Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - The Ultimate Motivational Speech Compilation | 3 Hours | Best Running Playlist

Episode Date: April 13, 2021

"It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop" - unknown

How do you visualize the road you're on with its twists and turns, smooth terrain, rough terrain, straightaways, hills, what is it all mean? Do you find it odd that it gets more challenging as you get closer to your destination? Right? The further along you get, the more tension life puts between you and the finish line. Almost like the universe is adamant about weeding out. those who think they can skate by. What is the difference between saying you want it and really wanting it? Perhaps it's a willingness to fight through a storm just for the opportunity to find calm and serenity in its center.

This morning, as the sun was coming up, I went for a run. A nice five-mile run down the coast, and the way I planned it out was simple, right? 2.5 or halfway up in soft sand, and then I'd stop, and I'd turn around, and I'd run 2.5 back, but on the harder surface, right? Easier to handle, almost like a reward for pushing myself on the way up. And things were going perfectly. I made the 2.5 mile run up, and when it came to stop and turn around, I realized what should have been obvious from the beginning was high tide, Which means I didn't get that hard surface to run back on instead. Not only was it softer than the way up, but I was running on a slope.

And that just threw my mind for a loop, right? I'm embarrassed to admit I was actually angry about it. You know, I pushed myself hard going up and wanted that breather. I almost felt like life pushed the finish line back 2.5 miles. And then trust me, as I'm writing this, it seems ridiculous to talk about. But in the moment, just irrationally annoyed. That was the carrot that had been chasing the whole time. So I begrudgingly, you know, moved forward, kind of trying to figure out what to do.

And ultimately just continued forward and, you know, the emotion subsided. And as usually happens, you pull yourself out of the weeds a little bit. The big picture tells a different story. Different story means different perspective. And that's what I came across, right? this idea or this question, well, why do we expect life to be flat ground? Why was that my assumption to begin with? The easy to navigate path.

Why is that the standard? And the more I thought about it, right? The more I wondered if that's the very reason why we underperform. It's the little spark that ultimately lights this wildfire of regret. because when convenience is the standard, everything else becomes unfair, everything else is a burden. When the road should be flat, what are we to make of the hills in our path?

Thinking life should be easy, it provides oxygen to a victim mentality. And sometimes it takes these little experiences for me to refocus on these subtle realities. The flat ground is not the standard, it is earned. It's a gift. It should be cherished and appreciated because guess what? Life wasn't easy. It isn't easy and it never will be. But I believe the differentiator is knowing that. So I kept running on the slope, feet sinking into the sand.

I got my teeth kicked in just a little bit longer and life didn't end. In fact, I think the mental aspect was tougher than the physical. We're only talking five miles here. But when the standard changes, so does the performance. It's about just moving forward. And like poetry, with about three quarters of a mile left, right? The beach widened. It leveled out.

The ground became harder. Each step became easier. And yeah, I was running. But in my head, it felt like I was lying on a bed of feathers. Because when you prepare to face life's demons, when you're ready for battle, When you anticipate, you'll have to give everything. Any adversary that falls short of that feels like wind behind your back.

We can endure anything. The question is whether or not we put ourselves in position to. Mistakes, they don't define us. Heartbreak, it doesn't kill us. And criticism, it doesn't shake. But I'll tell you what? The fear that they do stops a lot of people from becoming who they're capable of becoming. Panicking at the slightest sign of discomfort, moving away from anything but the convenient

when in reality inconveniences are the path. As Ryan Holiday famously put it, the obstacle is the way. See, satisfaction. it doesn't even exist without a will to overcome. What meaning does the finish line have without miles of self-doubt and questions and fear and dragons being slayed while you prove to yourself over and over again that you know what, I am more, and I can be more.

And the crazy thing is that there's not even a stopping point here. This rocket will propel as high into the ether as you choose to take it. And look, it's not about running on slight inclines or sinking a few inches into the sand. It's not about being rejected, losing or castigated by seven billion self-interested souls. No. It's about not being scared to take the bridge that connects current to future. The future, complacency to recreation, the known to the seemingly impossible. You're made of so much more than you give yourself credit for. You are so much stronger than you think you are.

So for yourself and for the world, capture that. Own it and redefine what it means, not to simply exist. But to your core with every ounce of your being, your soul, every fiber in your body to truly live. Need not be long. That is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. A foundation is not made in a day. It's not flimsy or weak. It's what holds everything together. And without it, you have used. useless pieces. Thore mentions a castle in the air, a goal. The answer resting above us, hovering over everything and everyone. But until we put life into it, that castle remains four walls and empty space. It stays part of an imaginary world. See, most people never get there

because they don't understand, they have complete authority over what's real. They set the guidelines. With a magic that looks a lot like a single step forward, with fiction that very closely resembles progress. Edison said opportunity is missed by most people because it's dressed in overalls and looks like hard work. It's not that people are lazy.

It's not that they're incapable. It's that they don't realize how small a step is required to build momentum, to turn a snowflake into an avalanche. See, you look at that castle in the sky and you shake your head. You think how nice it would be. You flip on the TV. Fantasize about million dollar homes. Debate whether athletes are officially elite. When you could be building a foundation for yourself, doing something for you.

All those things you want can be realized. realized every one of them. But the road to excellence means nothing if you don't believe you're worthy of it. You are. Start building. You will be blown away by where this life can take you where you can end up. Your goals take shape the minute they enter your brain. Never has there been such a powerful tool as the human mind. The same entity that can build a bridge to anything in the world can shackle you down.

You tackle you down. Listen, that visualization, that dream is there. It's there and it's very real. Not to keep you out, but to invite you in. And you will see that the only true fiction in your life is the narrative you use that holds you back. You want that castle in the air. Get it. Stop dreaming about it, wishing for it, and make it... So you look outside, right? And the first thing you see through the window is that the running conditions are taken. the running conditions are terrible. They're far from ideal.

Your first inclinations to go back to bed, wait until it warms up, maybe hang tight until the rain or snow stops, which the majority of us would find completely reasonable, by the way. But let me explain this scenario from a different angle. Because this is the exact situation when it's most important to get out of bed, to put your running shoes on and to head out the front door. There is an undervalued benefit that comes from putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation, from forcing yourself to be just a little bit irrational. When you look at those who have been successful,

what separates them is that they do things and they make sacrifices that others would not. They're the people that study until 4 a.m., or wake up on it's dark outside to practice free throws. Whatever the specific skill set may be, the pattern is always the same. They were willing to pay a price that most wouldn't. They wanted it just a little bit more. So what could this possibly have to do with running in the rain? It has everything to do with it.

Why is it that when you run outside on a cold, rainy day, no one's out there? It's not because you're doing anything that in itself is greater heroic. You're running alone because it sucks. It sucks to run in the rain, right? To have cold wind blowing in your face. That's not relaxing or enjoyable. It's uncomfortable. But you're out there when everyone else is warm inside and there's value to that.

Training yourself to follow through with your ambitions regardless of hurdles. Because life will not always be comfortable. What are you going to do when things get bad? You lose a client at work, your girlfriend leaves you. You're going to stay in bed? Because they're going to stay in bed. Because there will always be a reason to wait for later, to hope for smoother waters ahead. The best, though, they achieve in spite of undesirable conditions.

Then, suddenly, meeting your goals is become a habit. Not something left up for a chance. You don't even look at the weather, right? The forecast becomes very little significance to you. So it's cold, great. You'll wear two sweatshirts. But you'll figure out how to get it done. And I'll tell you when you take those shoes off and head to work or practice or wherever your day takes you, that mentality does not leave.

You look at things differently. You know, you realize that 99% of the reasons we give for not doing things, they're excuses. They're meaningless. If you want something, do it. And guys, that's not a cliche. That's the key to success. Find a way to get it done. And the best part, when it's finally 72 and sunny, and the world is outside ready to run,

you'll have lapped that place so many times that you're not even on the same level. You have been to hell and back, and your performance will make that apparent. That's how you become the best. So is it just a run in the rain? You tell me. This moment is a collage of your past. The steps that brought you here, the things that shaped you, it's a story comprised of what you choose to remember.

And so I ask which memories get your attention. Or do you choose to shine that potentially life-changing spotlight? What are you looking back on? Do you remember those times you felt lost? Those times life was turned upside down when you went into panic mode, when you were perfectly mapped out reality was shaken at its foundation. Yet you got up and found steady ground, didn't you? Do you remember that? Do you remember when the things you thought were forever turned out to be as fleeting as a setting sun?

When you realized a life well lived would mean figuring out the things you thought were forever. vast majority of it on your own, relying on your courage and your strength. Yet you pushed into the dark of night and lit a path, didn't you? Do you remember that? Do you remember the hard hits? The blatant losses, the gut-punching defeats when you looked in the mirror and thought, this reflection, it's just not who it needs to be. This burden is too much to carry. Yet you got yourself together, you found faith in your reflection. And you not only carried that burden, but you made something of it, didn't you? Do you remember that? What do you choose to remember? And I'm not talking imagine or create or bring to life. No, which truths are you letting in? How quickly we

forget who we are, how fleeting the recollection of our strength. See, if you take a single step back and examine, you'll see a breathtaking sample size of the demons already defeated. The mountains already climbed, the dragons already slayed, and you stand here now, afraid and unsure, as if you haven't already fought through the depths of hell, as if you haven't already proven to yourself that you've been there, as if this. moment is new to you you have what you need and that's not the law of attraction or conjecture or hopeful thinking it's remembering what you know in your soul to be true you are made for this road laid out before you I can't

pinpoint what's uncomfortable everything just sort of hurts, almost hovering over me as I attempt to move forward into the desert. The problem seems to be some combination of the present in the future. Because sure, each step it tests my core, my knees, my ankles, my back, but worse than that, worse than the physical pain is the fear of what this discomfort will become. If I'm suffering now, imagine. Imagine five, ten or twenty miles from now. I can go 15 seconds.

Anyone can go 15 seconds. But what if it becomes more than I can bear? See, nothing scarier than the road ahead. It may just be what does me in. Tolerable now, but will it always be? Right, right foot, bruised, or maybe, maybe worse. I don't know, but... Lean left, adjust.

Yeah, just like this, that alleviates the problem. At least for now, it alleviates the problem. I can move forward. I think it's the downhill. The downhill puts pressure on the knee, shoots pain towards the shin, so we'll slow down. Slow here. We'll catch them on the uphill.

That's where we'll make our move. Slow down, fast up equals less pain, equals manageable. That's progression. This is 100% doable. Not rocket science, rearranging of pieces. Pain in the stomach. Has anyone ever died from an upset stomach? Probably?

Well, you probably not. You're not stuck, you're just scared. See, running while feeling nauseous, never put someone on the front page of the New York Times. What types of stories are you writing for yourself? No victim. Stop casting yourself as a victim. This is small.

