Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - WAKE UP & WORK HARD | Best Motivational Speeches

Episode Date: March 15, 2024

"One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now." — Paulo Coelho

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Sometimes success is merely hanging on when others would let go. Not doing anything spectacular or out of the ordinary. Not leaping a mile or jumping over a mountain, but simply carrying on. Thomas Edison has a famous quote that's really stuck with me over the years. He says, many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up, right?

How close they were to the finish line. when they turned their back and said it wasn't worth it. It's really an interesting thing to grasp. Success is seeing what others can't. It's believing when others don't. It's taking the abstract, those visions, those pictures in your head, the make-believe in finding the courage to make them real.

bring them to life. It's this constantly evolving process and it grows a little bit every single day. Sometimes we feel that progress. We feel the momentum. We do something big and it's exciting. And sometimes the progress feels small. And then there are times when we get knocked down

and we don't see it at all. We feel like because we weren't validated that we lost, that we failed, it wasn't enough. We forget that's part of the process, that progress is a journey. And it goes when you go, and it stops when you stop. Just like that famous Dalai Lama quote, right? The only way to fail is to quit, period. No one ever stops because they can't. They stop because they decide to. They stop because they see that huge mountain and they think that's impossible. They forget it's only made of little rocks.

They stop because they get so disheartened by the distance of the finish line that they forget it only takes a collection of little steps to get there. You don't have to leap the entire distance. You know, I've been there. This is me speaking from experience. It took me years to figure it out. And even now, life is rapidly evolving. I've poured my heart into things that, let's be honest, no one cared about.

I've invested in opportunities that fell apart right in front of me. And each time, it felt like the end of the world. I've been lost. I've been unsure. Gotten up after things didn't go as planned and it felt like a loser. I had to look myself in the mirror and pick myself back up off the floor. But there's one thing that I kept doing. that I never thought twice about.

And that's continuing on. Whether life lifted me up or it beat me down, my plan for tomorrow was always the same. Get up and try again. Keep going. And as I sat down this morning with my pen and a piece of paper, I thought, what's the one thing I would want to be told if I started out again?

What's the one thing that people need to hear most? And it's to simply keep going. Keep taking steps. Because one day the world will start to make sense. And you'll look around and you will be thankful for one thing. That when most would have stopped, you didn't. When the world said no, you said yes. There is nothing so powerful as a soul that's a soul that you didn't.

as a soul that refuses to back down. See, persistence is not an important thing or an essential thing. It's everything. So live as to see. Not what can be lost, but what will be gained. Find that light in darkness, even if it's a flicker, even if it's a spark. See, every loss makes you a little tougher and every instant of, Sadness, uncover something beautiful.

Every moment of fear teaches you to be a little braver. Every broken heart opens the door to a new connection. Instead of doubting yourself, feeling inadequate in life's darkest moments, know that you need what you are going through. You are uncovering the little victories hidden in plain view. So when the world feels like too much and your patience is thin be stronger than that voice in your head Begging you to think small Stand on every experience the good and the bad let it elevate you to a beautiful tomorrow

It may be that our greatest gift in life is that we're always one decision away from transformation We're always one decision away from a new path with new experiences, new beliefs, new identity, one decision away from a totally different life. It's almost incomprehensible. That all the days leading up to now, everything we knew ourselves to be can be discarded and left with one swing of an axe gone. What is more miraculous than that? We live at the intersection of two imaginary worlds, right? The past and the future.

The past is gone and essentially meaningless. Yet as the provider of our identity, it still rules over us. Our sense of who we are comes from our collection of past memories. That imaginary world of yesterday, like the elephant tied to the chair with a rope. It hasn't realized it's strong enough to break free. It doesn't know that what confines him is not the rope, but acceptance of a lie. And that's what the past, that's what identity is, a lie. We are not yesterday, we are right now.

And from the trivial things to the significant things we get wrapped up in that lie. We overlook the gift of control we have over our future. What does it mean to say I'm not a mourning person? That in your past you hadn't conditioned yourself to wake up early? Okay. What does it mean to say, oh, I let me. people walk all over me. That in your past you didn't stand up for yourself. What does it mean to say I'm awkward or shy or I struggle with writing or running or public speaking? So maybe you did.

But what does that have to do with right now? What does that have to do with realizing the control you have over your life? Because simply realizing you can disconnect from these narratives that they are not you, is the superpower. Realizing that calling yourself a bad student because you fail the test, it's like never taking off your raincoat because it rained yesterday. It's like, no, the sun is out, adapt.

And once you realize right now is the beginning of the rest of your life, you can start making little changes. Identify not who you were, but who you'd love to be. And move towards it. Read the power of habit. and atomic habit so that you can understand change isn't crazy or big or scary. It's moving little things in your life around so that they work for you, not against you.

Start waking up and thinking about not what has happened but what can happen, not what can go wrong, but what can go right. You are always one decision away from a totally different life because you're always one decision away from change, from walking away from the narratives that you have accepted. And so remember that. But remember it not just when things are fine. Remember it when you're struggling, when you feel restless or uneasy, unsure, uninspired, sad, angry, not content with the reflection in the mirror.

