Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - SELF CONFIDENCE | Best Motivational Speeches Compilation | Wake Up Positive

Episode Date: August 30, 2023

‘Nothing is stronger than a broken man rebuilding himself.” - Unknown

So you're scared to start. Scared of what could go wrong. Maybe you're scared of what people will say. Scared of what you might lose. Perhaps you're scared of hurting your ego, your pride. Scared of a world that isn't quite as predictable as the one you're living in. These are no small variables you think to yourself. And so, yeah, why wouldn't you be scared?

to begin. But I have a question. How scared are you to not go? How scared are you of things staying exactly the same? How scared are you of looking back in 50 years and wishing you'd given it a try? How scared are you of seeing those around you, perhaps with a tad more courage, live out meaningful lives while you watch from afar. How scared are you of being the person who tells stories about how they almost tried, almost jumped? Stories about how things could have been if only. Because to me, that's far scarier. In fact, when weighing these two options side by side, I find that not going is almost always scarier, and maybe that's it. understanding the normalcy of being nervous to start something new.

It's human. It's a mere fight with our biological tendencies. That's something every person deals with, and that's okay. To go is to jump into that pool, to feel the cold water on your skin, and, yeah, temporarily it's uncomfortable. There's shortness of breath. but then you acclimate. You're presented the luxury of a swim on a warm summer day.

You get the feeling of being refreshed and renewed. Being scared to go is curable. Because in going, the fear is undone. The pain is ultimately diluted. Here's the catch, though. There is no cure for not going. You don't acclimate to dreams never realized or paths never taken. You don't warm up to the question, what if.

Next time you find yourself worried about what could go wrong, scared about what could become of you as you embark upon something new, realize the normalcy of that feeling, a sentiment shared by all humans. It doesn't mean you're wrong. Fear is the cost of admission. Fear kicks and screams the hardest when it knows it's about to be broken down

and destroyed. This is what life's all about, turning temporary fear into something of meaning. The question is, and should always be, not how scared are you in this moment, but how scared are you to not go. Inaction. Immobility, that's the monster in the closet, refusing to take the risk or step out. That's where fear, although maybe small at first, grows over time, becomes unmanageable, transforms into regret. So again, ask yourself, although yes, it's scary to go, how does that compare to years from now wondering what life could have been like with a little more courage? Will embarking upon a meaningful journey be scary?

Of course, but considering the alternative, how scary would it be? Not. We all fall down, but only a few choose to get back up. A few depersonalized failure. A few understand that falling is the cost of greatness. Your reality is not what happens to you. Your reality is how you internalize what happens to you. Or obstacles stop signs, or are they checkpoints along the way to something greater? Checkpoints that make you stronger, build you up, become your armor, that is ultimately the difference. What we misinterpret in life is the meaning behind that difficulty, that pain, that suffering. No one gets a pain-free life.

No one gets a free ride. Suffering is inevitable. As Nietzsche says, to live is to suffer, to survive is to find meaning in the suffering. And what's changed my life, and I don't mean here and there, I mean truly transformed the course and trajectory of what's possible is simply redefining that which is difficult. I grew up watching the Kobe's and the Brady's of the world. I remember thinking, how do these guys guys?

get better when things get difficult. I mean, as a kid, I could feel the pressure watching from the couch, but they somehow elevate themselves when the odds are stacked against them. Same exact situation that causes most to doubt, to run, to lose their self-belief. What they see that alludes most is that in every pressing moment, there's opportunity. Every loss has something to gain in every failure. There is victory. Everyone has the same rulebook. It's just that some people only see what is right in front of them. Others learn to read between the lines and create outcomes that have not yet arrived.

When things are hard or challenging or uncertain, it's not that you should keep going. It's that you must keep going. Everything good, everything good, everything, rewarding, worth having is on the other side of that struggle. Everything meaningful is built from the days you felt like there was no possible way to move on, but did anyway. That is the core of greatness. Carrying forward when it would have been easier not to. When you feel the hurt, the emotional turmoil, and I get it, we all do.