This is nothing. This is trivial. Peace. Find a rhythm. You're over there. thinking again this is not complex there's nothing to be discovered here this is the easiest thing in the world one foot in front of the other again and again guess how much thought that requires you guessed it bud zero your foot matters not your knees are of no relevance why are you

creating monsters oh the sun it's the sun you're hot well you can cry or get to the destination with a tan stop rationalizing mile marker and i don't create reasons to Stop. It's like, well, it's like they don't exist. Most accomplishments, most pursuits require a positive narrative and uplifting storyline. This seems different. This requires nothing, not a thing I have right now. And, well, it looks like we can always handle right now, can't we? The wind isn't resistance. It's cooling me off, and the sun is not a barrier. It's lighting a path. The discomfort is not an enemy. It's a passenger. And we're all going one way. forward. Do not think about the road ahead. Count seconds, count steps, count breaths,

preoccupy the mind because the reality is at some point I will get where I'm going. That is fact. And the only way to lose is to manufacture future monsters and bow down to them before I arrive. I can always defeat the now. My feet write the story. They hold the pen. And once I arrive, only then will I enjoy the end. See, that wasn't so bad, was it? There's an old business fable about commitment. First time I heard it was years ago. I was watching a video of Dartmouth's rowing coach. He was telling a story to inspire his team. And basically in this story, there's a father, there's a son, they're sitting down at breakfast, and the son says, dad, I'm learning about commitment versus contribution in school. I'm trying to

grasp it, but I can't quite understand the difference. Father thinks about it for a minute. He says, look down at your plate. What do you see? Boy says, ham and eggs. Father says, well, that chicken made a contribution to your breakfast. That pig made a commitment. He then goes on to tell his team to row like pigs. And that simple metaphor created a foundation for everything that's come through my life since then.

Right? In anything we do, there's the option to go all in or to walk the line. to hedge your bets. And people so often leave or quit when something becomes difficult because there's another door they've left open, right? There's an easier way, an escape route. But let me ask you this. Do you think if it was a life or death situation, right?

Say you needed water to survive. Would you give up after looking for three hours and coming up empty-handed? Of course not. You'd keep looking because life depended on it, right? There's no other options of very. There's this old saying that if you want to take the island, burn the ships, commit. And it's not until you do this that things truly begin to change, that progress is made at the highest level.

You simply cannot tiptoe to success. You can't sneak up behind it. You have to own it. Right. Go after what you want like the world is on fire. Like your universe revolves around making this happen. I have never, in my 28 years of existence, seen a lion walk up to a gazelle and hope that it falls over. Right?

And attacks it with everything that it has. Speed, strength, tenacity. That's what brings home the prize. If you and your goals aren't won, if they are not the same, that's a pretty good indicator that you are fighting the wrong. fight. You should live and breathe your dreams. Inhale and exhale them. They should live at the forefront of your mind where every thought that comes through your head should be in the

context of that dream. That basic question, how bad do you want it? Well if you're not willing to fully commit to dive into something, then that gives you a pretty good answer right out of the gate. You can talk about our spent routines, habits, but if you aren't passionate about what you want, if you don't immerse yourself in it, none of that really matters. Live how you need to live. Do what you need to do. Be who you need to be to make your dreams real. Fully commit to excellence. Because until you do that, you will be left with only a vision and a false sense of reality. Winners don't have time for that. Okay, set your mind to your target and crush it. That is the only option.

Reality is the existence of two entities. Those who create change and those who merely react to it. And so I've wondered what separates the one from the many. What differentiates a fleeting moment from a chapter in a history book? See, I think we all come to a point where we look up and we see no top to the wall we seek to climb. We look down and see the water rising at our feet with every breath. We look to our left and see those who are where we want to be tomorrow. And we look to our right and see the trail of decisions we love to take back from yesterday. This is where most create their limiting narrative. where most succumbed to the world around them,

but most is not all. And every soul eventually comes to find that it was shaped not by sunny days or easy roads, but by walking to the edge of the only world it's ever known and daring to risk the normalcy to which it's accustomed. Because our appearance in the light is the manifestation of what we do in the shadows shadows when we're alone fighting the little battles greatness isn't just a different

level of results it's a whole new set of rules in the monumental task in front of you is the culmination of a battle that's already been fought thousands and thousands of times it's been won or lost over and over again every time you decide to stand apart instead of follow the crowd decide to flourish instead of just survive, decide to lead instead of follow, build instead of conform. When you endure, it's because you've decided that you are different, not in that moment, but every single day leading up to that point, this is not a reinvention. It's living out who you already chose to be. So the wall is high, you will climb because it's what you do.

So the water rises, you will swim because it's who you are. So the people to your left have succeeded, there is always room at the top, and you will claim yours. So you failed in the past, good, because falling then means you endure now, and so you will. There's a quote attributed Heraclitus on the realities of soldiers in battle. He says, look, out of every 100 men, 10 should not be. Ten shouldn't even be there. 80 are just targets. Nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them,

for they make the battle. But the one, one is a warrior. And he will bring the others. It's ever been said to me. Came from one of my old teammates, rowing team in college. He's graduating, sent this letter, kind of reflecting back on his collegiate experience

and what he'd learned. And one of the things he said was that in life, no one will ever care about your desire to succeed. No one cares about how much time and work you put into becoming great. It's all irrelevant. At the end of the day, what people see is a winner or a loser. I mean, you either won or you simply did not. And everything leading up to that, the heart, the work ethic, the dedication, it all remains solely with you. It's a byproduct of the contract that you signed with yourself

to go through hell, to fight in the trenches, even when you're seeing no immediate validation, which will happen, right? If success came with the snap of a finger, everyone would be running four-minute miles and driving Ferraris. But that's not the way the world works. But when you make the decision to be different, to give up temporary comfort for something greater,

you've committed to the ride of your life. And when the time comes and you cross the finish line first or you realize success in whatever capacity, you can smile at the world as they look at you like some miracle, completely oblivious to the price that you paid for this. But you know. And there's no greater gratification than that. It's been said that it takes 10,000 hours to perfect your craft. 10,000 hours of walking away from immediate satisfaction to enter this.

sentence of solitude and dedication. It's where you weed out mediocrity. It's where you carve out your place in history. And if you're waiting for someone to come along and just make that happen for you, it'll be a long wait, my friend. Because it's your flame, and if you don't keep it lit, it will die. And a flame can be a fragile thing. Weakness, doubt, uncertainty, failures, they all want to put it out. And if you're not bigger than your body, they will. Trust me, you'll fail. Time and time again. It may not be until your 100th attempt

that you even begin to see success. But if you don't have the foresight and that persistence to see past the bumps in the road, you will never know. That relentlessness, it's how you separate yourself from the people that feel sorry for themselves and watch the world from their better ones.

windows. But that's not what you signed up for. Nothing good falls into your hands. It's why every day is so important. Think of every hour as a piece of paper, right? By itself, very little weight, very little significance. But committing to the grind every day causes each piece to stack up. And before you know it, you've transformed yourself and your ability. And that's what people don't see that stack being built piece by piece. What they see is the finish line is it's crossed one by one. They see 30 seconds. They didn't see 10,000 hours, but you did. It's why you hold your head high. It's why you can smile to yourself when people talk about you quote unquote being born with talent. It's why you're looking at them from the podium.

Recently I had writer's block. Couldn't think so I completely removed. I moved myself from my work, I put on my running shoes, and I ran, down the steps to the front door and down the street. It was a Tuesday afternoon when traditionally we're taught to either be at work or in school. That's just where we are. And I laughed because a year and a half after deciding to leave, to pursue my own things, start my own business ventures, the simple idea of being outside on a weekday raises a tiny red flag in the back of my mind,

as if to suggest I shouldn't be doing this. And that's what 26 years of maintaining a certain mentality will do. Changing the way you see things doesn't happen overnight. It takes time. So I'm running. I'm making my way downtown with the sole thought of needing content for this next video. My mission was to think, to run, and to think. And I ran a few blocks.

Right? And I'd see people walking to school, going to and from work, taking the train, carrying shopping bags for Christmas. and all these things really make you question the big picture. How can so many different priorities be right? Are the things we place most value on, truly most important? And I thought about it and I thought about it and I thought about it and didn't come up with an answer, so I kept running.

And at this point, I'm well on my way. Past the ballpark where my grandfather spent his whole life cheering for a team that consistently ripped his heart out. And I thought about how they finally won in 2000. days before he died, and how one person can have such a tremendous impact on your life. And onward I ran, I passed the library where I glanced over, and my mind went right to the issues, the struggles,

the challenges we face in the world today, and how so many of the answers sit right there on the other side of that wall, on bookshelves, but how we're moving away from that, right? How can anyone truly grasp the depths of history with an attention span of 30 seconds or less. You know, I started thinking about what's going to happen, how this is going to affect mankind, and I bounced this around for a few minutes and then move forward, step by step, acknowledging that, you know, I'm spending time asking questions, but haven't come up with any

answers. Right? I have no content for this video, not yet. So I ran. And I ran through the common where the trees have no more leaves. It's winter. Everything looks dead. And this brought me back to the summer when everything was green, when the sun was out,

and I had to ask myself, did I take the time to truly appreciate that? Because now it's gone. And I made a promise that this summer, I'd never walk through the Boston Common without being grateful for it. It's a little thing, but it's a reminder that nothing lasts forever. And I figured I'd come this far. I might as well go to the harbor, right? So I continued on to the very edge of the city, and I stopped. I turned around and stared directly at what I've been looking for this whole time.

A skyline with hundreds of thousands of people and things and places. It was the culmination of all those little questions I'd been asking. And I realized that to know everything, to pretend to know everything, is all wrong. That's not what it's about. It's about progress. It's about learning a little bit at each stop along the way. Never allowing yourself to be stuck or closed-minded in a way that inhibits change or growth. Life is a marathon.

It's not a sprint. You don't win your first mile. You win by trusting in your ability to figure things out as they come, to evolve, to adapt. And above all, to believe that even though something may not be happening right now in the present, it can and it will be done. The finish line isn't there two, three miles in. You can't see it. And if you're moving solely off of what can be seen or guaranteed, you won't get there. But if you trust that each step you take is one piece of something far greater that you deserve that was meant for you, the sky is the limit.

The will to do anything comes from within yourself. You define your goals. You map out the journey. In my mind, comparing yourself to your competitors or anyone else should never contribute to how you define yourself. What it should be used as is a tool to drive improvement, to push yourself to make the most of every little opportunity that comes your way. I heard a quote from Mark Cuban,

and he said to work like someone is working 24 hours a day to take it all away from you. And I was giving this some thought. Obviously, it's a powerful message. And I started to apply it to my own situation. And the first thing that came to mind was running. It's something I do every day. A lot of the most important decisions I've made and ideas I've come up with have occurred while running.

So I started to think about when I'm at my best, right, when I'm working out and truly pushing myself. Obviously, I set goals, right? to stretch my limits, my boundaries, and I can do that on my own. I really don't need anyone or anything. But when I truly excel is when I feel those footsteps behind me. When I know that if I don't speed up, someone will run by and leave me behind as they go on for a faster time. And this thought drives me insane. Look, I know it's just a run around the Charles River. I'm downtown Boston, I'm not at the Olympics.

I get why it would seem a little crazy. But to me, it's the same thing as a race, starting a business, excelling at work. It's instilling the mentality that I will do whatever it takes to stay ahead, regardless of how it's perceived. Just like I do everything in my power to be that same way in all aspects of life, there are always footsteps behind me. That's how I push to stay at the top of my game. If you're not obsessed with getting better at doing more than everyone else, you will be left behind.

The sound of footsteps is a reminder that you haven't even scratched the surface of what you can do. That you can completely transform how you think of winning. And that's how you will get what you want. Listen, every morning when you wake up, you need to know that there are footsteps behind you, that a million people want what you want. They're waking up every day intent on doing what you do and are willing to put in the work. The best, do that and then some. They step up.

They're willing to go further. Be crazy. Put everything out there for their goals. It doesn't matter how ridiculous it looks. Success is doing what it takes. And I know that's vague, I know there isn't, you know, an answer written out in ten steps. But you will find your way. You will stumble, you'll fall, but if you truly have that tenacity to outrun, to outwork everyone else,

the only thing left to do is win. Surprise yourself. Surprise everyone around you. They will be there. I promise, only a step behind. I had an interesting weekend. I was pretty sick and almost didn't run the half marathon that I had scheduled, but decided, hey, worst comes to worse, I have a bad race, the world will keep spinning. So I jumped in the car and headed that way.

