Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - WHERE IS YOUR FOCUS? Life Changing Motivational Speech

Episode Date: September 6, 2024

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough." — Aesop In this episode, we dive into the transformative concept from Dan Sullivan's book The Gap and The Gain. Many of us fall into the trap of measuring our success by focusing on what we haven't achieved—the gap between where we are and where we want to be. But true fulfillment comes from acknowledging the gain—the progress we've made, the distance we've traveled, and the lessons we've learned along the way. Tune in to discover how shifting your perspective can change the way you experience your journey and help you celebrate your wins. Monday Motivation Newsletter: https://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletter Free Ebook: www.eddiepinero.com/ebook  YouTube: www.eddiepinero.com/youtube 

It took 16 days to realize how precious life truly is. There's a book called The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan, Benjamin Hardy. And the book asks this question. Are you looking over your shoulder and measuring how far you've come? Or are you only consumed by how far you have to go? the distance between where you are and your destination. Are you living in the abundance that surrounds you, or in the scarcity the mind seems to constantly be attempting to trick us into believing?

This idea was first made known to me during a drive one day. I was on the phone with my friend Tom, who happened to have read the book, and I was pulling into my garage, and the gate wouldn't open to the point to the point. parking garage. And so I'm sitting there, speakerphone on, and I'm just throwing a tantrum, right? I'm in the car screaming about how ridiculous it is that the gate won't open when I need it to. You know, it's not rocket science. How is it hard? The thing should open when you press the button. And, you know, then remembering I was on the phone, kind of sat there for a second in silence. And after the momentary pause, Tom's voice comes through the speakers in the car. You know, his

usual calm southern accent goes, Eddie, are you living in the gap or the gain right now? It was a lightball moment, right? It's a gate we're talking about. The slightest inconvenience. Not an intrusion to my health, my family, my friends, my business. The ability to live how I want to live in a country that provides the freedom to do that. It wasn't about the food I would soon eat or the water I had access to. Nope. None of that. It was a gate. A source. slow to open gate. And I love the idea, you know, the perspective to stop, to look around and ask the question, how serious is this quote-unquote problem?

Have I slipped back into the gap in life? Forgetting about how far I've come, how much I've done, totally omitting the fact that eight years ago I would have given anything. to be living on the other side of that gate like I do now. Right. Your perspective is, seems to be the first thing to go, right? It requires that constant awareness and attention. And I would use this idea every once in a while on and off, right,

when I could remember the gain versus the gap, attempting to cling to that perspective when possible. But the idea didn't fully reemerge in any meaningful way until almost a year later. That same friend, Tom, convinced me to join this mastermind. And, you know, I'm in my first session, sitting in the room. It was led by an amazing guy by the name of Ben. And Ben made it known to us that day

that something tragic had happened in his family. His newly born son, Ben Jr., had passed away at only 16 days old, right, after battling an illness. And he's telling this story, obviously shaken, still saddened, you know, these things never truly leave you. And what he said changed my life. Rocked me at my core. He looked at the room, and he said how grateful he was for those 16 days,

that they were perhaps the most important 16. days of his life, that he learned more about himself in those 16 days than the rest of his life combined. That the love he got to share, the time he spent, the miracle of being with his son, he wouldn't trade that for the world. It was as much a part of him now as the air he was breathing in. Those 16 days were, in their own unique way, perfection. And see, we're all, you know, sitting there looking on thinking, you know, this is someone who's become a friend over the past couple months, right? We are a group. We've spent time together. And it's like, well, how can we help? How can we assist? There's suffering here. What can we do? And obviously, you know,

the sentiment there is correct. You know, everyone's heart was in the right place. But I think what Ben reminded us in an incredibly moving, powerful ways that our toughest tests, our most difficult battles, sometimes our most painful experiences, there's beauty wrapped under those things. Sometimes the things that mean the most are disguised as our toughest tests, our battles. The courage and strength he demonstrated not only to share the story but to use it to propel himself, his family in the world around him brought tears to my eyes. It brought that gift of perspective, right? And certainly I don't want to speak for him,

but he took what I'd assume is the most challenging 16 days of his life and allowed it to blossom into the miracle it was meant to be, which I can't imagine was easy. In fact, you know, I can see a world where many people aren't able to do what Ben did or have find that perspective that been found. You know, not without the required growth and poise. Not without, you know, learning that that gate outside the parking garage doesn't hold a candle to what's actually important.

