Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR MIND | Motivational Speeches For Success

Episode Date: March 22, 2023

“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” - Marcus Aurelius

The world reflects back at us what we currently are, like a giant mirror projecting the movie that's playing in our heads. We lay on the horn in traffic, not when we're at peace with ourselves, but when we're in duress. We gravitate towards the negative, not when we're living in abundance, but when we're living in scarcity. We quit, retreat, contract, not when we're confident in the road ahead. but when we're doubtful, alarmed. In other words, we find out in the world what already lives within us. Life in many ways is not absolute.

It's evidence. It's evidence that we'll use to justify the things we already believe. Wayne Dyer used to use the metaphor of an orange. It can be squeezed and squeezed and squeezed, but there will never be grateful. fruit juice pouring out of an orange. No, grapefruit juice doesn't live there. You can only find on the outside what lives in the inside.

You can only extract from the orange orange juice. Recently a good friend of mine said to me that they'd like to change their financial situation. To which my response was perfect. You most certainly can, right? Like anything, yeah, it'll take work and some planning and some restructuring. restructuring, all that good stuff, but you most definitely can. And his response was, sure, that's what all you motivational people say. Okay, smart guy. Now you're an example on a podcast episode. Congrats. Why? Because you want the people around you to realize how much is possible for themselves,

right? It's not sorcery or witchcraft to believe something better is possible. In fact, if one doesn't believe it's possible, they're effectively cementing their feet to the ground, at least with regard to that particular pursuit. Let's face it, you don't begin journeys that are not possible. We don't allow ourselves to do that. And so, to not believe in an outcome and somehow still wish for that outcome,

well, that's essentially our orange metaphor. Can't squeeze financial freedom out of a mindset that only sees monetary constraint. Believing it's possible starts the journey. See, there's so much pragmatism in growth. People talk a lot about the law of attraction, and yeah, I get it, right? It sets targets. But the picture of, let's say, a dream house on your wall is not why you'll eventually have the dream house.

The picture of the dream house on the wall reminds you. It helps you believe that you're someone capable of someday acquiring that house. obtaining that type of success, which results in you, wait for it, doing things that help bring that to life. It is the doing. But that doing must be connected to belief. Mid-20s. I was unhappy, wanted more, but didn't really believe myself capable of obtaining more, right?

That was the issue. Back to the old orange expecting green. grapefruit juice. Can't get results in an area not conducive to their creation, right? It wasn't until I said, you know what, maybe, not definitely, but maybe it could happen. Maybe I can take control here. The odds have to be greater than 0%, right? It's Jim Carrey and dumb and dumber, so you're saying there's a chance.

Yeah, it's like starting out, that's all you need, a chance, the door cracked. In the beginning, I just needed to convince myself something did. was possible. The beginning of transformation and that internal change prompted how I interacted with the external world. You do things differently when you believe differently. Or, if you want to phrase it another way, believing that you can bring something to life doesn't guarantee that you actually do. But believing you can't guarantees that you won't.

that you won't. And why not stack the odds in your favor? I often juggle back and forth between the philosophical and the tangible or the tactical, right? Three ways to do X. Life hacked to change Y. Yeah, of course. Life does in so many ways come down to the tactics,

to the how, to the steps. But does that even matter if you don't believe in the pursuit? Does it matter what Google Maps says if you never step out your front door? You have to convince you. You have to create an environment in your world where change isn't crazy, more isn't absurd.

It might be challenging. But it's possible. And possible is enough. It is enough to begin. Enough to step out. Enough to see the trivialities as tools and the resistance as part of a beautiful game. Remember that the world is a mirror.

Reflecting back at us our worldview. We find what we look for, so give yourself permission to look for things that make life beautiful. Give yourself the gift of believing change is possible. Do you ever wonder how much of you has material? realized. Like if what F. Scott Fitzgerald says is true and our lives are defined by opportunity, even the ones we miss, then how much remains in the ether? And I don't think it's about playing a game of what if. You know, that would be endless. It would be self-defeating. No one's perfect.

