Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - WAKE UP: Nothing Changes Until You Do | Motivational Compilation

Episode Date: July 24, 2026

This episode is brought to you by David.Buy 4 cartons of David Protein bars, get 1 free with code Eddie at https://davidprotein.com/eddie🧠 Join the free community: https://www.agns.lifestyle/pages/raise-your-standard📖 Get my Free Ebook While the World Sleeps https://eddiepinero.com/ebook🧢 AGNS Code "YWW20" for 20% off http://www.agns.lifestyleSometimes, the biggest changes in our lives don't begin with a breakthrough. They begin with a decision. A decision to stop waiting. To stop making excuses. To stop letting fear, comfort, or yesterday determine who we'll become tomorrow.In this motivational compilation, Eddie explores the truth that transformation doesn't happen because life suddenly gets easier; it happens because we choose to become stronger. When you change the way you think, the way you act, and the standards you hold yourself to, everything else begins to change with you.Nothing changes... until you do.If you've been feeling stuck, uncertain, or like you're capable of more, let this be the reminder you needed today. The life you want isn't waiting for the perfect moment. It's waiting for your next decision.📱 Follow Along:Support the Podcast on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2BLf6pBInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/your_world_within/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@your_world_within📝 Comment below with what's been holding you back as of late. Would love to help you 🙏🙏🙏#liveinspired #yourworldwithin #motivation

Gregus believes in the art of living in choosing the pleasurable over the practical. It's why we craft our premium vodka in France using pure spleen water from Jenzac. And why you hear the celebratory pub of our quirk, reminding us to make every martini cocktail count. So go on and make every moment count because there's no better time than now. Griegoose, make time wait. Sip responsibly. Welcome aboard via rail.

Please sit and enjoy. Please sit and sip. Play. Post. Taste. View and enjoy. Via Rail, love the way. It's time to resurrect the hero.

Now this resurrection is about no longer avoiding darkness and instead going into the dark. darkness, confronting it and emerging with a deeper sense of self. It is that death and rebirth. Not literal, of course, but psychological, spiritual. Carl Jung famously said, the hero's main feat is to overcome the monster of darkness. It's the long hoped for an expected triumph of consciousness over the the unconscious. I want you to imagine this.

There's a story about a samurai who was sent off to slay a mighty beast. Rumors around the town all speculated that this beast was ruthless. He was towering. That no one had ever entered the beast's cave and returned.

So the samurai mentally prepared. He said goodbye to his loved one. he packed his sword and set out on the journey. Across rivers over mountains through storms, he battled exhaustion, fear, doubt. And then he finally reached the mouth of this cave. And before stepping in, he kind of peered in at the darkness.

Nothing. Moved in one step at a time. Slowly. There was no roar. No shaking earth, no snarling teeth, only silence and a mirror. No monster, just a reflection. It turns out there was never a beast out there. It was the shadows within him, his anger, his grief, pride, fear.

And in that moment, he realized this battle could not be won with the sword. This battle demanded truth. And that's what we miss, isn't it? We prepare to fight the world thinking it's the external that breaks us. It's the critics. It's the failure, the loss. But often, what defeats us lives inside us. The resurrection of the hero doesn't begin with the plause.

It begins with awareness. With the courage to look inward, to confront what we've been. buried to sit eye to eye with our own demons and choose to rise anyway. I'll never forget hearing Admiral McRaven say that it is in our darkest moments. We must be our very best. I found it moving almost to the point of tears, and I guess after spending some time thinking about it. I realized I felt that way because buried beneath his quote,

is the implication that we can, that strength in such moments is required, that when we feel like the world is too heavy, we are capable of being more than we've ever been. How powerful a thought. And so the question is, are you willing to face it? To look the monsters in the eye and say,

I can rise above. X, Y, Z has been holding me down and I'm going to dismantle the entire thing false narrative by false narrative. I am worthy. I can get what they have. I do owe myself greatness. I can keep promises that I make to myself.

I can measure up to my own ideals. The only question is whether you're willing to look right into that reflection. to stop projecting out at the world and seeking imaginary monsters outside the cave. Nothing external is an adversary. In fact, I go as far as to say, we are confusing adversaries for mere variables and minor details.

