Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - THIS IS THE YEAR YOU FOLLOW THROUGH || 2026 Motivation & Inspiration

Episode Date: January 16, 2026

Most years don’t fail because of a lack of motivation.They fail because we lose focus on what actually matters.This compilation is a reminder not to do more, but to move differently. To slow down. To get honest. To stop breaking promises to yourself.As the year begins, this message brings together reflections on discipline, clarity, awareness, and quiet consistency; the things that actually change a life over time.Not hype. Not pressure. Just intention.If you’ve felt pulled in too many directions… If you’re tired of restarting… If you want this year to hold…This is for you.More from Eddie Pinero:Monday Motivation Newsletter: https://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletterYour World Within Podcast: https://yourworldwithin.libsyn.com/Stream these tracks on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2BLf6pBInstagram - @your_world_within and @IamEddiePineroTikTok - your_world_withinFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/YourworldwithinTwitter - https://www.twitter.com/IamEddiePineroBusiness Inquiries - http://www.yourworldwithin.com/contact#liveinspired #yourworldwithin #motivation

Today is not like any day I've lived before. And why should it be? In this very second, there are roads to be explored that I've never before walked down. There are actions to take that I've never before taken and ideas to bring to life that I've never before given the respect they deserve. That's saying, my golden rule, you are always. one decision away from a totally different life. You are always one realization from pulling the lever, opening the door, finding the answer you've been walking by all

your life. The problem is you don't see today as today, you see it as a continuation of yesterday, the same movie with the same characters and same rules without even realizing you need to change the script. Emerson said, write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. Why? Because it can be. Your job is to remember that things will continue on and on and on until we give them an end. We must manually close the book on yesterday's story and start anew because we can. We often don't realize, but we can.

And that is why the morning, each new day is so precious. It's taking the mistakes and sometimes disappointments of yesterday and transforming them into today's lessons and the opportunity to begin again. A new journey seen through a new lens, walked through a new pair of shoes, a new sense of self. So here is your reminder that the words were and are, they're very different. That's why each sunrise transcribes into the sky, the hopes and dreams of the you that you've always wanted to be. It's not a crazy formula or some secret code.

It's simply untying your boat from the harbor that is yesterday. and moving towards tomorrow's horizon. I once heard a metaphor that our existence is like standing behind a curtain with tears or holes, and reality becomes which holes we decide to look through when we're peering out at the world on the other side. What do we want to see? And this message, well, it's for whoever out there feels like giving up or folding their hand. Whoever's been waiting for things to change but only sees the clock moving forward. This is a reminder that the very thing you need is on the other side of that curtain.

And you don't need to change who you are. You just need to position yourself to see it. Because it's there and you're ready. When life hurts, we might have every reason to be in pain, to feel lost or confused, but I always find it to be a beautiful reminder that we also have every reason to seek out from that pain something we've never been before.

Why is it that our greatest accomplishments come when our backs are to the wall? Our greatest acquisitions after losing something dear to us? Why is it that we find ourselves in our way only after being lost? I've never heard someone say, thank God I never changed or left

or tried something new. No, it's thank God the adversity forced upon me, the courage to evolve into something more. Pain is to our potential, what water is to a seed. It's the beginning of everything unshackling, opening the gate and making us realize we were sitting on the answers. That adversity doesn't stop you,

it makes you stronger. that the downtimes lift you up, that when you lose yourself, you find a part of you that can now become the bridge to your future. See, I understand that things are difficult and challenging. I understand they're not easy, and I'm not asking you to pretend it's not happening

or ignore it or close your eyes. I'm asking you to find amidst all of this, that one thing, one thing that will get you to tell. tomorrow. I'm asking you to find the courage to say, yes, this hurts. Yes, I'm stretched thinner than I've ever been, but I'm still going to find a way. I'm still going to make it happen. Because at the end of the day, you won't remember what hurt or what stood in your way, but you'll remember what you did about it. You'll remember how you arranged those pieces. How when your instincts said run, you stopped and built something you'll never forget.

What you look for in life tends to be what you find. What you believe is usually what you see. Which means your existence hinges on where you build your walls. And part of the reason stories, music, movies, they move us is because we're allowed,

even if it's for a short period of time to change our parameters on these things, to let the mind navigate through a world without any limitation. When you think about it, we never fast forward through a movie so that we can quickly check off the box and complete it. Right? We never rush through to move on to the sequel. No, we want to experience it. We want to be overwhelmed by emotion, captivated by excitement lost in the mystery, and then when it's over, we retract, we return to reality.

The walls come back up and the rules are reinstated. And from a 10,000-foot view, you can't help but look at that and wonder if there's more there. Why do we have to retreat to this microcosm of our ideal world where we're not rushed? We can enjoy the moment. Why does it take a dark room and objects depicted on a small screen for us to feel like it's acceptable to step outside of this everyday script? And the question isn't who's enforcing these rules. The answer is always us, it's internal, but the question is why? Is it incomprehensible that the same excitement be inserted into your world?

Is it out of the realm of possibility that the rush of adrenaline, the peak experiences, the laughter, love, twists, and turns be inserted into reality? It's like we choose to be chased through life by ticking clocks and measured by socially constructed checkpoints. But we can move beyond that. much beyond in those checkpoints. They're just as imaginary as the talking raccoon you set aside three hours to watch last night. So, by the way, you could escape from a man-ufactured reality.

Right, there's a powerful authoritative line that separates our day-to-day from the imagination, and every second is about pushing that back. Never fast-forwarding through life, but making it unlike anything else. Never applying the word mandatory to things that don't warrant the term. We need to think bigger. Working like a madman to build someone else's dream is not mandatory. Enjoying two-sevenths of your life is not mandatory.