I don't even really think it's about making a right turn instead of a left. Because as long as you're moving and moving with conviction, life ultimately brings you where you need to be. But more, my concern is the steps never brought to people. My ideas on the hatch, my opportunities I either knowingly or unknowingly left on the shelf. Because it didn't seem real enough. Like a Broadway play between my ears, that as a spectator I knew would end. After all, that's what stories do. how much of ourselves have we cast aside as simply the things we don't say out loud?

At first, it's infinite. We've yet to be taught to limit because limits aren't things, their ideas, and ideas must be adopted. That's why they say some of life's best things were done by people too ignorant to know they were impossible, too naive of the notion that they couldn't say them out loud. Then it's comparison. They have what I want. But it was meant for them and not me. How delusional to think I could have it. How crazy to think that life has yet to be written.

And I am an author. My date is with normalcy in the box where I keep those things we don't say out loud. And then we look around and we see highlight reels. We see awards and vacations and smiles. But we don't stop to think maybe they're just like me. Maybe they're people who struggle and question themselves and doubt the road ahead. No, it must be the past diverged. They took happiness and I took those things we don't say out loud.

Then there's everyday life when things don't go as planned, when the world presents curveballs, and you haven't learned to hit off speed so you feel small and you feel inadequate and ill-equipped, and you could reach out, but that's not cool, that's not right. That's something that you don't say out loud, but we keep it in, like all in, and eventually it becomes the if-only's, and I wish I had, it's the quiet envy gazing longingly towards those who just cared less, who realized maybe life's not as serious as we make it out to be, who turn thoughts to things, not by burying, but by embodying them.

And maybe that's the trick to unlock the gate, keeping your perceived reality from the possibility of a new one. The one you could create, if only you promoted your fleeting thoughts to forward progress. See, dreams can fail to come to fruition in two places, in your head and outside of it. But at least outside, it has a chance. At least outside, you can take the common, everyday background and make it the backdrop to your movie where you play a lead role.

But it must be accepted and acknowledged, not thought of or even whispered, but screened so that the details and the trivialities that exist now work for you. That's right, they are now yours. Not because you thought about it, but because you reached out a hand and you took. You asked the world for something. And in life, it will always be true that you don't get what you do not ask for. So when you find yourself staring up a wall

comprised of self-defeating narratives and manufactured limits, be ignorant, be irrational, be the reason your dreams have a chance. And when you look around and you see more and wonder why you don't have it, know that you can, you're allowed to, if you sacrifice, you will, but you must believe you are worthy of it. Not in the back of your head where you keep your lock,

or combo in movie quotes, but in reality where words bounce off lips. And when you feel like life is treating you unfairly, like they're happier or have it better, know that life is peaks and valleys, not just for you but for everyone. And how you internalize that and carry on makes the difference. And when you feel lost or stuck, you are not hopeless, but in progress. being broken down so that you can be reconstructed stronger better victory is not in hiding those struggles but accepting them as the difference as the reason you created the miraculous not because you had dreams because you said them out loud there's a haze that circles around our most

important moments and i say haze that circles around our most important moments and i say haze that circles around our most important moments And I say haze, because often the things that will be most meaningful in our lives or that will best position us for future transformation or success, they don't accurately depict the value that they ultimately provide. In fact, a lot of the time we get the opposite impression. The answer is deceptively masked as the problem. the thing we are most inclined to run away from. It's often unclear to us that the pain we're experiencing will become the purpose.

The loss will become the strength. We can't always see that losing the job will become our reason to find ourselves and the work that will be most meaningful. We don't always understand that losing someone that was a big part of our lives will ultimately create a little space that will bring about connection with others who will lift us up and make us better. We aren't always aware that falling short is incredibly powerful because it's what most often prompts us to look in the mirror and ask that magical question, how can I be better? Again, we see it in a million different ways, different contexts, different contexts. the solutions masquerade as problems,

or as has been famously put, the way often presents itself as the obstacle, which means we have to operate with a sense of awareness and understanding that often alludes us. Sometimes the reality is that it hurts to let go, but if it's not right for you, it hurts to hold on as well. The difference is,

when you do find the strength to let go, you simultaneously create space for the things that will make your life better. And I've noticed, you know, as I've navigated this crazy place well into my 30s, that the discomfort I've experienced in the past, it rarely utilizes my future as its benchmark. Right? When I'm uncomfortable, it's because something has gone awry in the now. This moment hurts. In this moment I feel less than, in this moment I feel lost, in this moment I am X, Y, or Z.

