Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - THIS WAS A GAME CHANGER FOR ME - Best Motivational Speech to Win the Day

Episode Date: July 31, 2024

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." — Mahatma Gandhi  Monday Motivation Newsletter: https://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletter Free Ebook: www.eddiepinero.com/ebook  YouTube: www.eddiepinero.com/youtube  In this episode, Eddie Pinero shares his experience of running 8 miles in the scorching Arizona heat. He reflects on the importance of proving something to oneself and the power of perspective. Through the lens of this challenging run, Eddie explores how enduring life's storms and pushing through hard moments can be transformative. Join Eddie as he delves into the significance of overcoming obstacles and realizing our true potential.

So yesterday, I got a text message that was like, hey, Ed, how you doing out in the heat wave? You making it through? And I thought to myself, a heat wave. This is Arizona in July. Right? Every day is a heat wave. It's not one of those things where you're curious or let's see what's going on. It's like, no, it's going to be hot.

You know what you're getting. But maybe instead of 105, 107, it was 113 or something like that. And I kind of chuckled and continued doing my thing. And then I got another text. And then a friend from Boston sent me another text. Ed, you surviving the heat. And I thought to myself, you know what? It's time to prove a little something to someone.

That's someone not being anyone who texted. That's someone being me. I think it's time for a little reminder to myself about who I am and what I'm about. So, fun fact, my training, which I've kind of been very open about and taking you guys along for the ride there, it's moved from strength to a little bit more mobility in the next month. And because of that, I'm integrating kind of a longer run back into the equation once a week. I thought, you know what? Today is going to be the day.

At 2 p.m., I am going to run 8 miles. Just to prove a point. Right? Now, I'm not trying to break any land speed record here. Like slow and steady wins the race. I'm going to get the miles done, period. Also probably worth noting, because it can be dangerous, right? that I was rational in the approach.

You know, sunblock, white hat, camelback full of water. You know, I had electrolyte tablets, a phone. I wasn't running in the mountains somewhere secluded. I was running right through downtown Scottsdale. So, you know, pretty rational in the approach. And so off I went. And immediately, my soul. was set on fire.

This is the same kind of experiment, if you will, that I've run a million times in my life. I love this stuff. From Boston to Miami and everywhere in between, you know, these long-distance runs where I could sort of decompress, you know, dabble in the suffering and just remind myself who I am and what I'm capable of.

As followers of this channel and podcasts know, that means a lot to me. I transformed thousands of miles of my feet hitting the pavement into a sense of confident and faith that I could do hard things. Because, see, sometimes I forget that I can. And I forget, because hard things don't always reveal themselves as just that, right, as hard things. No, sometimes hard things are sneaky. Sometimes hard things just feels like being lost, or not smart enough, or failing, squandering the gift you've been given, or opportunity at hand. Sometimes hard things feels like the world's moved on without you.

Sometimes hard things feel lonely, and God can they feel? lonely. Sometimes hard things feel empty, they can feel broken, they can feel like betrayal, you name it, right? But here's what they all have in common, whatever shape they take. They are all manageable. All of them. They simply require a reassurance that this isn't the end or some impossible task, but that you must hold your head high and move right through. I always remind myself of this. You know, during the storm,

you can only see the storm. You can only see the gray, the clouds. You can only hear the rain in the thunder. So it benefits one to remind him or herself that this is a game of enduring, knowing you're strong enough because at the end of all that, the sky clears, the rain stops,

and you get your sunshine, your finale. And so on that particular day, eight miles in 113 degrees, it was a gentle reminder, an arm around my shoulder. Feels weird to say, but it's the absolute truth. Life is perspective.

