Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - SELF CONFIDENCE IS EVERYTHING || Positive Morning Motivation || Best Motivational Speeches

Episode Date: August 17, 2022

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do" - John Wooden

Naval Ravikon has said inspiration is perishable, so act on it immediately. And what he means is those fleeting moments of excitement, where you have an idea, a concept, those must be cashed in. They must come to life, otherwise they're gone before they had a chance to change anything. See, what we don't really talk about much is that, Inspiration is only as valuable as one's willingness to act upon it. Just like a seed without the right nutrients can't grow, or a wheel is only useful once it touches the ground.

It's the world able to act upon these objects that makes them powerful instruments. And so with that inspiration, that momentary jolt you've captured, The faster you act upon it, the more likely something comes of it. Inspiration transforms into action, which creates momentum and then more inspiration. And so goes the powerful cycle we must seek to create. Inspiration to action, to inspiration to action. I talk all the time about the myth of performance. The idea that the perfect moment is out there, that someone or something will give you permission.

But no, that green light is self-created. And when it arrives, don't waste it. It's not about reaching a mountaintop right away. You don't need to create the perfect solution right now. But give yourself a chance to see those wheels hit the road. Allow that cycle of inspiration and action to propel you forward. Because so much of life comes down to what you did when that fleeting moment arrived, what you turned it into if you gave it life.

A lot of people out there think that the secret to life is having the right answers. But I'm here to tell you it's the courage, the willingness, the strength to move forward. before you have them to take that little bit of inspiration into this sunset let it mean something let it be a beginning so when you look back years from now you'll see that single decision to act meant so much more than what it felt in the moment that single step you courageously took was everything there's a point for everybody where, you know, life tells you directly or indirectly that it's time to level up, right? And I think that's a good thing.

You know, life is a staircase where, you know, the climb to that next step is uncomfortable. But then you get there and things sort of normalize. And you know, in your soul, it's time to take that next step, right? Step up again. And that step is going to be just as uncomfortable as one before. It's going to be different. It's going to be bigger. You'll have evolved.

But change is always uncomfortable. And that's just the way it works. And I want to share with you something that a friend of mine, Evan, told me. And it helped me see that process differently. He was talking to me specifically in terms of being in front of a camera, which will make sense when you hear the metaphor. But I think it's applicable to, you know, everything. any situation, you know, I was talking about that need, that feeling, that want to take the next step. And a very basic question, you know, what do you want to do?

And I wasn't exactly sure how I saw things evolving, right? And so the metaphor was, well, you've been Mickey Mouse for so long, that you've been sort of neglecting the Walt Disney side of things. Maybe that's intentional. Maybe that's how it should be. Maybe someone else should be Walt Disney. Maybe you should be Walt Disney and Mickey less. Like, however you want to, you know, you can bend that and reshape it a million ways.

But the idea was, you know, when you are so focused on being in front of a camera, telling your story, writing, creating, sometimes you lose sight of where the ship is going. And I just thought that was such a powerful metaphor. If it makes you think, and I've spent weeks. thinking about it, it's the right message. It's what you need to hear. And I've been talking to people who are, you know, doing things that have nothing to do with speaking or, you know, content creation, anything like that. And when they talk about their situation, it's funny, I find myself relaying the same message because it's like, you know, you are so in the weeds of your day to day doing things that, um,

you know, are important, but they're, they're, uh, smaller details. They're more technical things. They're more day-to-day operational things, uh, that you don't know where that metaphorical ship is sailing. And it's because you haven't been able to step back and really think about it. Um, you know, really assess where you're going and why and why it matters to you. And so one of the things. of the answers that I've found, well, it's a two-part answer. It's finding a way, and this is not rocket

science, but it's sort of step one, to take the smaller things and get them off of your plate. But the other thing is to make intentional time to just think, to really reflect on life and where you're going and understand, like really try to deeply understand where you are now, where you want to be and how you can bridge that. You know, that's a powerful thing to be able to comprehend. And it's very easy. When I talk about this, the thing that drives me crazy is it feels so obvious and feels so intuitive.

I could have spent another two years neglecting that. You just get so caught up doing what you do in the day to day, right? Falling behind, catching up. you know, managing the pieces moving the widgets around, trying to stay afloat, that you don't have time to ask a big picture question. And so that's what this is all about. It's, are you so busy being Mickey Mouse in your life that the Walt Disney side of things is being neglected? Need some love. Need some vision and some understanding.