When all was said and done, I crossed the finish line, I ended up with the personal best of over 15 seconds a mile. In a race that I almost walked away from because I, didn't think I would be at my best. And when I regained composure settled in a little bit, I had to wonder how many times almost has gotten in my way. How many times a simple decision to stop to not go or wait for later has changed the outcome of my life? How many times has it changed the world? How many potential bestsellers were almost started? How many potential greats almost stuck with it.

How many friendships almost remained intact? Think about how fickle our world is, how these simple decisions to start, to go, to not drop the pen or hit the snooze button can change everything. And after that race, I told myself that I will never get in my own way again. I will never sell myself short.

I will do everything in my power to be on the right side of almost. The worst outcome is so much better than wondering. You know, and there are moments that we question if it's worth it, if it matters, if there really will be payout. And being pragmatic, you know, maybe there will, maybe there won't. But the moments that we remember in life, the things that end up meaning the most to us, they don't come from almost jumping.

They're born from the recognition that failure will not kill us. An opportunity hides behind mountains of almost. You can do what you've always done or you can go further. You can keep your stories and ideals locked away in your head, or you can share them with the world. You can worry about the collapse or you can build. Change the architecture of humanity, contribute something extraordinary, not be a victim of almost,

but go in with the intent of leaving a mark of holding your ground. You know, there are no certainties in life, that's for sure. But I can promise if you never leave, my friend, you will never arrive. And with so many potential destinations out there, who wants that? Who wants to pay the cost of admission

and not see the show? Be the person 30 years from now. talking, joking with your friends, family, and teammates about how you almost didn't go. You almost said no. You almost let your insecurity and doubt get the best of you. But then you took a step back and you remembered what matters. Flight.

The very thing reserved for airplanes and superheroes. Up to a pole. I'd never given it much thought. Things were what they were. But then I looked up and I saw what could be. And at that very moment, I took flight. I received no permission, no special instruction, I witnessed no miracle.

I simply asked, why not? And the road before me folded like a house, folded like a house of cards. As I look down, I can't help but think. This is not fate. It's not destiny. This is a simple understanding. That these legs are the messengers of the mind.

That instead of surrendering to reality, I am molding it into my own truth. That every time my foot pushes into the ground, I'm flying further and further away from you, from the world, and all the walls it seeks to create. I am of another universe. From outside, you see a face, you see flesh and bones, but what you cannot see is the key that I hold, that will bring me anywhere that has no respect for a locked door. I'm here to perplex the pragmatist, to inspire the ambitious, to light a path for the hopeful.

This is not me against you. This is me against time, precedence, a number, a minor detail, against those little things you have to step on to prove that limitations don't apply to you, that rules aren't made for you. This has nothing to do with superiority, nothing's predetermined. This is much simpler. I want more. I will get more. I will do more because I ask the question, why not? Why run when you can fly? It makes perfect sense in our busy lives that we sometimes lose sight of fundamental truths. At least from time to time, that's part of being human. And I want to talk about an important one. The tendency to forget that parts make a whole.

Sounds simple, sounds obvious, not so much. That pieces make a stack, that little actions create big change. And I can tell you that every time in my life I've found myself in trouble or overwhelmed or intimidated, it's because that very simple concept has eluded me. You know, and all I can see in the moment is how far I have to go. have to go. All I can see is this big, intimidating result, and I'm not there. And I want to tell a quick story to provide some context. Those of you who have seen my videos, you probably guessed it. It's running related. But if you're not a runner, hang tight, because this is not in any

way specific to running, it's just a good way to articulate the message, and you'll see that. So the realization occurred a few days ago doing a distance run down A1A, which is just a long straight stretch down the coast of Florida. It's perfect to kind of zone out and just run. And that's exactly what I must have been doing, zoning out, because as I'm pretty far along, I realize that they were kind of closing off the street. There were people lining the sidewalks.

There was some kind of organized event. realized that I couldn't go back the same way that I came up. So had to run up the beach. And it was one of those things where we've all been there, right? The idea was great. Our body didn't necessarily like it. It just was one of those days. It did not feel good. And I was really trudging my way forward. And I noticed that every time I thought about the distance I needed to travel, I felt worse. You know that feeling when you're uncomfortable, it's the thought of having to endure that for a long period of time that's most taxing. Sure, right now is uncomfortable, but, you know, what creates the anxiety is that it goes

on for a long period of time. We don't see an end to the immediate. We can't stop thinking about the space between where we are and where we have to be, right? So I'm continuing along and, you know, my mind sort of makes its way back to my freshman year in college. And this is an important part in my life specifically because it's when I really learned what it meant to work hard. I had no idea. You know, and I speak about this often because I went through high school. I had good grades. I was a decent athlete.

But I didn't understand what it meant to truly work. You know, my first month in college is part of the rowing team there was where I, I learned that just because you're suffering, just because you're hurting, doesn't mean you're entitled to anything. Someone else out there is suffering just as much. The difference is they might be getting more out of it. They're not feeling sorry for themselves. And that mentality was eye-opening for me.

It's not, look at me, I'm a hero for putting myself through this. It's, yeah, it's uncomfortable. She's also uncomfortable. Which one of you guys is going to turn that into results? That's what defines winners. And I remember, you know, the first workout. I did. I remember doing jump squats and wall sits with my teammates and emphasizing ways to break down the exercise into simple pieces. Mentally, right? Little pieces that the mind was okay with that weren't so scary.

A two-minute wall sit is pretty intimidating. A 20-second wall sit? That's not so bad. So do six of those. Say something funny between each set. Find a way to tear down You know, the mental obstacles because the body can take so much if the mind lowers its defenses and simply allows it. So anyway, I'm making my way forward up the coast and I stopped thinking about how far I had to go. I just stopped. I did not let it enter my brain. My focus went very specifically to every two steps, counting one to, one two, one two, because anyone can. can do anything for two steps. It's not hard. Again, it just so happens that they stack up and create miles,

but miles is not my concern, right? I'm not physically able to leap a mile. No one can do that. What I'm capable of doing is taking steps. That's all I can do. And it's manageable, and I can say without a doubt that that changed my experience. It took the pressure off.

And if you don't feel like you're in control, you will have a very tough time generating results because again, no one can leap a mile. And so a big part of success is rearranging the deck so that you have that control, you're behind the wheel. Sometimes it's just reminding yourself that the little things create the big things, the pieces stack up,

and every single thing in life can be broken down in those little pieces. And guess what? They're not scary. When you take the cover off, they're not overwhelming. Most importantly, they're completely within your control. On a similar note, a friend of mine recently asked the other day about YouTube. He's got a follower base of entrepreneurs. A lot of them are looking to take their business onto the platform.

It was asking me some questions. And he asked, what was the moment that sparked your channel's growth? And it's a funny question because, the 100,000 subscriber mark was something that, you know, right from the get-go, the onset that I was looking forward to. I was aiming for. But there was never that mile leap, right? There was no single video that changed the trajectory of my viewership or channel or business. That's not how it happens.

It's a step-by-step process. You can't jump to 100,000 or 500,000 or a million subscribers. And starting out, all I would think about is how far I had to go. I'd get all worked up and stressed out and, you know, disappointed. But you learn lessons as you go through things. And I realize that you don't get X many subscribers in a day. And if that's your focus, of course you'll be overwhelmed because you can't control that.

But what you can control is every thought, every video, every interaction with someone who cares about your message. And if you stay true to that, your consistency manifests itself in the form of a growing subscriber base. And the point is, it doesn't matter what you're doing. Talk about running, talk about YouTube, it could be sports, it could be relationships, it could be anything.

Yes, you want to understand where you're going, you want to know your target, you want to lock in a direction, then let go. Golds derail us because we forget what they're made of. They're made of little vulnerable pieces. To get to the top of a mountain, you have to climb it rock by rock. And when you're looking up from the base, yes, it's demoralizing. It might even seem impossible, but no one can cover that distance.

It's about the steps to the top. And then at some point, so long as you decide not to turn around, So long as you remain committed to overcoming each tiny obstacle, each barrier, you'll be at the top looking down at everything else, everything below you. Why? Because you didn't see the stack. You saw the pieces that were laid on top of each other one by one. And that makes all the difference.

Success is seeing what's beyond the surface. What's past the things staring. you in the face and if you can manage to do that you'll see that nothing in life nothing is too big or too tough for you there's an African proverb states every morning a gazelle wakes up and knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed and every morning in Africa a lion and knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle.

When the sun comes up, you'd better be running. Because stagnation is losing. Because wishing is a sealed fate. Because immobility is regret. As David Gaghan says, you are either getting better or you are getting worse. And in a world comprised of no finish lines, that really simplifies the picture, doesn't it? Because this has nothing to do with yesterday.

For the self-defeating stories you used to tell yourself, it's about what reality can become. And the best news you'll ever hear is that the steps that brought you to right now, they are not the same steps that will carry you forward. Every single sunrise is a chance to chase down that which sets your soul on fire. Lion or gazelle, day or night, it is never too late to become what you have never been to rewrite your story. Not for the doubters or the naysayers, but for you. See, they'll never get it.

They'll never understand that your progress is your happiness, why you'd endure the depths of hell twice to be five seconds faster, a little better to build a little higher. It's not nuance. It is survival, woven into your DNA. and just as much a part of you as the heart in your chest. See, today is a currency. The most valuable entity you possess. Clay where dreams are molded.

Light that turns unknowns into outcomes, impossibles into stepping stones. It's why each step is so precious. Because each one is a bridge to a part of the, You yet to be explored. See, Nietzsche said it best. One must still have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star. It is why we build these metaphorical arenas.

Because without them, there are no dragons to slay. There are no mountains to climb or armies to conquer. It is from chaos that order is born. Every crack of the sword brings undefiards. Understanding. When the sun comes up, there is no wishing for a better world. There is creating in yourself the one who will make it better. The one who will lead himself and others who will find amidst the horizon the existence of a world within. The Ascent. Looking up at the mountain as you make you away from the bottom, when everything is that you including gravity is falling on top of you pushing you down you know it would be

easier to head back down change course you know you could stop but there's something better at the top of the mountain and it's worth the fight not all days are going to feel good but you know that every action will not prove beneficial you've lived it. That light at the end of the tunnel, it can look awfully small. But with each step, you're making a conscious decision to leave yesterday behind, to seek something better. You know why you're here, while you've been getting up at 5 a.m., the sacrifices you've

made, it's because you wanted more. You expect it out of yourself. Simply getting by isn't for you. It's for someone else. Yeah, you feel tired, but it means nothing, because at the end of the day, you'll either succeed or you won't, and it won't matter how tired you were. Words like if, maybe, they're insignificant, they're for the weak. If you want something, you'll get it, or you'll die trying. The failures along the way, they've made you stronger.

The wrong turns, they've made you wiser. Nothing is falling into your hands. You've taken the world by storm. Yeah, people are going to say that you can't, that you won't, but they're not you. They don't know what you're capable of. They will. Discomfort, pain, you move through it, step by step.

All you can think about now is being on top of that mountain. It's become an obsession. You waste no time feeling sorry for yourself. that simply distracts from your goal. When it hurts the most, you press the hardest. Your body does not control your mind. Your mind controls your body. The higher you ascend, the more momentum you build.

Every step builds off the one before it. Every breath brings you closer to the summit. You can feel it now. You've given everything for this. leaning on nothing but the faith you have in yourself. The blood, the sweat, the tears, they've allowed you to create your foundation. Now, now it's time to build an empire. All things of value come with a cost.