You know, some people couldn't fathom the idea of me doing that, what running in the middle of the day in Phoenix in July but then you have others like Gagons who would scoff and say only eight right it's all perspective which kind of furthers the point it's not the data set it's not the reality it's not the storm they don't dictate anything it's how you interpret the data It's what you do with the reality. It's your willingness to move through the storm. I've heard sarcastically before,

don't let the data get in the way of the story you want to tell. You can bend and shape the numbers to represent whatever you want. There's always a way to tell your story. And while, sure, that can be frustrating in certain arenas. In the play of life, it is a super. superpower because the same data that says stay inside to some can mean go out into the world and prove how strong you are to others. The exact same data set, the exact same criteria. And on this run, I saw not a soul.

Running up Scottsdale Road, one of the busiest streets in the area, no people out, eight miles, not one. Outdoor dining, empty, nothing, right? And this is not a flex. Again, I'm running 11-minute miles and panting like a 95-year-old. Man, I even walked a lot of the last mile. But I got it done. And the gift I received was the reminder that I saw the reality on the ground, I saw the data, and read it to be something different than most people did that day.

I saw seemingly adverse conditions and said, who cares about that narrative? What do I want this to mean? And that's everything. If you're looking around and you don't like things the way they are, here's your reminder that you can. Ready for this? Change them.

You are that strong. You are that capable. Rewrite the script because you can endure. You can recreate. A lot of people see the initial narrative and forget. It only means what they decide it does. Don't settle for the pieces you were given. Make something new with them.

Something greater with them. Expand what currently exists. Rewrite normalcy in your world. Because life will not stop sending those heat waves, and those heat waves, they'll take different shapes. They'll arrive in different formats. You'll have to decide, are they your reason to hide? Or are they an invitation to be who you've never been? Often, you can't change the way of things.

And by things, I'm not referring to the day to day. I'm not referring to your goals and aspirations, how you spend your time, or who you spend it with. No, I'm referring to the big picture, larger than life cosmic truths. The unavoidable reality that things will happen beyond your control. That things come and they go. that as much as we want to understand it all, life in actuality is comprised of unknowns and inconsistencies. What you can change, though, is the meaning of those occurrences.

You can change how you view them and what you become in their presence, and that, as it turns out, is an almost incomprehensible strength. See, nothing is so futile. is trying to push over a mountain with your bare hand. Growth requires that you climb it or go around it, or even when life permits through it. But to stubbornly stand in place outstretched arms, hoping that Newton was incorrect

and waiting for that 10,000-foot pile of rocks to budge, well, that doesn't do you any favors. And actually, it needs Einstein's definition of insanity, right? where one does the same thing over and over and over, expecting different results. And look, I've spent many a days knocking on doors that weren't meant to be opened. And when I finally did pull it together and walk away,

it wasn't because I quit, at least not in the traditional sense. It was the opposite. It was because I found the strength to continue, right? The courage to look around and find a way forward, not defeat, but a decision to grow wings, to level up. Because I'll tell you, it's easy when one isn't paying attention to be pulled into the depths of irrationality by their pride, a place where many people stay and knock forever,

hoping that one day they'll wake up and that door will open or that mountain will move. No, winning requires adjusting. It requires intricate paths and side entrances. It requires innovation. And when life says no, it's not a no to you. It's in reference to the door you are standing in front of. I think maturing is depersonalizing the do not enter sides.

They are not about you. They are a call to growth. We often can't change the way of things. that we can change ourselves and the paths we walk and that means just as much. In fact, one of my favorite ideas is that there is no failure. Failure in that sense, it gives too much power to externalities. It says, oh, the world said no. Then I guess the journey ends here.

It says, oh, this door is locked. Then I guess forget about what would have been had it been open. No, as long as you are moving forward looking for a way through, you have not failed. Which means failure only occurs when one decides that it does. When one looks around and says, no thanks. There are no more doors here worth knocking on. No more paths worth taking, I'm done, right? That is failure.

That is quitting. And the world does not mail you that. Notice, that doesn't arrive from any externality, that is self-generated. That is a letter from you to you. Because if you're willing, the world will keep conforming. And if you keep seeking that unlocked door, you will ultimately find one. And this is why we have to explore. It's why we need to push against life.