You're not your past. You're not old stories. You're not your excuses. You're not what's being said about you. You are with the reflection staring back allows you to be. You are the strength buried beneath those shadows so long as you face them, so long as you immerse yourself into them. It's time to resurrect that hero. To stop running from your own potential and step right into the chaos, to point the compass directly at the storm so that you

can become the person capable of weathering it. Most, Most will run away. Most will let the best of themselves fade to black, dissipate into the sands of time. But you in this moment can resurrect the hero. No magic, no tricks, no miracles. But simply by knowing it already exists within you. Knowing that the two eyes staring back in the mirror are begging

you for courage, pleading that you start this journey of a lifetime. So no matter how heavy the world feels, no matter how impossible the road ahead seems, don't turn back, don't wait, resurrect the hero. Life has a way of piling on. And I think we've all been there, right? When one task becomes five, one missed day becomes a month without momentum, one small doubt becomes a fog

you just can't shake. We try to do it all. Chase everything at once. The money, the body, the peace, the purpose, the perfect plan. We'll read every book, listen to every podcast, follow every productivity hack.

And slowly, even without realizing it, we become overwhelmed by our own ambition. We create so much clutter that we lose ourselves in it. Too much input. Too many opinions.

Too many voices in our heads telling us who to be and what to do and how to live. And it's in these moments, the heavy ones, that I go back to perhaps the most powerful tool in my arsenal. Surprise, surprise.

Running. The goal is not to impress anyone. It's been a while since I've run for speed anyway. I'm not running to prove anything to the outside world. I run to remember. To strip away everything that doesn't matter. To filter the noise and return to something real. Because running is.

amongst other things simple in fact it is perfectly simple and that's why it's powerful no titles or notifications no algorithm just the earth beneath your feet and the breath in your lungs there's one thing to do and one thing only you keep going until you reach a destination of your choosing you push forward one step Then another. No, not because the world told you to, but because you decided to. There's something sacred about that.

And when the world feels complicated, we need something honest. When we're spinning our wheels, we need something that gives us momentum back. Sometimes it's just about a clear finish line. Something we can reach, something we can earn, Something we can look back at and say, that was me.

I did that. And that's why I run. Because the simplicity is what makes it so rich, so meaningful. It removes the extra and leaves only truth. What direction are you going and how quickly do you want to get there? There's not much room for additional detail or narrative in such an equation. I recently came across a story that I think echoes this idea. So bear with me.

A curious man once visited a Zen master. This dude was searching relentlessly. He wanted peace in his life. He had the resume and the degrees and the accolades and all that stuff. He traveled and meditated and studied. He achieved. He explained all this proudly, hoping the master would offer that one missing component, that final answer to complete his puzzle. He wanted peace.

And the master listened, and then quietly picked up a teapot and began to pour. He filled the man's cup, and he kept pouring. And he kept pouring until the tea spilled over the edge onto the table, then onto the floor. And alarmed the man shouted, stop, this cup is full. to which the master smiled and said, Exactly. You are like this cup, full of ideas, full of expectations,

full of noise. And until you empty your cup, there's no room for anything meaningful. This space is being occupied by the wrong things. And that one hit me, because man, he is in so many ways. Me, he's all of us. And running for me,

is an effective way to empty that cup. It's not just exercise. It is a form of clarity. It's manufacturing truth. It's the thing that pulls me out of the chaos and drops me back into presence. Where I feel weightless, not because I'm moving fast,

but because I'm finally letting go. Self-created finish line steps to get there. That's all. Things hurt. Okay. You adjust and figure out how to keep stepping forward. You get tired, fatigued. Okay, figure out how to keep stepping forward. Sometimes you feel amazing, perfect, keep stepping forward. That simplicity is the ultimate power.

And maybe that's what we're missing when we feel stuck. Not more effort, not more tools, but less noise. Seek out that simplification, that clarity. You don't always need to add. Sometimes the biggest addition is what we take away. We need to subtract. Let go of the weight. Let go of the pressure. Let go of the need to have it all figured out. Put your shoes on, step outside, and start running.