And this cost, it's essential because without it, there's no triumph. There's no victory. It's what separates out those who really want something, the determined. Why to triathletes compete? Why the rowers row, runners run. At a competitive level, it certainly isn't because it feels good physically. You know, it's quite the opposite. They endure a lot of rough situations, a lot of painful training,

because of a tiny light at the end of the tunnel. And that light is how you build upon your self-worth. It's how you define what you're capable of. And success cannot come to be without adversity. How you handle yourself in those adverse situations, that is what defines a person. That is how you build your legacy. There will come a time when it hurts. When you have to ask yourself if it's worth it and consciously avoid quitting and turning to an easier approach, remember,

Anyone can run downhill. Not many people can run up. And the interesting thing is that that trophy is usually at the top. Be careful how you conceptualize the word hell because hell implies that the suffering will never end. That it's the ultimate pain. Three things. One, you can always be worse off than you are.

Two, suffering is temporary. And three, when you wake up tomorrow. Having given up will be far more painful than anything else you could have done. Everything in life is temporary. There's a quote that's got me through many tough times in my life. And it's that pain is temporary, but quitting is forever. Oh, and how true that is. I can still remember the times in my life where I know I had more to give.

That stays with you. But how bad your 2K test hurt, how bad you wanted to sleep before a final exam, the pain in your body during the final stretch of a race, that all dissipates. That becomes pretty meaningless looking back. It's the results that matter. It's the results you remember. Because when the hurt is over, right, the struggle's gone. You either did something great or you didn't. That's when things fall into place.

The hell you experience was simply a vehicle taking you to your destination. So being that you only live once, that you're fortunate enough to have an opportunity to do something significant, why not make it hurt? Rise above what's uncomfortable and see the big picture. Ride it out. Because when all is said and done, the guy who gives more when it hurts gets more. when it's over, running into the storm. When the skies are black, the wind pushing me backwards, everyone and everything around me running away in the opposite direction. Yet I continue on,

step by step to the heart of the dark looming ominous unknown. Is there doubt in some capacity, yeah, of course there is. When everyone around you is acting in unison, doing the same thing, any rational mind's going to stop and ask why. Do they know something I don't know? Perhaps, yet I continue on. Initially, the struggle isn't even physical. Rain drops fall, the temperature The wind intensifies, I have to put a little more emphasis into every step, but there's no pain. At the beginning, the struggle is mental. It's a war of ideas, that unsettling feeling in your stomach. And whatever this is, this darkness overhead, it's certainly out of their comfort zone.

Should it be out of mine? Am I brave or crazy? Wise or naive? Living on the edge or just being stupid? How fine is that line? Why expose yourself when the world takes shelter? What should I be afraid of? The water, the sound of thunder, the one in 280 million odds of a lightning strike?

Why can't I completely separate my endeavors from theirs? Am I just wired to care this much? Man, just run. Turn up the music, add the miles, count the steps. Remember, I will. I will understand why I'm doing this. This seemingly trivial pursuit. I know the pieces will add up.

They always add up. Eddie, just trust yourself. Push through the heaviness in your legs. Isolate the fear, the anxiety, the emotion that causes humans to act on impulse. To act irrationally. Your job isn't to follow precedent here. It's not to conform to normal or do what anyone else does. It's to continue into the storm.

And I do. And then, like all things, it ends. I arrive. I hit my turning point. My destination is still alive, predictably, unharmed, but uneasy. Like I missed the memo. Like I'm disrespecting this norm at the expense of an unwritten social contract. However, I am in too deep now.

Now. I'm obviously not calling a cab. I'm halfway there, so I am running back. And the second I make that 180 degree transition to part two of my journey, I get it. I mean, you really can't help but get it. The light bulb has to illuminate. The wind is now at my back. Not only is it pushing me along, it's pushing me along after having to trudge through it for miles. The tables have turned now it's the buy one, get one kind of deal, and I don't think I could slow down if I wanted. The previous stress and resistance had me work overtime simply so I could acquire and appreciate this feeling of bliss. It reminded me of the old days. Sitting down on the floor after a 2K test on the Urg dead, winded, exhausted, finding peak happiness in just being removed from the hell that it just transcended. In that window, you see life differently. I could walk up to that same spot and sit down any day of the week,

and it would mean nothing. But after that, 2,000 meters, it was heaven. And here I am recapturing a small piece of that on this very sidewalk. The sidewalk that I walk down all the time, unaware, unmoved, but now I am light. I am flying, suddenly becoming less and less aware of my surroundings. aware of my surroundings. The streets are empty, but they might as well be Times Square in December. I'm in a world of my own. And look, I understand why most people would skip this little

excursion altogether. The first 50% it is sheer intimidation. The castle walls threaten. But don't people wonder what's inside? Don't they know that you can't learn to fight back at life if you don't allow yourself to get hit or take a jab once in a while? Look, the point is not the run or the storm or the street. The point is that you don't know what you don't know. And a life of continuously seeking shelter ensures that ignorance lives on. If you continuously follow the crowd, you don't get to carve out a space for yourself. You don't taste excellence, that moment of temporary euphoria.

And sometimes I forget that. Honestly, it's easy to forget that, but that is why I run. There's always the initial question, the physical and mental turmoil, the pulsing temptation to just stop. After all, this is definitionally unnecessary. I could go away, I could live, wake up every day and exist without this. It's not needed, it's not required, but at some point, Whether it's the middle, the end, or after I've crossed the finish line, I remember. At some point, it always hits me.

I'm awarded that feeling of completion, a high that can't be found unless you've paid for it. See, people run towards security. People run towards safety because it's instinct, because they don't know. These trivial runs, they teach me over and over again that you, literally do not know what you're missing until you grab fear by the hand and take it along for the ride. And yes, I feel doubt. Yes, I feel the anxiety of the unknown.

But they don't stop me. They don't dictate my result. They are nothing more than those dark skies overhead in the rain in my face. They are along for the ride. I run through them while they watch, silently observing as I transform into something extraordinary. That discomfort, it did not deter me, it made me, and that's why I run. I've been wondering about you, whether you truly are a protector of truth or just a diversion from it. You've always been the first one to define, to limit to paint the world in black and white,

But reality, there's so much color. You in the impossible. You aren't so different, are you? You simply preceded it. You're not an end point, you're a beginning. And I'm not here to obey your laws or follow your guidelines, but to break you down and build you back up. You work for me.

work for me now. The old rules, there are no more. You can call it make, believe if you have to, impossible, if you must, but reality, I have a story to write. In one way or another, it will be written. See, the world is a big place, and so is the opportunity contained within it. Much bigger than what you describe, far grander than what you put forward, and the adventure is in finding that greatness around every corner. Trading the old for the new and the good for the great. Reality, you are not given, you are made. And right now is only the beginning.

I took yesterday's failure, and I forged it into iron and steel. As it burned, it took on its new shape. Through the flames, an enemy became an ally. And there it was. My creation, designed to tear through the very elements from which it was conceived. I reached into the fire. I took yesterday's failure and strapped it to my arms. I took lifelong insufficiency and placed it over my chest.

Doubt became my shield, fear, my sword. I had been recreated, reimagined. And with the past singled out and excommunicated, there was only me, me, the journey, and this armor that strengthened my pursuit with every waking moment. Once fear was removed, hesitation followed quickly behind. Action is what remained, and its influence was overwhelming. I realized that the only way to weaken my current state

was to bow down to this mountain towering over me to retreat, because with the simple act of moving forward, I'd become empowered. With every step I was redefined, I was something more. Life became not a window to peer out of, but an incredible sprint with no end or finish. I became obsessed with trying to capture and soak up everything I could. I wanted to trip, to stumble, to fall my way to more. I wanted to fail my way to greatness.

My only fear was slowing down. It was missing out. And as my armor grew stronger, my legs moved faster. There simply wasn't enough time to breathe it all in. See, it's incredibly simple. When I faced my demons, it's not just that I became free of them. They lifted me up. I'd been running away from the very pieces that I needed most.

This armor is a million mistakes. It's a million tragedies. It's letdowns and lessons. But because of them, my world is limitless. There is nothing that I can't get through. I've been there. I'm battle tested. And anything that stands before me will become the armor on my back as I walk over it and carry on.

Stand up. Regain composure and open your eyes. Because there is everything to be gained. This is a fight. A fight against the tyranny of the subconscious. Against enslavement by the mind, which mandates that you take the path of least resistance. How long does one need to be cornered,

stagnant or overpowered before they fight for what belongs to them, before they take what is truly theirs. Imaginary limits make-believe inadequacy will soon be a thing of the past, soundly defeated. This is not a negotiation. This is war. As fear takes the form of bullets, pain transfer, forms into fire and your world becomes chaos.

Remember that what lies ahead is much more valuable than what is left behind. When you are tempted to fall back and fade away, look up at what can be and take what's yours. Storm the hill. Keep your eyes fixated on the prize. Sacrifice is an understatement.

Indestructible confidence is a necessity. The enemy is not behind you, it's in front of you. It's fighting for the status quo and its fight is in vain. You are armed, armed with a desire for more, to be better, to not just exist, but to make the world wonder how you did it. Yes, this is war, winner take all, stay still or move forward, settle or chase down what you really want. Yesterday doesn't matter last month doesn't matter right now matters there's a very specific place I encounter almost every day where the sidewalk ends a crossroads exist and anyone who approaches it is presented with a handful of options as time's gone on I've formed

quite the relationship with this spot you're probably wondering why who cares don't you have better things to think about than the end of a concrete slap Well, let me ask you something. At its core, how do you define success? What is getting what you want? What does that take? Because if someone asked me, I wouldn't have to say a word. I could point to that random, arbitrary intersection

and let it do all the talking for me. So let me explain. For those who know nothing about me, I am an avid runner. And almost daily, I put my running shoes on. I hit the pavement. Most of the time, long distances, sometimes middle distance. And it's a sacred time for me to push myself, to test my will,

ultimately to see if I can be better today than I was yesterday. And every time I approach the end of my workout, I inevitably arrive at this spot, which is about a mile from my doorstep. and it forces me to ask a serious question, how bad do you want to win? My situation is simple. I can continue going straight.

I can stay on the paved road where eventually another path forms and leads me to my doorstep. Or I can go left, I can jump onto the beach and finish that last mile off on the sand. Certainly not a life or death decision. Both paths lead me home. But I'll tell you something, when you're tired, when you're thirsty, when you've been running in the South Florida sun in August, running in the soft sand sucks.

And it sucks just enough that you question every step. And I remember the first time I opted for the beach, right? Didn't think too much of it, but very quickly that changed. As every step sunk into the sand, as the sun glared down at me, I immediately began looking for a cop-out. Every thought revolved on the idea that I could stop, that this was stupid, it was unnecessary discomfort.

Why the hell didn't I just stay on the sidewalk? But as you can imagine, time passed and I arrived home. The next time presented with the same situation, I went left and I felt the same way. But having done it before, seemed to ease my mind. I put up with the physical obstacles, the mental gymnastics, and I got home. And then there was a third time, and a fourth time, and a fifth time,

and then it became part of my routine. In a few weeks in, I realized that my thinking was completely different. And this is the important part, okay? See, now, at this point, there were no negative thoughts. There was no self-loathing. My brain wasn't creating a sob story or attempting to highlight the impracticality of my decision. No, it was just routine.

It was just what happens. When you approach the end of your run, it doesn't matter how far you've gone, how hard you've pushed, how tired you are. You go left. You run on the beach. That's it, period. And it's a funny thing when you've convinced yourself

there are no other options. It becomes incredibly easy to adapt. You may understand where I'm going with this little story because the moral isn't about running. Or the beach or Florida summers. It's about laughing in the face of those little inconveniences life throws at you. Doing the small things that make you better. Putting yourself through the struggle in the short term for the win in the long term.

