Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - REBUILD YOURSELF | You Are More Powerful Than You Can Imagine | Best Motivational Speeches

Episode Date: November 18, 2022

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” - Martin Lither King Jr

We have a desire to define that which is often undefinable. When it comes to life and its highly coveted outcomes, assessing the things that we want, we use probability to solidify things that are entirely fluid. For example, you often hear about the odds of becoming a professional football player, the odds of becoming a CEO of going to Harvard, making six or seven figures, numbers that often paint a picture of why you can't.

When you hear only one in however many millions of people accomplish something, the intent is to show you that you're more likely to fall into the millions bucket than the one bucket. To show just how rare or difficult or out of the ordinary achieving that thing would be. Almost like they're being compared to a lottery, a random number generator, luck, a pursuit in which you have zero control. Think of a huge glass jar, right? One red marble, three million green marbles, and it's like you close your eyes and you better pull out that red one.

Otherwise, you won't become the Oscar-winning actor that you dream of being. And the problem with looking at life that way is that it overshadows the most important element of success, understanding just how much control you have. The one in however many hundreds or thousands or millions wasn't born that red marble in a jar full of three million green ones. No, he or she just did things differently, live differently. They didn't relinquish control. They took control, and that's the difference.

That's what matters. The lottery is sitting back and hoping your numbers pull. In real life, you create your own probability every day, every minute that goes to, towards working towards a goal, that means you get closer. Why would you take a snapshot of the present moment in time and use that to define the likelihood that you'll live out your dreams someday down the road? It doesn't tell you anything.

It's the steps along the way that make your vision a reality. Using the same metaphor, every step, every decision to push forward, every time you dig deep and find a little advantage, you're replacing one of those green marbles with the red one. Maybe you can't quantify that numerically. Maybe you can't see the progress, but it's there. In fact, numbers should never scare you

because they're an indicator that the vast majority of people aren't prepared to go all the way, aren't willing to do what it takes, and that you, by simply not stopping, by thinking that you can, by giving more than the person next to you, have a tremendous advantage over the rest of the world. When you hear only a small number of people,

make it or graduate or get accepted, or win. Your thought process shouldn't be, oh no, it should be perfect. This is my opportunity. Of course the number of elite people in any arena is going to be small. Think of what it takes to get there. Think of the sacrifice needed to make it happen, the costs that must be paid. The only odds that warrant attention are the odds that you will continue forward and you should know that they are 100%. Because when you trust yourself to find a way, when you focus on how to make it happen, you have an advantage. The world around you, they focus on why things can't happen.

They see what can go wrong. They harp on the fact that it's not easy. Remaining fixated on why you can, on finding a way, means you most likely will. The terms difficult or demanding or even unlikely, they have nothing to do with you crossing that finish line. If you are 100% convinced, you are going to do just that. Words like difficult, they just imply that there's going to be plenty of opportunities to quit and turn around along the way.

A temptation that must and will be ignored. They mean that you will be tested, that you will have to ask yourself potentially numerous times if this means something to you. If it's truly worth it. And if the answer is yes, then the numbers, the probability, the odds. They are not an adversary. They are an ally. Why is this battle you versus 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 resilience. 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, you know, hitting his mother from time to time. In 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 inflicted, 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 fork 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 deadlifts, burpees to squats 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 single? 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 will succeed. There was a point a handful of years back where I had one of the most important breakthroughs of my lifetime. And I've talked about this with people close to me, family and friends, to clients, business associates. And it seems like there's a commonality amongst all of us. And maybe, depending on the person that happened in a different way,

certainly at different times. But everyone at one point or another comes face to face with the realization that they have a tremendous amount of control over their lives. And it's at that moment, you know, where one becomes empowered. It's like you realize you have the key to the cell you've been locked in this whole time. And at that moment, one is prompted to ask, well, why not start living like it? You know, there will always be responsibility and sacrifice in life. But that awareness makes one ask, well, what am I sacrificing for?