Let the miles strip everything back to the basics because clarity doesn't shout. It whispers. And the only way to hear it is to quiet everything else. So if you're in a season where the world feels too loud, where your mind is spinning and the path feels uncertain, don't force your way through it. Empty the cup. Go find that quiet road. Let your feet hit the ground. Let your breath become your anchor and the simplicity pull you home. The world will be waiting when you return. But you will come back lighter, sharper, stronger, and more. Most importantly, you will come back as you. Every adventure starts before the trail does. The decisions you make before you leave end up shaping the experience in totality. I found that true with nutrition as well.

When I'm hiking, traveling, or just in the middle of a busy day, I love having something in my backpack that makes the right choice, the easy choice. That's why I'm bringing David bars with me 10 times out of 10. Their gold bars have 28 grams of protein, just 150 calories and zero grams of sugar, giving them one of the highest protein to calorie ratios of any leading protein bar. Makes my protein goals a whole lot easier without adding unnecessary calories and sugar. While the macros are definitely what got my attention, the taste is what keeps me coming back. My favorite, are you ready for this, is the cookie dough caramel chocolate crunch crunch.

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Back to the show. I was thinking about something recently. Something we've probably all heard before, and in some cases already know. But that's why it warrants a little bit of discussion. It's not about knowing. It's about executing. Which are two very different things. And so, I'll start here with the idea that everything is relative.

Someone who runs five miles a day and then starts hanging out with people who all run 10 miles a day, is more than likely going to at least ask themselves the question, could I be running more? Should I? Right, that's just human nature. One's perception of normality shifts when they're around people or circumstances that stretch it. And as far as I can tell, this can be applied to anything.

I remember a friend of mine probably about five years ago now, asked me what my monthly revenue goal was. And I remember telling him, and he paused and looked kind of puzzled and asks, you know, why only that? And I thought, only that, right? That's a big number. I was reaching there. But that encounter, I still remember, it rocked my worldview. It's like, okay, wow, I need to, you know, move some things around. I need to aim higher. This is an important convo for me. And I think, you know, there's often a negative connotation we apply to this concept, right? comparison being the thief of joy, they're always being more to acquire. It's a tool. And but not utilized the right way or internalized the right way can be unhealthy. But there's also,

when utilized correctly, something not only healthy, but incredibly powerful and advantageous about it. We need to be reminded that we're capable of more, otherwise our worldview can't stretch. We're able to extend far beyond the reality we find ourselves in, but that fact alone does us no good. We have to position ourselves to see, to feel, to believe the more. A good friend of mine and I started reporting to each other daily the workouts we do now twice a day. And the funny thing is, it didn't start out twice a day. But just, you know, the nature of not wanting to be the guy who does less. You know, we've been friends for a while.

We're all about helping each other be better in business and fitness and you name it. And you can bet when I've been running around working all day and I'm tired and the little voice in my head starts whispering, well, you already got a workout in earlier. Just go really hard tomorrow instead. You'll be fine.

But then my phone buzzes and it's a screenshot of his workout staff. It's like, nope, have to find time to do it. He's tired. He has a job and a family. He wants to crack a beer or grab a burger, but he didn't. And the fact that he reached for more makes me realize, hey, so cannot. Makes me ask, what are my targets?

Are they big enough? And that's been incredibly effective, prompting this conversation, making me realize, you know, there's something to this. How can I position myself so that I have line of sight to that precious abundance in the other areas of my life that I deem important. How can I nurture the relationships I have that serve as a reminder that there is always another level? How can I keep at the forefront of my mind that there are online creators helping millions of people a day? There are business owners making millions of dollars a month.

And it's not that I'm not proud and grateful. I'm both of those things. Instead, I love the journey. I love the challenge of seeing what I can become and know that our default is to get so consumed by the current way of things, we start thinking, hey, maybe that's all there is. We forget to keep our eyes up. And so a few things I plan on doing.

I'll share them, and maybe they'll prompt some ideas in your head for whatever your values are, whatever you're trying to improve. Recently I set up a mastermind quarterly with some buddies I have that are investors and business owners simple to report growth, revenue, future plans. As someone who just loves to write and create, it's easy for me to put all that stuff second, so this is going to hold me accountable.

Fitness, I already mentioned. This one's new. I have a few friends that I started meeting up with just to get out, to unwind, do nothing business related at all, which is just as critical as work, right? I have to make time to soak in the world around me. And there are others as well, but you get the idea, right? It's teaming up with those people in my life where our values overlap and we can help each other win.