And if that's the case, beautiful. Because now you're thinking about it. Now the wheels are in motion and, you know, you can point that ship where you need it to go. So imagine you're sitting down, having something to eat, thinking, relaxing, reading, whatever you're doing. Someone walks up to the table across from you, pulls out the chair, sits down, kind of leans back, puts one leg over the other, casually tells you, you know, you probably don't have what it takes to do anything significant in your life. What would you say? It would be outrageous, right?

That's a ridiculous scenario. Well, let's say that the next day you get up, you go to walk, run, work out, and he shows up again. Starts running next to you, casually reminding you that the odds of you changing, doing anything for the better or slim to none, that this is kind of a waste of time for you. You brush it off, you go to work, and guess who? He passes by your desk, leaves a little note saying, you know, that your boss is, your higher-ups, they're cut from a different cloth. They just see things in a way you can't. You'd probably tell that person to take a long walk off a short pier, right? Or at the very least, you'd understand

how absolutely insane the situation is. People can't just walk up and talk to you like that. But now imagine that same person is you, living rent-free in your head, and here's the catch. You invited him in. You allowed the negativity and the doubt to live there. See, every time I think about that self-talk, I can't help but wonder in a world of obstacles to navigate and challenges to tackle, why is it acceptable for your biggest obstacle to be you? Why should you allow or be okay with that? And I'm not saying everything's perfect all the time, every thought's pure bliss, but I am posing this question. If you don't believe in yourself, How do you expect anyone else to?

If you're not your biggest ally, if you don't respect the person staring back at you in the mirror, how do you expect the world to? Why is our inclination to tense up and refute the negativity from others, but sit back and accept the same nonsense in our own heads? If those words don't support what you're trying to build, I don't care who they're from, where they come from, why they're there, they don't deserve your time.

And it's a simple awareness that they are not truth, but merely your fears and your insecurities trying to stop you from becoming who you might be. My biggest leaps in life, they didn't come from physical milestones or benchmarks. They came from mental shifts, convincing myself, believing myself, trusting in myself.

When the road is untravelled, when the story is untold, the positive and the negative, and the negative are both make-believe. They are both fairy tales, their options, their theories, and guess what? You get to choose which option, which one will be yours. My favorite quote is,

you are always stronger than you think you are. Not so much because it reiterates how high the bar is, but because it reminds me how low we often set it for ourselves when we're not paying attention. How loud that negative voice can be. You know, when I was unemployed, I was writing, I was running out of money. My life changed because I stopped seeing myself

as some lost, jobless mess, and I started seeing myself as one of the greats with a hell of a road to travel. See, people always follow through on who they believe themselves to be. I refuse to hear that you might fail and the not good enough and I buckled up for the road ahead

and when you believe you can change and know that the road to your goals will be rocky, it will be uncomfortable, but worth it, you are taking that hostile voice and making him or her a spectator, not a decider of fate, and yeah, you will lose, you can't win all the time, and you will feel stuck, but life's not always smooth sailing, and sure, you'll be mad at yourself,

but not every decision is a home run. But these situations are the byproduct of a journey, and here is my point. Self-belief is being able to differentiate your situation and pointless, negative, talk about the situation. It's about remembering that you are the gatekeeper of your own mind. When you believe in you, it places your faith, your strength, and your determination in the driver's seat.

It makes everything else trivial, meaningless. It makes it an option that you are simply not going to choose. The other day, I went to check out an open mic, and basically people sign up to share their short stories, their poetry, stuff like that. And I'm sitting there soaking it all in, enjoying each one as they went up on stage. And eventually this girl makes her way up. The first thing she does is she tells the room, hey, I've never done this before, but I've always wanted to, so here I am.

She takes out her phone and begins reading some of her poems. And pretty quickly, two things stuck out to me. One is she was brilliant. It's just so incredibly talented that I'm thinking, man, if she keeps doing this, she's going to find herself in some crazy places, she's really going to make an impact. That was the first thing.