Where am I going? Am I spending time with people that lift me up? Am I doing things that contribute to a greater vision? And perhaps most importantly, am I even living a life that is true to myself? Because I'll tell you something, our time here flies by. Not only will next month, next year, next decade be here before you know it, but it's not even guaranteed. And if one doesn't take the time to look in the mirror and ask the tough questions,

life will keep on ticking. Time will not stop. No one's going to walk up to you and point out the fact that you're just going through the motions here. No, that one's on you. You have to see that this world can become what you decide it will be. That you are presented the tools, but tools require an architect. and a creator. Tools require someone

in seeing what is not yet there to pick them up and be. And so maybe this is the time for you to ask, what am I building? Where am I going? When my day starts, both feet hit the ground and I walk out the door. What am I moving towards?

Maybe today, is the day you realize that there are parts of your life that don't need to be there, that you can cut away. People that don't deserve your time, that don't elevate you or contribute to your well-being. Maybe there are places you're going because that's where you've always gone, things you're doing because that's what you've always done. But you don't need to live life on repeat. If you're not happy about it, how about doing something to change it? There is nothing in your life that can't be adjusted or altered. Just like yesterday is now a story, so is the idea that you are confined to a specific set of parameters. Break down those walls. See things not as they are,

but as they can be if you have the courage to walk away from old stories and characters. What if today you created a new ending, one that lights you up in the morning, contributes to your sense of purpose when you close your eyes at night? Again, remember, no one will come up and hand that to you. No one will let you know you're selling yourself short. That transformation must be internally prompted. And so I hope you'll ask. I hope you'll ask the questions that you've been neglecting for far too long.

I hope today can be the first page in an entirely new chapter. A chapter in a story that is truly an entirely yours. Good morning. Welcome to the Your World Within podcast. Today, we're going to talk about keeping your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground, simultaneously managing the big picture and the small stuff, nonstop belief that things will work, that there's an answer, that you're ultimately going to get there, and that you won't quit until you do, while also being done.

brutally honest with the facts on the floor, the reality around you. A lot of times I think there's a tendency to conflate positivity with a detachment from reality. But they're very different things. You need them both for success to unfold. You need the big picture and you need the minutia, the steps, the little things that add up over time. In the book, Good to Great, Jim Collins calls this the Stockdale principle. Or Admiral Stockdale, I think at the time Commander Stockdale was shot down during Vietnam.

He was prisoner of war for over seven years in Vietnam and it was just obviously a brutal experience. And one of the things that helped him survive, was being painfully pragmatic while also knowing in his soul, right, with every ounce of his being that he would ultimately get out, that the men he cared about and helped so much

would ultimately get out. And so when Jim Collins is interviewing him, he says, Admiral Stockdale, what differentiated the ones that made it and the ones that didn't? And the answer is incredibly surprised. He says optimism because the people that were overly optimistic said, we'll get out by Christmas. And Christmas comes and they don't get out.

And then they say, okay, we'll find we'll be out. We'll see our families by Easter. And Easter comes and they're still there. Okay, maybe next Christmas. Next Christmas comes, nothing changes. He says, those are the people that died of a broken heart. There was too big of a gap between the reality, the components needed. to progress the way they wanted to progress and the way they were thinking.

You have to be willing to look in the mirror and diagnose a situation. You know, that's applicable to business. It's applicable to your personal life. Dream big, step small. Believe, but act. Be cognizant of the world around you, the reality that you're living in. You can't change something that you don't understand. intrinsically. You can't progress if you haven't analyzed something. And this is not about your capabilities.

This is never a call to doubt yourself. It's to be strategic. This is just saying that you need to understand the realities so that you can improve upon them. If you want to be the next Michael Jordan, that's a huge ask. That's a lot. It's possible. You can do it. And you need to believe with every ounce of you that if that's what you want to do, it's a pursuit, you know, worth taking. But you also need to know what it means to be Michael Jordan. You got to understand the commitment.