The saying goes, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. But now imagine taking that a step first. reaching out to those people and teaming up to help position each other to succeed. You get the accountability, the camaraderie. You become a team looking to get the most of your time on this planet. I've stated many times that my belief is the pieces exist around us to do so many things, incredible things, monumental things. But how we mix, match, and utilize those pieces, the world around us determines that.

So let's ask the question, what is a life well lived to me, and how can I tangibly position myself to obtain it? How can I help those I care about obtain it? Those are some powerful questions and will ultimately lead to some incredible growth. Jack Welch has said control your own destiny or someone else will. And I'm passing this along today as I believe it's one of the most important things to understand. Not a once-and-done thing, but a reoccurring question. Where have I relinquished control? How can I recapture what matters most? As the world around us shifts, slips, and slides, so does our grasp on it.

which is why I find this continuous self-reflection so powerful. I have a flight this afternoon, which means I have a hard deadline and a lot I need to do before I head down to the Miami airport. I've been traveling a lot recently, which means I've been finding myself in this situation a lot recently. And here's what's become abundantly clear to me as I work through the logistics.

On travel days, I'm exponentially, financially more productive than on my typical, quote-unquote, workday. I wake up with an urgency and sense of control over my time that apparently is lacking on, say, your typical Tuesday, and I'm shot out of a canon. Today, for example, I've worked out, written and recorded two speeches, counting this one, recorded short video content sent to my editors, planned next week's topics. Might even have time to go live and hang out for a few. few minutes. And I'm sitting here thinking, you know, dude, if I had a flight at noon every day,

I'd be worth $500 million by June. What is the difference between today and every other day? Simple. My approach towards it. How I utilize and control the resources at my disposal. This is a powerful, powerful thing to realize. You know, it begs the question, how can this urgency be manufactured? Because that's what it's about, right? Setting up the parameters. so that they are most conducive to our success. Another life-changing quote I came across a few years ago was you are your own experiment. Meaning life is about testing things, trying different methods, exploring different approaches, and also having the discipline to observe their outcomes.

Why? So that you can use that information to position yourself for success. That info is as good as gold. One understanding and two implement. so that we're not pushed back and forth by external factors like leaves in the wind, but are instead creating our own ideal circumstances. These, let's just call them, travel days have helped me realize how much power, energy, control I relinquish on a typical day. And most importantly, how I can change that.

Time for a new experiment. Let's try approaching every day like there's a hard cutoff at night. noon. How? I'm not sure yet. I'll test and explore until something clicks. But there's definitely some information worth noting. I've picked up my phone zero times today, which is obviously valuable. I've second-guessed my messaging and communication a lot less. Don't have time to waste on the small things. Nope, not when you fly out at noon. This is information I'll take with me. Little nuggets of wisdom that I've been able to collect. And so, So I'll finish with an important reminder that this is not so much about efficiency as it is about

awareness and a willingness to adapt. Like becoming a robot is not the goal here, but the discipline to step outside yourself and look at how you're spending your time so that you can make it more valuable and meaningful is. We let the outside world dictate far too much and we don't even realize. We just sort of moved through it. We relinquished control because we had no idea it was ours to take. We are very often unaware of the power that we have over ourselves, our circumstances, and

our lives in totality. We're unaware of just how much value we walk right by. The opportunity is not days, weeks, or months away. It lives with you now. Every breath, every step, every decision, you just have to open your eyes. and invite it in. Here's to going, even when you don't want to go. To moving forward when you're uncomfortable,

to stepping up when you're fearful, here's to courage. I was talking to a friend of mine earlier today about understanding the difference between two things. On one hand, the fear that presents itself when we're growing, leveling up, right? Like we've all felt nerves, before a big event or an important life change, things like that.

Then on the other hand, the emotions that arise when we start to feel like something isn't right for us, similar discomfort, but not quite the same. We feel nervous or uneasy because we know we're misaligned. And where we landed in our conversation was that when you were on the edge of that metaphorical clip and your body's pushing back, your heart's pounding, your mind is racing, you're nervous, fearful. The question worth asking is will I be disappointed in myself if I don't go through with this? Will I be letting myself down here by turning back? You have to jump into the future and imagine future you sitting at the table reflecting on this. If you see yourself as regretful, wishing you

pushed through, then it's not an alignment issue, it's a matter of courage. And when you think about it, It usually feels obvious looking back. Like I can easily recognize in hindsight the things I stopped doing because they weren't aligned with who I wanted to be. When you stop doing the wrong thing, it feels like a breath of fresh air. Like a step back to leap forward. Those decisions create a more fulfilled life. But those times I stopped because I let the moment get bigger than my end goal.

