Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - TIME TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE || Positive Morning Motivation || Best Motivational Speeches

Episode Date: August 12, 2022

"It is never too late to be what you might have been." - George Eliot

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There's comfort in the understanding that all we have in life, all there is, is simplicity. easy to understand pieces. It's just that sometimes we stack them so high that they start to take a new shape. But like Greg McKeown references in his book Essentialism, the power isn't always in acquiring answers. You already have them.

They're in front of you. The power is in cutting away the things that don't need, removing all that stands between you and your ideal existence. And I think that's one of life's great misunderstandings. We don't need to find more. We need to remove the excess until we're face to face with what matters. And to adopt this principle, it's nothing short of liberating. Chaos, confusion, disorder, they don't imply that you lack the right things.

They suggest you haven't stripped life of the wrong things. You have not simplified. A thousand miles is intimidating when you look at it holistically. It's a long journey. But it's just a collection of steps, and well, shouldn't we find solace in the fact that anyone can take one step? It's not a game of complexity. It's a game of understanding what's in front of you. What's in front of you is...

always manageable. So much of our stress stems from forgetting what that journey is made of. Whether it's a change in career, mastery of an art, some kind of personal transformation, the result we want. When looking at it from the starting line, it's too complex to understand too many pieces stacked up. So let's break it down. Let's find the foundation. What's really that? What are the one, two, three things we need to do? What is that golden question? What matters? If you lose sight of that, then you will stumble through life.

I've learned this. I've lived it. The time I take to myself every day is invaluable to me because I ask myself those two questions. What matters and what are the simple steps I need to take? What can I remove? I was talking about this during an interview this week. My personal growth. And one of the most important aspects has been the understanding

and the zeroing in on what's important. I used to take so much pride in composing the background music to these speeches. End to end. I used to love to be able to say I did it all. That was so I thought the great differentiator. But ultimately, I learned to take a step back and ask what matters here.

What do you care about? It's the storytelling that I love. It's the impact. And let's be real. No one cares who wrote the background music. It's holistically, how does the piece make you feel? And this understanding allowed me to cut away. License the music. Save two days a week, acquire clarity. And realize my goal is not to be Mozart. My journey is to be one of the great communicators, storytellers of our time. And if a day goes by where I'm not taking a little step towards that, it's the wrong move.

Small example in the grand scheme of things, but right on point. It's the power in understanding what matters that makes a difference that allows you to grow, evolve. And I'm confident that this not only applies to long-term pursuits, but also our challenging times, the dark moments, the periods of uncertainty. and discontent. Same concept. Where do you want to be? And how do you get there? What's the simple thing you can do to close that gap?

Because you are never helpless. You can always do something. And my friends, those little somethings ultimately evolve into everything. And when we put our phone away, step beyond the noise, spend time with ourselves, we can see how much of life is running in place. Stacking and stacking pieces that aren't even part of the masterpiece we're trying to assemble. If you want answers, start with the understanding that they're buried under mountains of things you don't need.

So cut away. Cut away the people and places and things that convolut your story. Cut away the exhaustion of time that provides no value in return. Cut away the thoughts that make life more complex than your journey from where you are to where you'd like to be. As you stand right now, you have everything you need, and there's nothing greater than that, nothing more powerful than that understanding. So why not step outside the ground? complexity that you've manufactured that you're living in into a world of clarity, simplicity, and capture what matters. If you have built your castles in the air, your work need not be

lost. That is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. A foundation is not made in a day. It's not flimsy or weak. It's what holds everything together, and without it, you have useless pieces. Thore mentions a castle in the air, a goal. The answer resting above us, hovering over everything and everyone. But until we put life into it, that castle remains four walls and empty space. It stays part of an imaginary world. See, most people never get there because they don't understand.

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

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

All those things you want can be realized, every one of them. But the road to excellence means nothing if you don't believe you're worthy of it. You are. Start building. You will be blown away by where this life can take you where you can end up. Your goals take shape the minute they enter your brain. Never has there been such a powerful tool

as the human mind. The same entity that can build a bridge to anything in the world can shackle you down. Listen, that visualization, that dream is there. It's there and it's very real. Not to keep you out, but to invite you in. And you will see that the only true fiction in your life is the narrative you use that holds you back. You want that castle in the air? Get it.