How he sacrificed relationships. He sacrificed, you know, his friends, his love life. He got up every single more. all he did was basketball, how he took thousands of shots a day, how his mentality and his aggressive behavior, right, his mindset, the way he looked at life and approached life on and off the court, it required that he was so intense and so obsessed with winning that some people couldn't handle it. It meant that everything stopped except being the best. That's a big ask. A lot of people can't do that, don't want to do that, but that's what it

takes. And to think you're going to be Michael Jordan without understanding, one, the commitment that's required and how you stack up, it's going to be in vain. I remember the CEO of the company that I work for at out of college, he used to say, look, you have to be able to be honest and say when your baby's ugly. Look at what you have and be able to draw a line from where you want to be. So you can fix it.

So that's the point. If you can juggle those two things, you'll be unstoppable. Unstoppable. If you can be the one to trust yourself enough to know that there is a big picture, you will pursue it relentlessly and you will get there.

If you can tell you can take that and you can marry it to the little things, right, to the awareness, to promising yourself that you will continue to analyze, assess, and do what needs to happen on the ground, that you will be realistic, you will be pragmatic. When things fail, you won't sugarcoat it. You'll dive in. You'll look at why it failed so that you can pick up those pieces and build something stronger and continue to build and continue to build, stack.

and stand on what you've made. Those are the people that change the world. Those are the people that get things done, that get results. Dream big, step small. See you tomorrow. Ready to prioritize yourself in the new year?

Your skin is a great place to start. Dime Beauty, founded by a master aesthetician, is more than just a skincare company, with four skin-conscious categories, skin care, beauty, body care, and fragrance, Dime offers simple, spa-worthy products that will help you enter 2025 with confidence. Whether you're revitalizing your regimen with nourishing products

or building one from scratch, Dime makes it easy. The work system, our all-in-one best-selling routine, includes a cleanser of your choice, toner, serums, and moisturizers, taking the guesswork out of skin care for your healthiest, happiest skin yet. Dime's commitment to clean ingredients and sustainable packaging ensures every product is as gentle on your skin as it is on the planet.

With thousands of glowing five-star reviews and a loyal community, the results speak for themselves. Revive your skin and give yourself the routine refresh you deserve by visiting dimebeautyco.com. That's dimebeautyco.com. Your best skin awaits. As long as I've been alive, there's existed a battle between what I want in the moment and what I need.

and it transforms, it takes different shapes, but its impact is always felt. And so the question remains in spite of the option to concede the temporary way out, are we willing to endure the now for a beautiful forever, commit to that delayed gratification? Hold off just a little longer, do a little more.

See, every time I hold the line, Every time I refuse to give in, the victory tends to be just a little sweeter. So what is this force keeping us from greatness? This invisible, unquantifiable adversary, telling us to stop, to submit, to just accept things as they are? Well, as Stephen Pressfield states in his book, The War of Art, this is resistance. The ego in disguise, it's the desire to stay the same. pushing us away from the very action necessary to obtain what we truly want, not in the moment, but in our souls.

Our true reason for being, after all progress is happiness. So we follow this train of thought. The next logical question must be, well, can we control this enemy? This resistance? As it turns out, not only is the answer yes, but one's ability to do just that, makes all the difference. We can harness that demon that lobbies so hard for the status quo. We can learn to laugh every time it throws a fit when we attempt to change ourselves, our situation, our environment.

It can be told no. In fact, Pressfield states that people who live free lives have learned to master themselves. People that can't master themselves will find someone else to rule over them, whether it be excused. uses critics or other outside constraint. See, the key, the answer couldn't be simpler. It's not easy, but it's simple. Show up. And as a writer, I really resonated with this, this line.

The hardest part isn't writing. It's sitting down to write. It's arriving. And now life can flow through you. You're able to be that messenger that carries the divine so that it can be shared with the world distributed to the masses. But you must first say no to that voice proclaiming that it's not important. That it doesn't matter. You must tear down the idea that you're not good enough.