Because whether we realize it or not, we dictate more than we could possibly imagine. You know how many of my locked doors brought me somewhere better? You know how many of my valleys of despair were admission tickets to breathtaking views? You are not where you land. You are where you choose to go from that point. You're not what you are given. You are what you do with what you are given. So don't fight the way of things.

That mountain will not be moving. but the beauty is in the fact that you don't need it to. You can still conquer it. You can still get everything you need by placing not hope in the mountain for a miracle, but trust in yourself to find a way. Lock doors, they only stop those who lack the courage and vision to move on to the next.

But that's not you. And therefore the locks won't keep you out. They'll make you stronger. They'll broaden your horizons. And the mountains won't keep you grounded. They'll prompt you to climb higher and farther than you ever have. We often can't change the way of things. But the way of things can't hold a candle to the strength you possess as you navigate them.

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. 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 make, 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. We're 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. 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 and maintain 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 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. I used to think it was 100%. How do I get back to 100? Let's get this fully charged. No cracks or flaws. And so I'd wait.

I'd rest. I would prepare. But guess what? Aiming for 100% is a perpetual almost there. Turns out life doesn't care much about 100%. It wants to know what you can do when you're at 80. Can you find a way to push through when you are at 75%? How about 65?

See, life is innately difficult. How do you handle that? How do you compartmentalize it? It was recently back in Boston, running around the Charles River, first time in a while, felt a little back spasm reoccurring. spasm reoccurring. That right knee, a little sensitive as it often is, and I thought, man, again, if I waited

for perfection to run, I would never run again. I can count on one hand the times everything felt great. Lightbulb moment. We work towards that. We aim high. We give the body what it needs, but we also understand perfect is more of an idea than a reality. Sometimes you just have to lace up the shoes and go. Just like sometimes you have to wake up even though you're tired.

Walk into the room even though you're nervous. Make the change even though you're fearful. Cut ties even though you're sad or disappointed. There is no 100% that is going to come down and save you. Life will always provide the necessary ingredients. decline to grow and achieve. It does, though, leave it up to you to decide how bad you want it.

So what's the plan? To wait until you're 100%, until everything is perfect and you're living the problem-free life you dreamt of? Or is this a find-a-way now type thing? An acknowledgement that we aren't given perfection, but we are given enough to move forward anyway, an understanding that while most view discomfort as an end, greatness means seeing it as an

invitation, an unavoidable cost to move into the realm of accomplishment. So while the rest of the world waits for their 100%, I dare you to conquer your adversaries while at 80. I challenge you to surprise yourself while at 70, to disrupt the status quo while you. While at 65, there is no waiting here. There is no serenity in growth. And how could there be? Growth is a restructuring of comfort, tearing down to build again. Yeah, I used to think it was 100%.

But now I know waiting for that 100 just becomes hope and stagnation. No, we cross finish lines and reach mountain tops while manufacturing momentum and creating creating possibility. Yeah, anyone can succeed at 100%, but seldom do we get there. Seldom do we see that? So that leaves us with this simple question. What will you do where you are with what you have? What will you do now? I wouldn't make excuses for you. I wouldn't look you in the eye and tell you everything is great. When an actual the wheels are falling off the wagon. No, I'd point to the insufficiencies

and remind you that you're capable of chipping away at them. I think that pragmatism can save someone's life. But guess what? Being human is knowing there are things you don't know. Realizing that growth is picking up little understandings along the way and bringing them with you into the future. allowing them into the evolution that is you. And part of my personal evolution was coming face to face with the fact that

looking forward isn't all of it. It's part of it. Yeah, we need to be better, of course. Yeah, we can always squeeze more value out of the time allotted to us. 100%. This forward progression, as far as I'm concerned, is intertwined in human fulfillment. But we are in this moment the manifestation of the obstacles we've already overcome. We are the times we wanted to stop and didn't.