Stop dreaming about it, wishing for it, and make it... level of your life will demand a different version of you. Why? Because life is about reaching outside of your comfort zone, acclimating until you are comfortable and then repeating the process. Every time you leave the familiar you are granted a new set of armor. As Jim Rhone said, if you want to have more, you have to become more. For things to change, you have to change. For things to get better, you have to have to become better if you improve everything will improve for you and every time we expand ourselves we are forced to change in some way evolve so many of us fall into the trap of waiting for the

perfect moment to jump there is no perfect moment how could there be there's no perfect time to step out into a world you're not prepared for but that's life we jump and we grow wings on the way down, we step into the chaos and acclimate. By walking into the dark, we are forced to become the light. This makes staying where you are the most dangerous thing you can do. Let's use our imagination for a second. Let's say you reach for the next thing. You stretch yourself. Move towards something you really want and you fall short. Okay? Time to breathe. Reassess, step back for a second, and re-approach, a little better this time, a little wiser this time. As long as one remains engaged in this cycle, growth is inevitable.

But now, let's say you never step in. Let's pretend the idea of moving into the unknown is too much, and you'd rather stay with the familiar pain-free, you think to yourself. But you would, in fact, be wrong. See, that discomfort, one step up, it would force you to evolve. to see yourself as someone who steps into hostile territory and survives. And maybe it's not pretty. Maybe it's not perfect, but you attack and you survive.

And sure, the difference between where you are now and only one step up isn't much. But what about that second step or evolution? Because you'd miss out on that too. And the third and the fourth and the compounding that would completely redefine who you are. From your self-identity to your skill set, from the mental to the physical, you put the whole chain reaction on hold because why? You didn't want to take one step. You didn't want to be uncomfortable in the short term. But discomfort is not a punishment.

It is a ticket to everything you could ever imagine. So when the crowd runs out, I challenge you to run in. And when the world goes left, I dare you to go right. Not because the masses are evil, but because human beings are wired to take the path of least resistance. But you, no, not you. You're here to rise above the mental constraints that hold so many down. Because there is always another level. When you feel good, there is another level, and when you don't, there is another level.

level and see our world has been defined not by the best or the brightest but the ones willing to throw themselves into foreign arenas and compete to see adversity as the answer not the problem you want to change your world then change yourself you want to change yourself then go where you are scared to go where your heart beats and your hands sweats Turn and face the direction you know you should have been facing. This is about you. This is about what you can become by simply saying yes, when most would say no. Today is yours.

Not because it was given to you, but because you looked through the haze and you decided it's so. It's not about what happens to you. No one escapes adversity. No one lives free of discomfort or misfortune or struggle. No, it will always be about what you do with what happens to you. In other words, it's not the event, it's the response. Not the obstacle, but the ability to navigate around it. not the wave, but the ability to ride its momentum to something greater.

It is not what happens to you. It is what you do about what happens. The famous Roman emperor and stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius said, you have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find. strength. And I think this realization comes down to the fact that there is always a way, buried underneath it all, something powerful to leverage. But getting to the value calls for a rewiring. A change in the questions that we ask. Not how could this happen to me, but how

can I be better tomorrow than I am now because of what happened to me. Not can I still be that person or accomplish what I set out to. But I am that person. Now how will I adjust my path so that I get there? We're operating within a world of value, limitless opportunity. The difficulty simply pushes us to that value faster, expedites the process. It forces us to open our eyes and see that the world works for us. So you take, for example, the fear of starting something new. That fear, it doesn't have to be an end point or a red light indicator. Fear doesn't mean you're not qualified or prepared or equipped.

It simply lets you know that you have finally acquired the courage to step out of the safety of the only world you knew and into the turbulence of growth. On to the path of something better. And where it's easy to move away from that feeling. To turn your back on the chaos and retreat to something simpler. Maybe something more predictable or contained. What if you viewed the fear? the price that we all have to pay to pull the curtain back on the best things life has to offer.

Changing the question from will I be afraid to instead this is important. This is meaningful. Therefore, it's inevitable that I will experience fear. But what will I do about it? How will I conduct myself amidst the fear? Will I continue forward? Those are the questions that contain the value. Right?

