Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - SELF DISCIPLINE | Powerful Motivational Speeches Compilation

Episode Date: November 4, 2021

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment" - Jim Rohn

What's one thing I wish I knew when I was younger that I think people could benefit from today? What single piece of information could have the biggest impact? I spent some time thinking about this question, and the more I think about it, the more the answer becomes incredibly apparent. It's that you are in control of your own life, your own destiny, your own future. And when you take accountability for yourself, life changes. Period. And if you thought that was obvious, I would advocate taking a look around. Maybe a stroll through social media, the Twitters and Instagrams, and TikToks of today.

And no, that's not the real world, but it's certainly a microcosm of the real world. What do you see? Well, you see chronic blame? I don't like where I'm at or things are, so that must be. be your fault or their fault or someone else's fault. You see people looking everywhere but in the mirror. Actually seeking out victimhood. Because that's what brings the attention.

That's today's currency. It's much easier to be the victim than the hero because being the hero means you have to sacrifice something. It's people saying the news or some institution or the federal government is the problem. And if those things would only change, then we'd be good. Let me explain why I think this mentality is self-sabotage. And why I would take younger me by the hand, and I would say, listen to what I'm about to tell you.

Where you start is often outside of our control. Let's be real, life is not fair. We don't all get dealt the same hand. But this next part, as I once heard Will Smith articulate beautifully, is the same for everyone. What you decide to do about it right now is what matters. And that is the control that we all have. It's not your fault where you start, but it's your responsibility to choose where you end up. You can shake your fist at the sky, or you can start,

building a life that matters to you. It's easy to blame the world, to be the victim, at least in the short term. But a fulfilling life is about meaning, about fighting for something valuable, about evolving into the version of yourself that you always knew in your heart you could be, you just had to unlock. See, no one down the road was ever happy with themselves for blaming the world while they bitterly remained stagnant. I would say to a younger me, worry less about how you're perceived and think more about who you are, what you're capable of, because that you can always control.

Stop losing yourself in the news or whatever the narrative of the day is. That has nothing to do with your progression, has nothing to do with your very next step. So sure, be informed, but do more, consume less. because by and large it's a distraction. And I would say the government, which has become the crux of our discourse today, transforming into a modern-day religion, look, the government's job is not to give you anything.

It's there to protect what's inherent to you already. Your right to live life on your terms. See, satisfaction, it will come from good habits. It will come from self-belief. It will come from taking risks and failing and learning. It will come from the courage to step out into a world that's completely unknown. It will never come from a self-interested politician or body in Washington, red or blue. So stop whining about political optics and focus on where your two feet are taking you right now.

Because I promise in the grand scheme of things, that's what matters. That is your strength. Expecting someone else to come along and change your life is like screaming into an abyss. I would say to my younger self, when you start looking around and seeing what everyone else has, and beating yourself up for not being as good or feeling like you're behind, look, it's great that their success motivates you, but dwelling on it won't make your life better. Life is a race between you and you. It's a fight between your success. and those thoughts that constantly knock on the door, looking to settle into your psyche.

If you defeat that demon, you'll be where you want to be, regardless of where others are. You're right where you need to be, so keep your head up and keep moving forward. I'd explain that to become something more, to change, requires a sacrifice that feels so substantial, so big at first, that it bullies most people into staying right where they are. That to become something new, you have to learn to play the fool, to get humbled, you have to change your relationship with short-term failure. And that's not easy. But taking control of your life is not supposed to be easy.

