Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - RISE AGAIN | Best Motivational Speeches Compilation

Episode Date: December 15, 2023

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." - Confucius The "Rise Up: Collection" is all about getting knocked down and standing back up stronger. It's a set of real-talk speeches packed with stories of bouncing back big time. This isn't just fluff – it's the raw truth about the tough times that prep you for the wins. So, if you're looking for that push to get up and go again, you're in the right place. Let's get pumped and ready to rise! Sign up for my free newsletter: eddiepinero.com/newsletter

You can only exist within the walls you've placed around yourself. So, question. Where have you placed them? Think of the concept. You can only hit targets that you aim for and expand it out. Because my point here is you can only exist in the plane that you have deemed to be real for you,

that you have decided is reality. And if we think about that just on a common sense basis, it's pretty apparent, right? People don't do things that stretch beyond their perceived identity. If I don't think I'm capable of accumulating wealth, for example, I'm simply not going to do the things or take the necessary steps required to accumulate wealth. Why would I? If I don't think I can help or add value to others, I'm not going to do things in an attempt to help or add value to others.

Using that example, that stuff would exist on the other side of those walls I've placed around myself. That's why deciding what those targets are is so important. Deciding what's real matters. Because if you set the scope too small, if your reality is void of all possibility and imagination, even if you win, you've conceded too much. The premise you've been basing your entire existence and your decisions on is so limited that you can win there and still lose overall, still leave everything on the table. And there's, you know, a ton of examples of this.

You know, I commonly hear people refer to it with their work. I'm not crazy about what I'm doing, but how do I fix it? How do I learn to like this job? How do I exceed expectations in my role? How do I get a promotion so that I can bring in more income? All valid questions, certainly valuable questions, if it's where you should be. And I can tell you, I remember asking those same questions to myself,

and the conclusion I finally came to was, no, what you need exists on the other side of those walls. In this part of your life, it's critical that you move beyond those parameters. That's not what lights a fire in everyone, but it's what lit a fire in me. I was asking the wrong questions, right? Was go over there and start your own business,

start your own journey, start sharing the things you want to share. So what Alex Hermosso refers to is playing a different game altogether. And it's kind of a weird concept to grasp. You know, that you can win the game you're playing and still end up losing. You know, because you never thought to look for more. You never ventured to peer out over what was directly in front of you. This is a matter of self-reflection at its finest. Because you'd never see those walls unless you really took the time to think about it,

to be alone with yourself and ask those questions. It's the fun what-ifs. what if I stopped doing those things I don't like and started doing what I love? What if I didn't accept this as what I have to do and instead took a different path altogether? What if I was capable of playing a different game? And what we find is that we're capable of some pretty incredible transformations.

We're capable of taking what matters out of a less than ideal environment and recreating it somewhere that is ideal, that is conducive to our success in our growth, and our evolution, and our contentment. Instead of conceding so much and asking so few questions, why accept those limitations?

So again, I ask, where have you built your walls and why? And what if you push them back? like lines in the sand meant to be redrawn. See, perhaps the income coming in is a direct result of you feeling like, hey, that's just what I make. Perhaps your fitness level is the result of you thinking, that's just how I am. Perhaps your friends and the people you surround yourself with are a result of you saying, it's just who I know. But there comes a point when new targets must be seen.

set and new lines drawn. At least if any type of evolution is going to. You don't have to perpetually navigate the revenue streams, fitness levels, and friend groups you have now. You can play a different game. Again, it's not always asking, how do I live within these walls? Exist within these circumstances. Sometimes the question is, how do I step into a new wall?

arena entirely. What if those less than ideal things in our lives, right? So our limitations, our constraints. The aspects of life we consider to be, you know, a bad hand. What if they weren't just things we need to learn to accept or little tragedies we have to live with? What if they were ultimately the aspects of our lives that create the best of us. The elements of our world that push us to our greatness. And this came to mind earlier. I was listening to a book called How to Think Like a Roman Emperor by Donald Robertson. And he explores this point. He talks about Socrates and ancient Athens and how he lived in abject poverty, how according to the standards of ancient Athens was not an attractive person by any means,

just seemed to have a lot working against him. And the question that's posed is whether these exact circumstances ultimately created the man that became one of the most important thinkers in history. He implies that his reality and his surroundings shaped his worldview, so it only makes sense for one to conclude that all of it contributed to the life he lived. If Socrates was born wealthy and attractive and all these things, could he have become the man that he became? Probably not.

And the reason I love this is because, to put it simply, it reframes those less than ideal circumstances in our lives. Whether it is a personal trait we have no control over or an occurrence we deal with. It's understanding that a lack of a lack of a... in one area helps guide us to that spot where we can thrive. A disappointment we encounter helps us regroup and make our way to the thing that is ultimately best. The less than ideal, the things that at surface levels seem bad or problematic,

they're always working for us to push us towards our contentment and our growth to our great I can say on my end, it was the turbulence I experienced in my life that created that sense of curiosity for me. It was a lack of understanding that pushed me to write about life, explore the hardships we face, and the resilience of the human spirit through it all. It's a pretty famous stoic idea that states, we can't often control what happens, but we can always control how we respond to what happens. and there lies the power and the understanding that when one door closes as the saying goes, you are pushed closer to the one that will open for you.

You have to decide whether you will find it within yourself to open it. Or will you focus on the lack, the gap, what's not there, what you don't have, what went wrong. See, all those things, the things that most people use is they're really. reason to stop or quit or not go. They can be the reason you lose, or they can be the very reason you win. You find a way. But that means moving forward, trusting there is good to be had,

understanding that everything that goes creates space for what truly needs to be there. I understand it's common, right? But it's not just a cliche that adversity creates us, that difficult times shape us. Why? Because we are transformed by the bad and the difficult and that which in the moment does not seem ideal. Because they force us to move further into what we were meant to do and who we were meant to be. Just like Socrates was created from his adverse situation, his brilliance derived from his circumstance. your greatness will be derived from yours.

So remember that next time you feel as though you've been slighted by life or something's been taken away from you. While it may feel negative and I get it from time to time it does, it ultimately becomes the wind at your back, bringing you where you most need. There has to come a time when it's now, when it's now or never. Well, you look at your reflection and realize that the cost of waiting

is far more expensive than the cost of stepping out into the vast unknown. In every journey, that's when life effectively starts. But here's why this is so tricky. What's caught me off guard so many times in my life, it's the many shapes that wading takes. See, waiting is not always sitting there and doing nothing, not at all. Sometimes waiting is just the bare minimum. It's moving forward so slightly and so slowly that you can essentially trick yourself into thinking that you're progressing.

Into thinking you're making it happen. When, if you really stopped and looked, if you were honest with yourself, If you really took a second to review to analyze, you'd see that you're leaving almost everything on the table. You're not creating progress. You're dancing with the idea of progress. Sometimes waiting can mean just going fast enough to not have to look at the fear you're hiding behind. That's reality, right? I think it's a very normal thing, but I also think,

Life is too short for normalcy. I think we can do better than normal. And I believe with all my heart and soul that the world has for us the spectacular. Sitting there on the top shelf, waiting for those who can acquire the self-belief and the awareness to reach out and grab it. And how crazy a thought. To realize that we could have been sitting next to the very thing we've needed for days, months, years, but never taught ourselves to extend our hands and reach.

When I look back the most important moments in my life, we're not tangible acquisition and see the flashy things that try and capture our attention, right, the money, the condos, even social media growth, business growth, whatever it is you're working towards. Those things are wonderful. They are benchmarks that hopefully align with your North Star, but they are not the difference makers. Not at all, right? They were the byproduct of what really mattered.