Walk up and sit in that metaphorical seat, whatever it is for you. begin speaking, writing, painting, analyzing, constructing, devising, but you must sit down and begin. That is the essence of the war of art. The war that is you versus you, that resistance, claiming that your next move is too little to matter, that the same is the best. But you have to see beyond what's in front of you. It's why the author is so adamant about not giving in saying if you cave in today, you're twice as likely to cave in tomorrow.

It's like talking to a telemarketer. You cave, you give an inch, and it's over. See those little decisions, the ones we're so inclined to overlook, the ones we say, eh, we'll come back tomorrow, they're insignificant. That's essentially making a hole right through the center of a dam. Eventually, the entire thing is coming down. But the good news, those same little decisions are within your grasp. You can own them, master them, and ultimately master yourself.

Start by simply showing up when you don't want to because this is war. And this war, the one fought every day, is what will ultimately hand you the keys to the kingdom. Stop apologizing. Stop apologizing for who you are. what you believe and how you see the world. Stop apologizing for your failures. They lift you up. They push you to be more.

Stop apologizing for being different, unusual or unique. There's just saying that if you are lucky enough to be different, don't ever change. Embrace that. Hold it. Stop apologizing for taking. a path less traveled for breaking away from the pack. It's not an insufficiency. It doesn't mean you couldn't go their way.

It means you have the courage to be yourself in a world trying to make you someone else. Stop apologizing for words that don't align with someone else's ideology or worldview. Your job isn't to appease or conform. to grab hold of what lights a fire in you and use it to brighten the world around you. Stop apologizing for your dreams. It's okay to not be content where you are. It's okay to want to grow, to become more.

The roots planting them to the ground, they are not yours. And why waste the opportunity beyond the horizon of your current existence? See, having the courage of your convictions is like unlocking your mind. Realizing that, yeah, you have the key and you've had it all along. No one else gets to set your parameters. They don't get to tell you what's right or what to believe. The people around you are not moral arbiters.

They're not protectors of truth. Remember that. Remember that no one knows better than you what's best for you. That's why there's power and intuition in following your beliefs, your strengths, in doing what makes you happy, relentlessly pursuing what makes you feel alive. The thing about dreams, ideas, potential, they're always meaningless until they're not. See, everything is crazy until it exists. So protect it. Don't bow down to pressures of now

Simply because you have not yet built tomorrow You will If you want it, you will Some messages they are incredibly simple And this, my friends, is one of those You have everything you need to become who you want to be Right now, as you listen to this in real time You don't need approval or permission or acceptance

Since you don't need to belong or be told it's normal, you simply need to start to know that you will pick yourself up when you fall and keep going. Not apologize, but continue placing one foot in front of the other. Not look externally for a will to carry on that only exists within you. See, the second you begin rewriting the rules, changing the game, you put yourself in position to emerge victorious. I find it interesting that what we want most is often brought about by the inverse of what we'd expect.

It's a paradox that's amazed me for much of my adult life. What do I mean? Well, here are a few examples. The best way to achieve freedom in your life is to be incredibly disciplined. two things that are seemingly opposite in a sense. Or that the worst of times often open the door to the best of times. Or it's from a position of strength that one is best able to ensure peace.

Or from our suffering, our pain comes our purpose and contentment. And you get the point, I could go on and on and on. But the reason this is so important, why I think it's worth discussing is that it sheds light on the value hidden within our struggles. You know, when you realize the paradoxical nature of growth, the discomfort makes a little more sense. It's easier to wrap our hands around. So let's say getting up early. Perhaps you weren't a morning person, but you're trying.

You're trying because you think those few extra hours in the morning will add some lift. The alarm clock goes off. The last thing you want to do is open your eyes. Maybe you even start thinking, who cares, right? This isn't that important. You begin rationalizing ways. You'll go back to bed and just make up for the time throughout the day. But when you simplify the equation, you realize what you have is an opportunity.