Only worth it. They're different. And I can certainly look back at my own life, think about the times where I was so busy pointing out that I didn't even think to point the finger at myself. I was so worried about life being unfair that I existed in this temporary state of paralysis. The whole time not knowing that I could have been stepping forward. Could have been tapping into the single greatest power I possess control over my own life. See, every time you feel anger or the need to blame those around you, you're taking the spotlight

off of what matters and placing it on things detrimental to where you want to be, to your journey and your future. Even the most unjust, arbitrary things, let's say you didn't get that promotion you were beyond qualified for, or you were mistreated by someone or things didn't go the way you wanted them to. You can fill in that blank, but refusing to blame others and immediately taking responsibility. Again, even in a situation like that, it gives you one of the greatest advantages in life. It gives you that gift of control. You can now assess the situation. You can now ask yourself, hey, what can I do to change this? You can delve into the why, find the lessons and the value.

you can come back and re-approach this thing stronger. Because to blame others, to take on that role of victim, it's essentially living life in the passenger seat. It might be easier. It might be less work, less responsibility, but what you never have is control over where that car goes. But when you own it, when you say, hey, maybe it's not my fault, but look, it's mine now,

It's my responsibility. The good, the bad, every aspect of my life. It puts you in position to change things. To take the wheel and reroute to a destination of your choosing. So that would be my message to the world. I know it's not an easy road. I know life is unfair. I know things aren't perfect. But the best thing you can ever do for yourself is say, you know what? This is mine to own. And I'm going to look around for that light switch that will create momentum. That little decision that will get the ball rolling, I'm not going to sit back, shake my fist and blame life. I'm going to walk out that door and create life. That's where you'll find what you're truly looking for. Stay awake long enough to capture the reality in front of you.

But not so long that you forget to dream of new realities. Stay who you are. Because your voice and your vision and your talents, they're unparalleled. But don't stay the same. Because to evolve is to breathe life into that authenticity. Stay away from those misaligned ventures, the broken places, the empty relationships. They're not you.

But stay close to those things that are. Stay in when it's time to invest in yourself. To chip away at our default ignorance, to turn that curious soul into a knowledgeable actor. But know that all that other stuff, the fun, the escapes, the distractions, they stay right where they are waiting should you need them.

Stay the course. Not just when it's easy, but when it's difficult. When things for a moment in time feel impossible, lose their glamour, feel like a burden too costly for you to pay. Because hanging in there through the storm, it changes the way we look at life. Like being able to see the stars for the very first time and no storm stays forever. Stay humble. Because knowing what you don't know is the first step in becoming who you might be.

But don't stay so humble that you can't move with conviction into that great unknown. Stay hungry, stay motivated, stay fixated on the next great adventure. But stay grateful for everything you have now. See, without that, the future. loses its allure and its relevance without that the perpetual desire for more stays but that all-important sense of purpose goes and a life without meaning well it just isn't much of a life and that if anything is what we are left to understand that fine line between staying and going anchors down or sails of acceptance of all that is but the pursuit of all that

that can be when the heart pushes and the brain pulls. Perhaps this little formula is what connects all the dots. Stay who you are and go where that truth leads you. Stay because identity is power. Home is our foundation and our reflection tells the story. But go because progress is happiness. Meaning is rooted in overcoming. coming, dying and being born again, slaying dragons just to prove to ourselves that we could.

So go dream of new realities. Just make sure you stay awake long enough to remember why. Those moments in time were the world we've anticipated, the one that we've hoped for. Well, it's not quite matching up with the one we're looking at. Those times where you stop and think, aren't I supposed to get out what I put in? Isn't the point of planning to have some type of control, some semblance of authority over the outcome? How do I get those worlds? I've been thinking a lot about how paradoxical life is, how what we fear is often the exact same thing we need most.

How what we're terrified of is where we find our current. it's where we become more. How when we look ourselves in the mirror and have no clue at that moment in time who the hell is looking back? Well, that moment is when it all begins. Bingo. Here's what I think.

I think being stuck is the blessing that we didn't know we needed because at that moment in time, it begs us to be what we're not. It opens the curtain and unveils something that's so necessary, so imperative, yet so overlooked. Here's what the last decade of my life has taught me. It's taught me that until your back is against the wall, until you're up to your neck in regrets, and I wish in opportunities passed by, until you realize that your reality is,

is a fraction, a microcosm of your potential. You're not living. Because once you find that realization, well, that is when the magic happens. That's when we become who we might be. See, anyone can dance when the music is playing, but this moment, this is a special one. This is when you dance to silence.