Being confined to one road when there are infinite paths to travel is not mandatory. They're components of a bad movie. And my point is not to be ungrateful. It's not to be resentful. It's to remind you that things are the way they are because you've allowed them to be that way. Nothing in life is destined, predetermined, or meant to be. Everything is decided.

Life is chosen. Paths are taken. And sometimes a simple reminder that you have the flexibility to redefine. The rules can make. all the difference. You are entitled to happiness. Every day is a continuation of the extraordinary, not a break from it, and you have to see that. You have to believe that. You're not alive so that you can every so often escape. You're here to feel the imaginary, to challenge the make believe. Our view of the world without a concentrated effort, it's a

It seems to contract. And this is a reminder to disallow that, to stop living for the 5% or the 10% and flip that ratio on its head. Now is the time to rewrite your script, recraft your storyline. And if what you look for is what you get, then it's time to see what you've never seen before.

Remove the lifelines. Eliminate plans B, C, and D. Let the curtains close and the lights dim. See, the beginning of something new requires the ending of something current. So make life propel you into Chapter 2. Let the door slam and lock behind you, throw away the key. With the boats burned and turning back off the table, we have to make it work. We have to figure it out.

Well, how, we might ask, with only these pieces, with only this circumstance, with only these resources. Well, it's funny how when walking away is no longer a possibility, so many other possibilities are born. When we're stuck between the wall and our demons, we roll up our sleeves and do that, which we have been, let's face it, running from. We fight. We become proactive. We take initiative. It was always there. We just never had to.

So if you can't do it on your own, make life make you. Because the bottom line is there are new horizons that await. your arrival. They are always there, but they require you to make the trip, to look out over the vastness of what's before you and convince yourself

that what's ahead can become your new normal. And oh, how I wish we weren't biologically pre-conditioned to preserve, to stay safe, to stay the same. How I wish we weren't constantly being pulled to stay right

where we are. Our minds, they love it here. With the rest of the world, the change, the hope, the progress, all on the other side of that window, all outside, all foreign to us. You don't need any of that, it'll tell you. Or maybe, after you conjure up a little courage, it might compromise. It might say, fine, it's worth a try, put one foot out the door, but don't forget you can always come back to me. You can always retreat. It's warm here, safe here, it's predictable here. The mind wants you to know that when things get tough, mediocrity, and comfort are always right behind you, ready to embrace you with open arms. And it's for this reason that those boats must be burned, that the door must be locked, and that chapter must

be closed. The journey before you, it's going to be difficult. There's no question about that. Anything of value brings difficulty. And when faced with the adversity, the only way to defeat it is to know there is only one way. One option available to you. And that one option is forward. It's through. There is no backwards or compromise. There is no safe. not if you want from life that which is extraordinary. Not if you want the things we covet dream of, whether they're interpersonal, financial, career-oriented, health-related, maybe you just know in your soul that right now ain't it.

Any move to something better will present to you its obstacles. And my advice, if it's what you really want, is to have decided before you started that there is no other way. There's no negotiating with yourself. Because if you allow that door to be cracked, life will kick it open. So point the compass north and dismiss any notion that what's comfortable is more important than what's meaningful. When you're cold, nothing is more appealing than that warmth. But warmth is deception, a short-term ploy.

for you to forget what really matters. An illusion. See cold subsides, but victory is forever. Knowing that you pushed forward when most wouldn't is forever. Transforming potential into strength when your knees shook is forever.

So burn the boat. For no other reason that there is no way forward so long as there remains a way back. Make life make you win. And where most would look around and see evidence of defeat, you'll find again and again in the same quote-unquote evidence to tools to build ladders to new beginnings and bridges to new worlds.

There's a saying that I love that most of life's successful people were too ignorant of the odds to know their accomplishments were considered at one point impossible. And I love it because it highlights that there was never a fallback option, a concern for the statistics. There was no worry or exhausted energy on what if. Rather, it was constant building and adjusting, finding ways over, through, and around the walls that inevitably stand before us.

there was no way home so they pushed forward into their greatness and so can you whatever shape form or color greatness looks like in your eyes whatever mountaintop appeals to you

if you want it if you're willing to decide before you go that you will one day stand amongst the cloud peering out at that world you deemed It wasn't against you, but for you. Anything is possible. Why chase down the difficult things? It's certainly not being productive for the sake of being productive.

It's not for the flex or the trophies. It's because meaning in life is directly tied to conquering the unconquerable, harnessing the outside world. It's about seeing what we can become when we put ourselves in position to grow. The adventure of a lifetime that awaits anyone who chooses to accept. That's why. But it's not a one-and-done affair. That's the thing.

Life has a way of filtering out the timid and the unsure to identify those that really want it. As though it sees us sign that dotted line and asks, is that so? Let me remove that comfort and predictability. See if then it still sounds good. Let me place the value on the other side of the pain. See if you're still enthusiastic about the pursuit.

In fact, let me burn the map. Dim the lights, add some obstacles along the, way see how giddy you are about all this now and see the difference between those who make change and those who dream about change comes down to one simple thing how do you view the obstacles are they a problem are they an anomaly a red flag because if they are you've lost before you started but the ones who see adversity as simply the The water that grows the seed, the wheel that turns the car, the switch that lights up the room.

Well, for them, it's a little different. They have armed themselves with adaptability. See, life is not smooth sailing with aberrations in the form of rough waters. No, it is a non-stop influx of trials and tribulations. You can't be mentally prepared to evolve. If your expectation and your hope is always for calm, no, flip that on its head. The expectation is turbulence. Calm is a rare gift, and as it turns out, you were built to endure.