I can't keep the water from rising or the walls from caving in. No, that's an inevitability where I'm going. The worthwhile road always has its adversity. But will I use that water to learn to swim? The walls to climb, to adapt and scale, what will I make of this? That's the question that becomes the difference. And sure, you could stay away.

You could choose not to take the path that presents the danger and the turbulence. You could attempt to contain the world around you by simply refusing to experience it. But then, of course, you become presented with the question, why intentionally refuse to cash in a winning lottery ticket? Why diminish your gift in such a way? If it's not what you look at, it's what you see. Why see the world as an adversary? Why see yourself as less than you are?

The saying goes, when you fight for your limitations, you get to keep them. You'll never exceed the person you've decided yourself to be. And yes, the world can feel intimidating. It's unknown. in many ways can't control the characteristics that make life what it is, but you can always control you. Just like you can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails. You can't control the tides, but you can predict and plan and execute accordingly.

You control you, and that is where the power is. And of course there's going to be times where that's hard to see. when it's not your first instinct to find the value. Take, for an example, a change, a loss, the end of a relationship, the point where people tend to feel their lowest. It hurts to have something and lose it. To have what you were once so sure about challenged, what you once believed in called into question.

But this doesn't have to be a referendum on you, human being right sure you made your mistakes but you have the opportunity to dwell on them or to acknowledge them and ask the question I know what I know now how can I be better than I've ever been in my life how can I position myself to get more of the good and less of the bad same idea different context when those walls feel like they're crumbling down you have to know there is more on the other side, just beyond what the eye can see. And this isn't just an idea I play around with in my head. I make a concentrated effort to think this every time something

goes wrong. When my first reaction is emotional, my first emotion is anger or frustration. It's like take a breath, compose yourself, and start looking for the value. Because here's the truth, the world is not going to end today. There's going to be a time. Down the road when I look over my shoulder and right now is a distant memory. What will I have done with it? And it's the times that might have broken you that contain the greatest transformation. I like to say the greatest tragedies or the hardest times made me who I am today. The losses taught me that I had everything I needed.

The failures showed me what I'm capable of enduring. The times I was let down taught me to depersonalize the shortcomings of others, but to simultaneously hedge against them. The times I was lost showed me we only discover or meet our potential when we leave the little day-to-day realities that we create. Why? Because we are in control. Not of the external, but the internal, and that ends up being a bridge. to a reality that means something. So when you find yourself at the base of a mountain looking up,

understand that there are two ways to perceive the climb. You can see it as the gravity pushing down on you as Earth standing in your way, or as an opportunity to ascend to a version of yourself that previously not only didn't exist but wasn't available. this is your opportunity the same opportunity that the vast majority of the world

would disregard or misinterpret that most would feel fear of and be dissuaded by most would live in the stories about who they aren't and what they aren't capable of but not you you didn't place that mountain before you

but you sure can't extract the value from it. All you have to do is decide that you're capable and that the meaning and the value and the freedom of tomorrow means more than the discomfort of today. If you allow that for yourself, you will become truly unstoppable. Not because the path simplified or got easier, but because the traveler trusted himself to walk down it. Dear younger me, there's a lot that you don't know. A lot, you're pretty sure you understand, but couldn't possibly wrap your hands around. Because the most important things in life, the things that you'll remember,

they're the very things that seem like footnotes in your story. Background noise, hidden in plain view. So Younger Me, hear me out, because time. Time goes by quickly. And we only get one opportunity to do this dance, one chance to do this thing right. Younger me, when you wake up, be thankful for the shoes on your feet,

the house you live in, the life you lead. Because if all you do is focus on what you don't have or the next milestone, happiness becomes a mirage. Younger me, the world as you know it isn't something that was destined to be. It's here because people know smarter than you have the courage to build it. Never be scared to challenge what is. This place will be better because of it. And younger me, it will always be easier to play it safe, to stay comfortable.

But I want you to understand something. That's not where you'll find the good stuff. If you don't take chances, you'll spend your time wondering what could have been. Younger me, believe in your greatness. This world can be a tough place. And if you don't believe in yourself, no one will do it for you. No one will hand you the sky. Earn excellence every day.