And the second, as I sat there and watched, was that I noticed that her hands were visibly shaking. I was pretty close to this stage. And I could see this happening to the point where she had to place one on top of the other, right, to keep the hand that was holding her phone from bouncing around while she read. That's how visibly nervous she was. And immediately my mind went down this road,

reflecting back on the moments I've had just like that, because, man, I've been there, where you're both determined and terrified at the same time, but somehow the desire to try outweighs the fear just enough for you to find yourself in that exact situation. Just enough that you step into a foreign world, still wondering whether you made the right move, you know, every step of the way from the car, the building,

onto this stage until you hit the point where, okay, well, now you can't turn back. Now you're here, you can't leave. And the thing is, and this is what was so beautiful to me, me. She was never forced to do this at gunpoint. No one made her step into that chaos. It was self-created. She could have stayed home. She could have closed her journal or the notes app on her phone and that would have been the end of that. But no, not today. Today one yes would lead to another would lead to another and another. And despite the nerves, the sweaty palms and shaky hands,

she would open a new chapter in the story of her life. Proved to herself that she's bolder than she thought she was just a few hours ago. That there's upside when you confront those unknowns in life. And as I sat and watched, I was so incredibly moved. so proud, so impressed, partly because I know that to many of the people in that room, it might not have looked like much. You know, it's like, okay, great, round of applause for the new artist or poet. Welcome. But I knew the gravity of the moment.

I understood how big it truly was, and regardless of what words came out of her mouth or how well they were assembled, that night was not about the performance. No, it was about new beginnings. It was about outstretched wings, opening one's eyes to the learned helplessness and pinpointing the opportunity that was simply waiting for that first step to occur. And see, that's what I want to emphasize. That's what I believe every single one of us needs to understand, to fully get the biggest moves we make in life, well it's easy to convince ourselves that they aren't necessary or worth it.

The things that transform us hide themselves. A lot of the time they don't feel urgent. They aren't life or death decisions. They can be the stages we never step on, the people we never talk to, the chances we never take. Well, what happens if we simply stay right where we are? Say thank you, but no thank you to those fleeting opportunities. Nothing. Nothing happens, more of the same, and realistically nothing is far less scary than all that other stuff.

We don't fear nothingness. We don't intrinsically fear more of the same. No, we fear stepping onto the stage. We fear vulnerability. vulnerability. We fear messing up, looking stupid, being judged. And yeah, when you do nothing, you get to skip all that. Avoid all that discomfort and that potential pain. But you also miss the feeling of victory. Of closing your eyes at night knowing how badly you wanted to just let that ship sail, how terrified you were about what could go wrong, but you did it. And

Anyway, you get to feel you have earned the rush of stepping into a chaotic world. And even if temporarily, you tamed it. That's what life is about. Always remember that we have a natural proclivity to avoid pain. Not to pursue the things that make us feel alive. Deep down in our DNA, there exist instructions, instructions to run away from the things that could hurt us, embarrass us. Our minds will race, our bodies will kick and scream, our hands will shake, that's just the way it goes.

And so we prove to ourselves that it's all conquerable, that reality can be relearned. It's a layer of resistance that has to be faced and then dismantled. Why was I so moved that night? because I got to watch in real time someone dismantling that fear on their way to something incredible. It's courage. Stepping into the arena. Not for the people next to you or anyone else, but for you. Because you know there's more.

You know that where you are pales in comparison to where you can be. I'm definitely one to look back from time to time and reflect, And I'll tell you what, I'm incredibly thankful for the hard times that shaped me. The challenges that were forced upon me and made me who I am. But beyond that, and perhaps even more so, the times I stepped out on my own accord, terrified and manufactured change. The times that the fear of staying the same eclipsed the fear of failure. The times I could have stayed home, woken up the next morning and lost nothing, but instead saw what there was to be gained and threw myself into that metaphorical fire so that confidence could be forged and new chapters could be written.

Let's all remember how out of focus the present moment looks. Remember how inclined we are to look at life through a lens of skin. We are trying to avoid, avoid, avoid, but if you can even briefly find the strength to step back and ask, what is there to be gained? You see that not going is the real danger. And those stages that seem arbitrary, that seem like optional, stops along the way, while they're just as imperative as the air you breathe. They are not some things, they are everything. We all hit a point where we look back on the roads we traveled and see the culmination of footsteps that have come to constitute our lives.

And we want that moment to feel full. Like no stone was left unturned, like we put it all on the line. So will you step onto this stage of life? Stand your ground as the curtain opens, read your poems to a foreign audience. Will you share your voice even though it trembles? Because if you do, you're giving yourself permission to truly live, to feel. Look, we're not here for a long time. This is a very short ride.

So why not give as much of yourself to the world for as long. as you possibly can, why not step out knowing that the difference between nothing and everything is what you do with shaky hands. They say heavy is the head that wears the crown. That with the ability to influence comes a burden, a worry not felt by the masses. that power like anything has its costs and I don't disagree. But I can't help wondering what value lies in the alternative.