They weren't the moments that moved the needle. My greatest moments were mental shifts, cognitive transformations. That's why I do this for a living. I see how much can change when we step back and look at life, just a little differently. It was my realizing that I was demanding too little of myself. That the world won't see greatness in me

until I see it in me. That shift that pushed me to demand more of myself. Seek bigger challenges. Value my work to a greater extent. Charge more for my services. And that mental shift is what made some of those externalities possible. It's realizing that if you want it,

more is on the table. that yesterday doesn't define you, that it's never too late to begin again, that everything you need you have, right? These are the ideas that truly change lives. They make the difference. And if we don't become aware of these things, we leave them in the rear view. We walk right by them. In other words, the most important moments of my life were when someone or something, shook me and effectively said, hey, look around you. If this is what you want, fine, enjoy. Right. But for your information, there is more out there. And if you step up just a little, if you do just a little more, if you pivot and come at this thing a little bit differently,

you will further that reach. You'll create a little bit. another ripple effect that will transform your life. But we must stop and look around. A good friend of mine, and this is just the other day, right? We're having lunch. We're talking about marketing, and we always joke that marketing is just a part of the business that I don't particularly enjoy, right? Necessary, but not my favorite.

And we're going through kind of different strategies, ideas, and he presents one, and I say something like, I don't need to do that. It seems a little over the top. And unfiltered, he goes, man, you're hurting your reach. Like, what good is that metaphorical restaurant that's not on anyone's radar? You're going to be the best pizza shop

that no one knows about. And it just kind of hit me, right? It's like, man, I needed to see that differently. Maybe there's room to be a little more aggressive. Again, one example of many. And not every time. is the idea or opportunity the right one or necessary one, right? But at least you stopped.

At least you thought about it. At least you contrasted where you are with the potential upside of doing something differently. That is where we leave opportunity on the table. You know, we most often, myself included, paint regret as this, the result of this blatant walking away from something. a deliberate declaration, sort of a, oh, no, I'm not doing that, no way. And sure, sometimes that's the case. Sometimes we're cognizant of our fear and decline to move forward, but I wonder how often our neglect or refusal is softer, more subtle.

I wonder how much of our regret comes from simply not stopping and looking around, not letting in alternative points of view that challenge us and force us to level up. How much of our regret comes from simply not understanding how short life is and how quickly time passes us by. And if we don't create some abrupt change in our day to day, if we don't manufacture some momentum in our lives, even when it feels least ideal to do so,

So, the ship we needed to be on will sail away without us. So think back to your hardest days. Even the ones that took you out, that brought you to your knees, and realized that you survived every single one of them. You have, for years, been acquiring the armor, piece by piece, to move into something bigger. You've been learning. you've been evolving.

But today, what about sitting down with yourself and having the discussion you don't want to have but need to have? What about asking if it's time to leap where you once stepped? To run where you once walked? What about taking a good look around and asking why you're living in ways that don't serve you? why you're conceding so much of what matters. Again, the evolution you want and need is there. It's always there, and that's the key takeaway here.

It will always exist. But the question is, will your commitment to stop, to think, and to reach for it be there? Years from now, looking back, I think we'll find that our willingness to ask those questions mattered more than we could have ever imagined. That silence often implies the lack of adversity needed to evolve. Because the reality you want, it doesn't come to you. You must go to it. And that means re-approaching today's normalcy and comfort,

seeing those things for what they are, a continuation of the status quo. Nothing changes until you change. So take a look around, examine those pillars holding up your worldview. Not once, but over and over again. And if one, many, or all of them must be knocked down, then so be it. The point here is that you can build. The point here is that life happens on your terms, whether you realize it or not,

that doing nothing is accepting what things are. It's a head nod and a thumbs up to reality as is. So again, ask yourself what you want out of life. And if you are missing that mark, tear down what must be torn down. It might be hard now. It might hurt now. It might be uncomfortable now. But when you're eventually standing upon an existence that aligns with who you are and what you want,

you'll see how necessary it all was, how it was there the whole time, and thank God you found it within yourself to reach out and take it. One of the most important lessons I've learned is that I already have what I need most. Now, as I unpack this, think of it not in a, a, fluffy, sort of, you're magical just the way you are context.

And instead, let's look at it through a truly practical lens. Life is about connecting dots. And I personally believe there's a way to make almost anything happen. You just need to figure out what dots have to be connected to get there. And, you know, even if this message isn't true 100% of the time, me believing in it, believing it so, has pushed me to find ways to succeed when I otherwise would have walked away. To me, it's a 100% value ad. So let's dive in. Let's say you're currently going through a rut in life. Just not feeling good about yourself, how things are. Okay, we've all

been there in some capacity. You might think about your ideal life and think, well, I have none of that. I have none of those things. I'm not any of those things. That's just a different world altogether. And when you look at it in one giant leap like that, you're correct. But again, your job is not to wake up tomorrow and be perfect. Open your eyes and be a god or goddess.

Jump out of bed with the PhD and have your life all figured out. No, there's none of that. your job, and this is the point here, is to simply connect dots from one little thing to the next. So again, you're stuck. Let's say theoretically, the road to something better starts with energy. Having to feel good, otherwise doing anything is difficult. Feeling good, feeling energetic is a baseline. So draw a dot at waking up at a reasonable time.

right, breathing in the morning air, letting the sun hit your face as it comes up in the morning. Boom, dot connected. You did that. You're a little bit better. Next, make a dot at groceries. What are you taking in? How are you fueling yourself? Make a few changes that will have you feeling good about how you are taking care of your body.

Boom, you just connected another dot. Next, dot at gym three days a week. You get the point, right? These little changes, you're starting to feel like a different person. And you can see how this upward spiral works. None of those three things was a monumental transition. They were small, manageable tasks. And everything of substance is a little change like this.

Sometimes that's just hard to see. Right? When you're frustrated, when you're looking at, at what you don't have when you're comparing yourself to others, when all you see is the delta or the gap between where you are and where you want to be. All that is poison. But true change is about connecting little dots, making little roadmaps, being consistent but patient, expecting more of yourself, but also giving yourself love and grace as you

make the journey. And it's from this vantage point that you truly do already have everything you need. It doesn't matter the goal, objective, or pursuit. You have exactly what you need to win. Why?

Because you have everything you need to connect that next dot. Always. If only we would stop wasting time, looking out, wishing, and chasing things, we think we'll solve our problems, When in reality, we walk around with the solution every single day. You know, Jim Rohn used to say it's not where you're going.

It's who you become along the way. And I think this is because as we seek to evolve and grow, we learn to create and connect those dots. We trust ourselves that, look, we don't need one giant leap. We need to step. We need little consistent action, and we're more capable of that than we could ever imagine. And I'll get personal for a second. A goal of mine, I want to be one of the most impactful thinkers in orders of our generation.

That invigorates me. It also is a lot, right? Even saying it feels like a lot. As the words come out of my mouth, it feels pretentious, right? Who am I to categorize myself with the best of the best, the nerve, right? But I believe it, and I believe it wholeheartedly, to the point that I've bet my life on it. Why? Because I don't need to wake up tomorrow and write like Ralph Waldo Emerson, or speak like MLK.

I don't need to think like Nietzsche or inspire like Churchill. Nope, not tomorrow. I just need to keep creating those little dots that will bring me closer and closer. I need to find ways to connect them in real time one day at a time, one dot at a time, and I will do that. And the best part, so can you. I'm not special, no, not in this regard.