It's there, I promise. Younger me, don't get distracted by the small stuff, the little things that so easily consume our energy and emotions. don't lose sight of who you are and what means the most to you. Everything else washes away. Younger me, you didn't have all the answers, but somehow you were exactly what I needed you to be. You created a map. You showed that change can't happen

until one falls victim to life's imperfections. That risks aren't taken until you've experienced regret, that confidence isn't acquired if you don't learn to play the student and most importantly, if you don't allow yourself to get lost, you will never discover who you truly are. 20 years from now, when we meet again, younger me,

I know you'll do the same. I know you'll have given me everything I needed nothing more and nothing less. Because time time goes by quickly. And we only get one opportunity to do this dance, one chance to make this right. And I promise you, younger me, that it won't be wasted.

I'm going to share something that over the years I've come to know to be true. And that's that generally the answers that we look for tend to fall between the extremes. So for example, you have two people. One person is adamant that option A is right. It's a no-brainer. That'll take you to the promised land. But on the other side, the other person saying, no, it's option B, and it's not even close. Option B is the way to go.

And well, generally speaking, the answer we're looking for falls somewhere right in the middle. That's where the winning formula lives. Not always, but most of the time. The other stuff, the detail, the A's, B's, and C's, the stuff that gets the flash that we spend most of our time talking about, it's unnecessary noise and nuance. To win is to trust your instinct, it's being comfortable with your authenticity as the foundation. And then once you have that, you can choose to sprinkle the other stuff on top as flavoring.

But I want to talk about this idea because I've fallen into the trap, and I think others due to, of looking for answers in the wrong places, of trying so hard to replicate success to meet other people's guidelines, we're so busy asking what the other people want to hear that we're not asking ourselves, hey, what do I want to say? And in the process, we lose what's most valuable. We end up rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Imagine if Malcolm Gladwell only wrote about what was trending on Twitter. Or what was popular? It's like, no, he writes about what he's interested in. That's why he's so fun to read. His curiosity and passion always comes through. Or if J.K. Rowling spent her time researching,

what works? What sells books? What do I need to buy? What's been done before me? Before she created Harry Potter? We probably wouldn't have it. Her brilliant imagination wouldn't have been shared with the world because, let's be real, wizards in boarding school weren't exactly on everyone's radar. There was no roadmap to that. Or I think of Jordan Peterson's lectures. Imagine if he crafted his message around YouTube or Instagram algorithms. We'll lose all its power and meaning. He's authentic. He's raw. He's real. That's why we watch him. But the reality is every day, we're told in tailor-made strategically located advertisements that, hey, John Smith achieved success, happiness and fame with this product or this service. And without that, you can't get what you

on. Or we turn on our phones, we go on social media and it's hearts and likes and double taps and we're not saying what we want to say. We're reverse engineering how to get that validation. For those with brands or those in the marketing space, I mean, you know it's always about trying to understand this mysterious algorithm where your posts will be buried. What we're being asked to do overall every day is manipulate ourselves to meet the demands of the platform or of the external criteria. I'm not saying it's morally wrong. There's no atrocity being committed.

Part of life is adapting. But what I am suggesting is there's a danger that we're not aware of. Amidst all this chaos and confusion and manipulation, we tend to lose ourselves. And when we lose ourselves, it doesn't happen all at once. It's gradual. It happens little by little, one concession at a time.

we don't snap our fingers and disappear, we slowly slip away, not by what we do, by what we don't do in order to fit in. Do you know how everything in our solar system orbits around the sun? Well, what if you thought of that sun is who you are, right? When you're with your friends or family, when you're writing, saying, thinking what matters to you. Without social media, without brands and marketing and societal pressure, just simply who you are, That should always be the nucleus of your world.

Your north star. That should be the measuring stick to whether you're on the right track. Not the externalities that ask you to change your key so that it fits their lock. What have you re-engineered the way we look at things? What if we built a world where people expand upon who they are and what they care about? Where we have the courage to say no to the latest trend or item or advice, because it's just not who you are. What if you were that confident?