So when the waters are rough and the many turn back, you, you push forward. because this is not the world saying no, it's certainly not a referendum on you, it's the cost of admission. A chance for you to prove yet again that where you place your focus to emerge victorious, if only the world could see, could understand that the challenge isn't the problem,

it's the answer, if only everyone knew what you know, That the great tragedy isn't falling down. It's avoiding discomfort in order to preserve what mediocrity. Why do you want this? Because you know it's an option. It's there. You know that if you move forward when you're fearful,

push harder when it hurts, find something in yourself when there appears to be nothing left. The game of life becomes one of unending reward, beauty and prosperity. For those few, it's simply knowing that you can have the world

if you just give yourself permission to take it. Falling through the air, a million thoughts came into my head. Would this be the end of my journey? Was it the wrong decision? Did I not appreciate it? what I had enough.

See, just a moment before, peering down at the ocean below, I could see just how long the fall would be. Watching the waves crash against the rocks, the birds glide through the sky, well, it makes a human feel awfully small, detached. I couldn't help,

but think maybe there was something more that perhaps with all this seeing, this wishing, this wondering I'd forgotten to feel, I'd become a spectator in my own life, a silent observer, because years and years had gone by and nothing changed. I'd waited, I'd hoped, I'd believed,

but the goal escaped me. And at some point, enough has to be enough. I walked up to the ledge, looked up to the ledge, looked to the ledge, looked, back one last time, held out my arms, and I stepped off. They say that if you wait for the perfect moment, you'll be waiting all your life. And while that was a possibility I couldn't entertain, I was scared, unsure, ill prepared, but as I forced my eyes open, they were greeted with the promise of a destination unknown, the beginning.

of something new. For the first time, I didn't hear the wind. I felt it. The adrenaline coursing in my veins took hold of every move. My fear became my wings. My free fall evolved into a calculated flight. I was in control.

I'd traded every fear I'd ever had for a freedom I'd never known. This is your fear. What it means to live. To fly on the way down. It's never the fall itself, but the idea of it that scares us. The what-ifs that corner us and lobby for our submission. What I've come to realize is that having no wings was simply my excuse.

Finding them was my solution. I had a window seat on the plane a few days ago. And during the descent, I watched as we lowered into a thin layer of clouds, which anyone who's flown before knows creates turbulence. The plane starts to shake. For a brief moment, can't see anything outside the window, only white. And no matter how many times I watched this happen, and at this point, probably in the hundreds,

I can't help but feel a little uneasy. Heart rate increases a little bit. It's just an uncomfortable thing. And here's the deal. Not only is a plane going through turbulence safe, a quick Google search will explain to you that no plane was ever brought down by turbulence. They were built specifically for that to endure it.

And I know that. I understand it. I believe it. I guess that faint nervousness, I feel, highlights the divide between my mental capacity to understand something and, you know, my physiological reaction to it. It shows, to put it simply, that often what's necessary will be uncomfortable. We'll get easier over time, but the point is there's a very real biological resistance associated with doing what's necessary. Even when we know the necessary thing is the right thing, even when we know we're capable of enduring the journey, right? Just like that plane was built specifically to endure turbulence. Well, in your own world, so were you. And yeah, that world might shake. Yeah, you might

look around and see an unknown providing no clarity or visibility, at least in the moment. But that feeling of discomfort should not be interpreted as negative. A sign to stop or turn back. As a signal that the world is too much. No, it's where you close your eyes and remind yourself how much you can handle. Despite life trying to make you feel to the contrary. You were built to overcome, made to push into uncharted territory, to take your losses and uncover the head.

hidden away value within them. Sometimes to grow, it's required that we learn not to resist that trembling, but to see it as the courage to say yes when it would have been infinitely easier to say no. And that's what this is about. Nothing groundbreaking, no secret formulas, just the reminder we often need, but don't hear enough, that during the essence and desense of life, and there are and will be many, know that You were built for the turbulence. You can harness the chaos, you can get through to the other side.

What's required is simply that you remember who you are and what you're capable of. Because again, when visibility is limited and our world's shake, it's easy to forget. You will not lose because of the challenge. You will win despite it again and again. again. And sure, stepping up to face that adversary, you may never detach from that nervous feeling in your stomach or the shaky hands, but that's okay. That's your indicator, that you're alive, that you weren't tricked into submitting to a very beatable opponent, that you didn't turn away from the things that meant the most. What's up guys, Eddie here? And before we jump into

next chapter, just a quick note. So as many of you know, every single video that I've ever put on this channel has been created with the intent of building momentum in your life. If you want something physical to anchor that momentum, we've created the brand AGNS or always grateful never satisfied for that exact reason. Athletic apparel that embodies the very ideas and concepts I talk about every day. Because you're watching on YouTube or Spotify, We've created a code for this exclusive community, YWW20. You can use that on the website, agns.lifestyle. We're right under this video on YouTube.

All this stuff is there in the shop. Again, code YWW20 gets you 20% off the entire store. It's a great way to support the channel and also elevate your journey. Let it be a reminder to keep showing up. Appreciate your time. Always grateful. Never satisfied. On to the next.

We are, in some ways, helpless to what occurs around us. There are things that are beyond our control. But the gift we possess, our power, if you will, is the ability to determine what we let in, how we internalize the externalities. We are responsible for being the gatekeepers of our minds. protectors of our worlds. There's a little saying that I aim to live by.

It's incredibly simple. Basically, the idea is, if something is not a net positive on your life, start working to eliminate it. If there's a person that is draining, creating more negative than positive, then they don't deserve to be in your world. Stop letting them in.