What am I? I'm a decade into connecting dots. A decade into understanding that I have everything I need to take one step and another and another. And my friend, you are capable. of the same. So understand that strange dichotomy of thinking big and small simultaneously. You have to dream big, otherwise what's the point? You dream big because it forces you to ask big questions,

pushes you to arrange and rearrange until you have evolved. But when we get caught up in the end result, we forget how to get there. You don't transport to greatness in your endeavor. No, you follow that roadmap, that roadmap of consistent steps. You connect the small immediately achievable. They are the formula to outcomes that exceed expectations and bend reality. So what do you need to ultimately arrive where you most want to be? Not a miracle. You need a simple understanding, you need to acknowledge that right now, in this moment, you have everything required to build and connect the next dot, and that will always be enough. Not too long ago, I shared a few thoughts related to stoicism with one of the most important messages in my eyes being, you can't

always help how you feel. There are biological elements, there are emotions that we as humans simply cannot escape. But what we have control over is how we act, right? What we do amidst the feelings of sadness or anger or despair. Well, as it happens, fate brought me face to face with that lesson once again. And one of the most interesting aspects of life is that the Lessons often have to be re-learned, right? As the context around us changes, we are forced to draw from that well to take what we knew and transform it and level up. And so, quick story. Two weeks ago, ish, my Facebook account was hacked.

Which happens to a lot of people. It's not uncommon. And to be honest, I'd never really thought much about it. But I'm sitting there and I start getting these e-mails. coming in, right, telling me my phone number's changed, my email address has changed, my username's changed, all this stuff is changing. I'm like, what's going on? And before I could do anything, I go to look and realize I'm locked out of the account, right? Then I go from my personal page to my business page, where I share thoughts like these, these episodes, videos,

writings, and basically, you know, stuff I've been working on for years and realize I'm locked out of there as well. So whoever has the account is now operating it and for whatever reason posting like spammy images and videos or applying to people pretending to be me. And there's just nothing I could do, right? I'm just locked out watching this happened. And when I say I felt angry, it's probably an understatement. I was surprised at how furious I was. It was a rage that I wouldn't have anticipated in a million years, I could not help it. And, you know, maybe it was vulnerability, right, that feeling of helplessness that some stranger had access to, you know, around 100,000 people that trust me. They had no idea what was happening, right? Or maybe it was anger at whoever

it was doing this. Anger at Facebook for being non-responsive. Maybe a fear that, look, you can work so hard for so long and have something taken away. incredibly quickly. Whatever it was, I was distraught for like three hours. And eventually I calmed down a little bit. And I remember just sitting there being so disappointed in my reaction. I hated that I felt the way I did because leaders, and that's what I consider myself, that's what I aim to be in the world, they have to be more composed than I was, period. I thought about that story about the ship at sea that was trapped amidst the storm or everyone was terrified, the ship's going to sink, people were pale, you know, just frantic, screaming

except for the professor who, although he felt the same fear and was overcome by the same biological characteristics, he was not crying out, indicating that, you know, Emotions often can't be avoided, but the response is what carries the weight. And I just think it was a great lesson for me because for a quick period of time, I definitely, using the same metaphor, cried out, right?

And if that intrusion on my work and privacy was a ship amidst the storm, it's okay that I felt the way I did, but now we have to work on the reaction. And by the way, I've gotten plenty of opportunity to, right? The account's still hacked. There's still weird posts going out under my name. But I manage it way differently. There's a calmness that I've managed to acquire and maintain. We're done complaining about problems here.

We're looking for solutions amidst what we can control and letting go of what we cannot. Look, I know it's a cliche that our most important lessons come from our moments of duress. But this is exactly what I believe that phrase refers to, right? You need to be hardened by the adversity to change yourself. You need to be able to look in the mirror and go, ooh, I didn't like that. I'm not doing that again, right? And it took an embarrassing three hours of me being furious and acting irrationally. Okay, fine. But that's a small price to pay for the lesson that I acquired. So I think for someone listening to this, my hope is twofold. One, don't forget that the initial reaction is often sewn into your DNA.

It's okay to feel what you feel when things don't go your way. But also, as you sort through the chaos, know that you have the ability to not only tame it, but make something from it, right? Truly. So that next time something similar arises, you have a blueprint. You'll be a step ahead. You'll find that perspective.

Probably realizing as I have that it's just not the end of the world anyway. When you're able to eventually step outside your emotions, operate from a point of clarity, a reshuffling of priorities always seems to take place. Look, the storms will come. And if you're pushing and growing and trying to take risks, Those storms will be numerous. The question isn't will you feel them.

The question is can you get a little better each time at not crying out? Can you improve the reaction? Can you regain composure and stay locked in on what truly matters? You can salvage the day. You can salvage the week, the month, the year, the years. All is not lost. It's never lost.

The trap is looking back and using what happened to define what will happen. Using what's behind you to map what's in front of you. What brought this to mind? Well, personal note, this has happened before today was not a good one. At least not until now. Not from a productivity standpoint. I just got back from Europe, a little jet lagged. I've never had more to do,

but simultaneously done so little with my time. Which is frustrating. But I'm going to the gym in an hour, and that leaves me 60 minutes to salvage what could easily have been looked back upon as a lost day. See, something that I think is beautiful about life, about life is that you can get countless things wrong, you're afforded substantial room for error,

and it's often, you know, you only need to get one thing right. Like take dating, right? Countless wrong relationships, you only need one to work out. Right, entrepreneurship, ton of mistakes, lots of swings and misses that's built into the process, but the one win can change everything. Or these stories, these ideas I share on social media, right? A lot of them totally miss.

They resonate with me and sometimes me alone. But if one resonates with others, one gains traction, there's a lot of impact to be had there. And so I wanted to share this because it's a slightly different angle to what I've talked about before. Of course, this has elements of, yeah, you don't feel like it. Well, do it anyway. Right? David Gawkins would have an aneurysm hearing that I even contemplated not writing today. But here's the thing. It's very easy to group a period of time together and call it a loss.

Eh, it didn't happen today, it might tomorrow, right? It's easy to look back on what you were and use it to build walls around yourself to say it's what you are now, when in reality there is still value to be squeezed out. Just because what existed before now was antithetical to everything you wanted it to be, well, that doesn't mean there's no win buried in there. It doesn't mean between 445 and 545 here today, I can't share something that's important to me that might help other people identify and dive into something that's important to them, right? All is not lost if time remains.

To message that, sure, it might be psychologically easier to walk away from the day because the first half wasn't good, but that's not the move. There contains somewhere in there the seed that will grow or at least begin the process of growing what you need. Jim Quick, he recently said

some days all you have is 40%. And on those days, giving 40% is 100%. Maybe seeing that subconsciously saved my day to day. I don't know, but it's very easy to check out when the past was not what you wanted it to be, instead of thinking, yeah, but one right move right now

changes everything, changes the momentum, alters the personal identity. You're always one move, one decision away from reigniting momentum. A quote-unquote bad day can be completely mitigated with one incredible decision or action. So let's pull this up a level. Where does it bring us? It brings us to those moments we're sitting in bed, wishing things were a little different, went a little differently,

or looking in the mirror disappointed in the day, and instead of letting it define the story in totality, remembering that there's something there. Maybe just one thing. One action, one decision, one move you can take to. salvage what remains, there's some value you can find that will reposition your outlook on what has occurred. There is no loss here. Only the win that hasn't happened yet.

Fear is either a headwind or a tailwind. It's a red light or a green light. It's either an end or a beginning. get to choose. I talked about this exact thing a few months ago, so it's kind of fun following up now as some time has passed and the technologies continue to evolve. Last spring I heard someone say there will be two types of companies in the future. There will be companies that leveraged AI in companies that no longer exist. And I didn't know quite what to make of that at the time, but settled on, well, I trust myself to figure it out.