When you feel that negativity, you're not looking at what can be. You're looking at what you have been. And there's no room at the table for that distraction. Not when you can reach out and start building something new. Not when you can put on a new pair of shoes and walk down a different path. You are always one decision away from a totally different life. And that decision should be first and foremost to choose future over past. Your next step over the last one, choose your ideal world.

and start building. Ready to prioritize yourself in the new year, your skin is a great place to start. Dime Beauty, founded by a master esthetician, is more than just a skincare company. With four skin-conscious categories, skincare, beauty, body care, and fragrance, Dime offers simple, spa-worthy products

that will help you enter 2025 with confidence. Whether you're revitalizing your regimen with nourishing products or building one from scratch, Dime makes it easy. The work system, Our all-in-one best-selling routine includes a cleanser of your choice, toner, serums, and moisturizers, taking the guesswork out of skin care for your healthiest, happiest skin yet.

Dime's commitment to clean ingredients and sustainable packaging ensures every product is as gentle on your skin as it is on the planet. With thousands of glowing five-star reviews and a loyal community, the results speak for themselves. Revive your skin and give yourself the routine refresh you deserve by visiting dime beauty CO.com. That's Dime Beauty. Your best skin awaits.

Hey there, it's Ryan Sechrest for Safeway. Now through February 25th, stock up on your favorite self-care items and save up to $3 shop in store or online for items like Old Spice Deodorant, always ultra-thin pads, Gillette Fusion Razors and Refills, Old Spice Total Body Spray, Tampax Pearl, and Jolette Mach 3 Razors and Refills and Save Up to $3. You won't want to miss out on these deals. Offer ends February 25th. Offers may vary. Restrictions apply. I can't payforay.com for more detail.

I could walk. But what if I ran? I could learn the rules, dedicate myself to efficiently following them. But what if I learned the rules to break them? What if I created a new game entirely? I could take who I was, polish it up,

change my approach. But what if I completely recreated myself. What if I push yesterday out to sea like a paper boat in a storm and watched it sail away? Life is a game of levels. And believe me, no one understands the importance of showing up more than I. Fulfilling that promise to yourself that you'll be there for you.

Standing tall and ready, willing to take the world on. But isn't it logical? Once showing up has been instilled into one's DNA, once stepping forward has become second nature, to look around and ask, how can I show up in an even more powerful way? How can I take this walk to a sprint? Turn the few into many.

I transform the I participated into I dominated because it's subtle. Right, moving from one level to another? There's no indicator. When does the right thing suddenly become not enough? When are we ready for more? It's a tough one. But for the few who really, truly, with all their heart, want it, it's a question that must be asked. Perhaps it's when the hard thing becomes, well, routine. When you find yesterday's ceiling under your feet. Perhaps it's when the excitement has subsided. So look around and ask, is it time?

Is it time to find a new level to elevate yourself to? Is it time to open the cage and let yourself further into the world? Because few find the courage to go, But even fewer find the courage to repeatedly ask more of themselves when life is heavy, when the road is untravelled. So, yes, you could walk. But what if you ran? What if you gave every ounce of yourself to the journey so that when it ends, as all journeys do, you can say you held nothing back? You conceded zero.

Life is a game of levels, and should you decide the ascent is where the magic lives, you'll find yourself with the view that only the few will ever get the luxury of laying their eyes upon. You'll find that every time you were tired or depleted or unsure, and you stepped forward anyway, you were creating the life of your dream. Life is delicate to find as easily broken or damaged, fragile. There's nothing around you that's forever. There's no permanence in our world, and sometimes this is a difficult thing to grasp. Certainly, it's why we long for patterns of consistency where we can find them.

We do everything we can to manufacture some semblance. of predictability for as long as we can. Doing our best to repress the idea that everything we know is as temporary as a setting son. I had a family member rushed to the ER a few days ago. And thank God she's completely fine. She's back home. She's doing her thing.

But I can't stop thinking about the call, how it shook me to my core, how my walls of certainty and predictability. were breached. It was this unsettling reminder that life as we know it isn't guaranteed, that things we love, they're not untouchable. I had to look my helplessness in the face for the first time in a while and realize, well, just how little of the world is mine to control.

Which brings me back to a conversation I had when I was younger. I talk about my grandfather often in my work, primarily because of a few impactful conversations that we had. And it's interesting to me how relevant they continued to be. I remember a handful of times we talked from childhood. And it's like I piece them together retroactively. Things make sense as I get older and kind of figure out what it all means. One of my last conversations with him, we went to this little diner called Leo's along the Cape Cod Canal.

And he said to me, there are things now that seem impossible. But as you grow and you get older, they make sense, right? Even the most challenging things become manageable. And I get mad at myself for not understanding the context at the time or putting two and two together. But basically, he was diagnosed with the brain tumor and he knew what that meant, right? And was basically giving me a heads up, like kiddo, this is going to be. to be tough, but hang in there.

That was one of the first times I've dealt with loss of that magnitude. Right? And when you're young, so many things seem stable, they seem certain. You don't yet get the fluidity of life. That stream is moving and no matter what, it's going to continue to move. Sometimes that means it takes you places and presents realities that overtake the map that you created for. you created for the world, what you understood, what you hoped for, that little understanding of what life means. And I guess I wanted to pick up the baton from that conversation and pass it on to you with maybe a more comprehensive viewpoint.

