are gold. Your strength is that when it's easier to run,

You'll be the one that instead stands up and leads yourself to greatness. I'm going to share something that over the years I've come to know to be true. And that's that generally the answers that we look for tend to fall between the extremes. So for example, you have two people. One person is adamant that option A is right. It's a no-brainer. That'll take you to the promised land. But on the other side, the other person saying, no, it's option B, and it's not even close.

Option B is the way to go. And, well, generally speaking, the answer we're looking for falls somewhere right in the middle. That's where the winning formula lives. Not always, but most of the time. The other stuff, the detail, the A's, B's and C's, the stuff that gets the flash that we spend most of our time talking about, it's unnecessary noise and nuance. To win is to trust your instinct. It's being comfortable with your authenticity as the foundation.

And then once you have that, you can choose to sprinkle the other stuff on top as flavoring. But I want to talk about this idea because I've fallen into the trap, and I think others do too, of looking for answers in the wrong places. Of trying so hard to replicate success to meet other people's guidelines. We're so busy asking what the other people want to hear. that we're not asking ourselves, hey, what do I want to say? And in the process, we lose what's most valuable.

We end up rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Imagine if Malcolm Gladwell only wrote about what was trending on Twitter or what was popular. It's like, no, he writes about what he's interested in. That's why he's so fun to read. His curiosity and passion always comes through. Or if J.K. Rowling spent her time researching, what works, what sells books, what do I need to buy, what's been done before me, before she created

Harry Potter. We probably wouldn't have it. Her brilliant imagination wouldn't have been shared with the world because, let's be real, wizards in boarding school weren't exactly on everyone's radar. There was no roadmap to that. Or I think of Jordan Peterson's lectures. Imagine if he crafted his message around YouTube or Instagram algorithms. We lose all its power and meaning. He's authentic. He's raw. He's real. That's why we watch you. But the reality is every day we're told in tailor-made strategically located advertisements that, hey, John Smith achieved success, happiness, and fame with this product or this service. And without that, you can't get what you want.

Or we turn on our phones, we go on social media and it's hearts and likes and double taps. And we're not saying what we want to say. We're reverse engineering how to get that validation. For those with brands or those in the marketing space, I mean, you know, It's always about trying to understand this mysterious algorithm where your posts will be buried. What we're being asked to do overall every day is manipulate ourselves to meet the demands of the platform or of the external criteria. I'm not saying it's morally wrong.

There's no atrocity being committed. Part of life is adapting. But what I am suggesting is there's a danger that we're not aware of. Amidst all this chaos and confusion and manipulation, We tend to lose ourselves, and when we lose ourselves, it doesn't happen all at once. It's gradual. It happens little by little, one concession at a time. We don't snap our fingers and disappear.

We slowly slip away, not by what we do, by what we don't do, in order to fit in. Do you know how everything in our solar system orbits around the sun? Well, what if you thought of that sun is who you are, right? When you're with your friends or family, when you're writing, saying, thinking what matters to you. Without social media, without brands and marketing and societal pressure, just simply who you are. That should always be the nucleus of your world. Your North Star.

That should be the measuring stick to whether you're on the right track, not the externalities that ask you to change your key so that it fits their lock. What have you re-engineered the way we look at things? What if we built a world where people expand upon a key? who they are and what they care about, where we have the courage to say no to the latest trend or item or advice, because it's just not who you are. What if you were that confident? And then, if we think some of those externalities will help us, then sure, sprinkle them on top. But they rotate around you. You don't rotate around them. That's the difference. To be content, you have to be the center of your own universe.

living by your guidelines. So instead of looking around and trying to decide your strengths, you know, based on what will be accepted or promoted or what's been done before, do yourself a favor. Take a deep breath, step back and just simplify. You know what matters. And that's enough.

You don't need the world to tell you that. So while the masses fight over solution A or solution B, maybe you'll understand that both of those solutions solve the wrong problem. wrong problem. And while the masses argue, you know, which car goes zero to 60 the fastest scream about the features, debate which brand is the most reputable, hey, you'll at least know why you're driving, which is more than most of the world can say. You'll know where your car is headed before you upgrade to that sunroof and those top-of-the-line speakers.