We are the losses we bounce back from and the adversity we forged into opportunity. We're the endings that we melted down into beautiful beginnings. We are the mistakes, the obstacles, the little encounters with hell that didn't define us, but instead changed us. And that matters. So quick story time. For about five years after I graduated college, some of my friends and I have this fantasy baseball league we'd used to stay in touch, right?

And I think even they would begrudgingly admit that I was oddly good at it. I won like three or four out of the five years or something like that. And you know what my strategy was? It was simple. I picked players based on who they were over the course of their career. Not based on how they performed last year, which is a trap people seem to fall into. Right? So a guy that hits 30 home runs six years in a row, and then last year suddenly only hits seven,

it's not out of the question to think he'll hit 30 again. Revert back to the mean name. to his average, his track record. That to me is more meaningful than some recent struggle, and I took that bet every time. Now, as you can imagine, the point I'm making here has nothing to do with baseball. It has everything to do with life in general.

So much of the time, we completely focus on the current insufficiencies. The bad things happening now, the misfortunes in our lives, we're striking out, and our brain goes into panic mode. It says gap, gap, gap, how do we fill it? And again, yes, that's important. And our plan for resurgence is necessary, but we can't forget who we are and what we've done. We can't overlook our track record. As the saying goes, you've survived 100% of the bad days. You've lived through countless struggles. You've climbed out of many catastrophes, at least I have.

And it seems as though it's when we need that reassurance most that we are most inclined to forget. It's when we, more than any other time, need to prove to ourselves that we are unconquerable, that we question our ability to persevere. I'd never say to you the road ahead will be easy. I'm not saying it won't suck at times. I'm not saying it won't take all of you. I'm merely saying that you are equipped to emerge victorious, to handle not some of it, but all of it.

I'm saying that the person in the mirror is stronger than you can even imagine. But understand you're not operating on blind faith here. You're not hoping for some miracle. You're operating on your own record of success. What you do is find a way. What you do is when you don't believe me, look over your shoulder. Take a trip down memory lane. Glance back at all the mountains you've already climbed.

And life, it won't be smooth sailing all the time. You'll have your slumps and your adversity, no question. But they're not you. They are what you were made to navigate. Everything has brought you to this point. And it's great to focus on this point, but don't lose the everything. Sometimes it's not about who you will be someday. Sometimes it's about what you've already become.

It's about who you are now. Life is built by quiet believers. Those who see what is not and transform. form all that is. Who poke holes in truth and embrace the absurd. The ones who dream while awake and cherish every. See, for the quiet believers, it's not about talking. There's nothing to really talk about.

Words are just noise. It's footsteps that inspire. It is the journey that tells the story. And what quiet believers understand is the subtle line that separates truth and perception. They get that dancing to a beat means sometimes you dance alone. And as Nietzsche points out, sometimes they're even thought to be crazy by those who can't hear the music. music. In this life, no one comes up, places a hand on your shoulder and pronounces that your

future is great. No one looks you in the eyes and says they can see the life you'll build, money you'll make or shape you'll be in. No, that doesn't happen until the next life. The one you've yet to create. So patience. Patience, quiet, believe. the abstract is just as real as the hand in front of your face. Just with a little more road to travel. The sun is as real at night as it is when it rises. Things are simply not always what they see. The impossible, the unimaginable,

their stories, stories that need to be transcribed from one's mind to the paper in front of them. They need a delivery mechanism and quiet believers. They quietly scream with a megaphone so loud the world can't help but listen because ready or not it will be shaped and reshaped again. Every moment is a new beginning. They are the wizards that flew around in a young author's head before she courageously shared the magic. The feeling of that game-winning shot,

making its way through the basket after school in a North Carolina driveway. An entrepreneur starting a bookstore in his garage, but seeing not books, but accessibility, time a better way. See, the truth about life is some created and some merely react to it. And while you, you hold the pen. So dream away, quiet believer.