It's all generally immediate, emotive responses to what's happening, which is why I advocate so strongly for pausing, pulling back, taking a breath, and assessing the whole picture in totality. See, I've made decisions in my life that have set me back a year, right? that destroyed me emotionally, totally altered my plans. And I look back on some of those decisions now, with all the pain they brought, and I think, you know, was there another way? Did I make the right move? Did I need to endure all that?

And I'm not going to pretend, you know, I know how some parallel universe would have unfolded if I acted differently. But as I reflect back, I still think that I made the right choice. I don't see another way. Sometimes there are no easy decisions. Sometimes life is about choosing the least bad option.

I've talked about having to step back in order to leap forward, or stepping sideways in order to ultimately advance. Sometimes the thing we need just looks like discomfort, the sheep in wolves clothing, where you have to seek out monsters, in order to destroy the ones that live inside of you. The reason, one, I think this is so important, and two, I'm so passionate about sharing it with others,

is because, again, our instincts drive us away from the things we need most. It's just how it is. Humans are more emotional than we are rational. And there have been plenty of times where, you know, just being reminded, Eddie, I guess, that this is challenging, but where do you most want to go? Eddie, you're playing defensive, which I'm sure minimizes problems now, but will never propel you forward with your career.

Eddie, you're dragging your feet and calling it perfectionism. Could it in fact be fear? I've had a lot of these little, and sometimes not so little, epiphanies over the course of the last decade. When people ask me about speaking, which being that I do it for a living would make sense, right, tips, or insights, whatever it is, I'm being completely sincere when I say that I wish I had some formula I could propose, right, that would make you go from zero to 60 in three months. But the truth is, the biggest bang for your buck is stepping right into the terror. The thing you're most inclined to run from. And that was it for me, right? sheer terror, actually shaking nights where I stayed awake reciting keynotes into hotel mirrors.

Couldn't eat? And I'd wrap up, the event would be over, I'd just go back to the room and collapse in bed because I hadn't slept the night before, right? That's how it started. And the more times I didn't give myself a way out, the more I saw past the fear, put emotions aside, and reiterated to myself that underneath all that discomfort was value, the better I became. The less dramatic each speaking engagement became. And the terror evolved into excitement. Eddie, please get through this.

Eventually evolved into Eddie, how can you make this speaking engagement more exciting, more fun, more captivating than the last one? I recently spoke at the MGM Grand Arena, and it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. And I'm sure you can imagine, not necessarily because of the event. But it prompted me to think back to all those times I wanted to say no so badly, with all my heart, with every fiber of my being, but didn't.

It was just a proud feeling. Like you get those moments from time to time where everything becomes a single snapshot. It all makes sense. sense. Because over times I truly didn't understand why I was moving forward. I just did. I just knew I'd burn the boats. There were no other options. And when you collect that W, you quickly remember. And so all this, to emphasize the very important point, that it may not be speaking at the MGM Grand Arena that you're North Star, maybe it's something totally different. But I want to remind you that the road to wherever you most want to be

is not perfectly paved and decorated with flowers. It won't always be sunny with clear blue skies, and to take it even further, the paths that are paved with flowers and clear blue skies are often the wrong ones. In a world of trade-offs, we know that the best things often require the greatest sacrifice. The beautiful things are often derived

from a willingness to endure prior turbulent. And should you find yourself amidst all that in the thick of it, it's essential to know that should you choose to do so, you can transform the chaos into something incredible. Realistically, that pain of loss, we can't do anything about, right? Nature has made it so that we feel every sense of what's been taken away. But nature doesn't do such a good job of reminding us of the infinite value that can now move into our souls, be used to open our eyes so that we may see the world as we've never seen it before. There is such power and the ability to view that fleeting emotion, the discomfort of now in terms of what it will ultimately become.