If there's some place you're going that doesn't align with, what you value. Start working to eliminate that destination from your day to day. Stop letting it in. If you find yourself constantly thinking about worst case scenarios, it's always, well, what if this goes wrong or that goes wrong? If you find yourself missing the opportunity and instead spotlighting the problem, start working to identify and isolate those thoughts so that they can be eliminated, stop letting that stuff in. The great part about having so much control over our lives and our perspectives is that we get

to choose what gets our time and attention. The tough part, though, and it is tough, is that it means we also have to ask ourselves questions that perhaps we don't want to ask. We have to be honest with ourselves, like truly honest, and the reality is sometimes it hurts to do that, to ask how am I contributing to this pain, this struggle? What am I letting in that needs to be kept outside the gate from now on? And what we often find is that the answers are there. The opportunity is there, sometimes even in plain view.

But our attention is often diverted from it, and instead allocated to the things that don't even serve, or align with who we are. We've habitualized finding the problems and not the solutions. I can list examples of this over the course of my life all day, right? Epiphanies where I realized I needed to defend the thoughts that enter my mind and better cultivate a world where I can succeed, where I can be happy. Money, for example, to switch from seeing it at a as a scarce resource, something that everyone's fighting over, how to outmaneuver the guy to the right of me,

how to get my hands on this elusive object. Nope, block that mentality at the gate and let in instead the idea that money is merely an exchange of value. How can I be more valuable to more people? Where value goes, wealth follows. Or as I've talked about before, the injuries I deal with.

so frequently, right? Keeping the poor me, or I can't deal with this, or whining, I'm willing to put in the work, why won't life let me succeed? Keep all that outside the gate and let in, here is an opportunity to get better in other areas. I can't lift. Maybe I'll take a month or two to crush cardio, to eat better, to build mental acuity. Find a way. Or maybe it's that person who made their way into my life that over time became a net negative, that we've gotten to the point where our coexistence takes away more than it has. They no longer belong inside the gate in my world, right? Only let in people who do make your life better.

And we have control over all of this. It's about accountability. It's about personally understanding the authority you have over what comes in and what stays out. A very few things in life are just because. Things exist in our day to day because we have somewhere along the line allowed them to be there. So take some time to see yourself as the gatekeeper of your world. Audit what you're letting in and what you're keeping out.

To do so will set you up for a life on your terms. A life that's not wasted. or even merely endured, but one that's lived to the fullest. Simple truth. Just because you don't see a solution, doesn't mean one isn't sitting right next to you. See, we misinterpret life when the lights are off and the path is unclear. What I mean by this? Well, imagine being in a dark room.

Sitting by yourself in pitch black, having no idea what's around you. every direction is uncertain. Certainly it'd be a troubling feeling. Fear inducing. But what it doesn't mean is the content within the room is insufficient for what you need. It doesn't mean that you need to go somewhere else to find your answers or that you fail. It means that you simply have to turn on the light. What you need is right next to you.

You just are not seeing it. And that is the problem. We've all been in that metaphorical darkness when we equate that with failure or loss, feeling like we're not quite enough. It's why we get discouraged. It's when we write narratives based on our supposed inadequacy. Oh, I'd be enough if only I had this one thing. If only the situation were slightly different.

When the time is right, the weather's good, the door is open, then I'll be what I need to be. where I want to be. But in reality, you're not lost. You're not substantially off track. You just can't see the solution you're sitting on and in your mind because you can't see it, it's not there. But repeatedly life shows us that when you assume the pieces you need are accessible, you find a way. When you know somewhere in the cloud of uncertainty you're sitting in that there's an answer,

you find it. All that's required is a momentary flicker of light. That's sudden realization and things change. Look at these two questions. The first one asks, can I find a solution? And the second one asks, how will I find a solution? Two very different questions. Not a lot separates them on the surface,

but there's enough discrepancy between the two to change the trajectory of your life. One says, I can't see the solution, so there must not be a solution. The other says, I can't see the solution, so I need to make adjustments until I can see it. And that's all success is. That simple question.

I'm not where I want to be now, so how can I illuminate the trim? It's amazing how the step we need to take, the one that will create the momentum we need, it always exists. Life reinforces this over and over again. The moment you understand, you free yourself from yourself. And I can speak from experience. I didn't just one day appear at this realization.

When I get this camera, the YouTube channel begins. When my audience reaches this number, I'm going to be braver, more creative. with my approach. If I had this equipment, I'd be a faster runner. That's wrong. All of that fails to take into account the answers that are in the palm of my hand.

It's not about the 4K camera. It's about the story. Use what you have. It's not about the size of your audience. It's the value you provide them. So pour your heart out. It's not about the equipment. It's the mindset.

So stop, wait. wasting time and hit the pavement. And this rationalization is not rare. It's everywhere. I've heard it, you've heard it. Someday I'll start a business, I just need that degree, an MBA, five years of experience, capital. No, you need an idea in the internet.

It's never been easier in the history of the world to share ideas and make things happen. The I will when the time is right, right approach that gets you nowhere. You have the answers. You talk to them, walk by them, type them into a screen. They're everywhere. And what makes the difference is whether you see what you have and manufacture your solution or you see what you don't have and create a sob story. And that's why you can place people in the exact same situation and get incredibly different results. Some of them, Some build bridges, others build walls.

But at the end of the day, they started with the same stuff, the same materials. The difference is one didn't have the foresight to flip on the light switch. That answer, the one you're looking for, it goes off at five. You can hit snooze or get a head start. The answer surrounds you every day. You can give attention to toxic people and things or embrace. the positivity. That answer, it forces you to be better. You can believe you're inadequate or simply improve. Because when you find yourself in even the darkest of places, you are not confined to that

reality. You are tasked with changing it. When you're not getting the result, you want take a step back and re-examine how you're looking for your answers. Because with persistence and a single flicker of light, You can reconstruct the world. 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 world, way we adopt 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 while,

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. 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. 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. And something I remind myself every day and something I think everyone should hear.