And you're either going to say yes and capitalize on that opportunity. or say no and stay where you are. Discipline, even with the small seemingly trivial stuff, becomes freedom. And if you want to position yourself for a life on your terms, where you're at the wheel on your schedule, it means facing demons just like this. It means you fight your fight now so that you can mitigate it later.

rather than saying, I wish, or beating yourself up for not being a little bit tougher in the moment, you instead get that sense of accomplishment. You get the luxury of time and freedom. And I think that's a simple but perfect example of how discomfort in one moment becomes contentment in future moments. Not a very intuitive trade-off. Or how about our low points? We all know no one escapes low points. I've always found them easier to handle and internalize

when I know that it's bringing me closer to something valuable. When I know that there's something good on the other side and that the pain I'm feeling, the thoughts that are inevitably going to pass through my mind like clouds on a windy day, they're obviously not ideal. But they're not a waste either because something will come of them. And the goal in that moment under the duress is not to move the immovable.

After all, you can only control what you can control. But it's to simply put one foot in front of the other until you emerge from the storm because we all eventually emerged from that storm. It's when we get into the habit of trying to do what is outside the scope of, of our control that we do ourselves a disturbance. Because look, we're human, equipped with human biology and human emotions navigating a tough world that is indifferent to how we feel or what we think.

And while we can certainly strengthen and fortify that emotional IQ, the reality is no one is on a high all the time. Life is ups and downs. And when we realize our superpower is not to fight the down times, but to accept them, take them in stride, learn from them, and extract the value, we empower ourselves. We're giving ourselves permission to live life just a little fuller after what we've experienced. The human experience requires many seemingly contradictory

puzzle pieces, all working together in unison to create that final illicit. We're looking for. Not just discipline and freedom, not just low points and high points, but countless others. Jordan Peterson, of course, famously discusses chaos and order and how both not only exist but are pivotal to a fulfilling life. We are designed for chaos.

We must step out into unknowns, situations that feel bigger than us. The courage to do so ultimately becomes the pathway to order. As we get used to the change, we acclimate, we find our answers, and ultimately create a sense of fulfillment. The challenge being that now we have conquered our demon, we must prepare for the next. Because just like too much chaos isn't good, too much order is equally destructive.

Another example of something we'd assume as an next, negative, chaos, being the thing in actuality that paves the way for better days. It's a staircase. I've heard Tony Robbins say something similar when talking about our need for both certainty and uncertainty. We must have some elements of everyday life mapped out, but too much creates a mundane existence without the adventure and growth we've been looking for. It's from the unknown we capture more of ourselves.

It's from the uncertainty we get growth. And I say all of this, not just because I think it's fascinating in and of itself, but because it's incredibly easy to forget, especially in the thick of things that it's all essential to life working the way it should work. Those losses become gains. The disappointment becomes growth. down times become launching pads to evolve experiences, greater adventures, and new chapters. It's certainly not intuitive to look in the mirror when amidst life's chaos and say thank you to the universe.

I get that. I'm not implying that you should. But I am saying it helps to know, it helps to be aware of the paradoxical nature of your journey. I look back at the times I was most fearful or angry at myself. And if I could go back and tell that version of me one thing, it would be that all that adversity is going to push me forward. That I'd never have the things I wanted most if I didn't step into all that discomfort. That it's going to be okay,

that I'm going to be incredibly thankful for it all, and so will you. This is the push-pull of life, the chaos and order of the day, It is not in spite of, but because of those moments, you'll be more than you've ever been. The human experience is a paradox. And the quicker we get that, the quicker we let it work for us. No more fighting unwinnable wars, but rather taking all that we can control and using it to lift.