As the saying goes, the hardest thing and the right thing are often the same thing. So be your own judge, your own critic. Decide what best points you to that place amongst the stars you long to be. Just understand that the road won't be pain free. And those who try to make it so miss out on a lot of the brilliance available to us. That haze that tries to conceal what's most important is only effective if we keep our eyes close, if we aren't honest with ourselves. But if you know, one, what's most important and two are committed to one day arriving there,

the short-term obstacles become a relatively small price to pay. You're right where you need to be. Sure, you have your doubts. doubt. Perhaps you feel tired, alone, fearful. Maybe you're trying to make sense of a world that feels too complex. Or all you see and here are reasons to turn back, to find shelter, to run, don't. Regardless of how hard it seems, don't. You are right where you need to be. Turning thoughts to things, making life from dreams, what makes change so interesting.

So powerful yet deceptive is that it comes to us in small doses. Not a tidal wave of transformation, but a slow, steady, rising tide of progress. No one feels the tug of erosion, yet it chips away. and so do you or moving piece by piece behold you the world you're moving away from

and piece by piece you unveil the promise of your becoming you may not see the whole picture you may not understand the whole story but right now in real time it's being told

and you are right where you need to be we just weren't equipped to understand what that looks like. It's never been what you see that makes you uneasy. It's what's missing. That's what hurts. The solutions you wanted, the changes you expected, the finish lines you envisioned. It's the wondering, how long must I wait?

Did I make a wrong turn is the joke on me? but it's this line of questioning that causes so many to stop. Unaware of how close they were, ignorant to the foundation they were standing on. What you need is not a miracle. It's to simply carry on. To keep laying those bricks because not a one is wasted. And sometimes you don't realize you're on the 80th floor until you look down. That climb can be frustrating, exhausting.

It isn't always glamorous, but it's necessary. And strength comes from understanding that truth. You are right where you need to be. The world, it can't take what you refuse to give it, self-belief is non-negotiable. It's off the table. Your most prized possession. So hold it tight because it'll be needed

when the journey feels long and the road impossible. You'll know that you can always take one step forward and that is the essence of life, of growth, of progress. Think about the steps, the lessons, the self-discovery that led you to this intersection of now and forever, this beginning of whatever you decide,

comes next. You are right where you need to be because you are armed with the decisions that brought you to today and the courage to let them carry you into tomorrow. You could be anywhere, but you're here. And as you strap up and settle in, you'll see that right here is everything. Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. Victor Frankel. So much of life comes down to how we arrange and internalize what we see. Our realities will always be comprised of what we choose to look at. Now that's not to say the unfortunate or quote unquote bad things aren't present.

But whether or not you choose to keep them in your life, in your field of vision, that's on you. Here are two ways I like to explain this. The first was explained to me as a curtain hung from a stage. And this curtain has holes and tears all throughout. On the other side of the curtain, there's an auditorium, some chairs, aisles, a few lights. But depending on which hole or tear you chose to look out of, you'd see a different piece of that picture. It can be said that the curtain is life, and the hole you choose to look through makes up your reality. The little piece of information you choose to consume.

Because life is certainly complex, right? There are too many images and variables for us to notice all of them. that's impossible, we'd collapse in on ourselves. We have to pick a few, which means that our entire existence from the time we're born to the time we die is dependent entirely on which details we choose to focus on, which ones we use to tell our story.

Which leads me to the second example. Let's say you decide you're going to walk to your car, you open your front door, you walk down your driveway, right up to your car, open the door, and get in. Your story was, I'm going to my car.

And so everything you experienced was related to that. In the sense that, you didn't notice the driveway of the person's seven houses down. You weren't looking for that. And you didn't notice the potholes across the street. You weren't looking for that

either. You didn't think about the funny shaped cloud over your head. That wasn't on your mind. Why would it be? All these things weren't part of the story, right? And the idea is we are very selective of the things we pay attention to. We use a small fraction of the world to tell our stories. And this matters because when we are down or stuck or disappointed or whatever it is, it's not that you don't have a reason to be where emotional creatures and things happen, but it is true that you don't have to stay there. that the little hole you are looking out of from behind the curtain may not be serving you.

