Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - Use The Pain And Keep Going

Episode Date: July 2, 2025

In the heat of the moment, when everything in you wants to stop, that’s where transformation begins. In this video, I reflect on something my coach says during the most brutal workouts: “This is where you change.” When the body is screaming and the mind is begging for comfort, he’d remind me: “Eddie, I thought you wanted change… this is where it happens.”That message has stuck with me beyond the gym. Because pain isn’t the enemy, it’s the cost of greatness. It’s the toll we pay to become stronger, more resilient, and closer to the person we want to be. Whether it’s a workout, a life challenge, or chasing your dreams, the hard part is the work.Use the pain. And keep going. That’s where you change.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

I was at my lowest, running through the desert. When my friend and trainer noticed the look on my face, my pace slowed a little bit. And he said, Eddie, you said you wanted change. Well, this is where change happens, rise to the occasion. And that may not seem like much. But that moment embedded something very important into my brain. It connected those moments of suffering.

to the outcome I so desperately want. Because as we all know, when you're in it, it's easy to see the occurrence in a vacuum. To disassociate the pain with the result, right? Sometimes you even forget why you're doing it. Why put yourself through something when, I don't know, the rest of the world is at home watching the game or having a beer? And what he did making that statement was put what's important front and center.

It's like, oh, Eddie, you can. have all those things. All of them. But this is the cost, your call. Now that suffering takes on somewhat of a different shape. But it hurts. Well, of course it does. That's why very few people have the thing you want. That's why it's rare. It's why it means something. You know, some things are so simple that we have to step up a level beyond the excuses and the minutia and the detail to understand. Desired result, price tag for that result. Simple.

This came to mind as I was thinking about this. Have you ever tried to open a beer bottle or a glass bottle of Coke and, you know, you use anything using a bottle opener, right? And you're like, man, this is putting up a fight. And someone laughs and tells you it's a twist off. That's what rationalizing discomfort is. It's like, well, I don't really have to, or maybe, you know, if I stop for a few minutes,

or I don't even know if this is the right decision and, you know, all the stories and nonsense you tell yourself. And in reality, it's like, if you want the thing, this is what it costs. If you want what's inside the bottle, stop creating all these unnecessary mechanisms to open it and twist the damn thing off. He said the same thing a few days later during a legs workout, doing some squats and lunges, and again, right behind me. Eddie, you said you wanted change. Here is the change.

Let's go. Let's say you. I think there's beautiful simplicity there. Because if you don't want the change or the results, no problem. Leave. Go upstairs. Put your feet up. Have a coffee.

Enjoy. But if you do, again, here is the price. Just like you're walking down the eye. aisle at a grocery store. Numbers on a can. This is what it costs. I think it's a beautiful reminder to take outside of fitness as well.

Perhaps it's even why fitness is so important. Because when you're physically tapped out but continuing on, you're doing it for a future return. You can see the unseeable. You are betting on the unknown. Same thing with a business that's taking forever, or giving you issues or presenting obstacles.

The brain goes, ah, maybe this isn't for me. I'm not good. I'll do something else. But wait. No. That hell you're going through is the cost of building a successful business. It doesn't mean you're in the wrong arena. It means you are closer than you think.

As Eric said to me, this is where change happens. Do you want it or not? Do you want the business or not? Because this uncomfortable feeling, this unknown, this waking up with stress and tension, it's a lot for some people. That's why so many walk away. What are you going to do?

Maybe you're fighting a different battle altogether, health, diet, substance abuse. And you fell back on your old ways. You're looking in the mirror, disappointed. How? How? Again. How did I do this? But in reality, we're not perfect beings.

You took a micro loss. You're not proud of it. Perfect. Now what? this is where the change happens. What are you going to turn that pain into? Why not let it be the start of the best chapter of your life? Because it can be.

The reality is, and this is no secret or surprise, everyone falls. Everyone. But what I've learned is how you see the fall is everything. What you turn the fall into is defining. See, every outcome is a fork in the road. It can be a reason to crumble or a reason to evolve. The world doesn't care. The world just gives you the pieces and invites you to make of them what you will.