You know, things don't go the way we draw them up in life. Not always. Life is confusing and chaotic. It's unpredictable. Sometimes it leaves us with nothing more than a moment to look up and ask why. But if you're able to pause and seek out those answers, if you're able to step out of the gap and into the gain, if you're able to accept the beauty that life is trying to offer you, it's always there. And I hope personally to take Ben and Ben Jr.'s strength, courage, and live my life by their example. to immerse myself into life's abundance and share as much of it as I can with the world.

And I encourage you to join me on the journey. Life is a miracle. Let's make the decision to see it that way. Remove the lifelines. Eliminate plans B, C, and D. Let the curtains close and the lights dim. See the beginning. of something new requires the ending of something current. So make life propel you into chapter two. Let the door slam and lock behind you throw away the key. With the boats burned

and turning back off the table, we have to make it work. We have to figure it out. Well, how we we might ask, with only these pieces, with only this circumstance, with only these resources. Well, it's funny how when walking away is no longer a possibility, so many other possibilities are born. When we're stuck between the wall and our demons, we roll up our sleeves and do that, which we have been, let's face it, running from. We fight. We become proactive. We take initiative. It was always there. We just never had to. So if you can't do it on your own, make life make you. Because the bottom line is there are new horizons that await your arrival. They are always there. But they require you to make the trip. To look out over the vastness of what's before. for you and convince yourself that what's ahead can become your new normal.

And oh, how I wish we weren't biologically preconditioned to preserve, to stay safe, to stay the same. How I wish we weren't constantly being pulled to stay right where we are. Our minds, they love it here. With the rest of the world, the change, the hope, the progress, all on the other side of that window, all outside, all foreign to us. You don't need any of that, it'll tell you. Or maybe, after you conjure up a little courage, it might compromise. It might say, fine, it's worth a try, put one foot out the door, but don't forget, you can always come back to me.

You can always retreat. It's warm here, safe here, it's predictable here. The mind wants you to know that when things get tough, mediocrity, and comfort are always right behind you, ready to embrace you with open arms. And it's for this reason that those boats must be burned, that the door must be locked, and that chapter must be closed. The journey before you, it's going to be difficult. There's no question about that. Anything of value brings difficulty. And when faced with the adversity, the only way to defeat it

is to know there is only one way. One option available to you. And that one option is forward. It's through. There is no backwards or compromise. There is no safety. Not if you want from life, that which is extraordinary. Not if you want the things we covet dream of, whether they're interpersonal, financial, career-oriented, health-related, maybe you just know in your soul that right now ain't it?

Any move to something better will present to you its obstacles. And my advice, if it's what you really want, is to have decided before you started that there is no other way. There's no negotiating with yourself. Because if you allow that door to be cracked, life will kick it open. So point the compass north and dismiss any notion that what's comfortable is more important than what's meaningful. When you're cold, nothing is more appealing than that warmth. But warmth is deception, a short-term ploy for you to forget what really matters. An illusion.

See cold subsides, but victory is forever. Knowing that you pushed forward when most wouldn't is forever. Transforming potential into strength when your knees shook is forever. So burn the boat. For no other reason that there is no way forward so long as there remains a way back. back. Make life make you win. And where most would look around and see evidence of defeat, you'll find again and again in the same quote unquote evidence, the tools to build ladders to new beginnings and bridges to new worlds. There's a saying that I love that most of life's

successful people were too ignorant of the odds to know their accomplishments were considered at one point impossible. And I love it because it highlights that there was never a fallback option, a concern for the statistics. There was no worry or exhausted energy on what if. Rather, it was constant building and adjusting, finding ways over, through, and around the walls that inevitably stand before us.