Because I think contained in those words is a message so powerful, so important that we really can't afford to miss it. It's like, yes, life is unpredictable. And yes, life can hurt and humble us and knock down what we thought was certain it can challenge what we believed and shake our foundations. It can make us feel small in a universe that stretches beyond comprehension. But at the very center of all of that, we are equipped with something that can't be The only thing that can't be ripped away.

The sun around which everything else revolves, your ability to endure. Your strength to carry on, to take one step forward. Whether it feels like you're entrenched in the depths of hell, or swinging from the stars in the sky, your resilience, your ability to not only handle life around you, but rise from the ashes of its turbulence and its misfortune. That will never leave you if you don't let it. Victor Frankel has said everything can be taken from a man, but one thing, the last of

the human freedoms, to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. See, life might be more than weak in control or comprehend, but amidst the might and power of its ocean, our determination is unsinkable. And believe me, there are times when you hear this and think, well, okay, that doesn't affect me. I'm good. I'm doing my thing, just like I did sitting at that table over eggs and bacon that morning. And man, I hope that's the case, and I hope it stays that way. But life has a way of keeping us on our toes. It never lets us stray too far from the realization that to be human is in some way or another to suffer. It's inescapable, and that's not to scare you, it's to remind you that, one, storms will come,

and two, regardless of how heavy the rain falls or how loud the thunder roars, it will pass. And you are strong enough to hang on until it does. That as you grow and as you evolve, you become more and more capable of seeing the inevitable, not as the world's personal vendetta against you, but is your time to dig deep. And find within yourself the strength and the courage that was there all along.

And that's what that morning was. A message that, look, what's coming will hurt, but you can handle it. And not only that, every time life brings you to your knees, you get back up stronger. That doesn't mean it's easy. But the point is not that it's supposed to be easy. It's that you're capable of handling a world that is not easy. You're capable of navigating a reality that is not simple, a sea that is not smooth sailing. You're equipped to handle the complex.

And sometimes that little reminder is the greatest gift one can receive. There's so much I can't control, but my God, there's so much I can. The reality you have mapped out, the day-to-day, the things you've come to know and rely on, as much as we wish they weren't, they are delicate. Withering away with times susceptible to the intricacies, the trials and tribulations of life. But your heart, your soul, your world within, that is untouchable. It's the divine, the sacred, it's strength limitless, it's breath endless.

So remember, even in the darkest of times, you are the very light you long for. And as long as you believe that, there will always be a path. Quite some time has gone by since the last letter I wrote. to my younger self, a few years actually. And I think we're due, because older me continues to learn to both enjoy and be humbled by life, to experience hello and endure goodbyes, to win and to lose, to acquire, and to cut away.

The world is a maze of complexity to navigate. And maybe we should start right there. Because look, kid, there are some fundamental ideas about life that you just have wrong. There is no door that you walk through where you suddenly go from not understanding to finally having all the answers. Part of growing up is realizing how little human beings know about anything. And that's okay. What you'll understand is it's not a reason to run. run, it's a source of courage to draw from. Oh, but adults are wise, you might think. No, adults are just

children with mortgages. You'll learn that, and as we all become renters, even that's changing, right? Oh, but him over there, or her, wait, them, they have it all figured out. No, they just walk with conviction into their individual unknowns. That's all. Oh, but there has to be some certainty. We have to know some things for sure, you might think. Well, certainly we do, or at least we think we do, but you have to understand 150 years ago, science said bleeding someone out would cure them of their illness. Our pursuit of truth is crucial, but it's a work in progress.

Life is a work in progress. You are a work in progress. So what am I talking about? But why does this matter? Because I don't want you to think that you are ill prepared to venture further into your potential. I don't want you to think that other people have what you don't, that you're not enough. The world around you is chaos, it's a mess, it's clay. Some people use it to build and create and shape the reality and others, well, others don't.

The kicker here is that nothing is built if you don't first give yourself permission to take the unknowns and make something with them. Once you understand that there is no secret code that must be figured out, you free yourself to explore and capture the essence of being alive. Again, life is messy. So go flail around, wander, go get lost, who cares? You see what I'm saying? You can watch from afar succumbing to the illusion that the world is some meticulously constructed orchestra where everything's playing in unison.

Or you can dive in and make your own music, dance to your own melodies, because there is no perfect. There are people who stand still and people who pick up the pieces as they go. Next and very closely related, younger me, give yourself a chance. Try things. No, more things, bigger things, terrifying things. You see those posters and the people you have hung up on your wall? They're not of a different world. They're people like you.

But they decided along the way that they would try, that they would step out a line, break some rules, push life, and see how hard life pushed back. Younger me on my college essay, I referenced one of my favorite quotes. I attributed it to Mark Twain. Turns out it wasn't even by him, but hey, life goes on, right? It said, 20 years from now, you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bowline.

Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream, discover. It's a beautiful quote. And here's what I gather from it. The biggest mistakes I've made over the course of my lifetime ended up being my greatest teachers, leading me to something new, to where I most needed to be. I mean, a lot of my mistakes are even funny stories, right, that I joke about with buddies over a beer.