Those waiting for life to hand out miracles will always 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 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 felt 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 every day. 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. I was recently in Dallas visiting some old friends

and was chatting with someone that I've been friends with for a long time and he was mentioning that he's gone through some pretty big light changes over the past few years and was excited about the fact that after a pretty rough stretch, he had recovered or found his workout routine again, sort of a revival in his old identity. Because for context, he'd always been a pretty athletic guy growing up. But just like it happened to anyone, you know, other things emerged and took priority, right?

They swept in and, you know, kind of consumed him for a period of time. And I guess, you know, in a way, that part of him that used to fire, on all cylinders was buried. He lost it. And so anyway, we're talking and he's saying that he had been a little down, you know, put on a little weight. And the struggle was, according to him, making time for fitness in his now incredibly busy life. He's got a toddler running around, a very time-intensive job. On top of that, he's remodeling houses. He's doing a lot. And this is the part that stood out to me. He said, Eddie, I've tried everything.

I went through, you know, quick phases where I was motivated, but I couldn't, you know, maintain that consistency. I was working. And then after work, I'd be with my son, who was, you know, just too little to leave alone for 45 minutes. And this is what's funny because it sounds so simple, but, you know, he says, I found a gym with a daycare so I could bring my son and work out for 45 minutes. And that's when I was able to establish a routine

And that one action or decision Allowed my entire life to get back on track, right? That was the rock I had to move Which is the phraseology that I want to focus on here I think it's brilliant the way he said it You know, basically once I could figure out how to work out On afternoons when he's with me I was able to make it go from sometimes a thing

To always a thing That was again the rock that had to be moved And now I can clearly see from the conversation, right, the guy's happier, feels better about himself. And you know how it is when you're in that space. It starts to carry over into all aspects of life. And I'm thinking, this is so powerful, right? I told him I'm going to steal this rock metaphor and share it on the podcast on YouTube because that, in my opinion, is the way to look at meaningful change.

He nails it. It's not what. What do I need to get or acquire or add? Like, you know, we tend to think in those situations. No, it's what's preventing me from leveling up. What do I need to move to get rid of? Where is the boulder I have to push out of the way? And sure, there's a temptation to perhaps oversimplify, but I think that's exponentially better

than the alternative, which is making things unnecessarily complex. And in a way, that's what humans do best anyway, right? The world is infinite numbers and data points and variables. Humans just pick a few and create stories with them. So to me, there is value in truly simplifying and saying, okay, that's where I want to be. What's the one thing I could remove that would free me up to start moving that way? Where is my rock that has to be relocated?

And it's funny when we find those things, right? It's like turning on the light in a dark room. Everything begins to make sense. You feel momentum. You feel like you're in it. And again, how you feel when you go to bed at night becomes your identity. It's not because you're solving the problem right away, but because you feel that progress. Progress equals happiness, right?

Human beings are invigorated by meaning, the pursuit of purpose when we're stuck. the painful part isn't necessarily being stuck as much as it's that we're not moving towards what matters. We need that growth. And for my buddy to see that, it was moving the mental rock of, I can't have a good workout when I'm watching my son. Those two things are mutually exclusive. Remove that limiting belief and boom.

And maybe in your particular situation, you know, there are numerous rocks that need to be moved. Incredibly plausible, right? but we can only move one at a time. And like Domino's, you have to push the first one down before the other start to fall. So where can you push? Which I also like because it emphasizes the power and control

we have in our own lives. Again, situations are messy and complex. I get that, but if you can simplify it down to what is one thing that's preventing me from going or changing or stopping or whatever it is for you, What's the big obstacle? Okay, there it is. Let's chip away.

Let's move this thing. It's as if your frustration over immobility is a dam. And what you need to do is an add more water to the reservoir, but find out what you can remove to start letting that water flow. Right? You want it to move freely. Because I believe life is a momentum game. It really is.

Like you win when you feel like your purpose. progressing when you feel like you're taking steps. That's when you're excited. That's when you jump out of bed invigorated. That's where you look for solutions. So look around you. There's always a step to be taken. In fact, I simplified to the extent that my mantra is, number one, know that change is possible. And number two, know that the next move is within an arm's reach of where you stand right now. Understanding and believing those two things is power. Right? Don't get disillusioned by how far the top of the mountain feels or how long you've been in one place wishing things were different, none of that matters. The goal is to manufacture momentum and that's what you do. So do it by

initiating one small action that frees you up to start walking that way. And it's amazing when you're in motion, things seem to make sense in a way that they simply didn't when you were stationary. That's why it's important to understand that you don't need to have all the answers. In fact, it's impossible to have all the answers. The journey provides them. The path contains the secrets. Therefore, the goal should be to get yourself stepping down that path. No overly harsh, out of this world, unrealistic expectations.

No, simply be your own biggest ally here. Remove what you don't need and free yourself of that unnecessary minutia. It's go time. And I go back and forth often, as you've heard me do here, right? It's like, yes, life is messy, it's complex. That's true to culmination of infinite variables and data points. But guess what our job is? Guess what your power is to hone in on the select few of them necessary to tell your story.

Human beings have survived for thousands and thousands of years because we are masters of simplification. Masters of ignoring what we don't need. and distilling the complex down into what's actionable. And perhaps that's where you are now, what you need to do most. It's like I'm not where I want to be. Okay, in simple terms, where do I want to be? What does my mountaintop look like? What am I doing now that's getting in the way?

And what rocks do I need to move that will get me started down that path to something new? There are some pretty basic themes that consistently reemerge in most of my videos and podcast episodes. The idea of us having control, agency, the idea that fear can be an ally. As Joseph Campbell states, the cave you fear holds the treasure you seek. The idea that you're not your past, right?

And there are a few more. But essentially, today's episode takes them all and places them in the palm of your hand. It reminds you that in totality, this is all about you being the author of your story. And you don't need the whole book written. Ideas, character development, and all that stuff will come into your head as you write as the pen hits the paper. You just need to find that starting point.