There was no way home. so they pushed forward into their greatness. And so can you, whatever shape, form or color greatness looks like in your eyes, whatever mountaintop appeals to you, if you want it, if you're willing to decide before you go that you will one day stand amongst the cloud peering out at that world you deemed wasn't against you but for you. Anything is possible. 90 seconds is too much.

It just is. I can't do 90 seconds. And I can't do 90 seconds because my brain can't compute 90 seconds. But I can do 30 seconds. And I can do 30 seconds forever. As we navigate our day to day, you know, it's hard to see that. because so often our day-to-day lacks clarity. So what can we do about it?

Well, we can place ourselves in situations where we are reminded. One of them, I've talked about before, being the cold plunge, immersing yourself in cold water. Well, sure, there are health benefits, some of which are debated and disputed, but I certainly notice value in that department. But to me, that's not the biggest value at, not even close. To me, it's simply the daily reminder that I can do hard things, that it's who I am. We need to reestablish that consistently.

Confidence is earned. And I know in my life I must earn it repeatedly. And when I'm immersed in the cold and shivering, there's always a point in my mind, however brief that I'm thinking I want out now. The other day, I was at this point, looked at my watch, 90 seconds left. And that day, in that moment, it felt like an eternity, just too much. And those of you who are endurance athletes, for example, you know that when your body's operating at max capacity, you're suffering, you're exhausted.

90 seconds is truly a lifetime. When you look at it like that, it's too much discomfort for a minute and a half. Your heart starts beating. Your mind starts worrying, right? So what do we do about it? We look at it a little differently. Because from a different angle, you can skip it. You can do 30 seconds.

The brain can grasp and digest 30 seconds. You can do anything for 30 seconds. So you start counting. All of a sudden, 30 gone. Now what? Well, you just did 30. You see how quick that went? Do another 30.

Okay. Done. Just like that. Now what? 30 more. But this is the last 30. You don't even feel anything on the last 30, right? Come on.

Adrenaline's going. You can feel the finish line. This is free time. This is a gift. This is cruise control. And now you didn't have to do 90 seconds. You only had to do 3 by 30. And anyone's saying, come on, man, that's the same thing.

Yeah, it's the same when you're not under duress. But it's a miracle when you are. So why is running life? Why is cold plunging life? Why is putting your body through stress or difficulty life? Because you remember that life is taking big, difficult, seemingly complex things and breaking them down into manageable tasks. That is life.

The pieces are always manageable. Now the monster we allow the pieces to become when we stack them up and give them an invisible face, that's not so manageable. That's self-sabotage. And so to arm yourself with the understanding that all big things must be broken down is to green light the extraordinary. On day one in 2014, a YouTube channel with zero subscribers growing to help over 100,000 people a day. That's a 90-second cold plunge. That's unfathomable, unthinkable, impossible.

But one video weekly, at least for nine years, that's a 30-second cold. It was very doable. Standing in front of the mirror, practicing storytelling, speaking, it's 30 seconds. Reaching out to others to learn to get better 30 seconds in cold water. It's like you look back and you see that you endured that 90-second plunge. simply by breaking it down. That's all growth is. That's all evolution is.

Finding the smallest piece possible in making it actionable. And then watching that transform, multiply, compound over time. In one of my favorite books, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, this reminder comes through beautiful. Louis Amperini, an American prisoner of war in Japanese. internment camps during World War II. He basically experiences unimaginable hell in suffering. He watches his friends die.

He's beaten. He's starved. He comes close to death himself. And at the end, when he's rescued. And I'm paraphrasing, but I remember this part incredibly vividly, he's asked if he could do that again. And he states he'd rather die. He is turning around and,

Viewing it holistically like that is too much. It's unfathomable. That pain is bigger than one can even comprehend. But taking something like that, day by day, step by step, he did the unthinkable. He survived. In breaking the 90-second task down into 30-second pieces, he walked away. In breaking the seemingly insurmountable down into the manageable. and looking at each individual step as a superpower he emerged.