But beyond that feeling, what are you willing to? to see beyond the ashes what are you willing to build what are you willing to do with those pieces because it can be nothing or it can be everything it all depends on how you choose to step back and look at the world your perspective becomes the roadmap for your reality so understand that feeling down or lost is normal but Staying down is a choice. There are no problems. There are stepping stones.

The very situations that make you who you are. The little decisions that over time equip you to step up when it matters most. When the pressure's on, the odds are against you, the rest of the world says no. No matter how hard it gets, there is an answer. rise above the emotion, the chaos, the present moment, and see the big picture. Not only will you survive, you will be better because of this, because you kept moving forward when it wasn't easy. No matter how hard life got, you never lost sight of the opportunity.

And that made all the difference. You weren't put here. to live in the shadows of life, to exist beyond the sun's grasp, to stay on the outside, looking in, no, you weren't put here to live in the shadows of life. It's important to remember the difference between now and forever, the distinction between today and tomorrow, because from time to time they look deceptively similar, especially with the difference. when we inevitably find ourselves in the darkest of times. When despite our best efforts,

our world is reduced to shadows, void of hope. When tomorrow and today have merged into one endless entity, it always seems to be in these times, that we forget that right now is just a moment, not an assigned permanent, but a bridge to something great as very, Victor Frankel says, if there is meaning in life at all, then there must be meaning in suffering. We all suffer. We all hurt. We all go through periods of time where we can't see or hear or feel

anything beyond the darkness we find ourselves in, but it's there. Darkness cannot be defined without light. It's in the definition. Darkness is a partial or total absence of light. They need each other, darkness and light. The one thing that can bring darkness to its knees is out there, everywhere, all around it. And if there was ever a reason to be hopeful, enthusiastic, if there's ever a reason to believe, it's that a new life is always a light switch away. It's that darkness is as temporary as the day.

and the antidote requires only that you believe it to be true, only that you find the resolve to reach one foot out, to remind yourself of the sun's warmth and the infinite beauty of a world beyond this temporary darkness, because you weren't put here to live in the shadows of life, but to re-emerge like a rocket through the earth, stratosphere to swing from star to star like life is a playground and you make the rules. And I think when we look back we'll be nothing but grateful for those times of darkness.

They, in a sense, prepared us for the road ahead by giving us what we need most. Perspective. Life lessons, a roadmap to follow because you don't appreciate the light, the sun. The sun, the clearer blue skies, the wind on your face, the sound of the waves, the chirping of the birds. No, you don't see the beauty in any of that until even if for a moment it is taken away. You don't learn about life's abundance until you come face to face with scarcity. You don't learn to give until you've had your world taken away. You don't learn to love until you've experienced heartbreak.

You don't learn courage until you've been overcome by fear. You don't learn to grow until you've been truly stuck. You don't learn to believe until you've looked in the mirror and doubt peers back. You don't know who you are until you learn what you're not. See, everyone finds themselves having wandered into the dark. sometimes of their own volition, sometimes of fate. But like leaves changing color in the fall, the earth on its journey around the sun,

a wave emerging and falling back into that which it came. It is not an end, but a beginning. Life's way of preparing us for what's to come, introducing us to the infinite possibility of tomorrow because you weren't put here to live in the shadows of life, but to emerge from them. To light up the world.

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wins and losses, some type of progression. The universe doesn't give you what you ask for with your thoughts. It gives you what you demand with your actions. Here's another one. There is no fate that plans men's lives. Whatever comes to us, good or bad, is usually the result of our own action or lack of action. And so the video I'm going to play in a second here,

takes this idea and makes it physical. Sometimes, you know, the things we do knowingly or unknowingly, when you make it tangible and you're able to tell a concrete story with a narrative, it helps you realize, you know, maybe I'm missing the mark here. And that's why I love to represent some of these things that way because, you know, we don't, realize what we don't realize sometimes, right? And so the idea behind this video is there's, the character has a box of plans under his bed and, you know, just things that he's always wanted to do written down on paper, folded away, and he takes him out from time to time and he thinks about

them, you know, talks about them. They seem real, right? There's this sort of excitement when you look look at them because you realize that that's what could be. Yet every day when you pull that box out, nothing's there but paper. If you want something, you need to immerse yourself into it. And action is always going to supersede plans. Right. And, you know, I understand that planning is critical. You don't want to be wandering around in the dark.