Those times I caved and decided to, I didn't want to pay the price solely because of the temporary discomfort. I remember those two. That's a different feeling altogether, a not-so-good feeling, as we all know. Jim Rohn says it like this. There's a pain of discipline or a pain of regret. Choose your pain. One of the things that makes life challenging is that we have to be open to some level of discomfort in our lives.

That's just what it is to be human. Now our powers that we get to choose where we let that pain in and what it means, what it will do for us. Will it be the type of pain that grows us or the type of pain that reminds us what could have been? And I really think most of the time we stop, not because the path was wrong for us, but because we somewhere along the way forgot that most of life's best experiences and circumstances and opportunities come with a hefty price.

They demand a lot of us. And in those moments, when the lights shine the brightest, when we feel the weight of the world coming down on us, it's easy to misdiagnose that discomfort as a stop sign. It's like, oh, I feel alone, I feel unsure, I don't have any validation, my pride hurts, my confidence is shaken, whatever it may be. These things just, you know, even as I'm saying them out loud now seem awful. when in reality

they're just the cost of admission right it's like you have to not know before you can ever know but try telling yourself that as you're wandering around feeling nothing but pressure right it's a different story

altogether it's a challenge but here's the good news it's a challenge you're capable of handling of overcoming life is about stepping into things we don't feel ready for, and then learning repeatedly that we can piece together the knowledge along the way.

It reminds us that fear is going to show up regardless of what we do in life, but to grow into the people we are capable of becoming, we have to understand that fear is in its own unique way an invitation. The discomfort doesn't mean something's wrong. Often the opposite. It's letting you know that more is available, that you are right where you need to be, but you have to change in order to become worthy of what's on the other side.

Life is not saying no. It's merely demanding of you courage, and courage you have. This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, Everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business.

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You belong here. This was something that was said to the class. during yoga the other day. As I've said before, yoga is something I'm really turning to is both a mental and physical approach to a lot of the injuries and imbalances I've been dealing with for a very long time.

And part of that, you know, starting something new was obviously not knowing what you're doing. It's a willingness to play the fool to be this student. It's signing up to be, you know, at times the worst in the room. And so I hear the instructor say this line, You belong here, and then kind of repeat it again for emphasis. It hit me hard.

And I'll never know if this was prompted by me flailing around in the back, trying to do crow pose, or she just felt like, you know, it needed to be expressed in the moment. I'm not sure, but what I do know is that it was exactly what I needed to hear. And in fact, it's what I've needed to hear. There are many stages of my life, which is why I think it hits so hard. Now, I want to unpack it for a second. When I moved to Massachusetts, after spending the vast majority of my childhood in the Los Angeles area,

I used to joke around with my friends back in L.A. I'm like, this is so different that it feels like a culture shock, right? It seems so little of the world. Why do these guys not where dickies are spiked their hair? Everyone has cargo shorts and new balances. What's happening here, right? You know, but all jokes aside, when you're a freshman in high school, that's a big deal. The differences were many.

And it took a while, you know, but I acclimated. I made friends. I did the thing. But persistently, in the back of my head, I felt like an outsider, making my home somewhere that wasn't really mine. Like, I didn't really belong there. Then came college. I went to a small private school where most of the students I knew came from prep.

schools. I had somewhat of a more rigorous academic background than I did. And I decided to be a political science major, basically living in my professor's offices during their hours when they would spend extra time helping me write, showing me how to organize my thoughts and put together analytical papers. It was a long and stressful learning curve. And just like before, I figured it out, did fine academically. But again, never really felt like I belonged there. There were some of the same sentiments with, you know, walking on to the rowing team,

where many of the recruits had been doing in all their lives. Same thing in the corporate world. Felt a little out of place. It was a feeling that, yeah, never prevented me from starting. You know, I'd dive in, I'd figure it out. But there was always this lingering fish out of water feeling that I couldn't shake. kind of a tangent, but this is

one of the funniest moments for me looking back in my early 20s. I was at an interview at some insurance company in Boston. The guy interviewing me is sitting on one end of a desk. I'm at the other. He's holding a physical copy of my resume and cover letter.