Because you have a world to construct. Mountains to climb. Oceans to cross and stories to tell. Quiet believer, today is yours. And those changes they'll propel you. The naysayers will inspire you, the stars they will guide you. Shining bright is a reminder that you are made of the very elements lighting your path. You are an architect.

Not talking or explaining or promising, but simply showing, leading, earning respect from yourself, attention from the masses and a place in history. Because, quiet believer, looking back, if you found the courage to change even one thing, thing every sack will have been worth the fight what goes into your decision making particularly the big decisions the important ones i heard a quote that moved me from jeff bezos it was a video on twitter and he said my best decisions in business and in life have been made with heart intuition and guts, but not analysis.

He continues, when you can make a decision with analysis, you should do so, but it turns out that in life your most important decisions are always made with instinct, intuition, and taste. And that connected some dots for me. Because I think the big decisions, the life-altering decisions, where we are pointing this ship, should be made via intuition. Data can't tell you which direction is most important to you. And even if it could, if your heart's not in it, if it's not aligned with who you are and where you feel you need to be,

it wouldn't really matter anyway. The most important decisions we make, even right out of the gate, there's this feeling of it's aligned or it isn't. We know right away. We feel it right away. Someone once said to me, if you can't decide if something's good or not, fill the coin. Because you'll know while that coin is in the air, what side you want it to land on. And we do. We know. And so after deciding, after letting intuition guide us, then and only then, in my humble opinion, of course, do we calculate the how? That's the analysis part. Once we've committed and our hearts are aligned, Yeah, you use the data all around you, the evidence collected along the way to map an efficient path.

I think people tend to put the heart in the brain against each other as though the rivals. I know I certainly have, but I think they need to coexist together. Think about it. If you select your North Star based on analysis, you'll probably lack the drive to get there. And conversely once decided, if you map the course based solely on heart or feel, you'll be operating blind. Limiting your ability to make accurate adjustments based on real-life circumstances. You need both. I'm making some pretty substantial changes here in my life.

I'm moving again, this time to Arizona, starting up some new ventures, placing myself in a few situations that weren't even on the radar six months. I can't explain my rationale using mathematical models. I just know deep in my soul that it's where I need to be. It feels right. It's calling me. The same way 10 years ago, writing speeches in a small Boston apartment for no revenue at the time couldn't be explained. Can't show your work on a decision like that, right?

It's just something that feels good. And, you know, once you jump in, then yeah, you start relaxing. lying on the brain, the analysis to grow and improve and evolve. But I do believe if we made the big decisions based only on the things we could prove or the things we are sure of, the biggest and most important leaps would never have been made. Risks wouldn't be taken. I mean, you don't take risks because you run the numbers and the odds work. You take risks because life is when you break it down, remove the nuance and details about

the journey. It's about the ride. And so you jump. You commit to a path. And maybe you realize it's not the path for you. Let's say things don't work out. Well, now you are gifted that wisdom. Understanding.

You previously never had. And you can take that all with you onto the next venture. How do you put a price on that? How do you quantify lessons of that magnitude? What data tells you how important that courage was. We all know the answer. Now, of course, again, data has a story to tell and numbers don't lie, but they also never tell the whole story.

They can't paint the picture in its entirety. Which is why I'd scream from the mountaintops. If it means something to you, it's worth exploration. If it matters, try. If it lights up your curiosity, give it attention. Maybe it doesn't work the way you thought or hoped, but it will lead you to the next thing. And then the next, and the next, it will provide the type of value that simply can't be quantified or even understood in the moment. The story of your life must be written by you.

It must align with the person looking back at you. you in the mirror. That's the litmus test. That's the benchmark. So trust yourself and your intuition to write 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. 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, 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, it's simple. Most of the world quits when things get challenging. If you don't, if you have the courage to 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, 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,

find solace in that fact that that will be more than enough to get you to dawn. Pressure, as in those burdens we sometimes feel as we navigate life. It's complex. It's powerful, but like all powerful things, also delicate. That same pressure that creates diamonds and create diamonds it does. Well, it can also remind you that in the meantime, you are beneath the surface, buried away amidst that process of creation. In other words, pressure is a beautiful driver because it is, in many ways, a standard of excellence, of more. It pushes us towards a life of abundance like wind at our backs.