But if planning is a car, action is the wheels. The doer usually gets further than the thinker because the thinker stays there in thought and the doer creates through trial and error through ups and downs, wins and losses, some type of progression. You know, yeah, you fall on your face more than the person that never leaves, but you also get up

and you learn and you build. And so that's the message here is that in this box of plans is hope. And it's the potential to do this spectacular. It's the potential to change your life. But until you step out your door, it's nothing. It's pieces of paper in a box on a shelf. It's conversation you have with your friends, your family.

It's things you think about when you wake up or when you go to bed, but it's not real. And to make something real requires the courage to not know, right? To attack something without knowing. Maybe even the specific trajectory. You know, you just, that's what life is. If we had all the answers, what would be the point? Sometimes when you don't know where you're going, the best thing to do is go there.

A wise man once stated that an object at. rest stays at rest. And while his rationale is a little different than mine, I'm going to borrow from his premise. Right? Because when you move, even if you don't know where you're going, you put yourself on a collision course with something. You put into existence an entity to react to. Some call it destiny. I call it simply initiative. Because if your journey is hypothetical, you have nothing to celebrate nor correct. A sailboat can adjust its sails once it leaves the harbor, right?

It can learn from and manipulate its surroundings, make sure it arrives at a destination, right? It learns and adapts along the way. But from the harbor, it speculates. It expounds upon a path that might be strong, might be faster, might be more thought out and tied together than the crazy sailors who took off for the horizon, but in actuality, it goes nowhere. In the real world, it is stagnant, and I could be wrong, but I'd make the argument 10 out of 10 times that

the real world is where we want our result. And my proof? Well, a journey that started with insurance and evolved into music. music and songwriting, in audio production, then video production, then creative writing, then a sweet spot that kind of combined everything, a spot that didn't make its way to my inbox with an exact address. A spot that required a lot of failure and lessons learned and disappointment, but man, more than that, so much fun. My proof is sitting down right now in real time, letting my fingers create a bridge from nothing.

to something of value. By the way, after sitting here staring at a blank screen for hours, it's just starting. Could I be wrong? Could I screw up? Could I wildly miss the mark? Yes. In fact, it happens more than I'd like to admit. But here's the beauty, even if I am wrong. I now have something to work with.

Something has been brought into existence. And well, that means I'm a feeling. further along than I once was. And I've heard over and over again that there is no perfect moment, that you have to just go. And the idea, I mean, it makes sense. It's impossible not to understand, but it's one of those things that until you feel it doesn't mean anything. How can you miss something you've never experienced? Well, to put it in a way that help me understand, you aren't going because, eh, what do you have to lose?

you have to lose, you're going because everything is to be gained. The answers that you pick up along the way, like a little coins you pick up in Super Mario, right? You have to start collecting pieces of a puzzle that you can then arrange. I truly believe that one of the most important ideas we need to hold on to moving forward is personal agency, self-belief. And I say that because I feel like I'm watching it slip. There are cases where we literally don't know or understand that it's within our own ability and control to change our lives. No person or group or letter in the mail is going to come along and green light your idea.

In fact, you might not even really know what your idea means or how it will look. And that's not only okay, it's amazing. the marble that you get to chisel away at to create something. See, life is not the perfect execution of a plan. Life is the courage to make your way into a world that no one really understands or knows anything about. And I'm not talking physics or biology or quantum mechanics. I'm talking about the real life that is emergent

from those areas of study. Right? there is no perfect formula for happiness. But it will always be true that immobility or standing still is antithetical to progress. And there is plenty of data that supports the idea. Progress equals happiness. We want to move towards. So that's what this is about.

Here's to not being scared of what we don't know. Because somewhere in the realm of what we don't know. what we don't know exists what we need most. So yeah, stop waiting for the perfect moment. And yes, begin. But not because it's an ultimatum. Do it because the things that make life fun and intriguing and exciting.