As was said, while I was hiking up a mountain the other day, the mountain is indifferent. Doesn't care, has no agenda. It just exists. It merely is. It's up to you to navigate. It's up to you to change, to become the type of person who can make the ascent. So next time you find yourself in one of those spots,

you know what I mean, the world pressing down on your shoulders, life feeling dark and heavy, maybe impossible. I want you to ask if you want what's on the other side. Because if you do, that discomfort does not mean you're further from glory. It means you are knocking on glory's door. You're paying the premium.

You're putting yourself through a battle that most do not and will not fight. So you want change perfect. This is where change happens. Take a second and decide whether you're willing to rise up and seize it. One of life's greatest lessons is that yesterday is only as powerful as we allow it to be. Yesterday is an idea, a story, a movie that started and ended. Now, it's quite possible that story or that ending is disappointing or it hurts to look back on. Perhaps a reminder of something that wasn't ideal, something you want to break.

away from. So the question is, why do we give that old story power? Why do we relive it, create this self-inflicted wound? See, the past undoubtedly played a critical role. It brought you to where you are now. It, in many ways, shaped your worldview, constitutes your beliefs. It was the very road to this moment, and there's value in that. But imagine this scenario. Imagine stepping into your car, turning the keys, and thinking to yourself that you can in this very moment, only drive down the roads you drove on yesterday. Only associate with the street signs you know, the places you've already gone. Your reality now is determined by what you've already done. So adjust and get used to it.

You would say that's outrageous, right? Yesterday's path has nothing to do with where I'm going to. going now. Just like a boat's wake, trailing off behind it has nothing to do with where it's going next. The person holding the wheel controls that. We are saturated with freedom. There is so much opportunity and possibility and potential in front of us that we fail to see because we can't stop thinking about that fictitious story we call yesterday.

We confused the path we took then for the one we need now, the wake from the steering wheel, what is and that story about what was. The gateway to change is unshackling ourselves from those imaginary monsters. And more often than not, the answer isn't in finding some solution, it's in cutting ties with those things that no longer serve us. We see the world as it truly is. Then we see the magic laid out before us. And I get that it's easier said than done.

Leaving a part of us behind hurts. Looking in the mirror and being vulnerable enough to say, I can be more than this. It's not easy. But it's possible. And everything starts with how we see ourselves. And when we remain captives to the past, Everything about who we think ourselves to be is outdated.

We're neglecting one of our superpowers, the perpetual ability to restart. One of the most important conversations I've ever had was on this topic. It seemed trivial at the time, but I was having lunch with a friend. And we're talking, and I mentioned to her that I was full. And she goes, well, then why are you still eating? And I'm like, because I paid for it, right? I wanted to get my money's worth. And she says in a very, you know, pragmatic way,

just because you paid for it doesn't mean you need to eat it, right? It's a sunk cost. Why don't you move on? And the whole thing seems silly, right? It's like, yeah, if you're not hungry, don't eat. Move on. But in the grand scheme of things, how many of us keep on consuming that which doesn't serve us?

How many of us stay too long when we should be letting go? We let the path behind. behind us dictate the one before us. See, there's a tendency to overvalue what we know, to feel so invested in how things are, even when we're not happy or it's not healthy, that we'll take the pain of now over the potential for something greater. And that's precisely why the unknown is so terrifying.

It's not concrete. It's a world unsettled. And man, do we hate being. unsettled. But what we fail to realize is that every time we close our eyes, take a breath, and work up the courage to step into that unknown, to leave yesterday behind us. Life gives us new pieces. It resets the stage. It provides new tools to build something incredible, something more ideal, more conducive to our goals, our hopes, and our dreams. And the thought is, well, But what if things become worse than they are right now?