After all, that's what humans do. We adapt and we find a way. Well, I was recently in the middle of one of my YouTube audits, and I saw something interesting. There's a section of YouTube that discloses 15 channels that are similar to yours. Basically, there's an audience overlap. So, for example, one of the 15 right now,

for me is Andrew Humerman. So apparently, a number of people who watch or listen to his channel also make the way over to my YouTube channel, which I thought was interesting. So I wanted to dig a little deeper. And as I was poking around at some of those other channels,

here's what I found. About a third, from what I can tell, of the channels on that list, were faceless YouTube channels with AI voice automation, AI scripting, and what I could only assume is AI video editing as well, which means that the future state is here. It's not knocking.

It's not around the corner. It has arrived. Okay. Noted. That means two things. I can either, one, water the seat of concern whispering, hey, dude, you're now fighting for real estate on this platform with robots. and two ask, okay, well, how can I add value in a way that AI automation can't?

Right? Because there are certainly plenty of ways. And in writing this, you know, it was kind of like, it almost seems a bit tired, right? How many ways can you say find a way to win? But in reality, this is a perfect example of the crossroads. We're always at perpetually. Right? in every difficult situation, we're tasked with growing or dying.

And I truly appreciate that this is forcing me to evolve, or at least quicker than I would have, right? It's putting me in position to inject more into my craft. That's not optional. That's a requirement. And it's what technology has always done and will always do. I was joking around with a friend of mine who, know, said the same things. Like chat GPT creates, you know, great B minus work.

How do you ensure moving forward that yours is a plus, right? That's the question now and will always be the question. And in thinking about this, I don't know how anyone could think they aren't powerful. When in almost every situation, the same tool that gives life can also kill you, the same things that make you stronger, have the ability to destroy you, the outcome's entirely dependent, not on the tool, but on its utilization by the actors. I call us artists because we all are. and the proof is in what you've made with what you have. I was playing around with Chat GPT this morning, seeing if I could write a speech in the quote-unquote Eddie Pinero style.

And I was laughing because it gives these, you know, kind of robotic, rigid essays, but every single one of them referred to life as a dance and in the world as a blank canvas. Right? I'm like, wow, I didn't realize I said that that much. I was what's his name Woody in Toy Story

and you pull the string that would be like my two rotating messages but I believe that right? Is there anything better to describe the freedom

contained in the time we have? We are painters we are architects we're not handed good or bad things we're handed things and from our handling interpretation and craftsmanship with regard to those things,

they take on certain meanings. Everything is opportunity. It's just waiting for us to first grant it permission to become one. When I was growing my company in the early years, right? Every once in a while, I would feel so defeated. Like, just tired of feeling like everything I did wasn't enough. You know, that sort of hamster on the wheel feeling and I'd have to figure out a way to pull myself up again and again, right? And it was always,

hey, remember, this situation is not good or bad, it's just a situation. You have to take it and paint it onto your canvas. If you think it's bad, what you paint will reflect that. Everyone will seem better further along than you. The road will seem too challenging. Personally, I'll take on a persona of not enough. But if I start thinking that the situation is valuable, is an opportunity, that's what will be etched into my reality. We are vehicles bringing meaning to meaningless things. And to know you have that ability can make all the difference.

And so my thesis here stays the same. Technology will evolve. So will I. And so will you. But I think beyond that is an underlying truth. This isn't really about technology. It's about our willingness to adapt and make good things out of neutral, indifferent circumstances. There will always be a reason you can and a reason you can't.

Or put in an artsy way, there are imaginary castles in the sky, in imaginary shackles around your feet. You get to choose which to believe in. Seth Godin wrote in his book, The Dip, Quit or Be Exceptional, Average is for Losers. And I love this, and I love it for a few reasons. First, it calls out the fact that if we are going to live, we might as well live in pursuit of the exception.

Why just float by? Why just stand there while time elapses around you? No, seek out the things that matter. Exist not in life's shadows, but in its fringes, where few look but the best things live. The places where most only dream of but the courageous go, quit, or be exceptional. Second, it suggests that quitting isn't always a bad thing.

And context is everything here. It's a beautiful thing if it's done for the right reason. In other words, it's far better to quit the wrong thing to pursue what matters than it is to stay and immerse yourself in a lifelong dance with mediocrity. It's not that you quit. It's why you quit. I have a problem with the word quit to begin with. Stopping the wrong thing is less quitting than it is pivoting. It's evolving. But ultimately, that's neither here nor there.

It's semantics, right? The moral of the story is, if I never quit, personally, would I believe to be wrong for me? I'd still be in the same building I was 10 years ago. And I'm not being emotional here. I'm being practical. To become your best self, you have to shed yourself of the things that aren't you. There's an idea that what we say no to is one of the most important components of growth. So if you take that and create a little thought experiment, if you have the courage to adventure and try new things,

some of those new things will inevitably fall short of expectations. They'll be wrong for you. They can't all be aligned. And so what then? You do the wrong things forever? Or do you take the lesson and move on to those level ten opportunities? opportunities. That's what this is about. Quit or be exceptional. Leave mediocrity behind. Do you have to? Well, you don't have to do anything, but the question is, what do you want? Because the world where you chase down the exceptional will be better for you. It will be better for those close to you. It will be better for the world at large. You will live a fuller life. And since you can never forgive more than what you are, means the amount of value you can then distribute to others will

grow. What we give is directly proportional to what we allow ourselves to be. So don't be mediocre. Don't allow that. Don't even entertain the thought. That's not you. Quit or be exceptional. Go all in or don't go. Believe in it fully or walk away. Average is for losers. The fence is for people who forfeit the upside in an attempt to escape the downside. Completely unaware that the true loss is the moment of reflection years down the road where you wish you had the courage to do a little more. To chase down the things that invigorated you. To wish you'd lived a little more boldly with just a tad more conviction.

Quit or be exceptional. To simply put, whether we realize it or not, we have defied the, odds in simply existing. And I don't care that this idea is pushed to the point of it being cliche. I still don't think we get it. I don't think we've grasped the magnitude. Perhaps a metaphor we could use to help us think about it and still not indicative of our reality, but worth a shot, is walking into a theme park and spending the entire day standing

by the entrance, holding the ticket. Or being handed a lottery ticket and keeping it in your place. pocket for fear of what could go wrong when you cash it out being there but not experiencing there see chasing down the exceptional feels good because it's what you were meant to do and if you haven't found it yet don't give up find what lights you up until you can capture it and immerse yourself in it be the best at it let curiosity lead you to exploration and findings that few would be tenacious enough to discover, quit or be exceptional.

Or maybe better put, don't stop pursuing that thing worthy of your commitment. And once you have that target, go. Like everything is riding on it. Go. Like it's the sun around which all else revolves. Go. Life is simply too shunuch.

short to leave your greatness on the shelf. So I'm going to share a life lesson with you, something that over the years has been a true game changer. Ready? It's simple. It's very simple. Like most things, it's easy to understand. It's easy to comprehend.

It's the implementation. That's the challenge, right? But it's the idea that progress is not always a visible step forward. Growth is not always a measurable inch or mile, you know, to feel good about. to celebrate. It's not always a tangible victory or pat on the back. It's a smile about it. Sometimes it's sidestepping. Sometimes it's stepping backwards, reminding ourselves to look up and gain perspective because we are always inclined to look at the immediate. That's what feels good. And this lesson says, no, there's a big picture to keep in mind. It reels us in. The big picture is what gives us purpose.