See, today is my empire. Each action, my subject, I rule this kingdom with an iron fist because it is mine. because I will not let my life be dictated by foreign aggressors. Not because of the crown on my head, but because of the life that I lead. Because when you govern your own beliefs and expectations, you bow to no man. My thoughts are loyal. My decisions comprise the greatest army this world has ever seen. And unless I say otherwise, it will conquer to the ends of the people.

earth. My world is simple. Rule or be ruled, do or wish, act, or hope. It's always easier to be the subject, to be directed, to take orders, to complain about the decisions made up the chain of command, but easy will never change your life, will it? Heavy is the head that wears the crown, Because to have control is to take on risk. It's dangerous, it's vulnerable. But you'd be hard-pressed to find another soul who didn't want to be king or queen, who didn't envy the crown.

It wasn't a matter of desire, it was a matter of courage. And when it came down to it, when things gravitated outside of their comfort zone, they simply cowered. Everyone has a crown at their feet. Everyone. The question is, will you pick it up? No decision is more consequential than the decision to take control.

To rule over your life, the universe does not control you. It empowers you. Too many people complained about being locked inside a room of limitation when they have a key in one hand and a map in the other. No one can make you take the first step. No one can push you out the door. Potential is never guaranteed to materialize. Royalty must decide to rule.

To differentiate themselves from everything else, from the excuses, the difficulty, and the odds. Rain over your life. Conquer the unconquerable. be brave enough to wear that crown. The possibilities always outweigh the risk. A life well lived is a dance between having the strength to walk away and having the courage to go all in. It's juggling the idea that absolutely nothing matters and the idea that every second

is a blessing beyond which I'm capable of even explaining or articulating. Nothing matters. So live without limits or constraints. Like you're on a once in a lifetime journey. But everything matters. So know that every second along the way is perfect. A building block. A microcosm of the universe resting in the palm of your hand.

And I think about this push-pull from time to time. I play with the idea that nothing matters when I need courage, when I need to convince myself to be a little bolder, reinforce the understanding that there is no pressure here. Life can only give what I'm willing to carve out. And as that clock ticks away in the background, what do I have to lose, as Mark Twain put it? It's the things we don't do that we come to regret.

And then on the other side, when I need a little discipline, I play with the idea that the little things are everything. After all, two things can be true at once, and the details matter a lot. For me, getting up two hours earlier does make a difference, that pushing a little harder will add up. The little things become everything, and painting that portrait that had been tucked away in my imagination,

well, that's done one very real, very tangible brush stroke at a time. It's participating in that dance between nothing and everything, the real and the imaginary. But for the time being, let's leave those very important little things and focus on the divine big things. Those nothings that with some vision and concentrated effort become some things. I have a friend that says to me all the time, nothing matters. And not in a nihilistic, you know, throw your hands up and stay inside until the end of time type way.

But in a way that poses the question, why wouldn't you risk it all? Nothing matters. Why wouldn't you risk seeing how far you could push, how long you could run, how much you could become? Because maybe, just maybe

this whole thing isn't as serious as we'd like to think it is. And instead of feeling confined and scared, what if you felt a lie blessed to even be here? And I think realizing that we build these imaginary boxes around ourselves and live within them is a huge step.

That awareness that we spend so much time reaching out for things that will save us when in reality we simply need to set ourselves free. We need to open the gate, build bridges to the infinite opportunity that surrounds us. And when I think about this, a feeling that still comes to mind, feeling I had after 2K tests in college. Those of you that have been on the rowing machines, I'm sure you get it. But if not, picture a feeling similar to an all-out sprint for roughly six or seven minutes, depending on when you cross the line. And when it was over, after I'd finished picking myself up,

I would just sit in the hallway, cherish the feeling of being done. After pushing my body to its maximum, I'd appreciate the nothingness, the same nothingness that I'd never pay attention to at all otherwise. But in that moment, it was everything. What a gift. As you regain your composure, as your heart rate comes back down to earth,

to just be still. I still love that feeling after, physical exertion, the reminder to just be thankful for a moment of serenity, a reminder that life can and will inflict upon us these periods of absolute chaos, of turbulence. And often they're very necessary. They harden us, they shape us, but they also remind us to appreciate their absence. Same thing goes, and a lot of you, I'm sure we'll be able to relate to this for something like a headache or a migraine. You know, when they come and go in my life, It's like the second a brutal headache dissipates, that nothingness is the greatest gift I could ever imagine.