And ultimately worthwhile, they live on the other side of your front door. What's the difference between paying a fee and paying a fine? The answer to this question may not be as small or insignificant as we're inclined to believe. I recently picked up the book, The Psychology of Money, by Morgan Housel. It lays out some valuable concepts and ideas about investing and managing our finances, growing our wealth. But there's one idea that I wanted to share because, yeah, from an investing standpoint, it's important, critical even.

But it's relevant to so much more. and I think an understanding of it will help us in many aspects of life. So first, let's start with the financial piece and then we'll sort of grow the metaphor, right? Because Housel talks about how we should look at investing in the market. And one of the hardest things for us to deal with is the market's volatility.

It's difficult for us to invest, our hard-earned money and then see the market go, let's say, for example, down 20%, Like seeing that huge dip in our investment, that's not fun. Everyone knows that. That can be nerve-wracking. And it dissuades a lot of people from investing or keeping their money in when they should. It ultimately keeps them from getting the returns available to them, right? But here's the point he makes.

He says those people who see that volatility as a fee and not a fine are more inclined to win in the long term. understanding that market returns are never free, they demand a price. And that price is the roller coaster ride that we all have to deal with. That is the market. It's the ups and downs and highs and lows. That volatility is the cost of admission. And if you understand that, you're more inclined to stay calm. Keep your long-term vision.

You're more than likely to come out on top. On the other hand, if when that turbulence arrives, you know, the sudden crashes, the ups and downs, and you see it as a fine, as this terrible thing that's happening to a punishment, you're more likely to act emotionally, to be reactive, and make decisions that aren't in your best interest. To drive the point home, he mentions Disneyland, for example, the fee is $100. And people will gladly pay that fee Because, you know, they get that great experience with their family, their kids that they'll have for the rest of their lives That $100 isn't a fine It's not a punishment

It's an intentional deliberate trade of one thing for another And if you were to look at it as a fine You'd never get to enjoy that experience If you thought that $100 was a punishment it just wouldn't be the same. So why do I bring all this up? Because I'm a firm believer that the best things in life all come with that price or a fee as household states.

But I also think we sometimes have a tendency to look at that cost, that very same cost of admission, as a fine, as a problem. When really, no, it's just trading some turbulence, now for a reward a little bit down the road. Sometimes the right thing is the hard thing, the uncomfortable thing. With dividends, it will pay so long as we understand that it's opening the door to something greater. Leaving a situation you know is not good for you hurts.

We've all been there. We all know this in some capacity. But it's not a punishment or even a bad thing, right? That discomfort associated with walking away is a fee that will enable you to allow you to live a more aligned life in the very near future. Or let's say you're building something meaningful, something you care deeply about, but it's just you. You and the idea, there is no validation, certainly no external reward, not yet, and continuing

forward in those moments is hard. It's taxing. Emotionally draining even. But this feeling, again, isn't a punishment. It's not a fine. It's the fee. It's the cost of admission to bring something into life that wasn't there. Life's greatest moments are expensive.

It's just, are you going to pay the fee to bring it about with a cost of regret at a different time? And you get the point, right? You can take this and apply it to so many things. Falling down, criticism, feeling lost, having to start from the bottom. These things are not fines, they are fees. They are price tags. And so often the initial price is a bargain compared to what we'll get back.

We just need to stop perceiving their mere existence as the world working against us. No, these are opportunities in disguise. It's easy to walk by the important things, to dismiss the uncomfortable things. The harsh truth is that our greatest opportunities are often intertwined in our distress. That's why so many people walk away from the things that will make. make their lives better. That's why so many people pull their money from the market when it takes a dive. So many people walk away from a project or idea when things get challenged.

Conversely, it's why so many people do nothing at all. They stay in situations they aren't happy with and know they need to change because the fee to get from point A to point B feels too steep. But I think the value is in comparing the discomfort. the cost, the fee to what it's going to bring you down the road, because often it's a bargain. We need to remember that what it will ultimately provide has life-changing potential.