ourselves up to be our best selves to make tomorrow the miracle that it can be. Ready to prioritize yourself in the new year, your skin is a great place to start. Dime Beauty, founded by a master aesthetician, is more than just a skincare company. With four skin-conscious categories, skin care, beauty, body care, and fragrance, Dime offers simple, spa-worthy products that will help you enter 2025 with confidence. Whether you're revitalizing your regimen with nourishing products or building one from scratch, Dime makes it easy. The work system, our all-in-one best-selling routine, includes a cleanser of your choice,

toner, serums, and moisturizers, taking the guesswork out of skin care for your healthiest, happiest skin yet. Dime's commitment to clean ingredients and sustainable packaging ensures every product is as gentle on your skin as it is on the planet. With thousands of glowing five-star reviews and a loyal community, the results speak for themselves. Revive your skin and give yourself the routine refresh you deserve by visiting dimebeautcom. That's dime beauty, co.com. Your best skin awaits.

Just go. Sure, things will feel strange at first. Abstract at first, wrong at first. It's incredibly difficult to separate from the past. It's hard to detach from the deeply rooted, biological, whispering of, hey, at least you knew what to expect back there. But that whispering has preservation in mind, not happiness. And at some point, we need to stop preserving that which is not ideal. So go. The walls that once existed, they'll crumble. And this will be startling at first.

shocking at first, intimidating at first. It's incredibly difficult to watch foundational structures crumble around us, especially when you know you are the one that lit the fuse. It's hard to walk away from the faint murmur, stating, hey, this was your home. How dare you leave it. But those words they have, status quo in mind, not growth. And home is an idea you take with you.

It's no set of parameters. Just go. The stories you told yourself, the narratives you thought were forever, will prove to be nothing more than the end of an underwhelming chapter. This will feel abrupt at first. Unfair at first will leave you deeply unsatisfy. satisfied at first. It's incredibly difficult to realize that happily ever-afters aren't linear, they're cyclical.

It's hard to walk away from the voices pleading with you not to turn the page, stating that because their realities will remain the same, so must yours. But those aren't the characters with whom you'll emerge victorious. Some movies must be recast. the setting, reimagine, the hero reinvented. And so it should be known that your greatest strength is the little steps that you are capable of taking. The little decisions you are capable of making.

Remember, safety is not safe when it keeps you from what you need. and the wrong nows have a tendency to evolve into the wrong forever. The small concessions, well, they become the big mistakes. So if it's a sign you're hoping for, let this be it. If there's a time you're waiting for, let now be that time. If it's someday you are dependent upon, let today be that day, as doing nothing is in fact a decision, but only one of many.

One path laid out before you, one single grain of sand, where the edge of today's world touches the shores of tomorrow's. Sometimes it's about the end ability to stand up, face the horizon, and just go. Go, because it's only upon going, that you realize you're capable of the journey. You finally see in yourself the strength you've longed for. It's in going that you realize yesterday's situation wasn't even really the problem. It was your fear of the unknown. of leaving that situation.

It was living with the devil you knew. Instead of potentially having to face the devil you didn't. That's what happened to your wings. They just felt safer, tucked away. But it's in going that we acquire perspective. The tragedies, the devastation, the things that kept us awake at night, they really weren't that bad.

But how are we to know? When you build walls around yourself, what's within them becomes your entire world. It's in going that you create yourself. And while everything you need is already beating in your chest, the great unknown before you is the water to that seed, the key to that door, what you fear is exactly what you need. And so the beautiful dance through life, goes on. Not beautiful because of its elegance, it's rarely that, but beautiful because of its promise,

its malleability. Beautiful because we get to move without answers in order to find answers. Beautiful because what we become is directly proportional to what we're willing to endure. And that means that the universe doesn't judge. It doesn't know us by our failures or our mistakes, but by our courage. Our courage to face all of these things and move forward anyway, to relentlessly explore the resilience of the human spirit, an infinite light in an otherwise finite world, a bridge that is built beneath our feet in real time. What a weight off of our shoulders to know this.

We don't have to get it right. We just have to step out the door trusting that we will pick up enough pieces to put together something meaningful. We just have to go. And then the world, it opens up. Just like that. Leave the old, embrace the new, simple, you think to yourself.