And you talk about perspective. His experience was as challenging as it gets. My cold plunge is laughable in comparison. But my mind doesn't know that. It's up to me to reinforce it. Building a business is nothing in comparison to Louis Zamperini, but my mind doesn't know that. Healing my shoulder and getting stronger in the gym is nothing in comparison, but my mind does not know that.

It's looking at the mountain and reminding myself, Eddie, you can't leap those. I've seen you jump, buddy. But the good news is, no mountains need be left here. We ascend this thing one rock at a time, and mark my words, you conquer those manageable tasks day in and day out. you will find yourself. So when you feel stuck or too small for the task at hand, remind yourself

you're looking at a 90 second block here. Break that down. Ask yourself what your 30 is. Ask yourself what you can create that's manageable. It will create your momentum. That will shoot you into a trajectory that will allow growth and position you someday to look back

over your shoulder and go, wow, I endured all that. A transformation too big to understand on day one. It's a beautiful thing watching all those little steps add up to create the extraordinary. I believe wholeheartedly that it's during our most difficult times our lives are defined. I want to take a second and explain why I believe this to be so. Sort of a personal anecdote for sure, but a quick glance over my shoulder highlights that the best things in my life seem to have occurred after the quote-unquote adversity. The hard thing ultimately unveiling something meaningful, taking my hand and leading me down a new path. But here's what's particularly interesting. That same adversity can also be and has been in the past the reason that I've retreated for.

further into myself, that I've doubted my ability, that I've felt down or embarrassed or defeated. It's not the adversity itself, but it's what we decide to make of it that determines our future. And so this is certainly a little heavy, but I think this metaphor sums it up perfectly. Take water. Age 2O. It's essential to life. It not only quenches our thirst and allows us to continue on in the world, But it's the foundation for life itself.

We can't exist without it. Here's the thing, though, that very same water can be the reason you drown. Right? The very thing that gives life can take life away. The very substance required to carry on can be the reason everything stops. The outcome is dependent on our interaction with it. When I think of adversity, I think of that very decision point, the fork in the road. What will this be?

The reason despite the pain that I grow and push further into life? Or will it be the reason I shrink? Will it be my excuse to cower in the face of hardship? They say simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Making this concept as simple as I do has seen. saved my life. It's helped me find a way through the down times and turn them into something beautiful. After all, what is pain, if not a spotlight on what your soul truly needs? It's the most reliable of messengers, prompting you to get back up, face the world, find that which is

needed to reinvigorate the fire in your soul. So, for example, simple people. People come and go in life. We all get that. But every once in a while, someone goes that we didn't anticipate going. Someone leaves, we didn't anticipate leaving, and there's plenty of reasons for this. From the end of a relationship to life taking a loved one too soon, it rocks our foundation, we never thought about it. They were a forever person, and so amidst the emotional distress that appears that fork in the road, that oversimplified black and white decision. Will I let this be validation for why life is no longer worth living? An excuse to feel disdain and resentment towards what's gone? Or will it be a reminder to appreciate the beauty in life

because everything around us is fleeting? Will it be your reason to reflect back and find gratitude for the moments you did have. Will it be the strength you now possess as you move into the world? What will you make of what's been placed before you? Now for the pragmatic reminder, sure, it's easy outside the storm to talk about weathering it. You know, it's easy for me to sit here having outlasted some of my greatest distress to look back and say, See, that was nothing. The reality is in the middle of the chaos.

When we were standing at that fork, things don't seem so easy. They don't appear so black and white. But those are the moments when we have to dig deep. When we have to remember, it's okay to hurt. It's okay to feel. But it's not okay to let the hell you're going through become the end of you. It's not okay to let the hardship write your story. No, only you can do that.