It drives our happiness. That thing we want on the top of the hill. The North Star, the X on the map, that's what's sustainable. And I say it's been a game changer for me because, you know, one of my biggest adversaries over the years has been that voice in my head. Almost pleading with me to indulge in the thing that will bring that immediate result. It's money now, growth now, validation. Now, there's comfort there.

Our minds want that satisfaction. That's why you see all those guys standing next to, the whiteboard saying they have the formula to make you rich tomorrow. We want tomorrow. We believe in some capacity that that can be real tomorrow. But that's what tends to lead us astray. And so I've spent a lot of time reflecting over the years on how to incentivize those steps that aren't immediately impactful.

There's not the flashy metal you're going to get right now, but I know that if I do it, it's going to bring me to my long-term goal. How do I incentivize that? Because like I said, the natural inclination is to just, dismiss it. I'm walking laterally across the mountain so that ultimately I can find the most applicable path and ascend. And that's a scary thing. You know, building long term gives you very little to immediately slap on a resume, to brag or rant about at holiday parties. There's nothing flashy to impress with, but it's believing in a long-term game, doing what most people can't,

trading that certainty that you could have had for an extraordinary later. It's never a loss to do what has to be done so that you can position yourself for the future. Sometimes you have to wade through the muck, work quietly in the dark, so that you can build something that you feel will have an impact. It's not a loss to step backwards to tweak the things you're not happy with. It's not a loss to explore or question or reinvent. It's true those actions in and of themselves aren't going to put money immediately in your pockets. But if you find the discipline to see the big picture, you realize that long term,

those things bring happiness, contentment, excitement, which guess what? Leads to accomplishment and progress and the financial stability that you're looking for. Chasing flashy things, chasing the immediate moment, yeah, I'd get you a quick rush, a nice blast of dopamine, but it's empty. Ultimately, it's unfulfilling because nothing worth having is quick. That's life. But it's often the illusion that guides us. You'll never see how many auditions the 33-year-old actor went through before he was cast in a major film.

You don't see that. You don't see the countless hours and shows and midnight gigs in front of three people that the rock star endured. You just don't. It's not celebrating. We celebrate what we see. And what I've learned is that the most important things, they're just not visible to the naked eye.

And it's funny. It's like people, they're ashamed or embarrassed by the fact that they're climbing to the top of their own hill, to something truly significant to them. because the person next to them is bragging about blindly leaping three steps. And that's great. Progress is great. But unless it's taking you to where you want to be most, is it a win?

I have many friends that have left six-figure or hire jobs to podcast or create or start their own businesses. And people's first reaction is always like, wow, look what you have. Look what you're walking away from. We see scarcity. We are naturally inclined to see life through a lens of scarcity. You need to remember that. That's what we do.

We establish and protect our well-being. That's why I've worked so hard to transform my thinking over the years. To look out and think, who cares what I had? Look what's out there. There are no limitations to what can be yours. If you're not on top of the world, make it happen. And I understand people are complex. Situations, they're not easy, they're intricate.

Everyone's different. Everything is different. But there's a principle that's consistent. And it's that you can always improve your situation. that will never be false. To some degree you can improve your situation, there's always opportunity. It's just what you see.

A friend of mine sent me a text yesterday, saying the past and the future, they're just imagination. All you have is now. Everything other than split second is the story you're deciding to tell yourself. That's it. Think about that.

We're operating off what we decide is real or imaginary, possible or impossible. We're living in a world that is our own. There's no them or they are a crowd, just individual people. all telling themselves some variation of a story. And so taking this back to the point,

caving into that pressure, accommodating to the now so that we feel important, so that our self-worth sees that temporary spike, it neglects the opportunity. It makes us feel like we're stepping forward that we're progressing, but in reality, are we? That voice, that pressure to conform to what will impress Richard next door

will always lead to, it will always be to our detriment. And it takes truly what I believe is the most pure, important aspect of life and sticks it in the closet so that we can feel like we're on par with everyone else. And I'll never forget starting out. And I bring this up a lot because it was one of those moments where I knew I recognized that a huge shift was happening in my life. Went out with some friends from college. And one's working for a senator. One's a Goldman. One's a lawyer.

And I'm thinking, well, you know, geez, I just quit my job. But I have this really cool idea for a YouTube channel. And I just, you know, I don't think any girls are going to be swooning over that. And I struggled, right? At the time, it was difficult for me. And I look back and I'm just thankful every day that at the time I was able to locate somewhere in my soul the courage to stick that out. To believe that if I executed on this dream, I could have an impact. Because like I mentioned above, it was painful in the moment.

But when you think big picture, bigger things happen, right? I'm doing things now that I never, ever would have been able to do if I didn't have that, that desire to do the unconventional thing. If I stopped at sort of the discomfort or if I stopped when I felt like I was losing this imaginary race to those people around me, I wouldn't have the creative flexibility that I have now. I wouldn't be able to do what I do now.

I wouldn't have the people in my life that I have now. You have to earn that every single day. And it makes me wonder how many people stopped when they could have taken their own path, brought their own unique vision into existence if they didn't retreat when they felt like they were a lone wolf when it felt like they were losing a race that didn't exist

when they felt like their neighbors were getting ahead or their classmates or their friends were doing the conventional things so they had to. They were too scared to step backwards and I'm telling you right now I'm telling you that step backwards that ability to temporarily find yourself to create yourself

that will mean everything. That will open doors for you that would never have existed. You never would have come across them because you would have been too scared to look for them. You have to make opportunities. Simple metaphor. Gumball machine.

Gumball does not come out if you don't put the quarter in and turn it. It's a price that has to be paid. Except in reality, the price is a lot higher than a quarter because we're conditioned to want to fit in. We're terrified to look like we don't know what we're doing. Every significant thing around you stemmed from someone pushing into that unknown.

It came from someone risking everything. It's not easy when your family doesn't know what you're doing, your friends don't know what you're doing, or you don't know what you're doing. But if you want to have an impact, that is the road you have to take. That's the cost you need the price that you need to pay. It'll be a hard year or two years or three years, but you won't regret it.

So hopefully this can be a reminder to you. When I talk about lateral steps, that's the sentiment I'm trying to recreate. I think that's the great thing because it means the people who create, who build something meaningful, they've earned it. And that's what I tell myself every day. Earn that dream, earn that change.

Take that road less travel. What you're doing right now is not insignificant. simply because it's not immediately bearing free. I think if you listen to this back from the top, you'll notice the constant theme, immediate, now, present. These things are delusioned. As far as results are concerned, the word immediately is a con artist.

Action should be immediate, but results, no, they are gradual. They require persistence. Stick with it. Remind yourself to look up, because that's what you're after. It's a pursuit. You're building a foundation. You're creating the things that permanently alter the artistic and political and social landscapes.

That's remarkable. It's the road few have the patience to walk. Remind yourself why you're skipping the small stuff, brushing off the little winds and losses. Why building something substantial in silence is more powerful than gloating and screaming at the top of your lungs after every visible step. Look up. Remind yourself that you are going to change the world. and you can see it. 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 unsatisfied 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, reimagined, 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 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 ingoing 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 ingoing 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 ingoing 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,

It's 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. 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 learn 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 and we look over. 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 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. The 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. 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 sunrise is not the best part. I want to explain something I've tried to articulate over the years. But at least in my mind, have never quite captured how I feel or what I mean because I think it's important. Now, a tad trivial

or could be seen that way. In fact, I picture one of those memes where the top says nobody and the bottom would say Eddie's screaming about the sunrise for 10 years. Whereas a buddy of mine recently said a bird flies over my right shoulder

and I want to go home and write a novel about it. but you know truth be told there's beauty in the mundane and i think when looked at correctly some of our greatest lessons about ourselves about the world and about how those two things often aren't as different as we might be inclined to think shine through so we're going at this again one more time the beginning four a.m. Couldn't sleep last night. So I got up, I got dressed, went to the Dunkin' Donuts, drive through around the corner.