Understand that resistance is not a fine. It is not the world telling you know. It's life asking you, hey, do you really want this? Because if you do, it's yours, so long as you sign the dotted line, the dotted line and pay the price. Most people will be dissuaded by this. Most people will turn and walk away, but most people also leave a hell of a lot on the table.

And I don't want that for you. You don't want that for you. The world we live in is one of abundance. So when life pushes back, understand that it's merely positioning you to move beyond your limits. to redefine your worldview. And while admission isn't free, it's well worth the price. 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, skincare, beauty, body care, and fragrance, Dime offers simple, spa-worthy products that will help you enter 2020. 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 result speak for themselves. Revive your skin and give yourself the routine refresh you deserve by visiting dimebeauty.com. That's dime beauty co.com. Your best skin awaits. The other day was on a podcast with Evan Carmichael, who's a YouTuber and entrepreneur. And we were talking with Shaquille,

who was the host, about the mental side of the entrepreneurial journey, how we set goals, but also prepare ourselves for the inevitable adversity associated with growth. And one question, Shaquille asked us was, where do we see ourselves in five years? Okay, so side note, I have a unique relationship with this question. As someone who was unsure in experimenting with their career for much of their adult life, I never quite knew how to answer it. You know, it's like two things can be true at once. It's a very reasonable question.

But I also didn't like answering it, right? Hated it to my core, you could even say. I could never really articulate why. It just made me uneasy, right? Like five years of lifetime. How am I supposed to know? And again, no knock on the host at all. It's a very common and practical question.

I'm glad he asked it because it opened the door to a pretty cool conversation. So anyway, he has a question. So anyway, he asked the question, and I'm thinking, oh, man, like, how am I going to approach this? And before I said a word, Evan blurts out, look, if you know exactly what you're going to be doing in five years, you're thinking too small. In that comment, to say it made me happy was an understatement. It was like, thank you for saying what my mind has been trying to piece together for a decade and a half. You know, if you know exactly where you're going to be, of course you're limiting yourself. There's just too much predictability, too much routine, process, and not enough experimentation, not enough life.

Why? Because growth is unpredictable. It takes us places we didn't expect, shows us things we didn't anticipate, it unveils truths and minor miracles about ourselves, that we, Let's face it, never would have seen had we been dismissive of all life's variability in opportunity. Now, does this mean we don't move with conviction in a general direction? Does it mean we don't have goals or ambitions? No, I certainly don't think it does. You can't hit targets you don't aim for. That will always be true. It merely means life is not about being perfect in bringing about a particular result.

It's about making adjustments throughout your pursuit of meaning. If you feel closer to your purpose when you change the medium, then change the medium. If it means, you know, your heart tells you left is where the value lies and not right, then go left. Right? To me, it's essentially reminding us that life is not a black and white, yes or no, checklist or test. It's a game, and you have to grant yourself the freedom to place. You have to give yourself permission to grow. I think about how much time five years is.

And how five years ago, I wasn't even thinking about creating media the way I do now with the amazing team of people that helped me. I wasn't speaking on stages. I hadn't crafted my creative style. I didn't know the people I know now who introduced me to not only new people, but new ideas. These are characters, their stories, their opportunities that present them. themselves only as you immerse yourself in the journey. And I was okay not knowing exactly, but merely moving towards a general direction. The most important decisions were, you know,

looking back, not what I said yes to, but what I said no to is I moved through life experimenting, learning, growing. I was able to craft something that worked for me. Not other people, not what's in books there's no roadmap no it's an experiment and this is more of the reassurance I would have wanted during those years from an older version of myself

like it's okay to not know exactly where you'll be just promise yourself this if it matters to you you'll find a way to move to it with it towards it

And if it doesn't, then let it go. Surround yourself with people that lift you up, and if they don't let them go. You'll hear a lot of talk about the right way to do things, especially in this information age. Those ideas and decisions may have, in fact, been right, but they also may be wrong for you. Try, test it out, and if not, let it go. go. The experiment that is your life is the reward. It's a luxury. It's such a beautiful ride. You know, don't box yourself in because of some made-up theoretical plan. Don't avoid the path to a new world because I checked my list and this doesn't line up with where I said I'll be