Self-assess. Identify that little piece of opportunity that was hidden beneath the excess and begin. Someday, the things that you currently don't understand will make sense. Someday, the big things you're dealing with won't seem so big anymore. Someday, the doubts you have about yourself will be revealed as false. Someday you'll see that the things you worry about didn't matter at all. Someday you'll see that the road before you wasn't something you had to walk for. flawlessly, but rather something you had to trust and believe in.

Someday you'll look in the mirror and see that you had it in you the entire time, that there was nothing you needed or should have been hoping for. Yeah, someday. Someday that will all be true. But what about some days from the past? I remember years ago thinking someday I would venture out into, to the world. Someday I'd speak my mind. Someday I would start my own business. I would surround myself with people who believed in what I believe. Someday I'd make a little more money, have a

little more time to do what I love. Someday I'd have all that. And as I look around, I realize it looks a lot like someday. But guess what? As we grow, So do our some days. It's a chase that never ends. There's always something more. There's always something bigger and better. And the problem is not the ambition. The problem is forgetting that in so many ways,

you've dreamt of being where you stand right now. You have arrived. You're not the same person that 10 years ago was throwing some days out into the universe. No, you have grown. You have learned. You have evolved. Why does this matter? It matters.

Because without acknowledging how far you've come, you cannot acquire the strength needed to go where you must go. when you don't feel good enough, it's often because you haven't looked over your shoulder and opened your eyes. The evidence is right there. It's hiding in plain sight. There's proof that you've been there.

That you faced demons and conquered them, endured your battles and overcame. You did that. And at one point not that long ago, you couldn't say that you had. You weren't yet that person, but things are different. Now, what you have today was once only that hopeful someday. It was a fleeting thought. It had no merit and no value, yet you brought it to life.

Look what you've done. Understand how far you've come, how you ran when you, could. You walked when it was possible. You crawled when you had to. And continued on to arrive at a someday that is right now. You, my friend, are a maker of things unseen, an architect of tomorrow's and some days. So don't you dare. Don't you ever entertain the delusion that this gift suddenly stops now. Suddenly the burden is too much. The mountain is too much. The mountain is too tall. No, what you do is overcome. That is who you are. You've done it for you. You've done it for the ones you love. And in some cases, the ones who didn't even understand, but you kept going,

marching through the fires of hell to turn some days into right now. And I get that the road before you is uncertain. There's no way to know exactly how life will unfold. But that's besides the point. A bird can't predict every gust of wind it's going to encounter. It spreads its wings, takes off, and adapts because it can, because it always has, because that's what it does. I'm not advocating that you should have all the answers. No, I'm suggesting that you trust yourself to find them. To move forward into the haze that surrounds you to make sense of the seemingly illogical, bring about reality from the make-believe.

Someday, you will have what you're aiming for. But here's to never letting a today go by without realizing that you are always living out a someday from your past, you are always arriving and leaving simultaneously. The accomplished and the student, crossing the finish line and on the starting block with another race around the corner, another chance to stretch your legs and reach for the heavens.

If you ever forget that, I ask that you find it within yourself to look over your shoulder, to remember what you once asked for, and to appreciate the journey that you have undertaken. You did that. Now onward you go, you have more some days to bring to life. When you're at your lowest point, you are, often without realizing it, positioning yourself to arrive at your highest point. Potential energy accumulating to propel you through an atmosphere of new beginnings.

See, I believe our adversity, is life asking that we submerge and dive deep, sometimes very deep, just to remember how badly we need that oxygen above. So that when we again come up for air and we will, we notice the warmth of the sun on our face and the calming sound of the waves crashing on the beach. You don't make the warm of the waves crashing on the beach.

most of what's around you until you recognize that what's around you is the opportunity. And so life reminds us. A taxing reminder. Right? It rarely gives without first taking away. It rarely opens new doors without closing old ones. And that, to put it, simply, can hurt. They don't teach you in school that growth is painful.

But as it turns out, a life without growth isn't much of a life at all. And so we must dive deep. We're given no other choice. Without night, there is no day. Without suffering, there is no beauty. Without those depths below, there is no surface above. Our submergence is our transformation. The cocoon that separates who we were from who we were.

will be, but unlike the butterfly, it doesn't just evolve once. Our journey requires that we are continuously growing a new pair of wings. Life is chaos. Life is unpredictable. Life is hard, but you were built to not only endure in its arena, you were put here to excel, to learn the rules and then expand upon the rules. Sometimes break the rules. You were put here to take the difficulty and provide meaning to it. Peace by piece, as if it were the construction of a rocket to the moon. Little pieces of at one point frustration and confusion and chaos combined, reused and transformed into exactly what you need them to be. Emergent properties.

You just have to be willing to see beyond the now and assemble. To come up for air and soak in all that awaits at the surface like you've never done before. The other day, I was texting with a friend of mine. Out of nowhere, she goes, what's wrong? And I'm thinking nothing, right? I haven't said anything. You know, what do you mean?

She's adamant, right? She goes, something feels off. I thought about it. I realized, yeah, she's pointing out something I've known for a little bit here. Something is off. I'm hiding from myself. Feel a little burnt out, a little tired. Certain areas of my life had become unevenly distributed.

In fact, I was flirting with that thing. I've always feared doing most, simply going through the motions. And that scared me. I don't want this, right? I've come too far to feel like this. I'm better than this. How do I fix it? How do I solve it now?