I was sitting there right as it opened at 5.30. Got my French vanilla coffee and headed to the beach to see night turn today. And here's an interesting thing. If you were to search sunrise, Pompano Beach, on that particular day, it would have told you 6.28 a.m. I got to the beach around 540, and this will become more. more and more relevant as I sort of progress here. But when I arrived, it was dark.

It was not a soul outside, except for a man with a dog, who for some reason warned me that he had a dog, and another man twirling around a glow stick. Listen, Florida's the best place I've ever lived by far, but it keeps you on your toes, man. So I walked by them and found a spot by the water. I sat down. and it was truly theatrical.

It's almost hard to find the words for the South Florida sky in the morning as night turns today. And as I'm sitting there looking out over the Atlantic, you can see right where the ocean and sky touch these little patches of teal and orange and pink that start to slowly break up the darkness. Almost like someone's dipping their brush in paint and just flicking it at a canvas.

Random assortments of colors. And it's very interesting because it happens subtly and somehow all at the same time. Piece by piece, these little neon strips start making their way over the horizon. I just sat back with my coffee and I watched the world around me come to life. Birds start flying over the water.

The sand rake, if that's what it's called, started driving around, preparing the beach for everyone that would come visit that day. You start to hear voices and laughter, infiltrate the beach around you. And here's my thing. Here is that thought that I truly feel is important but have a hard time with the why.

It's how people show up at 615 and make their way to do that and make their way to the sand to watch the sun come up. Obviously, understandable. It is an incredible sight. To see that giant ball of fire emerge in the distance seemingly make its way up into the sky. I get it.

I just can't help, but feel like in some way, you know, it's similar to fast-forwarding a movie to the point where the villain's already been defeated, where the problems already been solved. It's like it's the post-game interview after the Super Bowl. The magic in my eyes is the before. Before the sun rises, it's watching something so dark, so empty, so hopeless,

replaced by a masterpiece that takes your breath away. It's seeing out in the distance, the light that was coming, it was always on its way, make itself known to you for the very first time. And as that extravagant march from nothing to something takes place above and all around you, suddenly you can see your hand in front of your face.

It's like you blinked and night became day. That type of transformation, that journey from one extreme to the other, it's so incredible, so emotional, it screams hope. It makes it that much harder for me to say, I can't. I can't change. I can't let go. I can't build.

It's like, look, you just watched the black of night become day. It's a reminder that things are always dark until they're not. We can never see until we can. It's just make-believe until it's real. It's a process of holding on. Sometimes it's just holding on until that paint begins to color in the world around you. So it's not that the others are wrong.

Again, I totally get it. I get the appeal of putting the beach chair down at 615, snapping some pictures of the sun in its magnificence. I get it. It's real. It's tangible. It's the shiny object. theoretically it's what we should be looking at.

But let's not forget that magic in its infancy. Because for everything that is, for every sun that rises, its origin was once darkness. It's beginning so convoluted and so bleak that it's only logical one would look around and fail to see reality stretching beyond those desolate confines. The world seems to like pointing out the shiny things and the obvious spectacles. But if you ask me, the power precedes that sunrising.

The power is navigating through nothing, knowing that things will not only be different, but that a light show is soon to emerge. That the line between possible and impossible between heaven and hell is strong. showing up. It's settling in and hanging on as the darkness fades and gives way to morning. It certainly reminds me to hold on. It reminds me that amidst every storm, I'm living moments that when zoomed out, comprise the masterpiece. It reminds me to hold on, to find color, to see the beauty, to appreciate the journey, because the sunrise is not the best part. Recently, I was thinking about something a friend of mine named Tom told me a few years back.

He owns a company in Oklahoma City and was telling me about how someone he'd hired essentially stole from him. And the first question that came to my mind as he was telling the story was, okay, what are you going to do about it? And I asked him the question, and he was kind of quiet for a second, and then asked in his southern accent, Eddie, if a snake bites you, are you going to chase it into the woods to get your revenge? Or are you going to get the medical attention required to save yourself? Basically, you're going to focus on the past or on what to do from here forward. Basically, he cut ties with the person but had moved on. Was already thinking about next steps that were best for him,

his family, and his business. And I can tell you, since hearing that, it's become an incredibly valuable idea in my life. Especially as you realize that there will never be a shortage of problems. You do what you can to avoid them. You try to steer clear when possible, but adversity will always be a factor. It's about knowing that and stepping into it regardless. It's just something that's always intertwined in our development.

And I find value in asking myself, is this action I'm about to take conducive to my growth and my happiness? Or am I just chasing snake? Does this just feel good in the short term because I'm angry or I've been wronged or something along those lines? Especially since most harm inflicted on others derived from incompetence, not malice, and I truly believe that. I think very frequently we attribute sinister motives to others when 99% of the time it's sheer stupidity. It's imperfect humans trying to navigate and often common. complex world. We make mistakes. Now, I'm not suggesting you don't stand up for yourself when you've been wronged or slighted. Of course you should. But the magic is in not personalizing

the situation, possessing the emotional IQ to understand, hey look, it's not about me, but whether I can salvage this situation from here. And that depends solely on how I choose to look at it. Emerson wrote, people do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character. And what a powerful point. The flexibility and the leeway available to us when it comes to making sense of the world speaks to not how the world is, but how the onlooker thinks and interprets. De-personalizing this situation is one of the greatest superpowers that are just so. When you're angry and accusatory, you will, as Tom put it, end up chasing snakes. You'll end up breaking things that will need to be rebuilt and uttering words you'll wish you'd never spoken.

But the five seconds required to pause, to collect yourself, and realize that you're in control is everything. The ability to see the person, the situation or the world, not as an adversary stacked against you, but as an inevitable challenge that must be managed. So how will you choose to manage it? How will you choose to arrange the... And by the way, I'm fully aware the constant theme for my speeches and podcasts and videos is the act of pointing not out at the world

but in at ourselves. My responsibility, my fault, my problem to deal with. I understand just how heavy that is, how hard that can be. Especially when deflecting blame often feels like it would just be a tremendous weight off of our shoulders, when revenge feels like the easy, intuitive move. But again, it's short-term relief to truly grow, to find the calm and happiness and meaning we long for, It's the internal relationship with ourselves that matters most. It's the ability to say, I may not have created this,

or even, you know, I may have made the mistakes that brought this to life, but I can't fix it until I look at both the situation and my own reflection and proclaim it's mine now. Let the past be the past. Now it's me and the person. And as far as I'm concerned, the present and opportunity, they are always one in the same, so long as we choose to see it that way. It's not what you look at, it's what you see over and over and over again.

Is it happening to you or for you? Is it a problem or an opportunity, a setback or a chance to reset? I want to bring to light a story, one that I've told before, but it's so perfectly representative of the conversation. You know, Jim Rohn talking about two brothers in an abusive household, alcoholic father, terrible childhoods. You know, they grow up and both of the sons have families of their own. One is the exact same as his father.

He's abusive and he's angry. and the other one is a great father. He's kind, he's loving, he's supportive, and when asked why, the abusive brother replies, look at my childhood, right? How could you blame me for this? The other brother, when asked, responds,

look at my childhood, right? How could I let myself treat my family the same way? And in a way, one spent his life chasing snakes, bitter, resentful. The other one asked, Well, that was terrible, but what can I do to write the wrong? One personalized it.