February 23rd, 2008. Now, go live your life. Do your best to exist in that place, the intersection of what you love and what adds value. Let it bend, let it transform, let it teach you things about yourself and the world. There aren't correct ways to live, but I think there certainly are some wrong ways. And that's time spent out of obligation, adhering to a story that means nothing to you. Push. see what life gives back your footsteps in the aggregate will reveal truths

and tell stories you could never have even dreamed up it's in going that your book is written and just a friendly reminder people don't read books for the last page the ending no they read them for that stuff in the middle right the journey so next time I'm asked with my five-year-old plan is, I'll probably say same as my 10, 20, and 30 year plan. I don't know. But I can tell you I won't lose sight of that North Star, the one that calls my name. But at the same time,

I won't be afraid to wander into the night. Dance in the moonlight, even get lost in the shadows from time to time. Growth is directly correlated to one's willingness to push forward into the dark. And well, into that darkness, we shall go. The other day I woke up with a plan. Three things I had to do. So I wrote them on my whiteboard. They were essentially my objectives for the day.

But it ended up being one of those days where things. didn't unfold the way I anticipated. And for a variety of reasons, curveball after curveball with some sloppy decision-making sprinkled in there. Eventually, morning became afternoon, afternoon became evening. I found myself exhausted and looking up at a whiteboard that was showing me I had accomplished none of the things listed. And I hate that feeling. having clear objectives and not meeting them. So after dinner, I got a phone call, and I found myself talking about how I fell short,

getting it all off my chest, letting it all out there, and I got that reassurance that I wanted without even realizing that I wanted it, right? The voice said back to me, Eddie, this happens. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. No one's perfect. You put a lot of pressure on yourself. Tomorrow's a new day, right?

That type of thing, and it's like, like, okay, exhale, time for Ben. And the next morning, I was outside relaxing, doing some thinking, and came to this point. And you'll see how these dots connect here in a second. But essentially, I see life as a staircase, right? Where we thrust ourselves out into discomfort, into chaos. And then amidst the storm, we're forced to grow. We step into shoes.

we were once unable to fill. And what was once bigger than us is now normal. It's every day. It's ordinary because we fought for it. We pushed ourselves through. That's evolution. But now, guess what?

That old ceiling has become the floor. It's time to evolve. It's time for that next step in the staircase. Time to thrust ourselves back into the chaos of life. so that we can again tame something bigger than us. Take the next intimidating thing and make it commonplace. And as I sat there outside thinking, I found myself to be at that next step,

ready to leap out again into the tumultuous winds of life. But this time it felt different. There's an intersection, and I talk about it often, of doing what adds value to the world and doing what makes you content personally. I think where those two things meet is peak living. That's where the magic happens. And I'm fortunate enough that these thoughts, speeches, episodes, videos,

whatever you want to call them, on some days, literally reach over 200,000 people, and that's not meant to be a humble brag or anything like that. It's just to me so incredible that I can't process it, right? I get emotional thinking about it. My dream is to add value to other people, provide that little lift that might help someone look at their own problems differently, maybe see a path when before they were unable to.

That's what it's all about. And then, in addition to that, a parallel track, on a personal level, feeling like I'm growing and evolving as well, constantly stepping up those stairs one by one, having the courage to continue fighting those unknowns and making sense of life's complexities. That's why so many of you were on this journey with me, and so as I looked up at that next step,

and it felt bigger than it ever had before, I knew the task needed to be bigger than it's ever been, which would require of me one of the biggest changes I've ever made, and that scared me to death, knowing that in order for something to be born, something must die, something must be left behind. I'd been stepping forward for years, and thank God for that, but now it was time for a leap. And so back to that whiteboard I mentioned earlier. If you hang in with me long enough, I usually come full circle. Right, back to the list of goals I miss, the bad day, why am I so fixated on that? Well, it has nothing to do with the day itself.