Never relinquish that control. This story will be a story not of defeat, but of a hero's journey. The resistance that makes the main character rise beyond what he thought was imaginable. It's the turmoil that prompts that average everyday character in each of us to look in the mirror and say, hey, there's more. more in there. When things were easy, maybe you didn't see it. But when they were easy, you didn't need to. It's the fork in the road. The same one that brought you to your knees, the same one that split your heart into, now it's extending an invitation to rise. Yes, when it hurts. Yes, when you feel weak. Yes, when it seems like there's nothing to draw from rise. Those are the moments you transform,

when it would be perfectly comfortable to hide or quit or point it at life as the excuse. But instead of letting life knock you down, you used it like a rope to climb out. The only difference between beginnings and endings is where we go next once they arrive. The difference between growth and stagnation, contentment, and resentment, curiosity, and fear, well, it's not what life gives us. It's what we choose to make with what life gives us. It's while standing at the fork in the road going one way, when the easy thing to do would be to throw our hands up in defeat and go the other.

There's an old quote that stays 80% of life is showing up. Now, showing up means many different things to many different people, but the idea is not complicated. You can't do anything of significance unless you have first and foremost arrived. Which brings me to today. See, I had a list of concepts I've been excited to talk about things that I've either read or have been recent epiphanies my life. And I can't wait to share those with you. But this morning, oh, let me tell you about this morning. Finding the energy to do anything, felt like trying to squeeze blood from a rock. I woke up with a headache, exhausted because I didn't sleep at all the night before. And you know that feeling.

Like when you didn't sleep at all the night before, you're oddly constantly reminding yourself the next day that you didn't sleep. And everything just felt off. And really, as I'm speaking now, things still kind of do. And so I got up and I sort of played with the idea of taking today off altogether. Maybe I'm due for one anyway. I thought about resting. The little devil with the pitchfork on my shoulder continuously reminded me how great sleep would feel. And I was sitting there kind of weighing my options.

Took some ibuprofen, started the coffee, sat down on the couch, just kind of looking at the wall, what to do, to do, but realistically, I knew. And I want to explain why. Over the years, I've taught myself through repetition that sitting down and writing and recording, unless I plan intentionally to do otherwise, is it non-negotiable? It's helped me see that the goal, in any meaningful pursuit should be getting to the point where despite the circumstances, you show up. Stephen Presfield, whose voice often echoes in my mind when I come face to face with these situations. He wrote, art is war between ourselves and the forces of self-sabotage that would stop us from doing our work. The artist is a warrior. Artist, being anyone,

bringing something to the world that does not yet exist. And he goes on to describe the battle with the mind over sitting down in that chair and writing when we know we must write but don't want to. When a tired or distracted mind begins looking for off-ramps, as mine clearly started doing this morning. These seemingly trivial moments, when any rational soul could argue

for the validity of postponing their date with Microsoft Word, will they come to matter more than ever because greatness is a byproduct of intentionality if you become accustomed to breaking promises to yourself if you leave that door cracked for exceptions here and there it will ultimately be kicked open and that's why I inject little reminders like that into my life to keep that mental muscle working

For example, there can never be dishes left in my sink when I go to bed. Why? Because if I skip it once, there will always exist reasons to skip again. It's a very easy thing to not care about. Because here is the reality. Progress is a lifestyle. Growth is a lifestyle. At least if we're talking about any meaningful type of evolution. I just finished reading, it takes what it takes.

by Trevor Mawad. One of those three to five hour listens on Audible, depending on how fast it's playing, really packs a punch. And I'm going to be diving into a few of his concepts a little more in the coming weeks, but one thing he discusses that I found incredibly valuable is the illusion of choice.

And what the illusion of choice highlights is that there are a set of behaviors that must be carried out to be effective. The idea of alternate roots is an illusion. There are no choices when it comes to what's necessary. We know what must be done to win. Now, knowing that is one thing. Knowing that and having to propel yourself to action

when you feel like garbage is something different entirely. But that's why it's so valuable to get to that place where you can take the emotion out, remove the internal deliberation and automate the things you know are going to help push you to be that better version of yourself. In other words, you show up for you, period, and that is a non-negotiable. That's the level we all need to get to. And I'm thinking about this drawing parallels to a lot of different aspects of my day, right,

the interval training I have this afternoon. When you're exhausted, 40 minutes in, and are switching from squats to mountain climbers or whatever it is, right? Instructor makes the announcement. I don't think about anything. I don't give myself a chance to try and rationalize any weakness. I know. If this is important to me, keep that door shut.