What if I move forward and I find myself more confused, more lost? What if things are more chaotic? And that may, for a moment, be true. But what we do is we adjust. We learn things we never knew. We see things through a lens that we never could. Touch things that we never thought existed. It wasn't in staying, but in leaving, that we rediscovered who we were meant to be,

that we allowed our truest selves to flourish in worst-case scenario. Contrary to popular belief, it's not that the world ends. No, the worst-case scenario, should you find the courage to move forward, is that you end up right back where you started, a little more confident, a little bolder, and better prepared to live. live this life like you never had. All that's needed is for you to convince yourself that there is more.

You just need to taste the fruit, step into the sunlight. That's the difference between reality and the story in your head. Reality is that this world has for you, everything you need to change, to grow, explore, build a light that means something. It has the support structures. and the resources for you to pull yourself back up

every time you fall. To say, okay, that hurt, but now let's try a different angle. There is undoubtedly what you need. And the question is never whether the X on that treasure map exists. Trust me, it's there. The question is whether you can pause that story in your head. The tales of a dark, mean, and scary,

world trying to hold you down. Pause the idea that you're nothing more than the you of yesterday. You're nothing more than how people knew you to be. Pause the idea that you're nothing without that job title or that relationship. Pause the idea that you need him or her or them in your life. Every day you wake up, you are a blank canvas. Who cares about yesterday? What do you want to paint now? When you walk out your front door, where do you want to go now? Step outside that circle of familiarity. See how artificial and in some cases ridiculous

these boundaries are that we place around ourselves. Life is an invitation, not a set of requirements. And when you free yourself of that, not only will you feel like someone new, not only will you experience life as it was meant to be experienced, but you'll see that this world will conform to your new definition. This world wants to support you.

It wants to lift you up. And yeah, it may be challenging and strenuous. It may force you to work harder and be braver than you've ever been. But it is at the end of the day, your ally. You just have to see your future self before it materializes when no one else gets it. So move on from all that does not serve you.

Break away from the old rules, regulations, and guidelines. Maybe you exhausted time and energy into creating this reality. Maybe it feels like a monumental piece of your identity. Maybe right now is the only security you have. Fine. But my hope is that you can respect it and walk away. See it as the sunken cost that it is. Just because you paid to get there doesn't mean you need to keep paying to make wrong decisions.

Just because it took your time doesn't mean it's entitled to keep stealing your time. Just because it's part of your identity now doesn't mean it must be tomorrow. Just because it creates security doesn't mean it's right. Jails and steel bars are also incredibly secure. No, today we are breaking free, leaving the past in the past and setting our sights on the horizon. Today is the end of yesterday and the beginning of the rest of your own. life. If you're lucky enough to be different, don't let go. I spend a lot of my time and energy exploring the power of perspective, how our reality is determined by how we interpret what's in front of us. How one person can look at one thing and see pain or a problem or a barrier and

another person can look at that exact same thing and see opportunity or a future win or a bridge to something better. And I think one of the best examples of this is how we perceive those qualities that make us unique, those things that put us in a different category. Maybe we're a little hesitant to fully embrace because they're not common.

And when it comes to that which separates us from everyone else, well, I believe we have a decision to make. I'm going to go back to Robert Frost's fork in the road, right? He says two paths diverged in a wood. I took the one least traveled by and that made all the difference. On the surface, you could easily brush this off as trivial. It's like, oh, nice, that's cute.

He took the path less traveled by. But what does that mean? As it turns out, it means a lot. It means instead of burying what makes him different, he made it his battle cry. Instead of slipping under the radar and sneaking through life like so many of us do, he signed the dotted line for the pain of being a beginner, the struggle of being uncertain,

the discipline and sometimes torturous road that is turning a passion into excellent, trading peace of mind for the pursuit of meaning in life. Exploring what makes you unique, it takes courage. And in that message, he chooses courage. Because it's not just that you're alone. Taking that path means every step of the way, your mind screams at you reminders that you're alone. It's not just fighting traffic patterns, it's fighting your DNA.