Training your mind to become stronger. Because I'll tell you when it's hot, when you're tired, it becomes incredibly difficult to think about the macro. Our mind focuses on the small things. Then now, why put yourself through unnecessary? hell. But what we learn when we do this is that not only do we become accustomed to anything but we want the next thing. The reward becomes bigger than the temporary struggle. It's a mutual exchange, sweat for progress, pain for momentum, for a win. Humans are incredible in what they can achieve, how they can adapt to problems and

rise above any set of circumstances. And this means when you come to your crossroads, maybe it's not physical. Maybe it's completely mental. Maybe it's a decision that you're scared to make, an obstacle you've been avoiding. It means you stop taking the easy road and you run right through it. You collect your bruises and scars and come out better for it because those small decisions matter. The meaningless runs in the sand become very meaningful. They're the roots that grow into your subconscious mind that encourage risks,

that whisper in your ear that you're better, that you're worthy of more. And if you can't train your mind to fight the small battles, the big victories will forever remain a myth. Reserve for the people you see on TV, the biographies you read on the weekends, and that's not you. You're not average, so stop thinking like you are. Evolve.

Start stacking your pain, your discomfort, the little inconveniences you avoid. Stack them like bricks. Because in time, you'll have something very real to stand on. It all starts with a thought. You didn't ask for it. You never wanted it, but it's here. And now the game has changed. Because that thought is not your friend.

It's not telling you how strong you are or reminding you that you always find a way. No, it's informing you that you're finished, tired, weak, chanting that you'll get them tomorrow kid, softly at first, than a little louder and a little louder and a little louder until the message becomes unmistakable. And in this moment, it's not your legs that become vulnerable. It's not your lungs. This situation transcends the physical. You are in the ring with your mind.

This is when the gloves come off. It's fight or flight. And in your gut, you know it's nothing more than a front. Intimidation. Life's way of separating. the average from the exceptional, but this is not about knowing the truth. It's about having the courage to stand up to it. Because that voice is continuously showing you your distress, your pain, your fatigue. It's pointing to an empty well, telling you that you have nothing left, and perhaps

in a different universe, you'd listen. But in this world, the well always goes deeper. There is always more to give. That moment, when you begin to hurt, the second that voice pops into your head, you have only given a fraction of your maximum effort. When you meet resistance, your limits haven't even been tested. Obstacles do not make the destination any more or less real. They simply call for an agenda. So adjust.

See, time stops when you stop. Goals stop when you stop. Dream stop when you stop. And in a world with infinite possibility, there's simply no reason to relinquish that control. So let your forward progress silence the dissenting voices. Let those on the sideline, Talk about their empty tanks and fantasized limitation.

You are not running on empty. My friend, you are simply running. When it matters most, when the odds are against me, when precedent says no, there I will be. When the right path happens to be the lonely path, and victory is separated. by a drop one million feet deep or a cliff two million feet high there I will be when they expect failure anticipate defeat celebrate each setback there I will be standing tall and ready when there appears no way in when my demons push me out When my senses advocate retreat and the path forward is cloaked in doubt,

there I will be standing tall and ready. When I feel alone in my pursuit of tomorrow or tempted by the comfort of yesterday, when pride whispers of their relentless criticism and my legs cry out in exhaustion, there I will be standing tall and ready. When hell rains down, when faith lets up, when my reason for beginning is replaced by a million, little reminders of all that can go wrong. There I will be standing tall and ready.

When the sky looks like a ceiling, when the floor feels like home, when every light dims and every fear illuminates, when eyes roll and doors lock, when the sun submits, the clouds emerge, gravity flexes and my knees tremble, there I will be. Never will I back down. Never will I cower or settle for the present when our future is limitless. I will get back up until I've made my point, won my battle, secured my fight. The world is simple.

Moving forward is not without its tests or lessons, but as long as I continue on, I evolve. With each step, I win. There's no running away or white flag or surrendering to the man in the mirror. The only conqueror capable of bringing me down. No, nothing will tell me what I can be. I will always be there. Standing tall and ready, not because it's their will, but because each day is mine and not theirs. Look, I'm tired, I'm worn, but I'm here. and I'm ready for anything that waits ahead. There's a substantial disconnect between what we envision and what we actually experience.

And we make the plan, we think it's perfect, we're ready to go. Sure, I have my race plan, I'm gonna sprint the last mile. Yep, I know exactly what my career is gonna look like, here are the steps. I'll follow this plan in the morning. in the morning, this one in the afternoon. But then you're in the midst of the battle. Right? And when you're in the trenches,

you quickly realize that you didn't take into account a variety of factors. And funny enough, these factors are what make victory so difficult to begin with. The required patience, the persistence, the instinctual desire for routine, to know, to predict. And sure enough, that time comes. You go to sprint the last mile, but you didn't realize you'd be fighting just to keep going, let alone increase your speed.

The time comes to take that next step with your business, your career. You didn't realize the market wouldn't embrace your product with open arms. The time comes to put your plan for the day into action. You didn't realize you'd be pulled in 20 different directions. See, the formula isn't as simple as we want to believe. Why? Because we attack armed with the wrong idea just as much as life is about executing a plan. It's also about taking the unplanned and making it work.

The unexpected, life's curveballs. You know, they're not entities that lurk outside the scope of your game plan. They are your game plan. The idea is to be brave. not perfect. It's to be resilient, not flawless, confident, not complete. The best athletes don't train to be perfect.

No, they train to tolerate discomfort because guess what, if you can't adapt, you die. If you can't adjust, you lose. Life will never conform to your plan. And people don't want to hear that. They remain stubborn, unchanged, and what they're left with is resentment and the feeling that they've been slighted by life. The person who plans for the perfect race will always be outduled by the one who comes prepared to conquer its imperfections. The one who will reign in the unexpected, not bow to it or falter in its presence, but own it.

The pursuit of victory is not one from which we emerge unscathed. It's messy. It's humbling. If you can't embrace the idea of being knocked down, then get out. If you're too proud to acknowledge that your plans aren't an instruction manual, you will be defeated. They're saying that you can't control the wind, but what you can do is adjust your sails. Yeah, be prepared, be skilled, be the best at what you do, but be flexible. Move with the elements, relish in the understanding that the obstacles will come and they will make you stronger.

Strong minds win because they don't succumb to events beyond their control, and that choice is always going to be there. You didn't plan for this, but the decision presents itself. Will it be the reason you fail or the reason you succeed? When you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect. Mark Twain. There is a perfection in solitude,

in the behind the scenes. This is where steps become miles. Questions become answers. Armor is crafted. It's where you learn that getting what you want in the long term means going through hell right now. Proving to yourself that you can do it not once but over and over again because the time will come when life hits hard. When it brings you to your knees, but the battle tested stand apart. Their demons were made to be made to be.

to be conquered. The trail before you, it strengthens the mind. It tests the heart. It lights a fire in the soul. This trail has one priority. To teach you that quitting is not circumstantial. It is a trait. You either do or you do not.

And if you don't quit here, you will not quit anywhere. See, life's obstacles are relative. relative. Sure they're difficult, but compared to what? Who you are now or who you were yesterday. There are things we avoid our entire lives because we don't question the narratives we've written. Look, until you teach yourself that you're capable of climbing up the mountain, you will always go around it. That is why excellence is earned. Confidence is gained. When they are safe, sleeping, you are working. When they're critiquing, you're creating. You know there's a way because there always has been. You've been down, but you got up. You've been tired, but you push through.

Why should now be any different? Why should it ever be any different? Today is yours, tomorrow is and it is impossible to stop a mind convinced of that truth. I was running over the weekend, middle of the day, right under that smoldering South Florida sun. I was doing about a 3.7 mile stretch, which is one of six or seven legs I was doing for the ultramarathon that day, against the clock, fighting the heat, starting to really suffer, which is the perfect environment for the thoughts that we don't want. to let in. It's where we engineer compromise, create excuses. And I've been running all morning. So as I got more and more tired, you know, my mind inevitably started looking for a way out,

rationalizing, slowing down. I think everyone's been there, right, in one way or another. And after wrestling with this for about a mile, came to a realization. I'm doing too much. Not physically, but mentally. Building cognitive enemies, creating complexity. See, when you're uncomfortable, when you're in pain, things become incredibly convoluted. They seem chaotic. Lack of clarity, at least for me, it creates anxiety. But that light ball moment was, you know, during that leg running to Key West at 12 p.m.

with miles to go and questions unanswered. That there's nothing complex about the situation. No mystery to resolve or riddle to figure out. In fact, on paper, this is one of the easiest things I have ever done. Why? Well, because all I have to do is not stop. That's it. Do nothing.

Keep this pace, one foot in front of the other. That's my only task. No rabbits out of hats. I don't need to create the unthinkable. No, there in that moment, all I had to do was not. stop and that meant really that the heat didn't matter that the distance didn't matter that the world didn't matter those are details far too complex for me right now in that moment they're way above my pay grade I'd boiled the objective down

into the simplest of tasks embarking upon the easiest thing I'd ever done simply moving forward and I started thinking about the things that accomplished my life that I'm proud of being knocked down getting back up fighting for what I believed in creating searching for answers And now here, I'm really going to entertain the thought that I can't simply move forward. I'm going to be upset that this pace doesn't feel like lying in a bed of feathers. No, I like Simple. I love Simple.

Simple equals clarity, equals progress, equals happiness. Who cares what's around the corner? Because knowing that won't mitigate the next ten steps I have to take. And eventually, that's exactly what I did. I started counting my steps in groups of ten because that was really all that mattered. And like all things, you know, before you know it, you look up and the storm has passed. And I got to the end where my teammates waited with water and cold towels. And I got there without abandoning my one mission.

Not by an act of heroism, but by thousands of little acts that will remain unseen forever, that will disappear into the universe. I simply carried on a mission that I hold dear. My favorite quote, an old coach of mine used to always remind us, Sometimes success is simply hanging on when others are letting go, that's it, that's all, that's everything. Because we're so inclined to overlook that simple truth because we think big results require monumental action. And when you're exhausted, when the miles ahead feel like a huge task, we dig deep for huge solutions. But the answers are not huge.

They're minuscule. They're little things that make big things. And when I think back to my youth, my childhood, the times that given up or been discouraged, it was always because I didn't immediately cross the finish line or hit the home run right away. I didn't get the immediate answer. But I can look back now and just think, if I realized that a walk or a single every day takes you to the moon, that it's not about the miraculous, it's about simply carrying on, which becomes the miraculous. See, we can't let ourselves be lured in by the guise of immediate triumph for false expectations.

No, let's remember that anyone, anyone can simply move forward. Anyone can take one more step, and that's all that's required of you. That's all you can do. Breathe, compose yourself. Take that very next step, because if you can do that, the big picture things, they materialize. You start crossing finish lines. Balls start leaving the park. Little victories accumulate and evolve.

Life changes. Do not miss what matters. Don't overlook the simplest of things because that's what ultimately carries us home. The mind is like water. Necessary for survival, productivity, but can just as easily drown out

that likelihood of success. And I can tell you with confidence, You've never seen your body's limitations. What you've seen are the limitations of your mind. When you're tired or uncomfortable, weak or unsure, these things start as fear. Being planted in your brain and attempting to grow roots, looking to acquire the real estate that exists between your ears. It's a powerful source.

It can manipulate you, your reality, anyone and everyone around you. But it only exists with your permission, and we're not always cognizant that we've opened the gate and let it in. That's the crazy part. Oh, but we do. Subconsciously or not, it's the reason you haven't gone as far as you can go,

pushed as hard as you possibly can, because at some point fear stood between you and what you want. At some point, you started asking yourself if you've gone too far. Look, it doesn't matter if it's athletics or business or art or anything. When things become uncomfortable or hurt, fear always shows its face. It's not because, you know, you're dragging your leg on the floor or your knee gave out. It's not because you can't go on. It's because those thoughts trickle into your mind about not being able to finish.