No thinking just doing next. Simply doing what you always do, what you've signed up for, cannot be self-perceived as some monumental sacrifice. No, it's just what you do. It's neutral. Sometimes you feel like it. Sometimes you don't. But you do what you do.

And that puts you on track to accomplish some incredible things. And so remembering this, ultimately pushed me through that studio door this morning and placed me down right in front of my mic. Sure, I had to adjust some things. Definitely picked some mellower music. There's going to be no crescendoes today, or my head will explode. but this is not torture. In fact, I'm really happy with the way the episode's turning out.

I would have missed out on something that I think is going to be pretty valuable in a variety of ways. But what I'm telling myself is that this is not a victory. It's certainly not defeat. It's just what I do. And so the question worth asking yourself, when facing the adversity life presents, And whatever arena you were in is, are you willing to show up for you? Can you turn that internal deliberation switch off when it comes to the necessities before you?

Minimize that rationalizing that I battled with this morning. We don't need or want that. There should be no thinking, no crack doors, no metaphorical dishes in the sink. If you decide something is important and you sign, that dotted line when it's time to execute you act and then you move directly onto the next. The goal is to not even negotiate with weakness. Now that's not to say Pressfield's aforementioned war of art won't rage on as you journey to the new horizons you've set out for. But just like anything, it's an understanding that will help you focus.

you focus. It will help you say no to the distractions and the minutia and continue writing your story, constructing your reality line by line and piece by piece. Sometimes it's not about the odds. It's not about things being perfectly aligned for you. Sometimes it's about making something out of nothing. It's about simply finding away or as the saying goes using what you have where you are. I want to share something with you that I've found pretty valuable. So the World Cup is on and I really enjoy watching soccer or football, depending on where you're from and what you call it. And caught a handful of games over the Thanksgiving holiday.

One of those games was Argentina against Saudi Arabia. And for those who maybe don't watch or follow international soccer, Argentina is a powerhouse, right? Ranked third in the world coming into the tournament. Their team has some of the best players in the world. They're just incredible to watch. The Saudis, on the other hand, not so much, right? They're certainly not known for their soccer.

So it's kind of a David and Goliath-esque story. So what's the significance here? Well, let me share some stats. Argentina possessed the ball 69% of the time. Saudi Arabia, only 31%, as expected. Argentina took 15 shots. Saudi Arabia, only three. Again, as expected.

Argentina dominated with possession and had more attempts. Saudi Arabia, however, won the game. two to one. Shocker, right? Outmatched, outclassed, out everything, except outscored. Which happens to be the only thing that matters in a soccer game, obviously. They had far fewer opportunities, but what they did do is capitalize on them, made the most of them. Now, those two teams that could play a hundred times, it wouldn't be outrageous to predict Argentina winning 95 of those matches. But this is my point.

That 5% can be carved out, can be willed into existence. What it comes down to is what you do with what you have. What you make of those few and far between opportunities that arise. Because here's the deal, there will be times when we feel simply outmatched by life. as though the universe is out shooting us in control, bending and shaping us to its will. And maybe at that particular point in time, that's exactly what's happening. To use the previous metaphor, maybe at that moment we are not the Argentina. We are relegated to a lesser equipped adversary.

My message to you is that there is enough there to hold off the Goliath pressing and pushing. My message to you is that there is enough to be outshot but not outscored. That when we must dig deep, we are capable of unearthing a strength, a will, an ability to rise. I'm not talking about making it through unscathed. Now I'm talking about making it through period, when it seems as though we couldn't, when we had to crawl through hell to reinvent ourselves or rewrite the story. There's power in knowing that despite the seeming struggle and despair, that a way exists. In fact, a friend of mine often says to me, there is always...