It's resisting that impulse to please sit down, shut up, and blend in. So is it a trivial decision? I'd say not really. maybe even the most important decision you can make because I promise you it's not your commonality with those around you that will bring fulfillment that will leave a mark on your life and the world that surrounds you no it's that thing that's unequivocally you

that's a little out there that's somewhat strange that you don't know why but it's gravitational force pulls and pulls and pulls, a tug of war, where one side begs you to just relax, conform, do less, begs you to never be laughed at or criticized, to take the easy road. Then you have the other side, poking, prodding, asking you, hey, yeah, but what if? What if you sacrifice the comfort of right now? What if you explored? What if you took that which you love and you ran.

with it? What if you worked for a delayed payday? What if for a moment in time when people ask you what the plan is, you have to look back and say, you know what, I'm not quite sure what I'm building. But I'll keep pivoting until it's so clear you can see it from the moon. Those are the paths that pull us apart. And every time I've lost my way, it's because I've doubted my unique path. And I mean that every time. It's when I become impatient with the journey or look around and see someone else winning in a different arena using different methods, different strategies,

see the latest trends and success formulas. Hey man, I want part of that, right? I'm human. I want to win. I want to succeed. But just like a little opening is enough to let in the outside water that sinks the boat. Well, a little bit of doubt is enough to derail your process. The process that you have to believe in, protect, nurture, a process that I've come to separate into two pieces.

Number one, believing that the exploration of that thing that makes you unique, it's valuable. That your abilities mean something. They're not inconsequential. They're not stupid or trivial or unnecessary. If it means something to you, it will most certainly mean something to others. And you bringing it to life not only helps yourself, evolve, grow, flourish, it helps the world. You just have to believe that enough to bring it to life. That's number one.

Number two, trusting that as long as you don't stop in pursuit of your unique self, you can't lose. You can't lose. And I don't mean continuing to ram a square peg into a round hole. I mean growing, learning, experimenting, seeing what works. There's a saying that when you hit a dead end, it's not that the goal or the dream should be abandoned. It means the plan needs to be changed or adjusted. And as you get better and more experience and continually work

to adjust your strategy and your plans, learn from your mistakes, It becomes a matter of time. You increase the odds with every step forward. Being different is the most precious thing afforded to you. But to realize that miracle requires a combination of both the mythical and the practical, the imaginary and the real. Dream that dream, visualize that growth, create a world. world out of those ideas that don't exist yet.

But also understand that the conversion process from dream to reality is a practical one. It requires repetition. Learning, losing, adjusting, and people don't like that. It's much easier to blend in than spend years pushing through the agony of setting yourself apart. But it's worth it. And the evidence is so obvious, so plainly pointing to the fact that we only celebrate the outcasts, the crazy ones. We sit around campfires, listen to lectures, watch movies and documentaries about the people that had every reason to doubt themselves but kept moving forward. About the people who could have swept their unique abilities under the rug.

but instead use them as their foundation for everything, not being distracted by what's popular or how anyone else lives or operates, not seeking to be anyone but themselves, knowing that that is enough, knowing it's the seed to something precious. The only question is, will you provide the right conditions and nourishment

for that little seed to grow? Will you do what so far? few people have the courage to do. Let their authentic selves shine through. Let who they are emerge. Emerson has a quote. He says to be yourself in a world that's constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. He goes on to say my life should be unique. It should be an alms, a battle, a conquest, a medicine. And see, perpetual happiness is a fool's errand. No, life is full of trials and tribulations and ups and downs.

But fulfillment comes from that quest for meaning, for more, for building something, for creating your unique self, a process, a pursuit that must be chiseled from stone. It's never given or provided. It has to be found. Take it. And is Emerson beautifully implicated? Now is the time. The question is, what are you going to make with this once and a lifetime opportunity?

What will you make of the possibilities that only you know, only you understand, that only you can bring to life? Never doubt yourself or your gifts or the things that set you apart. You don't need everyone else to. believe in them you just need to convince yourself everything else it falls right in to place