The vast majority of things you're worried about, they either won't happen or they're reversible. But what gets you, younger me, what truly hurts is wishing you have the courage to apply to that thing that you instead let the deadline slip away. Or talk to that person you walked right by. Or audition, or train, or travel, or follow your intuition. your heart to someplace new, those are the things we tend to carry around. The second you learn that not going is far scarier than stepping out into the unknown, you'll possess a perspective that's incredibly valuable. It will change your life.

And lastly, this one's kind of hard to articulate, but let me tell you, it continues to resurface. Here it is. If your intuition is telling you something, listen. Trust it. If something feels wrong, let it go. If it feels like it's where you need to be, you're being pulled in that direction. Explore, move towards it. When you know in 30 seconds that someone isn't a good person, don't give them your time. When something doesn't align with your goals or objectives, don't feel bad walking away. When something excites you, trust that feeling. This is all intuition, and I've come to find that initial response to be more and more valuable. What that feeling is telling you matters.

Don't turn your back on that. Now, of course, there's a line we have to walk, or an element of pragmatism we have to hold on to. Sometimes, when we're particularly upset, it makes sense to let the emotions subside and allow rationality to enter. But this is more about being aware of who you are and what you want, right? Don't talk yourself out of what you know you want and into what you know you don't. Life gives clues. It's not always 4D chess. Sometimes it can be simple.

What's needed is right there. But you have to look around. You have to listen and trust yourself and no one will ever know you better. than you. But if you tune yourself out, then how can you have a shot at living a meaningful life? One on your own terms, be impossible. So younger me, trust yourself. Beyond what anyone else tells you is best, are most beneficial.

Again, those are answers only you know. So listen to you. One of my favorite messages is that you are your own experiment. That as we move forward into the haze of the unknown, we understand that at times we'll fall. At times we'll see our plans disintegrate right in front of us. But this is, when we step back and really examine not a cause for alarm, but a chance to celebrate. because the world's pushing back at you implies that you are moving forward.

And that is strength. As the saying goes in the broken places, the light shines through. Younger me, promise me you won't be scared of breaking. That you won't fear leaving the harbor. Because nothing out there is bigger than you or too much for you to handle or navigate. The funny thing is, younger me, that your journey is reliant on you giving yourself permission

to go, to see, to explore. All that starts with you greenlighting your own adventure. But remember what I'm telling you. There is no rubric for life, it's trial and error. Remember that if you don't give yourself a chance, you simply watch the opportunity slid. buy and remember that you are the only one who knows what's best for you. So trust that intuition. The world will be whatever you choose to make it.

And my hope is that you realize you are strong enough. You're bold enough. You're capable enough to make it whatever that might be. So younger me, go pave your path. go blaze your trail, and remember along the way as you navigate the ups and downs, highs and lows, remember to look up and enjoy the ride. Ready to prioritize yourself in the new year? Your skin is a great place to start.

Dime Beauty, founded by a master aesthetician, is more than just a skincare company. With four skin-conscious categories, skin care, beauty, body care, and fragrance, Dime offers simple, spa-worthy products that will help you enter 2025 with confidence. Whether you're revitalizing your regimen with nourishing products or building one from scratch, Dime makes it easy. The work system, our all-in-one best-selling routine, includes a cleanser of your choice, toner, serums, and moisturizers, taking the guesswork out of skin care for your healthiest, happiest skin yet. Dime's commitment to clean ingredients and sustainable packaging ensures every product is as gentle on your skin as it is on the planet.

With thousands of glowing five-star reviews and a loyal community, the results speak for themselves. Revive your skin and give yourself the routine refresh you deserve by visiting dimebeautyco.com. That's dime beauty co.com. Your best skin awaits. Hey there, it's Ryan Sechrest for Safeway. Now through February 25th, stock up on your favorite self-care items and save up to $3. Shop in store or online for items like old spice deodorant, always ultra-thin pads, Gillette Fusion Razors and Refills, Old Spice, Total Body Spray, Tampex Pearl, and Gillette Mach 3 Razors and Refills and Save Up to $3.5. You won't want to miss out on these deals. Offer ends February 25th. Offers may vary. Restrictions apply. Visit Safeway.com for more detail. In John Maxwell's book, The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership, he talks about momentum.

and how the saying, if you can't take the heat, then get out of the kitchen, doesn't quite get it right. Advocating that it should instead be if you can't create the heat, then get out of the kitchen. And being that we are all leaders in our own lives, I think he hits on something that none of us should overlook. the power of momentum, of not waiting but creating, reminding ourselves that we are not spectators, sitting in the stands and simply reacting to, or complaining about the events taking place below. No, we have the ability to change the things we do not like

and create the ones that don't yet exist when we know they should. Too much of the time we react to that metaphorical heat in the kitchen, as John alludes to, forgetting that we can dial it up or down. We're not only characters that have been created, we are ourselves creators. I talk a lot about mental shifts that have changed my life, and there are plenty. But perhaps the most important was the realization that I can do something about the things I'd only be. like. And I know that sounds simple, probably even obvious. But I look back at various stages of my life and I'm blown away by the amount of things I tolerated for years and years simply because I gave it no thought. There were so many questions that I never asked, so many