Your viewpoint may not be the best viewpoint. But it's in your control, right? You choose what hole you want to look through and then use life to create supporting details. When you're focusing on the negative or why you aren't good enough, you'll find things that support that narrative. Choose a different story And you'll start seeing Different pieces that support it

I'm sure you've all heard how when you're looking to buy a car You start seeing more and more of that car on the road It's not because they suddenly appeared overnight on 95 No, they've always been there They've been in the mix But now it's become a part of your story You're looking through a new hole in the curtain

Therefore your focus has changed And that's what I mean when I say reality is a true choice. The details will match your beliefs. Believe you are incredible. You'll find evidence. Believe this is just the beginning of something beautiful. And you'll find the details necessary to bring it to life. You get what you focus on. So focus on the things that will propel you forward because trust me, they're there. The thing about storms is that they all have one thing in They pass. And once gone, they leave you as a person different than who you were before you stepped in.

Before you found yourself consumed by its adverse conditions, they are disruptors, breaking down and shaking up. But not for the sake of chaos itself. No, storms break. storms break us down so that we can build again, so that we can find within ourselves the power and the strength that simply remain tucked away during those sunny days. And so walking up to the storm, what you'll immediately notice is a break from the normal, the every day, an obvious detachment from the standards by which you had been living. But don't be fooled into thinking those dark clouds

and heavy winds have nothing of value for you. Don't be tricked into thinking the rain will consume all the good in life. Because at the end of the day, it's that very rain that washes away the excess and leaves the meaningful. We don't grow despite the storms. We grow because of the storms. We grow because of the excess and leaves the meaningful.

the storms so compose yourself and embrace what's around you. Amidst the storm you might realize that you don't want some of the things you thought you did. You might realize that life contains variables that make it incredibly unpredictable. And when old plans meet new variables, sometimes we learn that the path we were walking down requires adjustment. It needs change. Not because we were wrong. The dream was wrong, where the path was wrong, but because life is an experiment. Experiments are meant to test hypotheses and support exploration. Without the storm, sure, everything seemed fine. Everything was flawless, but in the thick of it, when the variables, the multiplicity of factors present themselves, it often paints a picture for us that we previously weren't

able to see. That's okay. Ideal even. It's life. So when amidst the storm and presented this new information, this new portrait pivot. Grow with your understanding and newly acquired knowledge. There's no point in remaining tied to the ideas, the people and the places that once served you but have since run their course. Growth is perspective and awareness, and as the storm shakes your foundation, it also hands you a clarity that those blue skies simply could not.

So adjust, adapt, and move further into the person you are destined to become. You can't learn that on a sunny day. No, that's what storms are for. And amidst the storm, you might find yourself scared, nervous, unsure. You might even look back and wonder what life would have been like had you not stepped in. Perhaps you're angry with yourself for not navigating around the inclement weather. Maybe you'll find yourself asking,

how did I let myself end up in such a situation when there were visual indicators and weather forecasts? people warned me about moments like this yet here I am. You might find that the drop in temperature is uncomfortable. The rain, difficult, the wind, annoying. But here's what they don't tell you. There's something innately powerful about proving to yourself that you can move forward despite those things.

That when you're scared and step forward anyway, when you're lost but maintain your poise and trust in the process, when you're down but cling to hope to that light at the end of the tunnel, you emerge with a different understanding of who you are. You end up stronger because you've allowed yourself to become stronger. And you don't get that on the sunny days. No, that's what storms are for. And amidst the storm, you might feel like to saccharacteries. sacrifice required in life is more than you want to endure. Maybe even more than you can endure.

After all, it's during our trying times that we're forced to make some of our most difficult decisions. We might be forced to let go of some things that had been staples in our lives. That in order to say hello to some things, we must necessarily say goodbye to others. and this hurts, especially while it's happening, it hurts. But what you're really doing is learning to identify what matters and mitigate the things that don't support that journey. Sometimes storms teach us that growth is not about acquisition

and obtaining more, and they show us instead that we've been carrying too much, that we become accustomed to surrounding ourselves with things that no longer elevate or inspire or push us. And the best way to evolve is to move forward with less. So when you see parts of yourself fade away or dissolve, hold your head up.