Everyone swings and misses from time to time. It has nothing to do with those three goals. Everyone falls short here and there. That's part of life. It's about the person I want to be as I endure those turbulent times. It's about the strength to handle my own chaos and battles differently. Before you can lead others, you need to lead yourself. And that means being vulnerable.

It means being honest. It means looking in the mirror and asking yourself the tough questions. It means being stronger than I've ever been. There will be times that require of me. that I push forward without having to hear from my parents or girlfriend or buddies that everything's all right. The next step requires that I trust myself to be the guy in my own life. To have impact in the world, one must find strength within themselves where they didn't know it existed. This is a leveling up that I know is required for me to be.

be more than I've ever been, stronger, bolder, more confident when I'm most fearful. There was a line I used to draw separating me and the people I look up to. And the moment for me was a message. I knew it was time for me to mentally remove that line. You'll never be more than you envision yourself to be. It was time to be my own answer. Promote myself to that next level from the kid with a dream to the man that makes it happen, it's time. It's just simply time. Even the ones I love, the ones closest to me, they can't provide that. It has to be internally derived from a place so deep that come hell or high water. It's happening. And telling people about my little misfortunes so that they can pat me on the head and tell me things are great.

that's antithetical to what is required of me next. There is a level of courage and strength and excellence in all of us that lives at the bottom of this abyss that we must pull up with everything we have until it becomes intertwined with who we are and where we're headed. And as I sat there, I knew it to be true. I couldn't help but feel that change was about. to happen and it would stem directly from how I see myself. It would be the product of who I knew myself to be.

And so now, most importantly, I present this question to you. Are you at that next step? Are you looking at a chasm that must be crossed? We're all your little decisions, all the courage and discipline and strength that you utilized to get here that has positioned you for this moment, is it telling you something is next? Is it time to dig deeper and be more than you have ever in your life been? In my example, by the way, was not about holding in our problems or dismissing those around us. Asking for help and we need help is courage. The small circle we surround ourselves with

is a direct reflection of who we are. No, for me, it was a about being the type of person who trust myself to weather those storms. About moving with greater conviction. Graduating from going to be to is currently. That whiteboard, that phone call was the turning point and nothing more. And my example may fit your life like a glove. You may think, wow, that's exactly the lens I need right now. But maybe it's not.

Maybe your situation is a little different. Maybe the road you're on is newer, less traveled. Maybe it's the courage to take that first step, to play the student. Perfect. Because whatever it is, as you look up at that next step, what matters is that you know in your heart and soul that you have what it takes to become that person. It's not bigger than you, it is you.

Someone once told me that the world will not believe it until you do. So believe. Believe it like your dreams depend on it, because as it turns out, they do. As it turns out everything about your future is make believe until you breathe life into it. Look around you at your current reality. Remember that it is a product of what you've allowed

and that at any time you can up the ante, climb the step, reach a new level. You have it within yourself to do that. Just give yourself permission to be that person. And it will be scary. It's going to hurt at times. But let's be that vulnerable. Let's show the world what we can create when we move into it as though it's ours.

As though destiny isn't assigned but written one beautiful act of courage at a time. One of the more powerful realizations I've had, both in business and life overall, is that what we do to win today and what we do to position ourselves to win tomorrow, they're often very different things. And we've probably all experienced this in some capacity. We get sucked into the cycle of doing, becoming so task-oriented that we don't make time to step back and ask, which direction do I want this ship to go?

Because sure, we have to keep it afloat, and we have to keep it afloat now. But also, we have to navigate. The ship's role isn't solely to float, right? It's a transportation mechanism, a vehicle. Where are we going? And so the question becomes, how do we balance the two? I came across an awesome book by Lee Benson called Your Most Important Number.