What if I can't handle this? I don't usually go this far. Am I pushing harder than I normally do? Is this right? Is it dangerous? Is it over the top? These thoughts are the seed of destruction, a virus. But here's the remedy.

There's a saying in naval special operations that when your mind is telling you you're done, when you feel maxed out, you are only at 40% capacity. You haven't scratched the surface and value isn't obtained until in one way or another you're able to realize this and push the panic, the anxiety back underground. You're not stopping because you can't go on. You're stopping because of the what-ifs and the worst-case scenarios. You're stopping because you're preconditioned to stay within boundaries.

Because that seed has grown into concerns about the world conspiring against you, but the body does not control the mind. The mind dictates what the body does. See, the thing about life is that we all have narratives. We all have stories that we believe. And here's why that's important. Everything that happens to you or around you will be molded into your narrative. If you see something as crazy or far-fetched or impossible,

Life will be nothing more than evidence of that belief. Pain will be a wall 10 feet high. The old saying is seek and you shall find. What you look for is what you get. Expect greatness and the body will listen. Your world will conform. That's why believing is being. The body, it executes.

Loyal to every belief, you'll always be what you decide to be. Somewhere along the way, we all come face to face with the gatekeeper, watcher of the road ahead, protector of the path before us, he is your defining moment. The reason you either go home or push forward, he's where your story ends or begins. And see, I've met him before. Many times this gatekeeper, guardian of all that's worth possessing, acquiring, and conquering. I've witnessed the pain he inflicts, the doubt he manufactures, the obstacles he creates. And what's interesting about the things in life worth having is that they're never easy to obtain.

The universe has this way of making sure you really want those things you say you want. you say you want? Because a lot of people talk and they wish and they project. But what they fail to see is that it's not until the wheels hit the road that the truth materializes. There is a cost for everything. You don't get day without night or courage without fear or bliss Without pain, the road to every kingdom travels through hostile territory, and the harder you pull that arrow back, the more power it contains as it leaps forward. Resistance in life, it's not a detriment, it is a simple triage process, in which only those willing to endure the cost of excellence are able to access its bounties. You can have all the world if you give all of yourself. The question is, when the gatekeeper approaches in its decision time, what's your move?

Are a product of the pain we endure, the sacrifices we make, the struggles we overcome. Let's not complicate that, which is simple. It's not the universe, but your mind. that needs convincing because once that floodgate opens, water is walkable, walls or climbable. Once you empower yourself, the status quo is left powerless with no option but to watch you bend life to your will. It's not during the easy time, but the midst of your journey, the heart of your race, when you most wanna pack your bags and call it a day, that that gate you can, you can

Steaker stands before you, hand extended, whispering that you want it, but maybe not that bad. And it's in that exact moment that you dig deep, look him in the eyes and show that there was never a doubt. Only belief. And no matter what awaits, you'll endure, you'll break through. Because gatekeeper or not, that's who you are. There are a million ties between running and success in life. And I draw from them often because they present this unique opportunity to see the world differently, to truly gain an advantage.

And that's what success is ultimately about, right? Capitalizing on opportunities that are available to you. When you wake up to run in the morning, your head's clear, you're not in the midst of the day's complexities, there's no phones or electronics, it's you and the ground under your feet. life in sort of the simplest form. I'm going to discuss five ways that this sacred time can be a platform for your success. Number one is momentum. If you were to roll a ball down a hill, it's going to pick up speed as it makes its way towards the bottom.

That's the very nature momentum. And running in the morning is a great way to figuratively get your ball rolling. As humans, we feed off of accomplishments. So completing a run, especially while the rest of the neighborhood is still waking up, it mentally puts you one step ahead of the pack. It pushes you from one small accomplishment to another to another. It ultimately springboards you to a more productive and worthwhile day. Number two is reflection.

All things, whether good, bad, ugly, beautiful, they're all a matter of perspective. So while you may be upset that your iPhone's broke in or you have to be upset that your iPhone's broken in or you have to be a lot of, you have to be a good, to deal with some undesirable stuff of work. The reality is that someone somewhere would give anything for a glass of clean drinking water. You know, someone's sleeping under a park bench. And my point is that it's very easy to forget how much we have and how lucky we are. And it's impossible to ever be successful if you're not aware and grateful for what you have. You'll always have this emptiness as you go about your day.

So while you're running, you know, take a minute and just think, about everything that's good in your life. This mentality is going to help you better cope with the bad things that come up and relish in the good. You'll feel grounded. Three is foresight. Imagine a professional sports team or athlete walking onto the field or court without any game plan. It almost seems unfathomable. Well, why should that be any different for you going about your day. You know, obtaining success doesn't become tangible until you've defined your objectives. There's this saying that you can't hit a target that isn't there. Well, a run is a great time to create that target. Take a minute, think about three goals for your day. That's it,

three. You're relaxed, you're calm, it's the perfect environment to think about the things that would make your day a success. You do this and your day will be much more productive and efficient. Number four is competition. When you look at the most influential people who are living or have lived, whether they're politicians, entertainers, or whatever, they all seem to have something in common. They're constantly pushing themselves to be better. And while I certainly don't consider a morning run to be a race,

there are elements associated with it that remind us of what success truly requires. When someone runs by you on the street, it should be perceived as a wake-up call. received as a wake-up call. And it's not because you're trying to break some record in your city at 6 a.m. But because it's a reminder that no matter how hard you work, someone is always working harder.

There's always a higher level to reach and conquer. And to take this concept with you as you go about your day, it can be the difference between mediocrity and excellence. You can always run a little bit harder. Just remember that. The last one is self-image. It's pretty much common knowledge that exercising transforms your physical appearance. But what's even more important is how you feel about yourself when you're disciplined and engaged in a consistent healthy lifestyle.

You begin to see yourself as a go-getter. Human beings will always follow through on who they believe they are. The best example I've heard is if you take someone who quit smoking, but they inherently believe they're a smoker, they're probably not going to be able to break the habit. Now in the context of our example, if you believe you're someone who gets up early, stays fit, works hard, pushes yourself,

then that mentality will expand far beyond your morning run. It filters into all aspects of your life because you're working hard to stay consistent with the person you think you are. You retain a winning mentality. If you can execute on these five things, I guarantee you you will see improvements in your life. There's so much more right in front of you within your reach.

You just need to recognize it and teach yourself to take it. Every single dream, vision, or idea in your life starts with a simple understanding. That it's obtainable. That you can make it real. That's the beginning of everything. Self-belief. is the gatekeeper that stands between current and future.

See, if you think of reality as these city walls you're living in, it's not crazy to think that there are going to be people that only know that existence within the walls, right? That's what they see, that's what most believe, it's how they live. It is only self-belief, a confidence in something greater outside those walls that opens the gate, that expands your reality.

And if you don't believe anything good exists on the other side, why begin? If you don't think you're capable of getting there, why start? And this formula is simple, right? Let's not overthink it. We only move towards outcomes that we believe to be possible. And that's more important than ability, skill set, strength. I mean, you name it, believing in yourself trumps. All that.

Because the person with an inferior skill set, maybe an average natural talent, but they believe in something and they move towards it, they give everything for this idea, they know it to be true, will always be the talented person that's unsure, that procrastinates that has one foot in and one foot out. And if you don't believe in yourself,

you're building a city on sand, because I'll tell you what, great things, they're great for a reason. They're in rare supply. They're limited, which means not everyone can have them. Which means those who do have them have to fight for them. Have to deal with being uncomfortable. Have to give more, sacrifice more, pay a steeper price than the masses.

And if you don't look in the mirror, stare yourself in the face and know you are one of those select few. what's going to happen when life kicks back at you. You'll fall. You'll resort back to what you know. You'll flee the battle for safety, security, and comfort. But when you know your movie ends at the top of the mountain, when you know at the end of the day, you're going to cross a finish line or hold a trophy,

your brain internalizes conflict differently, very differently. For someone with self-belief, obstacles don't make you wonder if you should keep going. Because you already know you have to keep going. I mean, come on, you haven't arrived yet. There's still a road to travel. No, in this situation, obstacles simply prompt you to ask how. How can I get through this? And that's a small discrepancy that changes everything.

Because at some point, you'll look to your right and you'll look to your left and you'll look to your left and you'll find very few people get to the how question. They all stopped at if. I wonder if I can do this. I wonder if I'm capable. Well, they'll never know. They'll never see that sunset beyond those metaphorical city walls

because they never truly believed in themselves. They never opened that gate. Look, I went through 16 years of education without a teacher or professor telling me, Eddie, 99% of life is just believing in yourself to figure challenges out as they come. To figure life out as it comes. That's it.

Only X% make it through law school. Only Y% succeed at this and that. That's what you hear. But no, none of that matters. It's simple, it's simple. Most of the world quits when things get challenging. If you don't, if you have the courage to believe in trust in yourself, you'll succeed. Why? Because you won't stop until you find a way. That's the power of self-belief. It's not quantum physics. It's not complex.

You know, at one point, I didn't think I could make a living outside of a cubicle or office building. Then I saw others do it. And for the first time in my life, I believed it was possible. I changed my actions to support my beliefs, and here we are. At one point, I didn't think certain financial goals were reality. I didn't know about a free, flexible lifestyle. I wasn't aware of the type of relationships that would change my life. Why? Because they existed outside those city walls.

I didn't believe they were real. I didn't believe in myself to create them, to make them in my own life. But with the change in belief comes a change in reality. You will always follow through on who you believe you are. So let's go back to that mirror visualization. At some point today, look at your reflection and think about nothing but what I'm about to tell you. Everything you need, you have. I promise you, you are equipped to change your life, the lives of everyone around you,

and the world in which you exist. So take that back. feel it and never ask it again. From now on, the question is how. Your fate is not a coin flip, it's a puzzle. It's about arranging the pieces. And those two eyes looking back at you are more than capable of figuring that out. Ask simply, do you want it?

And if yes, open that front door, take that first step and inject yourself into a journey that will be unlike anything you've ever experienced before. A journey where you have the answers, the aptitude, and now the self-belief. And when you find yourself in the lowest of lows or the darkest of nights, finds solace in that fact that that will be more than enough to get you to dawn. Sometimes what you don't do is more powerful than what you do. Sometimes the answer is not the home run or some lifetime achievement award.

No, sometimes the answer is simply hanging on. Realizing that the yes is, they're important. But they're nothing compared to the noes. No, to the faint whispering that you can. No to the feelings of inadequacy and no to the reflection. staring back at you that just feels ordinary. As that feeling, it's wrong. And what this means, as I was once told,

is that success is not always the spectacular. Sometimes it is simply hanging on when others would let go. When the world would hear that same faint whisper and bow down because, oh, we all all hear it. Life is not a movie. There is no fixed ending. And where there are unknowns, there is fear. That's not rocket science. Unknowns equal fear. But if I may, let me explain something. Because where there is fear, there is also something else. And that something is opportunity. Like a curtain that must be pulled back, an ocean that must be crossed or a total.

that must be paid while you dance to melodies of songs unwritten and are led by the characters in stories untold this is not a game of the miraculous this is a game of self-belief a game of not personalizing the people that are going to let you down the days that will bring you to your knees it's not feeling inadequate when you swing and miss because you will. And I hope you do. I hope you do because each swing makes you stronger and each loss makes it easier.