But see, two things can be true at once. And it's impossible to look at the word more without acknowledging that in order for more to exist, something must be lacking in the present. And there lies the challenge. Pressure gone too far becomes a feeling of inadequacy. The same driver to explore the depths of one's potential can also, if mismanaged, take them to the spiral of never enough. See, you are a brilliant human being with natural strengths and talents, and while certainly imperfect,

we all have something to offer the world. This floating rock is a better place because you're on it. And as we go about figuring out what it all means and how to bring it to life, we have to also understand the nuance. We want to get better every day, not because we lack value in the present, but because the journey is a remarkable adventure. Progress is happiness.

Humans love and need progress. Growth and expansion and exploration inject meaning into life. They help us manufacture peak moments. And it's taken me a long time to understand that distinction. I want to be more, not because I'm inadequate in the present,

but because against all odds I'm here and what a gift to be able to push that pedal to the floor, to squeeze from life as much beauty as I possibly can. The pressure doesn't say, because without it, you're less. It says, oh, but what a ride awaits if you're willing to step up and seek it out. I used to get so annoyed when I'd see stories or memes on social media that are anything along the lines of, you're special just the way you are.

It felt tacky, it's lacking substance. And sometimes to be honest, it just felt like a lie. But my thoughts on that have changed. I don't think it's a lie. It's just an extreme in one direction. Just like never being good enough as an extreme in the other. Look, you're not perfect just the way you are. We're all flawed, and we all have room for opportunity.

But you're also not void of value until you reach point X, Y, or Z. Right, if we're going to grow, we need to understand why we're growing. My favorite thing about this platform, you know, over the years has been trying to identify the obstacles in my life. Understand them to the best of my ability and then share that. Hoping maybe there's a piece or two there that's relatable that you can take value from. But this topic in particular, I've never really felt like I've solved or been able to grasp. This constant weight or pressure, I'd consistently feel to do more. And I know others feel it as well.

I talk to them about it consistently. It can be almost suffocating. I do attribute a lot of good to it, right? It helps me get back up. It makes me want to be better. Find new ways to share, add value to as many people as I can. When I have my down times, that pressure says, hey man, you're made for more.

Lift your head up and go. I wouldn't be where I am without it. But then there's also the ugly side, right? Like I mentioned above, the cost of ambition is sometimes the inability to be in the moment. Always reaching for more is the younger brother of never being enough. It can be exhausting.

And so what to do, what to do, right? The question that I've been playing in my head. And here's where I am in the present. I think this is an ever-evolving process. But as I mentioned above, I believe the answer is in why. The why is everything. There are no have-toes in life. Life is a collection of get-toes.

We're not dipping into life's infinite abundance so that we fill holes within ourselves. No, we're doing it to take in the show, to absorb so that we can consequently add our verse to the play of life. As the saying goes, the ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. And that's where the distinction lies, as far as I'm concerned. Where the ship is in the moment doesn't make it more or less beautiful or valuable, but to deprive that ship of open water, to deprive its same.

sails of the wind, well, it just feels like a shame, like something's missing. And so with all that said, here's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking that as I move towards those distant horizons, I need to remember that the journey comes with a few understandings. I need to know that at times it will feel exhausting. I need to know that while building, you can become so fixated on the plans that sure you'll forget about your progress. I need to know how easily the future can steal from the present. But also, I know that taking in the best life has to offer comes with the price tag and being tired from time to time seems fair. I know that the builder with the plans can ground him or herself by looking over their shoulder every so often and appreciating how

far they've come. I know that the future is always out of reach, like that carrot hanging just beyond the grasp of the runner on the treadmill. But the gratification can be both delayed and current when we're pointed to the right North Star. So I invite you to reimagine the word pressure. Understanding the notion that you've already won the lottery. You're here on earth against all odds with your strength and the greatness that makes you, you. Venturing deeper into life's potential, asking more of the world and from yourself is not to compensate for anything. It's not an obligation. It's not even required of you. No, it's an extension of the human.