In John Maxwell's book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, he talks about momentum. And how the saying, if you can't take the heat, then get out of the kitchen, doesn't quite get it right. Advocating that it should instead be, if you can't create the heat, then get out of the kitchen. And being that we are all leaders in our own lives, I think he hits on something that none of us should overlook. The power of momentum, of not waiting but creating. Reminding ourselves that we are not spectators, sitting in the stands and simply reacting to,

or complaining about the events taking place below. No, we have the ability to change the things we do not like and create the ones that don't yet exist when we know. they should. Too much of the time we react to that metaphorical heat in the kitchen, as John alludes to, forgetting that we can dial it up or down. We're not only characters that have been created. We are ourselves creators. And I talk a lot about mental shifts that have changed my life and there are plenty. But perhaps the most important was the realization that I can do something, about the things I don't like.

And I know that sounds simple, probably even obvious. But I look back at various stages of my life and I'm blown away by the amount of things I tolerated for years in years simply because I gave it no thought. There were so many questions that I never asked, so many opportunities I never explored, until I realized, hey, you can stop accepting those things you don't want. It's amazing the power of a simple list that was created.

Two columns. Left side, all the things that bothered me. That I wasn't happy with or that I knew should be there that had been lacking. And then on the right column, what I'm going to do about it, every single item. Each one. What's the step I'm going to take? And I just poured my heart onto that paper, and it's like you look down, and feel like you have finally moved into the driver's seat.

There's something incredible about knowing that you have taken control, something satisfying, knowing that you're not just accepting what falls out of the sky and lands in your hands, especially since we seem to have this proclivity to box ourselves in. Human beings are amazing in their ability to adapt, but the danger is when we adapt to and normalize a reality, that falls short of what matters to us. The danger is in forgetting that nothing happens

without momentum, and momentum is self-made. One of my favorite stories is about a man walking through the circus. And he sees these enormous elephants, each with one end of a rope, tied around one of their legs, and the other end of that rope connected to a chair. The man, as he's walking by, he's curious,

asked one of the treasets, Hey, isn't that dangerous? Couldn't the elephant easily break free and get away if you want? And the trainer says, no. See, we started doing this when they were baby elephants. And when they were babies, they couldn't physically break free. They weren't strong enough. And so over the years, as they grew and became bigger, stronger,

it never dawned on them that by simply pulling on that rope or walking away, they could break free. These chains might as well be invisible. And that's what they were. Mental. The rope wasn't keeping the elephants to the chair. The elephants were keeping the elephants to the chair. And there's something there in that message for all of us.

For some of us in this particular moment, maybe it's big picture. For others, maybe we're at a season of life where it's simply creating a moment. momentum in some type of smaller capacity. And I travel through these ups and downs personally all the time. I think that's a healthy thing. It's a sign that you're looking for that growth. You're checking the world around you for those imaginary ropes. Recently I went through a period where I just felt too long had gone by without something

significant happening. I needed to create momentum. And so I asked, well, who was I reaching out to? How was I pushing myself? What was I doing that scared me? What was I doing that was growing? How could I take things up a level? All these little levers of opportunity are all around us,

but we have to know to look for them, to see them and pull. And it's truly an incredible thing. You do that, and you start to feel the movement underneath you, the momentum, the excitement, because you're trying new things, you're taking new risks, talking to new people. And that's how that snowball grows. We have to realize that we are mighty big elephants perpetually tied to these comically small chairs.

We have to create that heat in the kitchen because we're not only capable, we are ready. We are equipped to move forward. See, the moment is never going to be perfect. The momentum will never come to be on its own. Those things wait. They wait for you to stop watching life go by and click start on the stopwatch.