Figure it out now. But eventually came to realize the now part just might be the whole problem. Fix the now like it's a headache and me shaking my fist at the same. sky will be ibuprofen. No, battling imperfection is a fool's errand. It's setting yourself up for disaster. We are humans, not gods. We are perfectly imperfect. And when something is off, don't fight, listen. Don't retract, expand. Here is the opportunity. I'm under the surface. diving down into the depths of my own soul, hear what it has to say, so that when I come up for air and I will,

the sun will warm my face like it never has. The crashing waves will offer a symphony to my ears that I've never heard. And I'll see that the world I'm taking in is more a reflection of me than of it. as that saying goes, you don't see the world as it is. You see the world as you are. And how lucky to have taken a step back, a trip below the surface, to realize again that I am the painter, not the critic. My world had become black and white,

not because we live in a black and white world, but because sometimes we forget to put the color in. Sometimes we don't give ourselves permission to expand beyond the parameters we've created for ourselves. So with the breath and the oxygen will come a new appreciation, a liberating gratitude. There's nothing so sweet as remembering that both the castles in the air and the chains at our feet are imaginary. And hey, you know, You get to choose which one to believe in. See, what time has taught me is that there is strength in our vulnerability.

In the times we fall or lose ourselves. And I know the inclination is to panic, perhaps assess too quickly, to not hear but talk, to not listen but attempt to solve. Which leads to the application of Band-Aids on bullet wounds when we, are low, when we are lost, it's our chance to better understand ourselves. It's the metaphorical equipment room where we stock up prior to our next descent. And if I could emphasize one thing, it would be that our perceived understanding of life, it oscillates. Sometimes we feel like we get it. We do. And sometimes we feel like we're sprinting with our eyes closed. It's a riddle we will never

fully come to solve. But I do know one thing. We can't change the unpredictability of the world, but by observing, by listening, by getting back up, we can change ourselves. By recognizing our strength, we can utilize the downtimes as they are the education we've been longing for. Remember, the world does not and will not ask perfection of you. you, so don't ask perfection of it.

You were built to endure, to overcome, and to recreate yourself. Losing your wings will never be the problem. It's forgetting that they must be regrown. That is the problem. So step out. Rise to the surface of your world and breathe. Take in the surroundings that will become your resurrection story. if you left them.

We sat around in a circle on a beautiful fall morning to build dream catchers. Something, to be honest, I never saw myself doing in a million lifetimes. The feathers and strings and beads and glue stretched out on a blanket in the middle of the circle as we built and we took what we needed piece by piece. And it's safe to say, mine was far and away, the least, let's say, aesthetically pleasing of the group.

Black and bright yellow string wrapped around the top, above which an assortment of random beads sort of dangled carelessly below. It wasn't the most beautiful dream catcher ever made, but it was mine. After a quick Google search, I learned that some Native Americans, believe that the air at night is filled with dreams, both good and bad, and that the purpose of the dream catcher is to protect from the bad ones, the nightmares and the evil spirits. Interesting, I thought, putting it away, expecting that to be that and life to move on. But a few days later on the flight home,

I got up mid-flight to grab a charger out of my carry-on overhead. And in the same side pouch was, you guessed it, that little black and yellow dream catcher. One of the dangled strings had snapped. My sloppy craftsmanship already was causing the top to loosen up. But something compelled me to grab it, along with my charger, and I sat back down. I had 8.5 hours to kill, put my chair back, and closed my eyes. The previous week had been an important. one. A complete break from, you know, my typical day-to-day routine, and probably more important,

some forced introspection. I like to think of the trip as briefly leaving the heart of a city, which when you're in a city, you obviously know you're there, but you can't really grasp the magnitude and scope of the place. Not until you leave it and see it from the outside, the gorgeous skyline with the lights and buildings that extend into the clouds. A picture you only get from a distance. That skyline from five miles away just doesn't feel like it could be the same place you live in. You navigate everyday street by street with carhorns and cafes and people talking, coming and going. It just kind of flips life upside down for you.

It presents new perspectives and questions, and I felt like that's what I'd done. stepped outside that metaphorical city. And I had picked up a solid handful of new questions. There were plenty of firsts for me. Met some incredible people, tried new things, went new places, explored new foods. All made me realize that, you know, my worldview had slowly over time, as tends to happen when unchecked, collapsed in on itself. That there was so much more, so much hope.

hope and opportunity, so much left to the extent that the flight back didn't feel like the end of a trip. It felt like the beginning of something new. Like I wasn't leaving these things. I was taking them with me. But here's the deal. Beginning only matter if you make them matter. Things only change when you make them change. When I was in junior high, I, one of my teachers would sometimes joke that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Half serious, but the point is important. It's not what we intend to do. It's what we breathe life into.

It's what we allow to take shape. Let's say that little dream catcher in my hand was a magical entity that sucked out of the sky all the bad dreams and nightmares and left me with only the good stuff. Let's say it was the gateway to all that was powerful, meaningful, and important because removing what I don't want is critical. But what I'm then left with

is mere opportunity, not guarantee. Dreams are only potential, and life is only what we make it. So growth must be a team effort between me and this little black and yellow defender of worlds, watchman of the night. A duo. And we agreed.

It reminds me of what truly matters, and I show it that I'm not afraid to make something of what remains. Of those ideals granted passage to the space behind my eyes. I have to live up to my end of the bargain. And sure, it will be messy at times. Shaky, sloppy, ungraceful. But that isn't a problem. It's par for the course. Plus my lack of elegance

will get no sympathy from my unraveling black and yellow ball of string and disordered beads. The goal is not perfection. It's organized chaos. It's a commitment to the unknown to taking the pieces and building something with them

even when we don't understand. what it will become. And as the pilot's voice interrupted my sleep through the inner calm, letting us know to prepare for landing, I realized the magic of where I'd just been and how it would evolve into the road ahead. That when we know in our hearts, life is pointing us a certain direction,

when we've separated the good dreams from the bad, we are halfway there. Now we must have the courage to run. realize what's possible. To be strong enough to stand up when we have something to say, to embrace what calls to us, to explore where our paths may lead, to get up and dance when the music plays, to stop holding back tears when they must fall, to smile when our hearts intend, to leave the old stories and narratives behind and to step beyond our egos

and towards our authenticity. This is how we make sure that the dream catcher's work is not in vain. It's how we make the most of this gift we've been provided. And so we sat in a circle on a beautiful fall morning, to build dream catchers.