opportunities I never explored, until I realized, hey, you can stop accepting those things you don't want. It's amazing the power of a simple list that was created. Two columns. Left side, all the things that bothered me that I wasn't happy with or that I knew should be there that had been lacking. And then on the right column, what I'm going to do about it, every single item. Each one, what's the step I'm going to take? And I just poured my heart onto that paper and it's like you look down and feel like you have finally moved into the driver's seat. There's something incredible about knowing that you have taken control, something satisfying, knowing that you're not just accepting what falls out of the sky and lands in your hands,

especially since we seem to have this proclivity to box ourselves in. Human beings are amazing in their ability to adapt. But the danger is when we adapt to. to and normalize a reality that falls short of what matters to us. The danger is in forgetting that nothing happens without momentum, and momentum is self-made. One of my favorite stories is about a man walking through the circus. And he sees these enormous elephants,

each with one end of a rope tied around one of their legs, and the other end of that rope connected to a chair. The man, as he's walking by, he's curious, asked one of the trainers, hey, isn't that dangerous? Couldn't the elephant easily break free and get away if he wanted? And the trainer says, no. See, we started doing this when they were baby elephants. And when they were babies, they couldn't physically break free.

They weren't strong enough. And so over the years, as they grew and became bigger, stronger, it never dawned on them that by simply pulling on that rope or walking away, they could break free. These chains might as well be invisible. And that's what they were. Mental. The rope wasn't keeping the elephants to the chair.

The elephants were keeping the elephants to the chair. And there's something there in that message for all of us. For some of us in this particular moment, maybe it's big picture. for others, maybe we're at a season of life where it's simply creating momentum in some type of smaller capacity. And I travel through these ups and downs personally all the time. I think that's a healthy thing.

It's a sign that you're looking for that growth. You're checking the world around you for those imaginary ropes. Recently I went through a period where I just felt too long had gone by without something significant happening. I needed to create momentum. And so I asked, well, who was I reaching out to? How was I pushing myself? What was I doing that scared me?

What was I doing that was growing? How could I take things up a level? All these little levers of opportunity are all around us, but we have to know to look for them, to see them and pull. And it's truly an incredible thing. You do that, and you start, to feel the movement underneath you, the momentum, the excitement because you're trying new things,

you're taking new risks, talking to new people. And that's how that snowball grows. We have to realize that we are mighty big elephants perpetually tied to these comically small chairs. We have to create that heat in the kitchen because we're not only capable, we are ready. We are equipped to move forward. See, the moment is never going to be perfect. The momentum will never come to be on its own. Those things wait. They wait for you to stop watching life go by.

And click start on the stopwatch. Yeah, time has always ticked away, but it will never mean as much as it's about to now. Tick, talk, whispers the opportunity. Signifying that in order to evolve, we must decide we are bold enough to go where we have not yet gone and strong enough to leave some things behind. To choose to accept some discomfort in its impermanence instead of a regret that is forever. And that's a trade that demands we look into the future and find value. you in the unseen.

It's a move that says the seconds ticking by mean too much to dishonor them by not making the most of what's around you. And those answers are always there. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about, right? We make decisions without even realizing we're making them. To accept the current moment as fate is to choose what you're given over what is possible. over everything that's out there available for you. It's never too late to pull on that rope around your foot.

To be who you, as the saying goes, might have been. Know that in your world, nothing consistently shows up or exists without your stamp of approval. That will always be true. Nothing carries on without you allowing it to do so. And that understanding will be the difference between the gods. ground level and the exponential heights you are capable of reach. The creation, the email, the phone call, the ride, the book, the period of time, the step out, the door, any and all of life's seemingly unremarkable characteristics.

Within them is your ticket to greatness. Just know that you have to be the one that winds the clock. You are the sun around which everything else revolves, the architect that makes something of value from them. There will always be momentum where you decide there should be momentum. So pick your head up, open the door, and step out into the world of potential that await. George Elliott has said, it's never too late to be. what you might have been. And this is a message that I 100% stand behind.

I will always believe that to be true. Why? Because you always have the now to start moving in that direction. And a skeptic or someone playing devil's advocate could say, yeah, well, not me, right? The timeline for me has expired. Or I missed the age requirement. Maybe life circumstances have made Plan A,

impossible. It is quite literally too late. Okay. But here's what I believe we frequently misunderstand in this department. I think we misidentify what it is we really want. And sure, that sounds presumptuous for me to sit here and imply that maybe you miss the mark, right? How would I ever know what you want? Well, hear me out. Because I think too often we confuse the vehicle for the destination. That thing we thought we wanted, in actuality, wasn't really what mattered to us. We wanted where it would bring us. We wanted how it would make us feel. We wanted what we'd become when we engaged in that thing. That thing was simply the ride to the destination, not the destination itself. And that's incredible news. Because vehicle,

are interchangeable. It's always possible to find a new route or new ride to this show. And this is why self-reflection is so important, because it's easy to get so caught up in the vehicle that we forget where we're going. For example, I get a ton of inquiries about keynote speaking, and that's fantastic. I think it's really cool that people want to do that and see me as someone to help guide them. But when I hear that question, I can't help it. My first thought is always, okay, but why keynote speaking? And it's not personal. Why should always be the first question we ask?