The other used it as a lever or stepping stone. And this is, of course, a simplification, but I believe every struggle we face in our lives at its core contains some element of this choice. From the little things to the big things, where do I go from here? It's mine now, and I can choose whether to make it better or worse. Chase the snake into the woods or march forward to find the value and write the ship.

Remember that when it's hardest, when you least want to. Remember that the present contains every single thing you need to begin a journey to recovery, to growth, to contentment and meaning. You, on your end, though, need to be willing to slow down the moment. need to be willing to collect yourself and give yourself permission to take that necessary and appropriate step. Normality is a paved road. It's comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow.

Vincent Van Gogh. What is normality? Well, according to the dictionary, normal is the usual average or typical state or condition. Common. Normal is also a decision. There's a quote by Robin Sharma, and I've looked to this for years. It states, if you want what the 5% have, you need to be willing to do what only the 5% are willing to do. What they obtain is not, definitionally speaking, normal. It's uncommon. And what they do to arrive at that outcome is also uncommon. They play. by a different set of rules, and in doing so end up with an entirely different outcome than most.

To put it simply, we arrive at normal when our effort level is normal. You put in normal hours or give average effort at work. Most likely your results, career progress, compensation will be normal. You pay moderate attention to your fitness, your health. Well, your level of physical fitness will be normal. You dedicate typical levels of effort to your relationships. Your relationships will be normal. Not terrible, but not remarkable.

I'm sure you get the idea here, the pattern. Generally, over time, what we get starts to reflect what we gave. And here's where the self-assessment comes in, the awareness. You have to ask yourself in pursuit of something greater, whether your actions are aligning with your goals and objectives. There's nothing so futile is telling yourself you're going to achieve miraculous larger-than-life outcomes, and then putting in average typical normal effort. If normal goes in, normal comes out.

And as I was thinking about this recently, you know, as it pertains to my life, had a little epiphany. So fitness is a big area of focus for me. I run or do some type of strength training six days a week. As far as I can tell, that level of effort is beyond normal. I go above and beyond in that area of my life. But even though I'm aligned on my mission to be the 5% there, I realized there was a gap.

I realized my diet was very normal, completely unextradinary. It's just easy to convince yourself to eat whatever you want after a really long run, right? Why not pizza? After all, it's the normal thing to do. But I had to remind myself that what I wanted in that area of my life, holistically, is not normal. Therefore, the inputs cannot be normal. It was time to start standing up to those things that are very easy to say yes to, to rationalize. And that's the idea here.

I pick my 5% categories where I truly want to excel and make sure there is nothing normal about their development. You want top tier results, you have to give top tier effort. Make the sacrifices, map out the path. I've come to see this differently over the years. It's not an indictment against you as a person for choosing. normal but know that it is indicative of a choice and the output eventually comes to align with the input all the actions or lack thereof stack up to resemble something that's up to you to decide what that is and so the next question perhaps

somewhat of an obvious one is when it comes to the things that matter most to you Why stay confined to normal? It's the above and beyond. The peak experiences, the times we overcame, fought and won, took the risk and came out on top. That's when we are at our best. That's when we get the most from life. So is normal the end of the world?

No. It's just that, abnormal is the beginning of one. I'll never forget listening to Jim Rohn, was taking a walk in the middle of the day. I needed to get out, decompress, rethink, realign. And this message came through my headphones. He said, we must all suffer from one of two pains.

The pain of discipline, or the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces, while regret weighs tons. And I needed that. I needed that because sometimes we forget why. In the midst of the day-to-day, the trials and tribulations of life, we forget why we endure. And there's a strange dichotomy that exists.

Because, you know, you can't measure discontal. comfort that hasn't arrived yet. You can identify regret that hasn't materialized. Yet in a way, you have to. You have to somehow make that tangible. You have to know that sacrifices of today deliver you from the anguish of I wish, or if only, or maybe I could have. I've heard it said that humans' ability to delay gratification is what makes us so unique, incredible even. But that doesn't mean it comes easy. So as I walked, I became reacquainted with the trust that I had in myself in the future and the steps I was taking. It wasn't that I'd reached some grand finale, but that I gave myself permission to stop constantly expecting one.

Worrying when things didn't go as planned, feeling disgusted with myself when I fell short. This is, after all, part of a process. And if one stays the course, builds a foundation of discipline to guide them towards what they believe in, things will evolve. We feel uncertain because new things don't have a precedent,

at least not a personal one. And that feeling of, I wish I knew or had some predictability, it's real, it's common. But if minimizing regret is what means the most, then it also means that we must have the discipline to walk steadfast into the unpredictability of tomorrow. a long-term sustained discipline. And one of my favorite interviews,

Bronny Ware, who wrote the top five regrets of the dying, was talking about surrender and how she mentioned in her book, Letting Go. And I asked her, can you explain that? What's the angle? Because the way I look at life, there's always something you can do. You can always improve your situation somehow. And she basically said, it's not about what you can control, what you can do.

It's about putting yourself in position to live the life you want to live, and then letting go of that which you cannot control. It's about not worrying over external forces as you walk your path, because all you can do in life is walk your path. And that became the marker. Or the question, am I walking my path? Right? Now look at it like this. First, a vision gives you direction. Purpose.

Keeps you excited. Injects meaning into life. Second, discipline keeps you moving. Becomes the tiny steps that transport you through your pursuit of meaning. And third, trust in the process. That you are here to give everything you have to give, and then the rest, as Brunny says, must be surrendered. But the reason I bring this up is because all of it fits together like a puzzle,

like three pillars of a Parthenon. And when people reach out to me all the time, they're upset that they're not as disciplined as they'd like to. to be. And they're listening to the speeches, they're watching the videos, they're absorbing the content, trying to improve. But nothing seems to get the engine going. And I'm wondering, what is your North Star? What are you aiming for? Because as far as I'm concerned, it's impossible to be disciplined if you don't have a reason. You know, when Jim Rhone states that the pain is in ounces now, well, there's an implicit, compared to what, being asked,

right? Compared to that top of the mountain that you'd presumably miss out on. So if the mountaintop's not defined, you're on a fool's errand. That's why I had so much trouble with my old career, for example. It's hard to be disciplined. There's no buy-in on the purpose. Using my previous metaphor, it's little steps, sure, but towards what? If you don't know, it's only practical then to look around and ask yourself, why am I taking them? Why not go drink with my friends? Why not stream this series on Netflix until 4 a.m.?

Why not skip the workout? You can listen to people on YouTube, scream at you to do more and be more and try harder all day, but without that piece, it will not get you very far. A vision, the discipline to pursue it, and a trust in the process. And you could say the same with someone who might have a clear vision, a dream, a perfect idea of what they want, but never take action, right? The discipline never materializes.

Makes the endeavor just as meaningless. Things don't change until you take that big picture, that vision, and you break it down, into little things you can do every day. That's it. And isn't that amazing? The greatest, most influential people from the friends and family that inspire us,

to the greatest athletes and entertainers, to our greatest thinkers, creators, world leaders, all they do is a handful of things consistently every day in the direction of something that is meaningful to them, a process that has been talked about since the beginning of time. The compound effect, as Darren Hardy calls it. That breakthrough was huge for me. The realization that I don't need to leap any mountain. I just need to ascend one tiny rock at a time, and that is not a superhuman ability. That is a single decision.

So here the question isn't can you be more disciplined? Of course you can. The question is, which few things are most meaningful to you? Which will you be focusing on every day so that they expand and inject value into you in the world? And then, lastly, there is trust. Sometimes the most difficult. Seeing the unseen. maintaining confidence in that which is unknown.