The absence of pain infinitely more valuable than any tangible acquisition. And I think in those moments, we get a glimpse of the world in its purest, simplest, simplest form, where all the nuance and detail we worry about doesn't matter much. because look at what we have. Look how much surrounds us when we position ourselves to notice, when we simply pay attention. Tolstoy said, if then I were asked for the most important advice I could give,

that which I considered to be the most useful to the men of our century, I should simply say, in the name of God, stop a moment. cease your work look around you an incredible reminder to never forget where we are or what we were given to remember that by breathing in the air around us

we have in a sense already one and I love this because for a brief moment in time it swings that pendulum to the nothing matters side of life when you're living a miracle-wise sweat the small stuff. And I can ask myself, why do I get so worked up? It's no big deal.

Why not take the risk? What's the worst case? That I fail and have to backtrack as a now more informed and knowledgeable person. Why not stand in the face of my fears? The upside is consistently enticing. It consistently rewards. Look around and see what life has provided. How dare we wasted.

And with that said, I'd also be remiss not to include this little caveat. You know, I'm careful with the words, nothing matters. Because even though in the context I've been using it for years, it's a positive, empowering thing. It's my reminder to push boundaries. I could also see how it begs the question, well, if nothing matters, why should I care? And so, let's reframe. because it's not that nothing matters, it's that nothing outside the scope of your worldview matters.

It's the acquisition of freedom, addition, by the subtraction of all those externalities we let hold us back. Because you know as well as I do, it's not really the externalities that shackle you. It's your thoughts about them. So open the gate to your mind, let the detrimental out, and keep the necessary and the ideal in. Nothing matters if it doesn't align with your values and your destination. I know I say in every video, speech, podcast episode, that we are the authors of our own stories.

And it's because we craft our nothings and our everythings. It's because your universe, the one behind your eyes, it needs a maker every morning. And if you allow it, each sunrise can be your genesis, your own beautiful creation story. You have your hand on the dial. And so amidst this world of infinite beauty and opportunity, look around you, soak it all in, ask yourself, what does freedom look like, feel like? Because you were put here to pursue that. And outside of those parameters, I believe that nothing matters. So why not live like it?

Dream like it. Use the little thing in front of you to build the big things that have not yet arrived. Walk away when it's misaligned and go all in when you know in your soul it's right. There is everything to gain and nothing to lose. Some build, others tear down. Some take risks. Others critique. critique the risk takers. Some pursue the infinite, others settle for a life of limitation. Some make change, others complain that things are no longer the same.

Some help people grow, others think that your loss is their gain. Some learn from misfortune, others become held down by it. Some turn fear into opportunity, others avoid the unknown. Some never stop learning. Others think they have all the answers. Some do, others talk. Some give others take. Some live, others wish.

Some see an opportunity, others see an obligation. Some work toward the possibility of excellence, Others run from the possibility of defeat. Some fall and get back up. Others stay where they are so that they never have to worry about leaving their feet. Some embrace the elements, others take shelter, some search, seek and discover, others wait to beat.

Some perform, others watch. Some persist, others stop. Some make the most of every single single. day and others watch those very same days go by. So which one are you? What will you create with the pieces presented to you? Not tomorrow or the next day but right now and every second moving forward. Will you build or tear down, take the easy road or the road less travel?

When all is said and done and you're going to, said and done and you've come to the end of your story. What will it say? I woke up, put my coffee on the desk, opened my laptop, stared at a blank screen, and a little button popped up in the top right corner. Check for updates. Nope. Asked me again later. Why? Why not now? I don't know. I don't necessarily care about the improvements, I guess it's just inconvenient. It can wait. And that's kind of it. Let's face it, the laptop doesn't matter. The update in this scenario is not important. But bear with me, because I think what it stands for, and when you apply it to the big picture, does matter. Our proclivity to take less because less is convenient. Our predisposition to

sell ourselves short because it's safer to leave so much of ourselves on the shelf, because well, things don't break when they're on the shelf. But you can't be both flawless and live your life, because life comes with wear and tear. The value is the experience, and a flawless existence is void of experience, of stories of adventure. There's a little parable about two seeds being planted. And one of them just wants to grow, wants to feel what the sun is like, wants to see how high she can get, experience the breeze, the cool air, and so she grew. And sure, she dealt with hard days. She had her difficult times, but ultimately grew to live her best life. The other seed worried.