Because when you get to the other side, you just might see that cutting away those things was more liberating than any thing. you could find or pick up along the way. And we're not taught this lesson on those sunny days. No, that's what storms are for. And amidst the storm, it's quite possible that you'll feel lonely from time to time. Maybe misunderstood.

Perhaps like the whole world has everything figured out. They're moving single file through the correct door while you wander around aimlessly. seamlessly. That's not true. No one has all the answers and everyone has their storms. The question has always been, as far as I'm concerned, what will you make of yours? Because we're always presented with the decision to let our adversity define us or to find something of value in it. The opportunity hidden in plain view. You're never alone in your pain or your distress those things are an inevitability tied to the miracle that is life but

what you are is powerful powerful enough to learn in your solitude and bring that understanding back out to the world powerful enough to let the lessons guide you to something beautiful powerful enough to find the meaning underneath the turbulence. We often confuse our times of greatest transformation with setbacks. We often forget that the darkness cannot withstand a single flicker of light and we can be that light when we trust ourselves. It's a lesson that can't be taught on sunny days. No, that's what storms are for. And that storm, that very thing you want with all your heart to avoid, it's not antithetical to your happiness or your prosperity.

No, ultimately it's how you create those things. The trials and tribulations help us look at life from different angles. They remind us what we are capable of. Show us we can do so much more than we thought, that we have in many cases been accepting a reality that is not our own. That is just the beginning. And so whether you were on the outside looking in or at this very moment in the heart of chaos, remember this is making you who you need to be. And sure, it never feels good in the moment. It's never exciting when it's happening. But there will be a point when you look around and see a world.

unlike the one you stepped away from, one in which you are stronger, bolder, wiser, one in which you have greater clarity and understanding, a better sense of who should be with you and where you are going. It's not despite but because of the storm that you'll rise from the ashes and from the quote unquote misfortune to find yourself. and your way. It's easy to look back and think about all the things you could have done differently,

especially since as we get older, we get wiser. Time provides this beautiful gift of clarity. And ultimately, we realize things like maybe a lot of our hesitation was unwarranted. Maybe a lot of our decisions or indecision was fear-based. And knowing that, it's easy to look over your shoulder

and feel like you could have lived a different life or taken a different path. At the very least, wish you'd done things differently. But the reality is, everything you've done has, in fact, taken you here. To this moment, and when you dwell on the past, the should-haves, and the could-haves, you completely diminish the power of right now, the current moment.

You completely underestimate the knowledge and the wisdom you've been collecting for years whose single job is to assist you in your next move. It's a compounding of experience. The good, the bad, and the ugly has landed you right here, right here. now and how beautiful right here is. The infinite blank page. The forever fresh start. And that's not to say the past doesn't matter. It's to suggest that your prior discomfort, your mistakes and lessons have equipped you to deviate from the routines and the cyclical nature of your past.

The past is a gateway to now, not a life sentence. And there's a difference. You say last year or last month or last week is valueless because you did X when you should have done Y. I say to that. Doing the wrong thing has positioned you

to now do the right thing. Potential energy, right? Like a spring being pulled back tighter and tighter and tighter awaiting its opportunity to propel forward. You don't get that without those could-haves and should-haves. They're integral to the process. The reason you'll be different moving forward. You can say, I wish I'd taken more chances.

I wish I was bolder. I wish I followed my heart. Two pieces of news for you. One, that's fantastic. It seems as though you're now aware of those times you fell short and can therefore mitigate them moving forward. And two, you're not dead yet. We have to stop looking at yesterday like it's anything

but a ladder to greater competency. The gymnasium for your decision-making. Anyone can cherry-pick the past. But the practical me asks, what does beating yourself up about what's gone do for you? What does it add to your life? Except for enabling and legitimizing the same identity you're looking to evolve and move on from. See, we don't limit ourselves because of right now. It's always because of yesterday.

Look what happened. Look what I lost. Look how things turned out. And it's like take the data and trudge forward. You now have the tools to move right into that darkness of night. And in five years you'll look back and sure you'll wish you did things differently. And same five years after that. But that's why life is a journey and not a standardized test.