Easier to say no to that ship that wants to bring you right back to the port you left from. How comfortable, how safe, how secure it would be. But just like fear and opportunity are one in the same, so are safety and regret. A concession, a wolf and sheep's clothing, and they are a lot of things, but they are not you. So forget about the grandiose. The magic is not in the moon.

It's in the staircase that takes you there. Each step, each battle, each time you fall, smile to yourself, and carry on. Because the difference between average and exceptional is the ability to make a single decision, the decision to hold on. To stand firm when the people around you turn back, to believe in your foundation when the walls close in, it's running a race with eyes fixated on each step.

Not on the finish line, No, the finish line doesn't do anything but distract. It reminds you of the road to be traveled. Your job is not to make a finish line appear. It is to say yes to the step in front of you and no to everything else. See, anyone can take one step. Anyone can progress one foot. Races, journeys, life is simply a culmination.

A culmination of those steps, a culmination of little decisions to not let go. So when your arms shake, in the voice in your head screams, when your thoughts beg you to stop and your mind starts to rationalize the possibility of surrender, remember that big things are broken into little things. minutes are merely seconds, mountains are merely rocks, and success is simply hanging on when others would be letting go. A lot of people ask me, why running?

Why the 5 a.m. wake-ups, the grueling mileage, why the hours under the summer sun? And well, my answer is simple. It reminds me that life becomes what we allow it to be. Because absolutely you can sleep in, but you'd miss that crisp morning air. And sure, you don't have to put in the miles, but then you'd never really know how far your legs can take you. And yeah, you can sit and watch the world from the shade.

Just don't be surprised when it runs right by you. See, to me, it's more than running. It's about inverting the commonly held belief that would otherwise narrate our day-to-day rule over our lives. The belief that showing up is enough. The tendency to slow down when life hurts. The misconception that the crowd's direction, is the right direction.

See, I can tell you that in my battles with the pavement, in my solitude, one step at a time, I've learned a few things. I've learned that anyone can show up, but there's a direct correlation between the work I put in in that time on the clock. And I've learned that what separates the few from the many is not an ability to avoid pain, but to be your best when that pain inevitably shows.

inevitably shows up. And as far as the crowd, well, that's just the last place you want to be. Common is antithetical to greatness. And well, when I get home and I put my feet up, I want to know one thing. I want to know that when most would have stopped, I kept going. When most would have doubted, I was certain that in a world of crowds and rules and conformity, I was uncommon. And so it goes that each step is about training the mind to see that alone is not incorrect. Alone is going where most won't. See, the word exceptional carries with it and understanding you're paying a price most would refuse to pay.

And pushing through is about carving into your soul the truth. The discomfort is not a reason to stop or stop. to stop or hide, it's a gateway to the good stuff. It's why you're here. And each breath is about carving out a place for yourself in a world that needs what you have to give it. It's making a mark, leaving a legacy. It's not the road or the trail or the feet on the pavement.

It's about taking what's in front of you and converting it into something more, something greater. That's why I run. That's why the accusation, odd, crazy, abnormal, and uncommon gets the same response. If life is truly what we make it, and what we make it depends on the answers we find along the way, then one might be left to wonder as they make their way through the world, the ups, downs, the highs, and the lows. am I asking the right questions?

Like not how many steps are left, but how do I make this step count? And maybe it's not about what's over my shoulder, but the road untravelled. Perhaps the question isn't the whys, but the why not. Not how do I get around the obstacle, but how do I push through me? Not how do I avoid the unknown, but how do I make it mine? See, there is a one-to-one correlation between the questions you ask and the answers you get. Every competitor knows asking, can I get there? And asking how quickly can I get there will put you in far different places when the day ends.

It's been said that it's not what's in front of you, but what you see. It's not the materials but what you build with them. It's not what happens but what you do about what happens. So when the road is long, when you want to stop, when the mere idea of carrying forward seems like a burden, here's to those who have no interest in asking why, because they're too busy chasing down. Why not? There's a saying that some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.

I've always found this interesting, this idea, how the same subject, same situation, or occurrence can be interpreted so differently, right? It can plant the seeds for such different outcomes. Like Yashimi and Koga mentioned in their book, The Courage to be disliked, well water is 60 degrees, and it's always 60 degrees. In the summer and the winter, but depending on what time of year, right, the makeup of the outside world, that 60 degrees feels different. The water didn't change its circumstances did, and our thoughts are no different. It's not the world that writes the story. We do. And every second moment day is merely an interpretation.

Does time tick by? Or is it driven into a state of flow? Is it transformed into something more? Was losing an indicator that, hey, maybe you're not good enough? Or is it your motivation to be better than you've ever been? Is your day an allegiance to the present or an invitation to chase down tomorrow? See, the world doesn't get to tell the tale. The world is paper, it's ink, its ideas.

The world is everything you need to decide how your story's going to go. How does he see the world? How does she define reality? That's the question. Because you don't need to change the world. You need to change the way you see it. And you don't need to change who you are. You need to change the imaginary shackles

you've placed around your ankles that are limiting the heights you could reach. In fact, the world, as far as I'm concerned, is an accumulation of thoughts, ideas. It's 8 billion individualized movie screens attempting to interact, to coexist together. And when you look at it like that, it's not that your mindset plays a role or it's kind of important.

No, it's that it narrates the play. It's the glue that ties everything together. What you see is what you get. And this isn't a one and done thing. It's an everyday thing. Because there's always going to be occurrences in our lives that challenge us to threaten our understanding of who we are and what we're capable of.

There will always be the temptation to make the opportunity into the problem and the hero, into the villain. But why forfeit that control? I remember hearing that if you find time to be grateful, both in the morning and at night, it changes your life. Not because the world transforms, but because it reinforces the perspective you need. We are lucky to be here. We're lucky to have challenges that push us forward. Lucky to have ups and downs that bring us closer to the people. in our lives, we're lucky that chaos and discomfort open a door for transformation on the other

side. And look, I get life isn't perfect. And not everything can be great all the time. But I do believe that if we can bring ourselves to stop, to breathe, to even focus briefly, we can find value in any situation. What's in front of you, it exists, right? It's the well water. You can't go back in time or remake the obstacle at your feet, but you can, always decide how to make that work for you. And that's a superpower. And I use that. I use it when my short-term ideas or videos or projects underperform.

I use it when people let me down. I use it when in the moment I'm either under or overwhelmed. The question, where is the win? In this spot, this situation where most would hang their heads and let the outside world rewrite the story, how can I find a way to hold mine high? my own accountability. Extreme differences in life outcomes are so often prompted by such subtle realization, subtle decisions. Their reason to stop could be your reason to not only carry on but thrive.

And the best news is you don't need approval or authorization. You don't need the stars to align or doors to open up. You just need to give yourself permission to see the sun amidst the clouds, the heart, hope amidst the doubt, you have to remind yourself that there is always something to cling to, always a second chance, there is always a win. All you have to do is choose to see it. Sometimes we need to understand the gravity of the situation that we are in. We need to know the reason.

We need to capture the whys and why not. But sometimes it's simpler than that. Sometimes it's just about giving. Sometimes it's so incredibly simple that nothing else is necessary. See, here's the deal. There is more in you to give. And every once in a while, you have a decision to make.

not because you owe it to anyone or because you're supposed to but because your mind wonders what it would be like to look back on this moment and ask yourself what so you stretch you give more and maybe it's one extra set of push-ups maybe it's one more mile

maybe it's one phone-close, One more hour in the studio, it is the little advantage. The one that you didn't have to do, and why would you? You could have easily walked out and left it on the floor just like everyone else does. But what if? What if you dipped your toe in the crazy? What if you left the rationality behind you with yesterday's standards? After all, greatness requires a little insanity, actions out of the norm, the yes, when most would say no.

Why? Because it hurts. More hurts. Being proud hurts. Greatness hurts. Oh, but the top. See, this is the part where you think about one thing. Digging deeper.

more the part of you waiting to be uncaged it never reveals itself it must be found discovered it must be brought to life see that pain that you're viewing in the moment it goes away the body it recovered they're not in this equation it's just you and the victory that will live with you for the rest of your life the conquering of this moment. Again, our world, it is simple. There is more on the table. Will you take it? Will you build something now that will stay with you forever? There's something about the way we perceive success that results in one of the greatest tragedies of our time. And that's the belief that successful people, the ones at the top of

of their game, that talent is what punched their ticket, that destiny brought them to the finish line. And that's wrong. It's wrong because it takes the journey, the struggle, the scratching, and clawing that it took to get to the top of the mountain and throws it out the window. It completely mitigates what's most important. In the real world, the one we are living in, It doesn't matter who you are, you are never entitled to a result. Victory is a product of the fight. This favor you can ever do for yourself as you progress through life's up and downs, through the good and the bad when things get rough is know that you are going through

what every successful person, every champion, every innovator, has gone through in the history of mankind. Struggle is beautiful. It's a sign that you are in the midst of what separates great from average. It's a necessary step and it's the most important step you will ever take because 99% of people can't see past it. Right? The world sees struggle, sees hardship as a time to pack it up, to walk away, to be intimidated. But the best, I'm telling you, they look at struggle differently. Just like you can't get fit without blood, sweat, and tears at the gym. You can't make deals without the hustle.

You can't make things happen if you don't move forward in the face of adversity. When the word no is staring you in the eyes, it's all part of the process. Winners walk on. If you want something bad enough, You know that being uncomfortable is an ingredient. If you want to be the best, your mindset has to reflect the best. Right, let others focus on the tip of the iceberg. You know excellence lies in everything underneath the surface, in what cannot be seen.

So take mediocrity and make it excellent. Take what's yours and hold it up for the world to see. Because what hurts now in the present is the very same thing. will transform your life down the road. Life's best kept secret? Simple. Show up. Show up when you're tired.

You're down. Show up after defeat. Show up when you're stressed, when you're worried. Show up when you don't feel like it. In fact, that's when it's most important to show up. That becomes the great differentiator. See, a lot of us somewhere along the way, we had. this idea that winning is about the home run.

It's stepping up to the plate and swinging so hard that the ball leaves the park and it never comes back to earth. And well, yeah, that's a fantastic sentiment. And if for when that happens, that's great. But sustained success isn't one monumental occurrence. It's little victories. Consistently occurring over and over and over and over. over and over.

Very small, in fact, to those walking by, they're probably too ordinary to be considered successful or acknowledged. They're too mundane. They're only victories because you decided they are. And when you think about it, the evidence is out there. Successful teams don't build game plans around the hellmary with no time left on the clock. No, they show up every day and master the task in front of them. the task in front of them. They compound the opportunity available on a daily basis because it's there, and that puts them in a position to execute.

However, the situation unfold. They showed up when it quote unquote didn't matter, and that of course means everything when it does matter. It's something I remind myself every day and something I think everyone should hear. here, those waiting for life to hand out miracles will always be left behind by those willing to, well, show up when it's not fun, not sexy or exciting, days when you're tired, when you're weak, when you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders because, well, we all know that happens. We all know how easy it is for that to be the excuse or become the free pass, especially when you know in the back of your head this is practice, right?

This is a rep. The world won't end if you sit this one out. But if you wouldn't sit out the real thing, the Super Bowl of your pursuit, then we have to understand the value of the mundane staircase leading to that event. Each seemingly insignificant step is your Super Bowl. It's not that it's close to the same. It has to be the same. It's the old saying you play the way you practice, but turned way up.

Now we're saying there is no difference. And when the lights are turned on and you're standing on that stage, it's not some new experience you have to figure out and navigate. It's the continuation of that staircase, of the old, of the familiar. You showed up then and you'll show up now. When you were unsure of yourself then, you didn't hide. You trusted yourself and now that same trust stands by your side. When you were tired, weak, when you had nine million things on your mind, you didn't bail. You blocked out the world and you found clarity.