Maybe not to collect the bad dreams. But to remind ourselves that it was okay, no, necessary, no, everything to let ourselves make the good dreams reality. In his play, measure for measure, Shakespeare wrote in 1603, a line that I think adequately sums up the reason so many of us fall short of what we are capable of becoming. He wrote, Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. Our greatest tragedies and regrets in life tend not to be our mistakes.

They're not when we try and we falter. Now, the vast majority of the time they arise when we do not even attempt because fear is prevented that very first step. It's when we have that perpetual light shined on all that can go wrong while the upside and the opportunity sits in the dark, just out of frame.

And in a world where you get what you focus on, To only focus on the worst possible outcome, it's a death sentence. It's debilitating. The way I see it, there are a million ways to improve something. There are infinite roads and paths and possibilities. None are certain, but what is? Here's the interesting thing, though. The only certainty, the only thing that is for sure

is that if you don't go, you will not arrive. One will never finish what they do not start. Listen to this quote from Thoreau. It's from his book Walden, which he wrote after about two years and two months of living in the woods by Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. He wrote, I learned this, at least, by my experiment, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dream

and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary. New universal and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him, or the old laws be expanded and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense. In other words, the world does not dictate, it reacts. It becomes what we decide it will be.

And I was thinking about this recently. Have you ever thought about the utility of water? Just water. and how it is obviously essential for life. Specifically, humans can't live longer than about three days without it. Yet, we can also very easily drown in too much of it. The same thing that's required for life can easily take life away. It all depends on how it's being utilized.

And so when I think about this, my mind goes to Shakespeare's message on our doubts, making us traitors if we let them. Or the rose passage about moving with conviction towards the things that matter, towards our dreams. And what I see is an intentional restructuring of the world around us. The idea that life can work for us or work against us. It can be our headwind or our tailwind,

the reason we stay or the reason we leave, and who decides, that. You. You decide that. I often think back to my first creative project once I took the entrepreneurial route years and years back. I referred to the project as quiet desperation. In reference to actually another thorough quote, most men lead lives of quiet desperation. Because I realized around that time how easily that could become reality and decided to do something about it. For me, it was a huge step out of the routine in the cycle. I finally, finally asked myself who I was living for. Where did I lose myself? Or had I simply never bothered

to find myself? And I don't know the answer to that, but I know at the time, if you asked me, you know, Eddie, what are you truly excited about? It'd probably be a lot easier for me to tell you about the things I didn't like. I was afraid of that I was unhappy with. That's what I saw. That's what I focused on. And that's the point. Until then, I was immersed in Thoreau's dreaded common-hour thinking.

And so used to it that I thought nothing of it. There was no next step or other side. And then I arrived at that moment. That moment I hope we all get to at some point. realizing there's very little to lose and everything to gain. And it drives me crazy how hard we have to fight for this understanding. How much easier life would be if it was intuitive, but it's not. It's a journey, a muscle that must be built, and so we must build.

We have to prove to ourselves that what's big and intimidating can be broken down, that what we visualize can materialize. That will always be true. But we need to make ourselves believe it. Identity is scripted, confidence is earned. Not once but every day. And we must understand. The pain associated with staying far exceeds.

The pain associated with moving towards our dreams. the former is destructive and the latter is what we need. They are not the same. So being as we choose what we see, how about a commitment? Not a commitment to be perfect. Not a commitment to have all the answers or avoid mistakes. No, how about a commitment to allow ourselves the courage to be imperfect?

A commitment to go when we don't have the answers. A commitment to see mistakes as a necessity instead of a catastrophe in this world of subjectivity. Make sure that movie, playing in your head, illuminates the opportunity, not the loss. So that when you fall, the inclination isn't to run from the bad, but to look for the good. because I promise you you will get what you look for. That perspective will alter your actions, which will alter how you see yourself, which will alter the trajectory of your life.

Let's leave that mediocrity, that common hour thinking behind as we head for higher ground. Commonality being average, it's a wolf in sheep's clothing. It seems simpler. Sure, it seems easier. But the ones immersed in that world,

they're depriving themselves of the answers they desperately need. They're refusing the hand that is perpetually reaching out. When we turn our backs on the extraordinary, it is because fear has gripped the wheel, and we are now passengers along for the ride. But you have the ability to be more. You have the ability to move torrently. towards what matters to you.

To take the steps one at a time, bear the discomfort one second at a time, acclimate one day at a time. This is a journey dependent entirely on you and your willingness to step out the front door. To finally see the things you previously disregarded. And when your eyes open, you'll see that you can be your ally or your enemy.

This can be the beginning of a new chapter or the continuation of a current one. This is your story. And by the way, that doesn't mean others wouldn't love to make it theirs. Wouldn't love to tell you that life is beyond your control. Wouldn't love for you to think that you are dependent on the outside world, that you need them and what they are willing to provide for you. But no, this is about you. Understanding that the first step starts with you.

decision, that your autonomy is a strength and a chance to begin again. Change the way you think and what you get changes. It's not magic, but practical evolution. When we force ourselves to see the positive, when we look for a way, we find it. That's reality changing because you decided that it should. And that's what the power of perception. of perception is. Nothing more than unlocking the gate that was previously placed before you.

There's no better time than this very moment to walk through it and rewrite your story as it should.