Not saying a word, just kind of scanning them up and down. Then he slowly kind of drops them on the desk and goes, so Eddie, tell me more about He pauses. Looks back down at my cover letter, back up at me, back down at my cover letter. Then he traces the first line of the cover letter, quoting it as his finger moves across the paper.

He goes, tell me more about how, quote, your lifelong dream is to become a data analyst. And I was like, oh my God, this guy sees right through me, Eddie, what are you doing, man? Like, this ain't it, you know? And I crack myself up every time my mind goes back there. the epitome of square peg round hole, and I would consistently find myself in that position. Right, but, you know, I digress. The point is me feeling like I'm on the outside looking in

has been somewhat of a theme, even in the areas of my life where I was finding success. Like, I couldn't totally be there. Like, find the things that are important to me and commit to them fully. And I'd be lying if I said it didn't still exist today. I've worked like a madman for 10 years to build this company and this brand, and certainly I've seen some progress. In this industry, I've gotten to surround myself with some incredible people, and every time I walk into a room with folks that I've looked up to for years, I'm grateful, which is good, but sometimes too grateful, which is my entire point, right?

At some point you have to transform from looking up to into being one of to give yourself permission to belong. And yes, you need to do the work, and yes, confidence is earned. But if you don't give yourself permission to do a thing, not kind of or sort of, but to fully with all your heart and soul be that thing, I think you'll always be leaving part of yourself on the shelf. It feels like, to me, a lingering defense mechanism. You can't be great if you're not all in. And part of growth has been reflecting and asking, hey, you say you're all in, but are you?

Are you immersed? And that's what I want. I think to some extent that's what we all want, to not just do it, but be it. You know, a million years, I don't think my yoga teacher would expect that a words prompted a 10-minute rant, starting with my childhood on the West Coast. But, man, did that comment create a light bulb moment for me?

It's set the stage for such a beautiful epiphany. It's like you've been doing the thing for 10 years. You've grown in so many areas, but have you given yourself permission to become what you're seeking? Not kind of, but pour yourself into it. It's who you are, the environment, the people, the variables, the ups and the downs, all of it is who you are. Just imagine what that freedom would allow. Go be the thing.

More, more, more, fully all you have to give. So yoga class this morning showed up. Now, even though I suck, even though I'm learning, decided, hey, Little symbolism here. No more hiding in the back of the room. Step into those neon green lights. Move towards the front. You no longer do things, even the little things,

to simply scrape by or exist. Do it to be it. If you're going to do anything, do it to be it. You belong here. Help me realize what being it really is. that maybe I'd let my definition slip. Maybe my understanding wasn't wide or all-encompassing enough. And yeah, there's a line we need to walk, no question,

we must be on the path to acquiring competency in something before we can make it our own. But the beauty of podcasts and audible and books, all our media outlets, it's that other people's growth and understanding, can fast track our own. Learn from this experience. Life is too short to always feel like you are on the outside looking in.

It just is. If you earned a chair at the table, be at the table. If you were let into the room, work the room. If you're spending time and energy doing something, be that thing. Don't deprive yourself of that precious alignment because it's such a beautiful thing when we allow our ourselves to feel it and obtain it. But like so many things, it starts with you giving you permission.

It starts with a simple understanding. You may be new, you may be struggling, unsure. You might have a hell of a mountain to climb, a journey to travel. You might have extra work to do. You might have to add some things and cut away others. You might have to ask yourself the tough questions and accept the difficult answers. But you do, my friend, belong here. What's the difference between paying a fee and paying a fine? The answer to this question

may not be as small or insignificant as we're inclined to believe. I recently picked up the book The Psychology of Money by Morgan Howell. It lays out some valuable concept. and ideas about investing and managing our finances, growing our wealth. But there's one idea that I wanted to share, because, yeah, from an investing standpoint, it's important, critical even. But it's relevant to so much more. And I think an understanding of it will help us in many aspects of life. So first, let's start with the financial piece, and then we'll sort of grow the metaphor, right?