And now that same clarity simplifies what lays before you. When you felt discouraged where the finish line fell too far away, you reacquired your meaning by simply executing, by being there. And now every part of you will execute here, just the same. So while it's their Super Bowl, their championship, their one shot, this is your everyday. It's your DNA. It's watching that ball roll down the hill that you created. Pushed by momentum you brought to life. You'll do what you came here to do because you made that decision.

Every step along the way, every single day leading up to now. Show them who you are. As Emerson said, to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something. else is the greatest accomplishment. It is nothing short of courage. Walk into that dark cave that is your potential. To become a pioneer of uncharted worlds in search of who you might. It is courage to leave what will be accepted for an idea that will certainly be misunderstood.

at least initially. It means you're playing by new rules using new metrics. Not the rubric that's already been handed out. Now anything but that. And that is the fundamental difference between those who create and those who react, those who fight to discover who they are, and those who hide behind the mask of acceptance. It's courage.

See, anyone can criticize. Anyone can condemn or tear down. But who's willing to run the gauntlet? Who's willing to subject themselves to that hell? Who wants something better so bad that they trade comfort and the reassurance of now for a life to ultimately be proud of? to be excited when the sun comes through the window when they jump out of bed in the morning

there are most definitely complexities in life and we do our best to understand them to navigate through them but that question that particular question in my mind will always be simple do you have the courage to show them who you are to make that decision Not reflect back their wishes and their reality like a mirror, but create your own.

Harness it. Carry it up the mountain like a torch through the night. See, what I've come to understand is that knowing simply is not enough. Understanding is not enough. Replicating is not enough. What these things lack is you. And if I had to best represent this understanding, it would be like this. If you take a musician, a technically sound musician, she can play.

A student of music. Well, he can understand and recite. An expert in the craft. Well, she can teach. But it's only someone who injects their authentic self into these abilities that can touch. Watch the hearts of people around them. Change their lives.

Fill minds with wonder and awe. Because when you take a step back and really see what's going on, the songs that are sung, well, they're not sung because they are the most technical or most advanced because they followed the rules. No, we sing them because they meant something when we heard them. Their authors had the courage to move a step beyond understanding and into the vulnerability that is self-discovery, that is creation. It is a microcosm of life.

And in a world where comfort is not only pushed upon us, but it's the essence of what makes us human, saying no, well, it feels like running uphill. When you blend in, you can't be questioned. When you blend in, you rarely lose. When you blend in, there is no risk, but when you blend in, there is no you. And I'm not suggesting you missed the mark or you lost the battle. I'm suggesting that every once in a while, we need to be reminded that the journey has not even begun.

That down the road, you'll see those people around you. They weren't so much concerned about you as they were themselves. that everyone is scared, everyone is unsure, no one knows or has the answer. But man, to see that, to feel that and move forward anyway, to know that you're worthy of a tomorrow greater than today, that is a courage rarely understood. And Emerson gives us with that message everything we need. The wisdom to know there's more and most importantly. The courage to show yourself and the world who you are.

There is no finer a line than the one that separates failure and success. When you think about how a fraction of a second, an unforeseen variable, a slight miscalculation, can ultimately mean the wrong result, the one you didn't want, that dreaded word, failure. And when we see failure, we think, well, back to the drug. strongboard. That wasn't it. We simply missed the mark. But what I'd love to point out is how so much of the time this isn't the case. We erroneously judge our approach based on one outcome. One swing of the axe. The tree doesn't fall, so we blame ourselves and doubt the process. And it's like, I get it. No one wants to continuously jam a square peg into a round hole.

It's the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. But I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about giving yourself a chance, not walking by the thing you need. And far too often, we tear it down to start over because we assume the approach is wrong when sometimes it's not the approach. Sometimes things don't work at first. Some things take a while. Sometimes it's just reps. And I started thinking about this a while ago.

Last year I saw this random statistic kind of halfway through the NFL season that said fourth down, on fourth in one, fourth and short. Coaches decided to go for it 53% of the time. I think it was. That number might be slightly off, but right around there. The idea is that there's risk involved, which is what makes it a tough decision. And what I find interesting is that the decision to go for, for it on fourth and one ends up being one of two things. It's either creative, bold, and daring, or it's stupid. It's unnecessary and reckless. All depending on if they get that one yard. And, hey,

maybe they do. In which case, how great it was that they had confidence in their team. But maybe they don't. And then it's, hey, don't you understand your offense's limits, your team's limits? What are you doing? In both cases, the outcome. determined whether the approach was the right one, regardless of how little differentiated the two. And I'm sitting here thinking, well, how does this apply to my life? How many times have I metaphorically gone for it on fourth and one, didn't succeed, whatever it was?

Let's say, you know, my first YouTube video since we're here. And, you know, well, I walked away at that point. Like, imagine saying I put this video out, I didn't get the right outcome, so this isn't for me. As far as I can see, it's the same thing as a coach failing on fourth down and saying, you know what, I'm never going forward on fourth again. I mean, it's that irrational. Because as counterintuitive as it seems, you can't judge the value of a pursuit on one outcome.

Sometimes you don't even need to change much. You just need to have the courage to show up again. And going back to YouTube, which I've talked about, you know, before, the same thing has applied. It's like there are videos that I thought were great that are kind of buried on this channel, underperformed, and some I wasn't that excited about it did extremely well. I don't know why, but I do know that the approach was the exact same for both.

You know, no difference. They did, however, get different outcomes, different results, and I just think, like, imagine if I assumed my approach was flawed because they're the ones that didn't meet or exceed expectations. That's why there's so much power in repetition. And yeah, like the coach on the side of the field, we're examining, we're adjusting, we're improving. But the point is, why be so quick to doubt ourselves and our ideas and our plans? Because I do think to walk away from something you believe in after one bad experience is like that coach saying no fourth downs are not for me.

There's a saying attributed to Thomas Edison. He says many of life's failures are people who did not realize how. close they were to success when they gave up. How maybe it was a slight tweak, maybe it was a minimal change in perspective, or maybe it was just showing up one more time, picking up the axe and taking one more hack at the tree. And that's really it.

The most important lessons we learn in life are simple. Simple to understand, but they elude us. And so let's remember that. Making our way into the world, how fine that line is between success and failure. How sometimes they look like one another. How the very thing needed to win, overcome, succeed. Likes to disguise itself as failure and suggest that you try something else. When in reality, you could be right there knocking at the door.

that you create the expectations and you carry them out. Whether it be tomorrow, in a month, in a year, or even longer, it's knowing that the image in your head is the standard. It's fact. Because when you leave the door open, when you leave the door to your ambitions cracked, even the smallest amount, the realities of the present moment,

they find their way in and they create dissonance. They want you to see, they want you to be intimidated by the gap between what you have and what you want. And truly the greatest gift I've ever given myself is to start every pursuit, knowing that whatever I'm chasing, whatever it is I want to obtain, it will be reality. It's possible. Period. That's my starting point. All I have to do is connect the dots. No questions. Just steps. So there's a certainty that I possess as I move on to the next level. And as a creator, whether I'm creating for my YouTube channels, collaborations, clients, it doesn't really matter.

There's a common theme. And it's that the world can't see the image you have in your head until you complete it, upload it, share it, email the final result. You know what the outcome will be in a way that just can't be experienced. can't be expressed or articulated can only be shown upon completion and you must be the one to show it by the way. The reason that's so significant is because there's no difference between making a film or realizing a dream. Either way there's no rewards, there's no applause, there's no assurances until you're done until you've crossed the finish line. Just like a client can only point to things they've seen as a reference point. Well, the people around you, they only know the

present moment. They only know how things are. And so it's borderline crazy to put those opinions on a pedestal, right, to absorb that criticism, to adhere to those rules. They navigate around the now, the present, not the future, not where you're going. Right, who cares about the now? You'll be looking back at it as you make your way on to your next goal see all this circles back to those dots that need to be connected because the places you're going the things you're becoming they require three things the understanding that all problems have solutions the certainty that you will find them and the persistence to power through that's all that's the mentality

that will put you in a position to do anything you want it will empower you It's not that the people around you are dumb or that the world wants you to fail, it's just that placing your fate in their hands is meaningless. To discount your dream based on how things are, or the opinion of someone else is like a pilot worrying about airspace he's already flown through. Or asking the random dude in seat 22B to fly the plane, right? They are passengers on the journey, a journey that is worth the climb, that will be rewarding, is waiting but you have to be the one to see it and you have to see it before the world does You have to believe it before anyone else will Because you'll build brick by brick on a foundation that the rest of the world would simply walk right by

Why? Because right now it's not a skyscraper with a beautiful architecture 50 floors and an incredible view right now it's an ordinary plot of land that no one would think twice about So remember, yes, it's possible. Yes, there is a way. And when we focus on the vision and connecting the dot in front of you, the world opens up. Be your own biggest fan. Learn to cherish the sound of your own applause because that is always what must come first. I will win.

A statement often meant. with skepticism. Who are you to say that or predict that for yourself? Can you tell the future? Well, there lies the misconception. It has nothing to do with the future, does it? The first requirement was that you show up. And look at that.

Here you are. Check. The next requirement was that you move, but you don't even give yourself an opportunity to get cold feet. You don't ponder worst-case scenarios or sit on your hands, worrying about the road ahead.

No, it's brain off, shoes on. Check. Then comes the best part. People will tell you the deck is stacked against you, the path comprised of difficulty, life too complex. But look, your job's not to engineer

the next rocket to Mars. It's to not stop. It's to support. put one foot in front of the other. How's that for simplicity? They say that confidence is earned. And it seems to me that by putting yourself in this position, you have earned a ticket to something greater.

The privilege of stepping into that forbidden space. The space 99 out of 100 don't dare touch. And you know what I'm talking about. When your body whispers its complaints to the mind and man is it a good negotiator. But today, right now, it's not good enough because you're here. And if you're going to do it, you might as well really do it. You might as well make sure that when you get back to the car, you're thanking,

God Almighty, this thing's over. You might as well make sure your lungs are still angry 10 hours from now when you're eating dinner. You might as well teach your subconscious that feeling tired doesn't mean that much. You will win because you're not. You're saying yes to right now, and you don't need a crystal ball to tell you whether or not to put one foot in front of the other, and at the end of the day, be a little better, a little stronger, a little more confident in your abilities. As far as I can tell, that's what winning is. Victory, continuously, sustained, accumulating over time, and while the world stays where they are,

looking up at their mountain tops, gazing over their endless abyss, guess what? You'll be scaling those little boulders one by one, bridging that gap step by step. They'll be stopped dead in their tracks, entrenched in the awe and magnitude of what stands before them. But you, on the other hand, will be breaking the complex right down into the simple. Because anyone can do simple, and one of the greatest secrets in life is that that's all there is. Simple. We just have a tendency to stack it until it looks like an excuse.

Because success doesn't wait for the perfect moment. It's happening in the now, always, a million tiny battles, little yeses. How powerful to know that by moving on when most wouldn't, you are building something bigger than most could dream of. At some point, you will reach your finish line. Look back on the aggregate and think that was a lot. You may even think to yourself it was too much, that the demon took you too close to the edge of your end.

world and that's fine. Everything looks bigger on the outside looking in and while you just crawled out from the depths of hell survived because you didn't think about any big pictures or sweeping narratives just one foot in front of you. That's the reason you made it out. Escape. And now as you look back on from the outside, tired, exhausted, emotionally drained, that feeling of pride pulsating through your veins is proof that winning is not a spot reserved for someday down the road. It's who you are. It comprises every essence of your being. It's why you will be right back here to do it all over again.