This is when you compose. I want to share with you an idea, a concept. It's gotten me through the worst times. It's gotten me through times where I felt like I had nothing left. Where I felt lost, unsure, underappreciated, where I felt like this world had absolutely nothing out there for me. That I was going to be a statistic.

Another dude who tried, failed, and quit. It's this. It's that you are always one decision one move, one step away from a totally different life. Not sometimes or during the best of times, but always. And I'm not talking about the home run ball. I mean, sure, those are great, but they're shooting stars, the anomaly. I'm talking about getting on base.

I'm talking about, one, believing there's a journey out there that it's possible, and two, that you are worthy of that pursuit. Can you do one thing that makes you, even for a moment of time, remember who you are? Feel the power, the contentment, the adrenaline of momentum. See, the road to redemption is always a light switch away. We just have to remember to reach for it.

I love the idea that darkness is a temporary state. It's in its definition. Darkness is nothing more than an absence of light. Calling on us to come in and be that flicker, that spark, that changes the dynamic of everything. No miracle, no monumental situation. Just a spark that grows and grows and becomes the wildfire that changes your reality. The same one that's existed in your soul,

the entire time. You're not stuck. You're simply starting. Yesterday might have been brutal. It might have been life-changing. It might have been so exhausting that it's hard to look back and even comprehend. But when that storm passes,

and they all do, they leave us renewed. Sometimes learning we can survive is the best gift we receive. Because guess what? life through everything but the kitchen sink at you and you're still here, still standing, a little wiser, a little braver, a little stronger, a little better prepared for whatever comes next. Not to find by the storm, but what you do in its wake, what you build with the pieces.

Listen, today is yours. All you have to do is decide to reach out and make it. So, part of my morning routine every day is to listen to the commencement speech, Admiral McRaven gave at the University of Texas, where he's talking about 10 lessons that he learned during his time as a Navy SEAL going through Bud's training. And he positions them in a way that will really help anybody through life if they implement these concepts. it's an incredible speech in my favorite lesson of the 10 is around what he calls the sugar cookie. And I want to delve into it a little deeper because it's such a perfect metaphor.

It's so relatable. And so for a quick overview, basically during Buds, all the attendees were called to line up for uniform inspection. And the instructors would walk by and check out their uniforms, they had to be perfect. As McRaven says, uniform press, belt buckle shiny, no smudges on the shoes.

But the point of the exercise that a lot of people really didn't understand is that the uniforms were never going to be good enough. The inspectors or instructors would always find something wrong. And the punishment was to go run down into the water with your clothes on, get soaking wet, then roll around in the sand, and you know it sticks to you all day. That's why they call it the sugar cookie. And what he says is, you were never going to succeed. The perfect uniform was impossible. The instructors wouldn't allow it. But the interesting thing is that some people simply couldn't handle that idea.

They didn't understand that no matter how well you prepare or perform, sometimes you're going to end up a sugar cookie. That is life. It's such a powerful concept. It's a life lesson that must be understood before someone can effectively make their way in the world. The idea that life simply isn't fair. And those who refuse to accept that

are pulled into this void of projecting out and looking to assign blame as opposed to continuing a march forward and reshaping the odds, right? A tough lesson to learn. It's tough to work and work and work and not get that immediate validation you hope for. It's tough that,

Life drops obstacles before us that we weren't prepared for and don't feel equipped to take on. It's tough when people around you get rewarded or promoted or acknowledged for doing the same or less than you. And if you let it, it will eat you up. It will taint your view of the world. It can close the door to your own self-improvement and open it up for comparing, contrasting, projecting, blaming. Toxicity. You know, it really hit home for me. when McRaven says, look, some people just couldn't understand that no matter what they did,

they were going to be a sugar cookie. They couldn't rise above the apparent unfairness. They didn't realize that they were being prepared for the reality of life. Not the gentle, predictable, fair world we often feel is owed to us. So the ones who made it out of the class, well, they took their hits. They dealt with their discomfort. They learned to expect more out of themselves. Right?

there simply was no room for the victim mentality there. Those who wouldn't help themselves, they got weeded out, left behind. It really is the perfect metaphor for life. And as far as I'm concerned, the only way to ensure defeat is to divert responsibility to the outside world. The only way to remain powerless is to feel bad for yourself, to feel angry that life isn't what it is in the movies. Again, hard to hear.