Is that truly the destination? Do you feel in your soul you have a story to tell? Do you get a high from the audience interaction? Is it how you feel you can best serve the community? Like, what is it for you? Or maybe it was more of an arbitrary decision? decision, where what you're looking for is, you know, generating impact, adding value to others. Maybe it's some type of financial incentive. All these things are valid and they could all come from

speaking. My point here is not to tell you what you should or shouldn't be pursuing as your goal. My point is that we need to understand why. Because when we get to the core of what we really want, the best path to get there often looks way different than we thought it might. I use this example often, but perfectly relevant. There was a point in time where I used to think songwriting was it for me, right? My heart, my plan.

Until I realized pretty quickly that I could live without it and that surprised me. I wasn't quite sure what to make of that, but that what really made me sad to let go of was the storytelling piece, the expression, observing and philosophizing about life. And that when I took that emotive storytelling, I could bend it and reshape it a million different ways. That I actually loved the freedom of being able to express myself or make a point without being totally bound by rhyme scheme and rhythms. I found that point where I could help others in their difficult times, maybe see things from me.

a new angle by helping them to look at the world differently, right? The vehicle in a way was almost expendable. And that was a giant epiphany for me. You know, songwriting was not what I wanted. It was bringing me closer to what I truly wanted. That helps me reshape my plans, my approach, my strategy. And hey, maybe you're different. Maybe you are right on the money. Maybe you've thought this through and things couldn't be clear. But hey, people tend to speak from their experiences and, you know, that awareness to me was no small accomplishment. Getting there and understanding that, right?

If that 1,000-foot view does anything, it exposes how multidimensional the playing field is. And how our proclivity is always to box ourselves in. Smaller, smaller, smaller, often leading us to walk by and miss quite a bit. It's also true that understanding what the destination is, making a point to really comprehend that, doesn't mean you have to scrap what you're doing. It could simply lead to that light bulb moment. So now you go, oh, there are additional ways I can arrive at that destination.

Maybe I've been so focused on a particular element of the journey, so tied to a particular vehicle that I've been limiting myself. It expands your options. In the book Decisive by Chip and Dan Heath, they talk about how one of the biggest problems we have in decision making is unintentionally narrowing the scope. That we have numerous additional avenues available to us. But we don't see them because we become so fixated on a few choices. I think of that point often, you know, challenging myself as to why I'm doing what I'm doing,

especially when activities are time intensive. You know, there needs to be a happy, medium, obviously. If you challenge every single thing you do, you'll be walking around in circles all day, but the ability, the power to drill down the question, what is it I'm really looking to obtain here? Is such a tremendous advantage. If you can get a true handle on that and you're willing to expand your mind, open your eyes, think about the big picture. Reduce the attachment to that dreaded phrase, the way I've always done it, you get to live in a world of endless options. You see that your path is simply that, one path of many. In the business world, you hear stories

about people all the time that were unable to separate the goal from the medium. Couldn't look outside the parameters they'd created for themselves, the blockbusters of the world. You know, when it should have been hold the vision, but adjust the process and readjust over and over again. Our tendency is to hold onto that process so tightly that it becomes a weight around our ankles. When it comes to relationships, right? People stay in toxic relationships all the time because that's the person. This is the group I hang out with. This is my network.

Well, what are you looking to get out of a relationship or group or network? because no, it certainly shouldn't be betrayal or chronic stress or limiting beliefs being imposed upon you. So if that's the case, detach and find a different way, a different person or a different group. Again, you're confusing the vehicle with the destination. Another example, college, right? Which for some people makes perfect sense for others. It doesn't. I loved in Matthew McConaughey's book Green Lights when he realized,

as he wanted to be an actor. And to make his parents proud, to do it was traditionally right, he went to acting school. Until he realized his most valuable experience was everything he was doing outside of school. But that the classroom was one vehicle of many to his ultimate destination

was ultimately expendable. He had that foresight. Someone once told me, when I went to get my first car, that the buyer is in control because they have the greatest strength, a superpower, the ability, if it does not serve you, to walk away, to change course. You can always do that.

So when you feel stuck or stagnant, try asking yourself, is this a vehicle problem or a destination problem? What is it that I want more than anything else? And what is it this journey is bringing me that gets me there? That gets me excited in the morning that inspires me to my core. Because I find that when you can detach the goal from the method, it often exposes some valuable information that helps you reestablish momentum. Maybe it's taking resources from one place and adding it to another. Maybe it's a slightly adjusted approach.

Maybe it's cutting a few small things away. Maybe it's a pivot. Maybe a total revamp. Who knows? But the idea is it's never too late to get where you most want to go. Because when you identify the destination, when you realize what the finish line is, there are always numerous roads that lead you there. We just have to make sure we don't get so caught up in a particular path. Or exhaust so much energy trying to jam that square peg into the round hole that we miss the infinite number of wide open doors.

waiting for us to notice their existence and walk through. There's something to the idea or act of stepping out of the limelight to work on yourself. To quote unquote disappear for a particular period of time so that with a laser-like focus you're able to build and develop the skills that will make you great at what it is you want to do. In a sense, we're not crazy. created out in the world, as much as we're created by what we do behind the scenes. The thousands of hours spent dedicating ourselves to a craft.