And then, if we think some of those externalities will help us, then sure, sprinkle them on top. But they rotate around you. You don't rotate around them. That's the difference. To be content, you have to be the center of your own universe. Living by your guidelines. So instead of looking around and trying to decide your strengths,

you know, based on what we're going to be the center of your own universe, you know, based on what will be accepted or promoted or what's been done before. Do yourself a favor. Take a deep breath. Step back and just simplify. You know what matters. And that's enough. You don't need the world to tell you that.

So while the masses fight over solution A or solution B, maybe you'll understand that both of those solutions solve the wrong problem. And while the masses argue, you know, which cargoes zero to 60, the fastest scream about the features debate, which brand is the most reputable, hey, you'll at least know why you're driving, which is more than most of the world can say. You'll know where your car is headed before you upgrade to that sunroof and those top-of-the-line speakers. Human beings don't see we interpret. We don't take in what happens.

We take in the implication of what happens. Everything in our world is story. It's similar to the idea of two ideologically different news organizations, reporting on the same event. Neither will be completely factual. They'll both uphold their individual narratives. They're not black and white. They're interpreting gray space.

And our individual lives are no different. We are our own broadcasting channels. Using data to support our individual narratives, See, we know what the story's going to say before the story occurs because we will make it so. We'll make life fit our beliefs. That's what it means to be human. So here's where the value lives in the context of this message when we find ourselves in a consistent state of despair or frustration or anxiety. It's a fool's errand to look for solutions in the external world.

Because everything we find, everything we come across, will support our current beliefs, our current story. That's what we'll keep playing in our heads, and it's why money can't bring fulfillment, and another person can't take you from incomplete to content. It's why status will never equate to happiness. Those acquisitions are like putting premium fuel in a car with a broken engine.

It's just not the answer that we hoped it would be. To change your world, you must change your story. Whatever it is that needs to be changed. The location, the objective, the characters, maybe the journey altogether, but it's the neural network behind your eyes that must change, not the detail it takes in. And so if you feel stuck or feel like

where you want to be seems unrealistic. You have to know right now that the very fact you think that way is the problem. So ask yourself, not your girlfriend or your boss or your neighbor, but ask yourself

what a turnaround looks like. Do you know? Or have you acclimated to being unhappy? Have you even asked yourself what happiness looks like? Or is your personal broadcasting channel so hell-bent on ensuring your life outlook stays the way it is that it's not even paying attention to the data it takes in? See, I believe wholeheartedly that the first step in any facet of transformation is remembering that you have control that things in your life that bring you down or hold you back can be changed. In fact, the very things working against you can work for you.

But you have to be aware. You have to think about it. Now, I'm not a believer in magic, right? I don't think you sit back, say, I don't want to be unhappy ever again, snap your fingers and smile until the end of eternity. But I do believe that once we're aware of our manufactured shackles and our self-imposed limitation, we can start chipping away, doing the one, two, or three small things every day,

tiny swings at the tree until it falls. Right? if it's, I'm not happy with my work life. Well, what does a better situation look like? What bridges that gap? I'll wake up 20 minutes earlier on weekdays and master Microsoft Excel. I'll send one message on LinkedIn asking an expert about the field I want to move into. I'll read 20 pages a day in a book related to business.

You think those things are small? See what they look like compounded in a year. Not only that. This is the most important part. You are taking the power back. You're taking control. And that's what feels good. That's where we get our identity.

You get a little disappointed at how you've let your physique slip when you look in the mirror. Don't be sad about it every day. Again, ask yourself what the inverse looks like and start doing small things. Subtract one sports drink and add one green smoothie. Double your water intake. Do a 10-minute daily workout on YouTube. The pieces are out there. And to find yourself again is to realize that they're out there.

Realize that you're playing a movie on loop in your head that isn't right. It's just not you. And well, what movie do you want to be playing in an ideal world? Scroll through the library, find it, click play, and start doing the small things that make it real. There's so much power in progress. I've seen this unfold in different areas of my life, but particularly as a writer, as a speaker,

it's like you identify who you want to be. You start making tiny steps, and after a while, you're surrounded by the change that you've created. How can you not believe something that you're starting to live, it has to become your identity, because it is you, it's around you. You breathe it.

So look around and realize the malleability of your situation. And if what you find is not you, good. Here is your opportunity to tear down the old and construct the new. You can do that because you have control. because it's within your grasp. So start the new movie, the new story, make yourself the hero, and set out to find yourself again.