In a perfect world, hard work's always rewarded. The correct actions always have positive consequences, but that's not always reflective of reality. As the saying goes, it's not your fault where you start or when things you can't control present themselves and make your life challenging. You didn't choose that hand, not your fault. But guess what? Where you go from here is your responsibility. It is your responsibility to move beyond the cosmic injustice you can do nothing about and create a better situation, a better outcome, I'm a better world. How many times in life do we find ourselves looking in the mirror?

I was saying, hey, I did everything I was supposed to do. Why am I being punished? Why is this happening to me? Why did I take that L? On paper, every box was checked. I've asked the question. We've all asked the question. And every time we do, we're placed at a crossroads of sorts.

Do we go one way, let it derail us, distort our worldview? Do we let it alter how we perceive ourselves? Or do we go the other way? Do we acknowledge that life is a marriage of highs and lows? And to make something of it, we shouldn't feel slighted by the challenges but accept them. Let them make us better. I've learned this again and again. I learned this after I spent four months on a project in 2014 that essentially bombed.

And it was the first time in my life that I felt that. It's like how? I put everything into this. How could I get nothing back? Well, it turns out I got the world back. I just didn't see it at the time. I learned one of the most powerful lessons to learn. The universe is indifferent to your agenda.

All it does is present an obstacle course in front of you and allows you to navigate as you see fit. Will you focus on the negative? Will you have resentment towards life's injustices? because a lot of people do. A lot of people can't get past it, so they hide from the struggle that would ultimately become their strength.

And see, I'd much rather work to be the type of person who finds the positive, who carries on, who doesn't take hardship personal because it's not a personal thing. In fact, let's remove the emotion from it altogether. Let's focus on getting through.

As a good friend of mine says, if you're on a hiking trail and you get bitten by a snake, Are you going to chase the snake into the woods so you can kill it and get your vengeance? Or are you going to go to the hospital and get the medical help you need? Are you going to focus on what's necessary for your betterment to move on, to grow? Every time you accept responsibility for a situation, every time you point it yourself as the one who can make something good happen,

you move forward. You stack the odds in your favor. You position yourself for something bigger and better, and it doesn't mean it will happen overnight, or even that you are entitled to an outcome. But those who remain empowered through life's trials and tribulations, they usually find a way. Not because they deserved it,

but because they simply did not stop. They did not waste time blaming the universe and instead created something of value. They got over being that metaphorical sugar cookie and started thinking about the big picture. They accepted the defeats and they learned. They made a pact with the face looking back at them in the mirror that sometimes we don't get the ideal hand, but it will always be up to you, how to play it. There is always a win, always a positive. And to remember that is to create a world.

of your making. There are always barbarians at the gate. And I mean this, in the sense that the second we give less than our best, the second we let up, it's not just that we allow the important things to fade. No, we let the outside world infiltrate our existence. In the history of civilizations by Will Durant, he said, He said something that I found incredibly interesting. He's talking about the fall of the Assyrian Empire, and he says, barbarism is always around

civilization, emit it and beneath it, ready to engulf it by arms or mass migration or unchecked fertility. Barbarism is like the jungle. It never admits its defeat. It waits patiently to recover the territory it has lost. See, in those civilizations, Durant speaks of, they knew they were always living with a threat of an attack by outside forces that oppose it, knowing that calm and quiet wasn't the rule, but the exception to the rule.

And in its weakest moments, it crumbles. In fact, Durant says societies are born stoic and they die a peculiarian, right? created from discipline, but fall apart when people take what they have for granted, when pleasure and leisure become the standard. It's almost like society is a submarine keeping out the ocean of human nature, constantly putting pressure on it, right? And why does this matter? Well, this is what's interesting.