We enhance our value and capability by doing the often monotonous, un-glamorous things day in and day out. And those results out in the world are merely a reflection of that work. And that's what makes excelling in any given area so challenging. There's something counterintuitive about performing to an audience of one. Dancing to no applause, exhausting time, and energy, resources so that you can cling to a promise. But that's also why excellence will always be reserved for a few. Open to everyone, but ultimately a few end up there, right?

there, right? The same way a finish line is open to everyone. But ultimately, reserved only for those willing to put in the hundreds, if not thousands of practice miles, to start the race, run the race, and complete the race. There's a substantial amount of sacrifice involved. The outside world is its own chess game. It requires courage and innovation and a willingness to step into its great unknown, but ideally in doing so, one would be armed with the competency they've acquired when no one is looking. It's a result of their own dedication and commitment. And I actually started thinking about this during a Q&A I did recently, where someone asked

if I had any thoughts on how they could start a speaking career. I'm like sure happy to give my thoughts, first and foremost, understand it's a long play, so be willing to endure that bumpy road, that journey. There's no magic formula that makes you an MLK-esque order overnight, right? You work forever to capture a fragment of that excellence. And someone kind of chimed in, giving me a hard time. You know, we know, we know, Eddie, you hate marketing. And I'm like, marketing, it took me a second to connect the dots.

How is this related? And the light bulb went off, and I kind of laughed because I do bash marketing quite a bit. And I think what they were getting to is I'm always talking about the long game, right? I'm always talking about working on yourself, the back end, the deep work, chiseling yourself into something that's unique, authentically you, extraordinary in its own right. Or being so good as the saying goes, they can't ignore you. But at the same time, it would be pretty ridiculous and stupid for me to say marketing is not important. Marketing's pivotal. Engrained in some capacity in everything we touch, you have to be able to effectively communicate why something is valuable.

Obviously. But I think there is a misconception and genuine misunderstanding in today's day and age with regard to adding value. With regard to rising to the top of a niche or making an impact, you know, we see flashy posts and ads and videos and think, ah, that's the target. But that's just the mechanism for communication. That's the bullhorn. That's not the value ad.

In Cal Newport's deep work, he mentions how difficult it's becoming for us to break away from the social media and the push notifications and the emails and in solitude do the kind of work that really moves the needle that propels our greatness and makes us better at what it is we're looking to be great at. We officially exist in a world of distraction where perhaps the greatest challenge now

is how do we disconnect? How do we turn off? How do we slip into a state of deep work so that we can grow as people? And then, sure, you market that competency once it's acquired. But the goal is not to be a society screaming into a void trying to sell boxes of error. We simply can't afford to leave substance behind. Value is ultimately what makes the world go round, and it's created, again, outside of of the limelight.

And look, there's gonna be some bias to my approach based on the path that I chose to take. This has worked for me, so I stand by it, I advocate for it. And surely there are some very talented people that disagree with me and that's great. But I've always had the arrow pointed at what I want to do, what I want all this to mean

at 45 years old, 55 years old. And right now, looking back, it's all the hours I spent writing in solitude. Or giving speeches to a wall in a studio apartment, recording and re-recording, adjusting my approach. It's reps, reps, reps, that to me is what matters now. That's what I'm most thankful for. And some time has passed, and as I transition into a new phase now, sure, I can get help and start blasting posts all over social media. That's easy. but the important thing is that I have a foundation to stand on.

The posts are not the product. The craft is the product. And I want everyone to at least, whether they agree with me or not, understand that distinction. The million dollar question, the differentiator is, what is your value at? If you can ask yourself that, right, what is the one thing I want to be the best in the world at?

Where is my North Star? And then spend every day, at least some time every day, chipping away at that, you'll be unstoppable, but truly chipping away. Not feeling the need to share every detail with an audience or capture every second of what you're building behind the scenes. Now, turn the cameras off, breathe, focus. Be private for at least a portion of your day. I think you'll find in that space this beautiful opportunity to reflect and build and step into an evolved version of yourself. Don't be scared to disappear and come back better equipped.

Don't be hesitant to go work on yourself. If you're talking substantive impact, true value ad, it's always the people willing to put in the hours, to do the things that most people are not willing to do, target, identify the areas that make the difference and then hammer those repeatedly. And look, I get it. You have to, in a lot of cases, give up some of the now

in order to reach an ambitious goal in the future. It's a trade-off. It's hard. But life is about trade-offs. And maybe this message isn't for everyone. But if you're listening to this and you want to achieve some semblance of excellence in a given area, it's inescapable. It means falling in love with the pursuit that's time-intensive. It means showing up and putting in the hours often for little short-term validation.