Every single dream, vision, or idea in your life starts with a simple understanding. That it's obtainable. That you can make it real. That's the beginning of everything. Self-belief is the gatekeeper that stands between current and future. See, if you think of reality as these city walls you're living in, it's not crazy to think that there are going to be people that only know that existence within the walls, right?

That's what they see. That's what most believe. It's how they live. It is only self-belief, a confidence. in something greater outside those walls that opens the gate, that expands your reality. And if you don't believe anything good exists on the other side, why begin?

If you don't think you're capable of getting there, why start? And this formula is simple, right? Let's not overthink it. We only move towards outcomes that we believe to be possible. And that's more important than ability, skill set, strength, I mean, you name it, believing in yourself trumps all that. Because the person with an inferior skill set, maybe an average natural talent, but they believe in something and they move towards it. They give everything for this idea. They know it to be true. It 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 in you? You'll fall. You'll resort back to what you know. You'll flee the

battle for safety, security, and comfort. But when you know your movie ends at the top of the mountain, when you know at the end of the day, you're going to cross a finish line or hold a trophy, your brain internalizes conflict differently, very differently. For someone with self-belief, obstacles don't make you wonder if you should keep going. Because you already know you have to keep going. I mean, come on, you haven't arrived yet. There's still a road to travel. No, in this situation, obstacles simply prompt you to ask how. How can I get through this? And that's a small discrepancy that changes everything.

Because at some point you'll look to your right and you'll look to your left and you'll 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 believe in trust in yourself, you'll succeed. Why? Because you won't stop until you find a way. That's the power of self-belief. It's not quantum physics. It's not complex. You know, at one point, I didn't think I could make a living outside of a cubicle or office building. Then I saw others do it.

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

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

everything you need you have. I promise you, you are equipped to change your life, the lives of everyone around you, and the world in which you exist. So take that back. Feel it and never ask it again. From now on, the question is how. Your fate is not a coin flip, it's a puzzle.

It's about arranging the pieces. And those two eyes looking back at you are more than capable of figuring that out. Ask simply, do you want it? And if yes, open that front door, Take that first step and inject yourself into a journey that will be unlike anything you've ever experienced before. A journey where you have the answers, the aptitude, and now the self-belief. And when you find yourself in the lowest of lows or the darkest of nights,

find solace in that fact that that will be more than enough to get you to dawn. Dunes on a beach. What you see is something giving itself away little by little. Deteriorating. Sure, there will be events that expedite the process, but generally speaking, it's lost a little bit at a time, day by day, right in front of our eyes. Until the time comes when we realize that what we have is no longer,

recognizable. It's sort of redefined. And I think in a lot of ways we find ourselves in a similar situation. The concessions we allow every day slowly redefine who we are. You know, and it doesn't seem like much. That's the thing. It never does. Quietly detaching from what you believe. taking on an identity that doesn't quite align with who you are, doing things, being places that causes something in your gut to protest, toning down the color in your life so that you blend in. These are not epic, monumental decisions. It's the drawn-out erosion of what makes you who you are.

It's the chipping away of what makes you spectacular. See, the idea that now isn't permanent. So I'll just suck it up now. What's the big deal? I'll just settle for now. Let me tell you, if that's your rationale, you're forgetting how easily tomorrow becomes never and now becomes forever.

We operate under an illusion that things will become easier. That change will be less strenuous down the road. We'll make things right, get back on track, be happy then, but the harsh reality is that things don't get easier than they are at the present moment. It's quite the opposite. And to disregard or ignore this is to let yourself wither away at the hands of procrastination. If you're planning to wait for that, get comfortable. And see, conceding day in and day out, it alters your understanding of who you're. are and what you're capable of. Our actions reinforce our beliefs. Imagine a straight line,

a simple straight line drawn on a piece of paper, right? You're in the middle. And on one end is who you are, in your heart, in your soul, and on the other end is everything you're not. Every time you sacrifice your principle, your beliefs, every time you say, that's not me, but fine, that's not where I want to be, but okay, it's only temporary. You take a little step toward what you're not. And another step, and another step. And one day you look in the mirror and you have no clue who's looking back at you. Because you've conceded one small decision at a time.