Compare it to this idea that I found in Jim Rohn's collection of lectures, where he's talking about life's concessions. He says even small compromises with regard to your goal matter. Giving in, even a little bit, can be dangerous. Saying, oh, it's just one time is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Because it begins the process of the downfall. Plants a seed. It cracks the door for those barbarians waiting patiently outside the gate.

The ones who know discipline is not guaranteed. Discipline is built, manufactured, it must be protected. It is the exception to the rule and they are chomping at the bit. Given the slightest opportunity, they will bring it to ashes. And this matters because it's up to you to protect that which is worth protecting. Do you ever have one of those days or weeks that are insanely productive or enjoyable and you just think this is great, I need to do more of this, I need to sustain this? and then time goes by the outside world

sneaks in and the prospect of continuing that routine slips away crashes because parameters were not created because you let it slip once

and once doesn't mean you'll pick up where you left off no once is whispering to your subconscious that it's okay to concede it says oh it's all right I'll stray from my path just for the the important things. I'll only crack the door for the barbarians when I need to. But now you're in an interesting situation. How do you measure when it's important enough to quit or stop or cheat? And trust me, I understand that life is complex. It's not black and white, but the areas

we grow the most are the same areas where we leave no room for negotiation. X, Y, or Z is going to happen because it is who you are. In that door, it stays shut to the outside world. the mediocrity telling you your plans don't matter to the barbarians outside looking for any excuse to infiltrate or destroy and see the point is not to avoid fun or leisure or the enjoyment of life no of course not what I'm advocating is that we highlight the aspects of life that are non-negotiable the things that mean a lot and are therefore subject to the ever-reaching arm of retreat you don't have To do this, the barbarians will tell you once isn't the end of the world, but what life shows us is that greatness isn't one crazy or monumental action.

It's keeping the intruders out where they must be restrained, remaining diligent in one's pursuit towards something more. Yes, there are always enemies at the gate, but there is also within you the ability to keep them in check, to tame them. to differentiate between your world and theirs. And in your life, your world, your empire, you are the gatekeeper. One of the most important realizations out there, you could say for life in general, certainly any situation,

is simply knowing that there are options. There are always, always options. And that's in reference to that metaphorical edge or cliff that we all come up against every now and then. In one capacity or another, we've all been there. We've had enough. We're mentally, physically exhausted. The deck seems to be stacked against us and things feel hopeless. And the reason that this realization has been so valuable is because it's in these moments that the negative seems to want to overwork.

overshadow the opportunity. It's all we see. Right? When you've taken loss after loss after loss, your rough stretch. You know, the brain tends not to paint pictures of rainbows or butterflies. It does the opposite. It creates a narrative of victimhood, tragedy, acceptance. It says that this is reality. This is forever. And that's why so many people let the past define who they are, right? Because when it's rained for six weeks, you begin to anticipate rain. But that's why this little rule is so crucial. Right? It says, hey, listen, take a step back and remember that you were the one pulling the strings. Anytime things feel hopeless, it's because you are choosing not to look at what matters. You're seeing the bad stuff, the footsteps that brought you to your predicament.

but they are not you and they have very little to do with your ability to change. It will never be a false statement that the rest of your life starts now with the decisions you make from here on out. The trick is you have to see the ocean of opportunity and not that bucket of water that you tripped over. That will always be the temptation.

And I can speak from experience. I've had projects fail. I've had investments fall apart, relationships come crashing down, all the above, just like every single person alive. But what makes or breaks us is the ability to recognize our emotional state. Understand that we're being irrational. Our discomfort, panic, dreary outlook, all of that is self-induced, self-made. And we can decide to see the good. You know, your business idea was a disaster, fine.