A way to arrive at your ideal outcome, you just have to figure out how to connect the dots. In other words, that outcome you're looking for, it already exists. The question is, how do you get from point A to B, to C, to ultimately your destination? It's not a matter of whether it's possible. It's a matter of arranging the pieces at your disposal to create that bridge. And the reason I love this World Cup metaphor is because that's a matter of arranging the pieces at your disposal to create that bridge. all or nothing mindset in the past has been an adversary for me. For those who've been listening to me for a while,

I've heard me talk about it. It's like things aren't perfect, fine, I'll wait until they are. And oh, I'm injured and can't work out, okay, then who cares what I eat, what I do? I'll wait until things are back till I'm healthy, until they're how I want them to be. But no, to win, sometimes you have to find a way when the odds are in favor of the resistance. Sometimes you have to step up when life is out shooting you 16 shots to three. Sometimes you have to be better than you thought you could ever be.

It's easy to maintain momentum when you're healthy, right? But maintaining momentum when you're not at your best, that's something different altogether. Coming out on top when you're the underdog, digging deep and finding a way to win, when the easy thing to do would be to submit to life. That's special. And guess what? It's always there. It's always available.

Admiral McGravin, in one of my favorite speeches ever written, he says, if you want to change the world, you must learn to be your very best in your darkest moments. It's beautifully said. It makes perfect sense it seems reasonable. until we are knee-deep in those moments. It's easy to forget when we feel intimidated by a task that seems bigger than us. It's easy to forget looking up at an obstacle or situation that seems to be statistically favored by life.

It's easy to forget when walking away feels like the more pragmatic option. But that's why, regardless of the hillside, to climb, you must remember. When you are outmatched or seemingly outclassed amidst the battles of life, there is a way to come out on top. Emerge victorious, your job is to find it. And the opportunities may be few and far between, but what will you do with them when they present themselves? How will you make the most of the resources that you use?

do have. Because sure, life is largely determined by the small stuff, the predictable things, what we do day in and day out, but the pivotal moments, the times that shape our existence, they come down to finding a way when there appears to be nothing to cling to. You are down but never out, lost but never gone, as long as there is a heart beating in your chest. As long as there is blood pumping through your veins, there is a way. I challenge you to find it. Use what you have where you are. A friend of mine at one point found himself in his mid-20s,

fighting his way back from what he refers to as a pretty substantial setback that had occurred. He was basically rebuilding his life. Okay, found himself looking up at, an enormous mountain to climb. Unsure what he would do for a living, how he would make ends meet, very much lacking direction. And as he pondered,

he got a job as a pizza oven repair guy. Learn the ins and outs of the craft as he showed up every day, eyes still focus down the road, still contemplating what would be the best move for his future. And as some time passed, he started to realize He was mastering the very niche craft that he was showing up to do every day. Right?

Was acquiring a very specific competency in quickly becoming great at it. After a little bit of time, he started thinking, hey, I could branch out on my own here. I could start my own pizza oven repair business. And he did. And after not too long, hired an entire team to work with him. then progressed into delivering and installing new ovens all over the country, and is currently working on some new technology as well to supplement the install and repair part of the business. The guy's doing incredibly well.

And it's interesting because you're having a conversation with him about his success, and it's like, how on earth did you find yourself doing what you do? It's so specific. And he'll tell you, you know, he worried, he pondered, he thought about business degrees and career trajectories and all that. But the difference was that he didn't take the moment for granted. He saw the value where he was with what he had. Where, you know, he could have seen it as a bridge job or a chapter in the story or

however you want to describe it. He saw it as an opportunity. He saw the present as the answer, show up and give everything you have to being great now. Because when you're competent in a craft and ambitious, as he is, that's a scary combo. The world becomes yours. Use what you have where you are. And you will, because of this monstros Cedor's unlocked that perhaps you never thought possible. There are pieces around you now that will put.

push you to grow and evolve. The problem is we very often dismiss them. What my friend turned into an empire, a success story, could just as easily have been an obligation while he waited for the world to give him something different. And sure, I think it's important for me to emphasize the point isn't to stay where you are forever if you're unhappy.

Of course not. The point is that there's value in ancient, to be exceptional at whatever it is you are doing, whatever you are committing to. Even if it appears Monday. The point is that so much potential is sewn into our day-to-day, it just tends to blend in and not feel important, at least at first glance.