We are picking up the pieces as we go, the masterpiece one brush stroke at a time. And even though you might wish yesterday's brushstroke was a different color, little darker, different shade, it's just as valid as all the others in contributing to the mural in its totality. So sure, be your greatest critic. But be your greatest ally as well. And that calls for being bold enough to let go of what's to let go of what's gone.

Extract the value from yesterday and use it to build now. Something, anything. That's up to you, but hear the message. It's up to you now. Not who you were yesterday or what you did, not how people saw you or how you used to live your life. You have an opportunity now

to go wherever your heart desires. Stronger and wiser at this point in time than you've ever been in your life. So rather than dwell on what's gone, how about asking how you can take those pieces of yourself and build? When the ground beneath us shakes, we crave stability.

When the heavens open up and rain pours down and we run. for shelter, when life presents us with vagueness, with flashes of possibility, we long for mastery. It's more instinct than anything else. But could it be that that instinct that we run to, like moths to a flame, is leading us astray, that it doesn't have our best interests at heart? Could it be that we're so worried about protecting and maintaining an acceptable image for the world that we forget to build something internally that's worth protecting.

What if that's shaking is what brings down the foundations that held us back? What if that rain washes away the limits of yesterday as we evolve into something more? And what if those flashes of possibility require of us not mastery, no not yet, but a willingness to be the fool. And what if that willingness isn't an unfortunate dead end but a beginning? In one of his lectures at the University of Toronto, Jordan Peterson said, if you are not willing to be a fool, you can't be a master. In the cycle that is self-discovery, that is growth, we have to at some point step into an arena that's foreign to us, that we don't yet understand. We have to be willing to operate with inadequate research.

resources, trusting that they'll be picked up along the way. And that's a lot to take in. It's painful to know that others are going to have knowledge and skills and competencies that you won't. That you'll willingly inject yourself into the bottom of some hierarchy with nothing more than aspirations. But that willingness is your vehicle. And what's clear is that everyone wants the moon. but very few people have the courage to start constructing that spaceship. Very few have the courage to be the student.

That's why our inclination is to quit when we can't snap our fingers and magically be on our way, when we can't leap past that wandering around the unknowns. The reality is we have to fight to scrap to obtain that sense of belonging in a particular competency. And just talking about it brings me back. me back. It's an obstacle that we all face. It's super real to me. I remember being featured on a podcast where the host literally asked me, why should I listen to what you have to say? Right? Like, who are you? Why are you road mapping your journey? Right, I remember fighting for relevance in an area in which, you know, at the time I knew almost nothing about. And I love how Peterson

articulates this battle. He says at some point, you'll want to make a change and you'll feel like an imposter and guess what you are but you have to be you'll ultimately feel worse if you don't do it that's imposter syndrome feeling like a stranger in your own body and guess what it's not wrong it's just a beginning i like explaining it like jumping into a cold pool feels uncomfortable at first it feels out of place but then things normalize they become comfortable and what's the other option to fear that minute of discomfort and never jump in it's what we need to tell ourselves when we want something but the the climb seems too steep right that climb is manageable you'll acclimate the adversary's pushing beyond that fear of

starting anew taking your limited understanding bringing it to the base of that mountain a new goliath and looking up with confidence and the question is can you be foolish enough to do that? And once you've made that ceiling, your next floor, will you be foolish enough to do it again and again and again? And breaking through that fear, knowing that stumbling around for a period of time doesn't kill you, it's required.

It's the inability to show weakness or appear vulnerable. That's what chips away at you for a lifetime. If you want more, immerse yourself in that cycle of mastery. Start at the bottom and ascend. And when you approach the top, separate yourself and find another ceiling to chase. Replant a seed. Play the role of the fool again. This is the formula for growth, for prosperity, for fulfillment.

This is the pathway to anything of substance. You take your ls. You embrace your critics. You swallow your... your pride, and move towards a tomorrow that far exceeds today. As your reality changes, your perception changes, the company you keep changes, you'll start to see that what's around you is made by people

who were willing to fail and fail often. Our world is when devised by those who could put pride on hold. By those who were humble enough to crawl through the unknown, long before they ran anything. Who knew that before they played for any title or championship, they must first play the fool?