Well, yeah, of course, the best things in life are always simple. Always have been, always will be. We just imagine them to be difficult. We have a knack for making simple decisions into complex matrices of cause and effect. Pros and cons, wins and losses. We learned to think for years. until we finally come to the brilliant realization that happiness, that meaning that a life well lived comes when we think less.

Ready, fire, aim, there is no perfect path, just an adjusted course, an endless series of change, of learning that falling is just a road sign indicating where we need to go next. You can't plan for that. You can't chart a course that doesn't exist. No, you leave who you were yesterday behind, and you set sail. They'll ask you, where do you see yourself in five years, and you'll think, who knows?

But not here. It couldn't be here. It must be somewhere evolved, where pieces of the world shaped your outlook and became the armor that you now wear. new game, new rules, new expectations, new people, new places. And what really changed? Well, how you view yourself. It's funny how it all works. How things come together when we look over our shoulders like it was meant to be.

As if this had to be the way things are. No, you could very easily have stayed dreaming, looking out that window, wishing, wishing you could leave, hoping for answers that didn't exist. And so the complex now feels as simple as we meant it to. We move forward, not knowing, but trusting. And we look back with the sense of understanding and a confidence that was built over time. In the game of life, there are people who go and people who stay. People who build and people who don't.

And I'm not saying everything will be perfect or everything will immediately snap into place. How could I? But what I am sad is that in moving forward we pull back the curtain on the opportunity that is available to us. We move from the physical limitations of the bodies we walk around in and towards the infinite power of the mind that powers them. We become who we were always meant to be. How do we know what that is?

Well, not until we look over our shoulders, of course. So go. Go make your mistakes. Go learn your lessons, feel your moments of pain and your moments of bliss, your times of doubt and your times of certainty. Because in doing so, you will have done the very thing so few people get to do with their limited time on this planet. truly live.

So go. Just. The hard thing brought me through hell. But also to that which exists on the other side. The hard thing prompted me to question and doubt, but also provided the pieces I used to build my confidence little by little. It made me ask the tough questions. the ones maybe I didn't want to hear the answer to,

but also gave me the power to transform those answers I didn't like. The hard thing meant forfeiting being the expert in my world in exchange for the role of students in a foreign arena. It gave me new ladders to climb, new possibilities to reach for. It showed that true growth requires a willingness to be the beginner. It took some people out of my arms, my circle, my work,

and in some cases my life altogether, but always seemed to open the door to those souls better aligned, to those conducive to the journey and the process. Let's remember what the hard thing is. Beyond the pain, because we all know it does bring that, beyond the challenge,

because there are certainly many. Beyond all that exists, the hope and the change and the promise. Robert Frost says the best way out is always through. Through because it's the chaos, the haze, the darkness of night that shapes us. It's in being broken that we learn to rebuild our world with the pieces, and perhaps most importantly,

importantly. We learn that such a rebuilding process is possible to begin with, that the now is not mandatory or permanent. The hard thing, as it turns out, is nothing more than a transaction. Turbulence for the view above the clouds, fear in the moment for confidence in the future. It's learning that although life sometimes appears to paint a picture of conformity and helplessness, there's always a path leading to the very place we need to go. It just asks we find the courage to walk it. Churchill has said the pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.

And this beautiful message rings true. Because from the difficulty is the advantage. And sure, our first instinct is to see the problem. Our eyes tend to initially fixate on that which is unfortunate. But beyond that is where we get the most incredible things life provides, as if one is removing the shell or outer layer in order to get to the nutrients in the center, the ingredients required for growth, the pieces necessary to experience life at its fullest. And so we must be reminded that those opportunities, they're not rare, they're not reserved for

everyone but you. They just tend to disguise themselves as the things we're most inclined to disregard or walk by. But if one finds the courage to move into them, through them, If one can see the difficulty not as a deterrent but as a bargain, they'll be given everything on the other side. Reality is not changed with the magic wand or the granting of a wish. It's from staring down the heart thing and moving directly into it one little step at a time.