There are two things you can do. You can say to yourself that you suck and you can dwell on it, or you can think about the experience, the relationships you built, the lessons learned. Look, some people pay six figures to read about your experience in a textbook. You lived it. Maybe it didn't go exactly as planned, but you'll get to talk about that someday in an interview, right?

after your next project, your next business blows up and changes the world. You can do anything, you can go anywhere, and I say that because just the thought is incredibly liberating. You're never stuck, and how amazing is that? Unless you hold out your hands and cuff yourself, limits do not exist. You have weaknesses? Sure, fine, we all do, but the question is, what are your strengths? How can you better utilize what you have? You know, the wealthy, the successful, the accomplished, the people you read about,

they take the down times in stride. And I'm not saying smile and whistle while things fall apart around you. What I'm saying is anything that falls apart can be rebuilt, recreated. So don't forget that. Right? Stop limiting your perspective. A loss is a future game. ends are new beginnings. Being scared means you're trying something new. Being embarrassed means you're learning. Sure, on the surface these things look bad, sometimes very bad, but in the long run,

they make you who you are. You know, I always say people don't run marathons because it feels good. When you dig down, there's something more there. They're doing it for another reason. In the bumps in the road, the pain now, it doesn't mean you struck out or lost. It's part of the process. It turns into a feeling so beautiful, so perfect, that you can't even really articulate it. You know, when you feel bad about your situation, you are thinking about the mistakes of yesterday and not the opportunity of right now. You are thinking about what has and can go wrong and not what can go right. It doesn't matter how dire your situation, you can take something from it. So put that into practice.

Next time you're feeling discouraged and that time will come, ask yourself what you are really focusing on. Seriously. And I guarantee you it's not on how incredible your family is, how far you've come over the past five years, or how every single thing you need to make your dreams come true is available to you. No, you're probably thinking about the ridiculous, irrational nonsense that holds you back. Right, you will face obstacles in life and you will overcome them, but be the solution, not another obstacle in your own way. When you are against the wall or on the edge, think bigger, remember that any situation can be undone, any story can be rewritten, see the opportunity.

Pull out your notebook and get to work on building the world as you want it. to be not as it is. The answers are all around you. Choose to see them. The only ones who never find their way are the ones who never leave. For everyone else where there is a will there is in one form or another, a way.

We are presented quite the paradox. We're placed in a world much bigger than we are, in which we have to coexamine. with forces far stronger than us. We have to accept realities, both outside of our comprehension and controls. We start with an uphill climb. But the beauty of life is that we get to decide where that climb ends. Because should we choose to utilize it,

we are also given the incredible ability to expand. To use those daunting and impossible obstacles around us to become something greater. It's where we decide to push the buttons of conformity, step over the lines of self-consciousness, that that big, strong, scary world starts to make just a little more sense. Every time we push back against the things we're inherently fearful of, life's opportunity opens for us.

Like a carpet that just never stops unfolding. We are both outmatched and infinitely powerful. powerful. And infinite is the right word. What you become is proportional to how hard you push. Imagine a life where you don't stop pushing. The world expands with courage. By jumping head first into hell, we learn to develop the tools to cope with it.

It's an amazing thing. That fear-based mindset that came stocked with our bodies, it was meant to be built upon. Fear is the ultimate starting point. the one in which we should ultimately be grateful. How else would we know which direction to set our sails? Emerson says, when a young resolute fellow steps up to the great bully the world and takes him boldly by the beard,

he's often surprised to find, comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away timid adventurers. See, I worry that some of the most important things we need to know. Life's greatest principles get buried in complexity and misunderstanding, particularly here with fear and doubt and the things that make us feel small. Right? Because it's ultimately at that point, right when we most want to detract and cave in on ourselves, that we get an opportunity to enhance our state of existence. It's the very point where with a simple decision, we can become something more. more, we can turn pain into strength and ignorance into wisdom.

Sure, we're supposed to be scared, we're supposed to be timid. This is, after all, what it is to be human. But I also believe, with all my heart, we're supposed to take those things and rule over them. Make them transportation to what could be, not a barrier around what is. That's why this danger life continually creates for us. There's nothing more than a metaphorical cocoon. continual reinvention. And how beautiful it is to know that there are no bounds to our...

No borders we can't reach as we climb to this ever-changing destination. And how incredible to know that the very obstacles life places before us will, funny enough, be what gets us there.