Because Howzel talks about how we should look at investing in the market. And one of the hardest things for us to deal with is the market's volatility. It's difficult for us to invest our hard-earned money and then see the market go, let's say, for example, down 20%. Like seeing that huge dip in our investment, that's not fun. Everyone knows that. That can be nerve-wracking. And it dissuades a lot of people from investing or keeping their money in when they should. It ultimately keeps them from getting the returns available to them, right?

But here's the point he makes. He says those people who see that volatility as a fee and not a fine are more inclined to win in the long term. Understanding that market returns are never free, they demand a price. And that price is the roller coaster ride that we all have to deal with. That is the market. It's the ups and downs and highs and lows. That volatility is the cost of admission. and if you understand that, you're more inclined to stay calm.

Keep your long-term vision. You're more than likely to come out on top. On the other hand, if when that turbulence arrives, you know, the sudden crashes, the ups and downs, and you see it as a fine, as this terrible thing that's happening to a punishment, you're more likely to act emotionally, to be reactive and make decisions that aren't in your best interest.

To drive the point home, he mentions Disneyland, for example. The fee is $100. And people will gladly pay that fee because, you know, they get that great experience with their family, their kids that they'll have for the rest of their lives. That $100 isn't a fine. It's not a punishment. It's an intentional, deliberate trade of one thing for another. And if you were to look at it as a fine, you'd never get to enjoy that experience.

If you thought that $100 was a punishment, it just wouldn't be the same. So why do I bring all this up? Because I'm a firm believer that the best things in life all come with that price or a fee as house of state. But I also think we sometimes have a tendency to look at that cost, that very same cost of admission, as a fine, as a problem. When really, no, it's just trading some turbulence now for a reward a little bit down the road. Sometimes the right thing is the hard thing, the uncomfortable thing. With dividends, it will pay so long as we understand that it's opening the door to something greater. Leaving a situation you know is not good for you hurts.

We've all been there. We all know this in some capacity. But it's not a punishment. Or even a bad thing, right? That discomfort associated with walking away is a fee that will enable you to live a more aligned life in the very near future. Or let's say you're building something meaningful, something you care deeply about, but it's just you. You and the idea, there is no validation, certainly no external reward, not yet, and continuing forward in those moments is hard. It's taxing, emotionally draining even.

But this feeling, again, isn't a very. a punishment. It's not a fine. It's the fee. It's the cost of admission to bring something into life that wasn't there. Life's greatest moments are expensive. It's just, are you going to pay the fee to bring it about with a cost of regret at a different time? And you get the point, right? You can take this and apply it to so many things. Falling down, criticism, feeling lost, having to start from the bottom, these things are not fines, they are fees. They are price tags. And so often the initial price is a bargain compared to what we'll get back. We just need to stop perceiving their mere existence as the world working against us. No, these are opportunities in disguise. It's easy to

walk by the important things, to dismiss the uncomfortable things. The harsh truth is that our greatest opportunities are often intertwined in our distress. That's why so many people walk away from the things that will make their lives better. That's why so many people pull their money from the market when it takes a dive. So many people walk away from a project or idea when things get challenging. Conversely, it's why so many people do nothing at all. They stay in situations they aren't happy with and know they need to change because the fee to get from point A to point B,

feels too steep. But I think the value is in comparing the discomfort, the cost, the fee to what it's going to bring you down the road because often it's a bargain. We need to remember that what it will ultimately provide

has life-changing potential. Understand that resistance is not a fine. It is not the world telling you know. It's life asking you, Hey, do you really want this? Because if you do, it's yours. So long as you sign the dotted line and pay the price,

most people will be dissuaded by this. Most people will turn and walk away. But most people also leave a hell of a lot on the table. And I don't want that for you. You don't want that for you. The world we live in is one of abundance. So when life pushes back, understand, it's merely positioning you to move beyond your limits, to redefine your worldview.

And while admission isn't free, it's well worth the price. Recently, our company's softball team lost the big game by one run. Then Dale tried to console us with the quote, winning isn't everything. Well, Dale and I are very different. I get early payout from Bed 365. If my team goes up big, I get paid out instantly, even if they blow the lead later. Sound familiar, deal? Thanks, Beth 365.

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