An incredibly challenging expectation in an instantaneous world, a world where things are immediate. Feedback is immediate. Messages are sent across the planet instantaneously. Goods and services arrive within hours. We have forgotten patience because it is disintegrating before our very eyes. We are a society. of now, but the best things in life they take time. They require that we hold up our end of the bargain

and that we trust life will fall into place. Belief in a process that will come to mean more than anything that arrives in 30 seconds ever could. A vision, the discipline to pursue it, and a trust in the process. So perhaps you're overdue for your midday walk, your little excursion into the soul, to ask yourself, what is it you are moving towards? Why are you doing what you're doing? Does it mean something? And if not, perhaps some adjustment is in order. Perhaps you've lost sight of that north star that lights up our lives and illuminates the way. Take solid. in the fact that life is not as serious as we make it out to be. We don't live in a world of right and wrong,

good and bad, yes and no, but a continuum. An opportunity to seek out and find the beautiful ups and the meaningful downs to set our sights on the horizons that matter. See when the little things feel too complex or burdensome, or burdensome, it's because the big things are misaligned. And that is a powerful idea to grasp. It's never that life is too difficult.

It's that we have closed our eyes. So don't be fooled by those selling you reality as some problem, some obligation that must be dealt with. No, today is the greatest gift of your lifetime. And the same will be true every day moving forward. And to echo Jim Rohn, absolutely it is a gift comprised of sacrifice, discomfort along the way. But that's a small price to pay for entry to the show.

For the ability to embrace the mystery and embark upon the adventure when you're pointed to the right north star, Well, the road, it feels less treacherous on your feet. The hills less strenuous on your legs. What we often deem to be a lack of preparedness, ability, strength, well, might just be a lack of alignment. So adjust. Because this world, flexible and limitless, invites you to do just that. It invites you to explore until you've uncovered your vision.

To pursue it like nothing else matters. To sidestep the obstacles, invert the setbacks, and lastly to find hope when there appears to be none. To set your sails, walk your path, run your race and surrender to that which is beyond your control. And you'll find that with a vision, with discipline, with trust in the process, there is no situation or circumstance outside the scope of what's possible. I came across a quote recently that said the road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces. I thought this demonstrated or captured a realization that's pretty hard to articulate. And that is just how tempting it is to rationalize stopping or discontinuing your journey when life gets tough.

How much sense it always makes to want to call it quits when things get uncomfortable. It's like it's not just that doing something valuable is hard. It's that it's hard and every three feet there's an invitation to not have to do it anymore. There's an endless supply of exit signs and a sky. escape routes. Therefore, accomplishing a goal is simultaneously saying yes to the challenging things while also saying no to the comfortable things. It's fighting off two demons at once. The good news, though, is that you were made to do just that. You just have to change the way you internalize the process. You have to change what you see along the way. I talk a lot about perfection.

as the enemy. And that's something I wholeheartedly believe to be true. But I generally talk about it in the context of perfection keeping us from starting. Right? I try and unveil perfection as this defense mechanism that it truly is. Oh, things aren't perfect.

I'll wait. Things aren't exactly where I want them to be. Then I won't go. Emphasizing that, that it's ingoing that perfection is crafted, like a statue being chiseled from stone. You fall, you get back up and find that in doing so, you end up with a little more clarity than you had when you started.

You let the trials and tribulations of the journey refine the product. And so that's the beginning, right? That's finding the courage to start, removing the idea of perfect, when really it's just our fears masked. But what about when you've already started? What about when you're underway, when you're in the midst of those trials and tribulations? Because we all know this.

When you're in pain, your body wants one thing to remove yourself from the pain. When things are uncomfortable, your default is to seek out those aforementioned parking spaces. Reprieve from the grass. of the unknown. Things aren't perfect, then I'm done here. Things feel awkward or uncomfortable or unclear, then why bother? What I want to do right now is make the argument that it's most important to continue forward when we're in these moments.

It's most critical to move forward when the road is unclear and those tempting parking spaces start revealing themselves. Things are not perfect, maybe even far from perfect. from perfect. And this is right about the time when we forget why we started. I've run into this in my past, particularly with injuries. There was a period in my not too distant past when my ankle and shoulder were simultaneously messed up, right? So couldn't run, couldn't really do any upper body work. My physical activity really took a dive. Right, so I'm a little discouraged, and sure enough I found the eat whatever you

want parking space. It's like who cares. You're not working out. What's the point? Just focus on the business. Put a pause on all that stuff. And then eating whatever I wanted became, well, what's the point of getting up at five when I could just get up at seven. I sleep two hours longer is how I rationalize it. It's not like I'm going to be running. And then there goes some very important alone time, thinking time, and you can see how easily the wheels sort of fall off the wagon, not because you're a bad person or don't want the result, but because the second thing stopped being perfect or working the way I wanted them to, I found a parking space.

There will be few stretches of time in life when everything's perfect. Things going exactly how you want them to. It will simply be the exception, not the rule. And then the question becomes, can you put your head down and continue forward knowing that life will call for adaptation and adjustment. But that those tempting exit signs are not for you. They are weakness. They are for those who forget their strength and their courage. I mentioned a little while ago that growth is fighting two demons, saying yes to the mountain ahead and no to the off-rams. But when you step back and

look at things different. You change the dynamic. You put the odds in your favor. When the off-ramps become reminders of your strength as you pass them one by one, indicators of your commitment to move forward. And when the mountain ahead becomes merely the way, not some giant sacrifice or monster, but merely a path, things simplify in a way that impassive powers you on your mission. There is no perfect or imperfect. There is adjusting when necessary and taking the next little step along the way. And using the previous example, it's like, I'm injured, okay? This will definitely be a time for adjustment. Maybe it's yoga, stretching, practicing being more patient, maybe greater emphasis on meditation, mental strength, whatever it is,

but we don't stop, we continue stepping forward. The next step will look a little different, but that's all. If perfect is a standard one seeking to maintain, they'll always be pulling over, they'll always be backing off, because very rarely do we have stretches of perfection. Life is an adjustment game, not a perfection game. Life asks, what can you? you do when your hands are tied behind your back? What can you do when you're tired? What can you do

when you've just endured loss? When your pride hurts, your plans fail. And trust me, that's when you see all those off ramps. That's when something in the back of your mind says, hey, all this goes away if you just throw in the towel. Just go seek perfection somewhere else. You'll find it there. But you can chase that rabbit down a million paths. There is no perfection waiting for you and there is no flawless pursuit. Life comes down to what will you do now? Where you are with what you have, can you find a way to win when it hurts? Look, we all need to understand that life is innately difficult.

And success calls for a simplification that is adapting. and stepping forward. That's all. Things are hard, you step. Things don't go as you planned, you adapt, and you step. But you are always moving towards that North Star, whatever it is for you. It's deeming those parking space is insignificant

with regard to your life and your journey. Quitting is not brought about by the external world, No, failure is a decision. Failure is saying, you know what, this costs more effort than I'm willing to pay. Those parking spaces have become more tempting than the top of this mountain. Failure is a choice. And so, for one to succeed, they must simply stay in motion. Choose adaptation over a self-imposed end.

Yeah, enjoy those moments of perfection, the times the stars do align. But see them as the exception, not the rule. We are not defined when things are great. We are defined by our ability to pick up the pieces and keep moving forward when they're not. Our lives are shaped by the exits. We don't take the parking spaces. We don't even notice as we ascend.

the mountain that is light because anything other than the road ahead was never an option you didn't succeed because things were perfect you succeeded because you found a way to win when they weren't