soul, the best of life, the magic all around us, an invitation to live fully. That pressure like water through a channel will flow in the direction you lead it. It's nothing more than your vehicle to distant shores. Your process for crafting diamonds with the adversity most would refuse. That pressure doesn't always indicate where it's taking you or even guarantee that its destination will be preferable to where you are now. But it does promise quite the ride. And that, for me, is enough. The first step towards creating the life you want is taking responsibility for the life you have.

What does this mean? Well, it's easy to accept the good things. The things you're proud of. It's easy to move forward under the banner of victory. But what about the things that may not be under your control? The things that happened unjustly. Or what about the things you did in your past that you're not proud of? See, if you're going to own the good, you have to own the bad, too.

because you can't change anything. You can't alter the reality on the ground until you own it. You can't make something better that you have not acknowledged and claimed to be yours. See, our inclination when we feel like we've been wronged by life, is to shake our fists at the sky, innately aware of the cosmic injustice that has occurred. And I get it, we want to point out that injustice, label it as an adversary, maybe even an excuse. It feels good in the short term.

But ultimately, it's depriving you of your strength, the ultimate advantage, which is substituting the word fault for responsibility. When you're fixated on the word fault, the emphasis is placed on finding the blame. It's replaying yesterday's movie. Responsibility, on the other hand, says regardless of how or why this came to fruition, it's mine to fix. Maybe it was brought forth by your doing, maybe it wasn't, but you'll learn and adjust in the present. That attitude will place you in position to succeed in ways most couldn't even dream of. When others project out, it leaves you to find the solution. Where others assert blame, it pushes you to begin the process of building again.

See, there's nothing so detrimental as one who, feeling slighted by life, doesn't start where they are to make the most of what they have. Feeling so angry and disparaged by the path that brought them to the present moment, that they forget it's not the same path that will lead them forward from here. This moment is yours. And there's a lot packed into that statement. It means looking in the mirror, accepting the face staring back in you, letting go of what you cannot control, forgiving yourself and the world around you for what may or may not have happened yesterday. Look, you're here now. With all the opportunity in the world, everything in front of you, the question is, will you take it?

Will you leave fault behind so that you can accept responsibility for the greatest gift one can be given? The chance to begin again. Don't stay down in the ashes. Use the pieces to build new things. Don't dwell on what hurts. Use the lessons to chart a course to happier days. Don't fixate on what's missing. There's an endless supply of what's not there.

Instead, rejoice over and capitalize on what remains. Don't take misfortune personally. Remember that life is neutral. It's you who has to decide whether to shrink in its shadow or grow because of it. Don't compare yourself to people around you. We only see highlight reels. We only see the best of our neighbors, but they have their demons, their problems, their struggles too. Instead, compare yourself to who you were yesterday.

That's the only worthwhile benchmark. Don't exhaust time wishing you had someone else's gifts or natural abilities. Sure, they have theirs, but you have yours too. Explore and go all in on your unique superpowers, because that's exactly what they are should you choose to bring them to life. Don't let the gravity of the moment keep you down. You might feel lost or defeated. But it's not always about feeling good. Sometimes it's whether or not we can move forward when we don't.

So step into that unknown, knowing sure you might not be at your best, but that lives are often defined during our imperfect moments. Don't waste energy on hope. The future is a construct, an idea that you have no control over, and that will make you its slave if you allow it to. See the value of right now. Right now, you have the power to change. Adapt, evolve, to make things happen right now is all you'll ever have to control. Build, tear down, retreat, advance, follow, or lead, everything is a choice. Life provides the components to go up or down, left, or right.

It's a perpetual fork in the road. Endless opportunities. But you are the architect. You decide what they become.