It means solitude because getting better is more important than attention. One of my favorite quotes is confidence is earned. Will you earn that confidence by showing up and committing to the things that truly matter that make you stronger? Sometimes we must step back to leap forward. Disappear as we are in order to reappear as we wish to be. Real work happens when no one is around you. Can you trust yourself enough to be? bet on that process. Believe in that road, in that journey. If yes, you'll position yourself

for opportunities and experiences that exceed your wildest imagination. In a way, our eyes are liars. Not in what they portray, but in the implication of their portrayals. Our eyes highlight to us one thing. what surrounds us now. We receive a snapshot of the current moment. And what took me years to understand is that possibility and hope live far beyond what surrounds us right now. And it's that pursuit of possibility that saved my life,

immersing myself in the unseen. Perhaps we were given the now, not to subserviently accept it but to transform it I believe in our own way we're all architects here's what I found to be tricky though as I've spent time thinking about this what I believe and I've come to recognize is that two things can be true at once first all will technically ever have is the present as Eckart totally explains depression is essentially being lost in the past. Anxiety is being fixated on the future, and that a healthy life is learning to cherish the now.

But second is the power and control of being able to point the now at something far beyond what our eyes convey. It's the magic of knowing that we spend our days navigating a world of limitation, and restraint. And it's not that we wake up and think, you know, I'm going to restrict myself today. I'm going to not live up to my full potential. No, it's that we go on autopilot. We observe this slideshow,

our eyes play for us day in and day out, and exist within those parameters. That seems perfectly reasonable. Our eyes show us a wall, and our brain says, okay, this is where we stop. The end. And what I want to highlight

is that world just beyond what our eyes show. A world that pushes things a little bit. A world in which we ask, okay, but what if I gave a little more? Or why can't I be like those people in my life I look up to? Why shouldn't I change the circumstances that weigh on my mind?

Why have I accepted these things that make me unhappy day in and day out. Just because it's the image your eyes show you right now doesn't mean it's where you stop. But we have to learn to look for more. When I was pretty young, like right about the time home PCs were gaining prominence, my parents got this gateway computer

that came with a Star Wars game demo. And you kind of, you have this character, you wander around the spaceship, and, you know, I played it, and I played it, and I played it, and after a while, I explored all there was to explore. Or so I thought. I assumed that maxed the thing out because it was a demo. It wasn't the full game.

So my assumption was that it wouldn't let me do too much until I went out and bought the real version. Then one day, my friend from up the street came over, and I'm showing him the game, and somewhere he notices a little button that opens up this door, and come to find out there was actually a lot of real estate left to explore, a lot of game available. It led to a tunnel, that led somewhere else, that led somewhere else.

And sure, I felt like a clown for not realizing that I was needlessly wandering in circles, but at the same time was excited about this new world. There's something about that concept, the secret door, the bookcase that can be moved to unveil a passageway to something greater, to the value locked away and invisible to the untrained eye. One of the most important things for us to understand is how many of these doors exist in our lives, that if we choose to recognize and identify something more,

something that excites us and invigorates us, we can usually draw a line to it. We can start little by little heading that way, because within the current moment slideshow we see all around us, exist the little passageways, the side streets, the tunnels connecting to something more. That of course those gates won't open up if you've not constructed a destination in your mind worth traveling to. Again, not because you're insufficient or inadequate or wrong, but because our

default is to live life on demo mode. We have to manufacture more. Build a higher platform. and then climb up to it using ropes and ladders that we already walk by every day without thinking twice. Our world, our right now, is a toolbox waiting for us to construct a more meaningful, peaceful, happy tomorrow. And so again, I present the question, where are these hidden opportunities or gateways in your life? Where can you find the advantages dressed up as the mundane? Is it in a book? Is it a conversation? Is it applying to that thing you've been hesitant to pursue

because you're scared of what might await? Is it understanding the power of 10 minutes a day? And how starting small opens doors that we can't even comprehend. Is it a little boldness? Is it looking in the mirror and realizing you're still shackling yourself to who you were yesterday? Is it understanding that someone or something in your life isn't conducive to your well-being? Is it an hour in the morning to think, an hour at night to breathe?

Is it changing a self-limiting relationship with time or money or resources? What walls can you knock down so that you might open up a world that's meant for you? A world that's malleable and without limitation? Your eyes, they don't tell the story of how things can be or what they mean. They show you the infinite tools at your disposal to build, to create, to design. To never accept a now that wasn't chosen with intentionality. That where there exists pain, there also exists a door to lessen and transform that pain. Your journey, it never ends where you are.

It ends where you choose to stop. It ends where you plan a stake in the ground and accept the world around you. So if no one has told you recently, let me remind you how powerful you are. Let me reiterate what you are capable of. And that perhaps your reality requires of you some customization.

perhaps the courage to step outside the routine and the obligation. And as the architect you are, build something beautiful, meaningful, something incredible to stand on. To recognize the distinction between what is and what can be, the second one understands that they are walking by the very solutions they need, that to remain in a state of discontamination, intent is simply an indifference to the resources around them. Remember this. What you see, your eyes don't provide an end state, but a path to the next chapter.

A chisel to little by little evolve. As someone recently reminded me, Mark Twain's quote, logic will get you from point A to point B, but imagination will take you everywhere. Why? Because so much exists beyond the parameters of everyday life. It's about mapping new paths with new points and new rules. Because some exist and some live. Some comply and some create. Some see what is around them. And some ask, what can I build with what is around me? So built. Towers that touch the sky, bridges that connect the earth, build like this is a game, and the only way to lose is to stop yourself from experiencing all it has to offer. Build like there's a world far beyond your front door. Because if you do, that's exactly where you'll find yourself.