Worried about leaving her home, the world that was the ground around her, worried about damaging her roots, worried about what could be waiting for her in the dark, about the sun being too hot and the breeze too strong, and ultimately stayed right where she was, playing it safe until one morning, a chicken came wandering by and ate the seed off.

the ground and see this spells out a few things. One, we can at any moment decide to step into that next level, evolve into that next chapter. But also, not doing so comes with a cost, sometimes a hidden cost. There's a tendency to think that preserving the status quo, because it's safe, is valuable. But understand something, you are not a collector's item. You weren't made for preservation, you were made for growth, to expand, to reach out towards the heavens and feel that sun, that breeze. Ensure upgrading means vulnerability. It means accepting that the unknown is bigger than you, but also contains within it every,

everything you need. Whether it was people, things, money, resources, I used to think like that seat. How can I hold on to what I have? Contain, play small, I can't lose this, I've come too far, I've worked too hard. What if everything goes wrong? I can't upgrade now, maybe later. Maybe someday when the time is right, when it won't hurt or require that I step outside of this little world I've created, but guess what? Growth always asks of us that we leave the comfort of now. It always offers us the world in exchange for the courage to see the unseen and trust ourselves to bring it to life.

And when I realized this, I saw how the act of trying to be able to be able to be. to perpetually maintain the status quo is debilitating. It's looking at life through a lens of scarcity. It's only when you start to grasp how abundant life is that you realize by simply stepping into that person you are destined to be, you'll attract what matters. Some things will go and you'll leave them behind, but those things no longer serve you.

They played their part. They added their value and are now merely stepping stones as you move to something greater. And that's just it. Sometimes living means wishing you did things differently, looking back and acknowledging that you need to be better. Sometimes living means losing the wrong people in your life to make space for the right ones. Sometimes it means spending days, months, in years wandering down the wrong path so that you can get a glimpse so that you can realize

what the right path looks like. Sometimes it means no reward, no validation until that compounding finally takes place. Finally, you see just how powerful those small steps were and will always be. It means seeing yourself as the person you know you can be. Maybe not necessarily the one you are today. but betting on yourself when no one else would. There's an idea that people are neither good nor evil, but they have both within them. They choose through their day-to-day action, how they'll live, who they'll be, and sure this is a tad oversimplified,

but I think the duality is useful, right? Because in a different context, for everything that occurs in your life, you can find a reason to celebrate, or a reason to grief. A reason to grow or a reason to hide. It all comes down to what one chooses to see, how they choose to look at the world. I'll never forget when Peterson talked about curtains, right,

with tears or holes in them. Same world on the other side. But the opening that you choose to look through paints an entirely different picture, right, contributes to an entirely different understanding. And look, I'm up. pragmatist, I just am, I'd never ask people to close their eyes and pretend everything's perfect, to wander down the path before you, expecting everything to be easy. No, but what I am saying

is that the path before you is where you'll uncover the meaning in life, and meaning requires that we are from time to time uncomfortable. To go where we most want to go, we must leave something behind, and the reality is that while it's scary, while it can be alarming and even painful, it is always worth it. That what's on the other side is what makes life worth living. I want you to know that you don't need to be walking into the same rooms, talking to the same people, doing the same things.

No, not if you've outgrown that reality. Not if you're ready for the next chapter. So let's make a pact to view life not as an obligation but as an opportunity. Something challenging but beautiful, mysterious but plentiful. Let's view the challenges along the way, not as something going wrong or some kind of alarm, but rather an indication that you are doing something right,

that you're stepping into the controlled chaos of your day-to-day, finding the courage to meet new people, try new things, take risks, evolve, This is what life is about. And if you can find it within yourself to see it that way, to be grateful for the discomfort that makes its way in and out of our lives, you'll know that you are evolving, reaching towards that sky. Because the danger, as far as I'm concerned,

is never what happens along the way. It's what doesn't happen. because we never let ourselves accept what the world had to offer. So on that note, I think today is the perfect day to upgrade. 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 to feel good about it, to celebrate. It's not always a tangible victory or pat on the back. It's a smile about. 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 whiteboards 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. long term goal. How do I incentivize that? Because like I said, the natural inclination is to 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 and 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 celebrated. 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, there are a show, 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. Right? 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 really. or imaginary, possible or impossible. We're living in a world that is our own. There's no them or they or 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, right? And one's working for a senator, one's at 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.

I'm doing things now that I never ever would have been able to do. If I didn't have 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 wins 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. Reminds yourself that you are going to change the world and you can see it.