Yeah, time has always ticked away, but it will never mean as much as it's about to now. Tick, talk. Whisper's the opportunity. Signifying that in order to evolve, we must decide we are bold enough to go where we have not yet gone and strong enough to leave some things behind. To choose to accept some discomfort in its impermanence instead of a regret that is forever. And that's a trade that demands we look into the future and find value in the unseen. It's a move that says the seconds ticking by mean too much to dishonor them by not making the most of what's around you.

And those answers are always there. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about. We make decisions without even realizing we're making them. To accept the current moment as fate is to choose what you're given over what is possible, over everything. that's out there available for you. It's never too late to pull on that rope around your foot to be who you, as the saying goes, might have been. Know that in your world, nothing consistently shows up or exists without your stamp of approval. That will always be true. Nothing carries on without you allowing it to do so. And that understanding will be the difference

between the ground level and the exponential heights you are capable of reach. The creation, the email, the phone call, the ride, the book, the period of time, the step out, the door, any and all of life's seemingly unremarkable characteristics. Within them is your ticket to greatness. Just know that you have to be the one that winds the clock. You are the sun around which everything else revolves, the architect that makes something of value from them. There will always be momentum where you decide there should be momentum. So pick your head up, open the door, and step out into the world of potential that await. We all enjoy the prospect of perfection.

Everyone has an ideal outcome. We all make plans. But very rarely do they unfold as they were drawn up. Why? Well, because life is predictably unpredictable. It's mysterious. Yet for some reason, we march on toward the acquisition of a flawless existence.

Scared of anything but an undamaged, untarnished, immaculate reflection staring back at us in the mirror. But in the real world, you know, our happiness, contentment, growth, progress, that are not a product of perfection. They're built from the imperfections that we collect along the way. The trials, the tribulations. You know, when you piece all that together, like little puzzle pieces, They depict beauty.

They show the image that's always been so highly coveted. In other words, the process of rebuilding creates something more valuable than the same pieces before they were broken down when they were untouched. In Japanese philosophy, there's a concept known as Kinsugi, which is the art of repairing broken pottery with a golden lacquer.

It's the idea that we don't want to hide the damage, but we want to rebuild it into something more meaningful, more valuable. Embrace the imperfect, own and cherish it. There's an old story about a tea master known as Rikyu, and he was attending a Japanese tea ceremony with one of his followers, and the follower tries to impress Rikyu by buying this fancy clay jar and making it visible during the meeting. But Rai Kew never once acknowledges it.

The praise never comes. So the student, you know, obviously upset by the lack of recognition, he pushes the jar off the counter. It falls to the floor. It breaks into a bunch of pieces. And another student ultimately repairs it using Kinsugi. He puts the pieces back together with a gold lacquer. And next time Rikyu attends the tea ceremony as a guest of honor,

he sees the jar, rebuilt, and says now it's beautiful. Now it has character. He acknowledges its value. And this story reminds us about the myth of perfection. Life's not about dodging and avoiding the difficulty. It's about facing it head on. Because when we come out on the other side, we transform into something that was previously unobtainable

and rise to a world beyond imagination. See, we change not by running around life's obstacles, but by running directly through them. Like a muscle being repeatedly broken down and built back up, the pain, the exhausted energy is the vehicle. The micro creates the macro. The difficult becomes the exceptional. We need the very things we're in.

to avoid. Our shortcomings, they not only precede and establish our greatness, they are our greatness. Being broken is not a tragedy, it is a step along the way. It's the beginning of something new, a launching pad, a chance to be better than you have ever been. Because look, here's the reality. If your status quo has never been shaken at its foundation, if you've never stopped and questioned the way things are you, are reality as it is, if you don't take risks, there will be no fragments to take and rebuild. You won't have the tools or capacity to change the world around you. And that is the thing of note. Beauty is not fearing the rebuild. It is the rebuild. It's not feeling sorry or hopeless, but hopeful, seeing your situation for what it is, an opportunity. It is what you need. blank canvas your chance to make art while redrawing creative boundaries if perfect is the

goal why take the step why take the chance why risk messing things up it's never been about perfect it's about picking up the pieces and rising again