And I'm about halfway through, but already finding a ton of value that I'll be sharing in the future, primarily around positioning your business for success. And one of the first things the book discusses is the difference between what Lee calls eating and dreaming. Eating being the things we need to do now. To take care of matters that are essential for today. The things that need to get done. So using the same metaphor, actions to keep that boat afloat. And then there's the dreaming,

which is essentially doing things now that help position the organization for success in the future down the road. It's asking what can I do today that we'll ensure we are winning tomorrow. So boat metaphor, it's plan. planning for storms that may arise later in the journey. It's analyzing the best destinations and charting the course. And here's what really struck me. Lee suggests, based on his consulting,

that ideally leaders should be, I believe the number was 80% dreaming and 20% eating. So yeah, doing what has to be done today, obviously, but largely focused on positioning the organization and themselves for success in the days to come. And what he's found is that very often out in the world, that ratio is flipped. People are so consumed by the day-to-day that the future takes a back seat to the nuance and the quote-unquote putting out fires of the present moment.

We're spending 80% of our time eating. Now, like most things, this is not one-size-fits-all. Say, front-line manager at a factory is not going to be 80% dreaming in 20% their task requirements are different. But the point remains it's imperative that we in some capacity utilize our resources now to look ahead. I don't know if I've ever told this story, but I always joke around with my brother about it. When we were kids in Southern California, we'd have these basically battles on the beach, right, where we'd go down to the hard sand right in front of the water. And we'd each build these little wall slash fort type things, maybe 20 feet

apart from each other. This is like emulating World War I type stuff. And then we'd make cannonballs out of sand and just throw the sand at each other. Right. So in a way, this is a perfect metaphor, because we would always be juggling on one hand, building the fort that would protect us from the other person. So dreaming. And then on the other hand, I mean, those things hurt, right? We'd have to in real time be dodging incoming sand simultaneously to building that wall. So the eating. And he's a bit younger than me, so admittedly this wasn't really fair.

But regardless, you know, he would get so consumed with throwing sand that his wall would be really cheaply made. At the beginning, I'd be trying to make this really solid base foundation. He would just be pelting me. with this stuff and it was brutal. But as time went on, I build that wall higher and higher. Eventually it would be lights out for him. He'd have nothing to hide behind.

The young buck was doing, let's say, way less than 80% dreaming. And so I'm no longer building castles in the sand. But as the rose said, now I'm looking to build them in the air, seeking to bring things into life that are merely ideas and concepts in my head. And naturally this prompted me to ask, well, what's my ratio now? Because it sure feels like I'm doing a lot of eating. It sure feels like I spend a lot of time every day, you know, dodging Mikey Peas, incoming sand cannon balls, right? Things are going to be different tomorrow than they are today.

And to truly win, we need to be asking ourselves, how do we build that bridge? from the present to the future. How do we lay out stepping stones that will allow an evolution in what we're doing? And I'm thinking, if my day's 95% consumed with eating-type tasks, then I need to figure things out here, right? Is it automate? Is it eliminate? Is it delegate? It's something because the ship needs to be more effectively captained. And I love these epiphanies.

Just a change in mindset that can completely redirect one's entire, trajectory. And it's funny, I was having a conversation earlier today with a friend about scaling and impact and growth. Another person I love to throw ideas back and forth to, and he asked me, well, Eddie, what are some of the ways your world within could make money? And I was like, oh, it's easy, right? And so I laid it all out in great detail, the ins and outs. And he says, that's awesome. But that's not the question I asked you. You answered a different question. You answered, how is the business making money now? I asked, how can it make money in the future? Boom, another epiphany, one of those instances where you catch yourself thinking small.

And this isn't a knock on the work I'm doing now, or the systems in place now. They're great now, but again, now isn't forever. If you have plans to add more value and create more impact, build more things, that has to be baked into your time and resource allocation. We all have to eat because we don't want to starve, but we also have to dream. Because if we're unable to look ahead, we simply will not be equipped to handle the turbulence of tomorrow. Right? There's a duality to this game. And I think the ratio with which we're juggling the two deserves consistent attention and examination. Now, yeah, life is seasonal.

There are times where keeping that ship afloat takes everything we have, but it's understanding that that is a season and not the way things are. Dreaming allows us to start moving in the right direction, even if it's one small step at a time. Building today piece by piece, something we can stand on tomorrow, a staircase, to the version 2.0, and 3.0 and 4.0. The future depends on what we do today,

and so we must create space for that seed to grow. We must chart the course and captain the ship to the next horizon.