You've given away your sense of purpose. Sure, the situation is difficult. But the best things in life are the things that are not easy. You have to fight for those things. You have to stand up in the face of struggle, adversity, the narrative that others want to write for you. We stay within guidelines because we think the outside is scary. No, what's inside is scary. What's outside is what you need.

And when you stop banking on the anticipated miracles of tomorrow and manage the reality of today, you succeed. Life's greatest test. Are you brave enough to be you? Are you strong enough to fight back when you're tempted to hide, to blend in? Every time you summon the courage to stay true to yourself, it gets easier. The difficulty lessons, you become free of the mental chains you've placed around your ankles. There are certain things in life worthy of compromise, but your identity, your journey, what makes you feel alive, that is sacred ground, that is worth defending until your last breath. No one can take that because it's yours, and when you look back on your life and the amazing people in it, a life lived fully, will always supersede marching through your days, wearing a mask,

and following someone else's agenda. It's your life. It's your gift. Live it. Let me take a look through my telescope. It shows things as they really are. See that road that leads from the beach to downtown? That's where I walk so that I can clear my head.

That road in its own unique way, symbolic of progress. It makes me feel good. See, most roads they're for coming and going. They're of temporary use, but for me, this road here is a check against my ambition. It reminds me that not all roads need to move or change or transform us, and sometimes the path can be the destination. Ah, that's the sunset. Yeah, that's really something. That's my reminder that life is more than the role we play in the coordinates of our existence.

It reminds me of the infinite. In a way, its magnificence is like watching the godlike characteristics we all possess exploding right in front of our eyes. It's leaving our physical restraints and entering the impossibles, the dance around in our head. It's an invitation for a few minutes to step outside of myself and feel the splendor of my being. Yeah, that is the sunset. Oh, over there, that's a palm tree, but not just a palm tree. It's actually pretty incredible when you think about it. It's like a 20-foot billboard conveying to us the power associated with flexibility,

of bending but not breaking, of adapting to life's mystery and unpredictability, not fighting against the wind, but seeking to understand it. And I could use more understanding in my life, particularly when it's a lot of shakes my foundation, we probably all could. And I could go on and on, but I sense that it wouldn't quite get us where we need to go. Because for you, it's possible that that road, the one I walk down every day, isn't for contemplation. Maybe it represents a hiatus from your journey, from the fast-paced nature of the bustling city,

maybe for you it's an opportunity to let silence speak. And maybe for you, that sunset isn't some metaphysical fireworks display. Maybe it's a reminder of how far you've come. Maybe it's a hand resting on your shoulder, explaining to you that you've come this far and going forward, well, you're going to be just fine. And those palm trees, well, it's quite, possible you don't think about them at all. Maybe it's equivalent to the God knows how many

things I walk by every day without so much as a single thought. It sounds reasonable to me. Perhaps if our telescopes highlight anything, it's the enigma that is the phrase, as they really are. See, tilt your telescope up a little bit. See that over there, yeah, that boat sailing off. What is that? That new, shiny boat. Is that freedom? Is it an opportunity to get away for family time? Maybe it's some sort of finish line after achieving a financial goal, a status symbol. Could it be human advancement? Is it technology? Or perhaps fiberglass and steel. Is it the molecules that bind it all together? The physics that propel it into the distance? Is it particles? Is it electromagnetic waves? Well, I guess it all depends on what you want it to be.

My telescope. And man, do I love this telescope? It's not what I originally thought it was. In fact, none of our telescopes are what we think they are. We've been fooled into thinking their input. But no, they are output. We think the objects tell the story. No, the subjects tell the story.

We think the world is defining. No, our megaphones are explaining. are explaining, this telescope is a messenger from our minds to the world. It shows us things as they really are. But that's just it. As they really are to whom and why and for how long? See, I certainly hope that the way things really are for me changes and continues to change my whole life. I hope that I'll be cognizant of the fact that. that how things really are for you is not how they really are for me and vice versa. Not only is that fine, that's ideal, that's beautiful, but most importantly, I hope to be led

by the brilliance contained in the idea that the telescope does not tell the story I do, and my story, it's a living document, it's ever evolving. So here's to not merely interpreting, but creating all that it unveils. This telescope of mine, depictor of things as they really are.