You know, doors open for people who are great at what they do, and people who are great at what they do live with a curiosity, consistency and intensity that others might not. It's amazing how when we feel that we are gaining competence in something or excelling in something, it becomes enjoyable, which highlights the fact that, you know, so often our stagnation is a byproduct of us standing in our own way, choosing not to grow. I mean, I can't explain how trivial what I do now felt when I first started in 24,000. started in 2014, sharing my thoughts into a microphone, making little three-minute videos,

uploading them to the internet, right? To an audience of my immediate family for zero dollars. You know how dumb my rational brain was trying to convince me that was? You know how easy it would have been to move on and simply look back on that period of time as my little YouTube experiment? But again, there is this strange phenomenon that when you inject yourself into something and vow to get better at it. It lifts you up, it excites you, it brightens your world. I had, as I've talked about, so many times found that intersection of what I love and what adds value to others.

And that was everything. And the solution appeared not because, you know, I bumped into someone that had some life-changing opportunity for me. It wasn't because I found this shortcut or secret formula. No, I just used what was already sitting in my little apartment on Comab in Boston. It's incredible how often our answers are right where we are. That's why, as I've progressed through this journey, I understand balance. I understand the value of, sure, looking at that horizon, having big plans and ambition,

but also cherishing the opportunity at our feet now, looking around, Because again and again and again, the opportunity is disguised as triviality, is the stuff we walk right by. Always remember that there's something around you that can be transformed into opportunity, even if it's small. And if you choose to look for it,

you will empower yourself everyday things. I can throw off examples for days, the internet, incredible resource, leverage it, whether it's kind of, connecting or sharing or creating or learning. Your day-to-day effort. Like my friend with the pizza oven, installation repair company,

that world doesn't exist if he doesn't take the little things incredibly seriously. Show up to whatever you do with the tenacity that will propel you to new height, whether it's in that same field or it carries you over to another. Or utilizing your network. There are people you know today right now that can contribute to your momentum, seek them out. Time, the 30-minute blocks that we deem insignificant or downtime between one event and another.

Think of the compounding of turning that into a push-up session every day, or your 30-minute audiobook time. And sure, all of these examples are sort of sporadic, they're contextually different, but they have one very important common theme and that's opportunity being squeezed out of resources that we already possess. It's instead of walking by the pile of bricks every morning picking one up at a time and beginning to stack them. I'm a firm believer that the difference maker

for so many is not IQ. It's not going to this or that cost. It's not your background. It's, did you recognize the opportunity surrounding you? Did you find the value or the excuse? Because both will always exist. And that's what we have to understand. The details around you can be your reason for staying right where you are

or for doing the unimaginable. So understand the power of utilizing what you have where you are. Make a point to look for the tools within reach. They say what's trash or junk to one man can be treasure to another. We'll understand that your eyes are capable of seeing both. You have to leave them to the value. You have to become comfortable with pausing, letting the emotions subside and asking,

how can I win here now with the pieces that are available to me because they are available. And if you're willing to pick them up, you can undoubtedly, as Thoreau said, build your castles in the air. I think a substantial amount of life comes down to self-trust, to believing in yourself. But here's the thing, it's not blind belief. It's not toxic positivity where you close your eyes, cross your fingers, shut the world off, and just assume things will work out because you're entitled to a great result. No, what I'm referring to is an active and deliberate trusting of yourself to learn, to make the necessary adjustments, and to keep moving forward.

When we have faith in our ability to step forward and improve simultaneously, there is no defeat. When you know you won't stop until you land where you want to land, then limitations become a choice. Success in any capacity is a you thing, not an outside thing. And this popped into my head a few days ago during, of all things, a game of axe throwing. So, quick story from last weekend, a friend of mine and I, after a day of working on the podcast, went down to Fort Lauderdale, to this axe. throwing place, which is, it's random, but it's a great time. Simple concept. There's this

giant target, and you take turns throwing little axes at the target, basically darts, right? If you think along those lines, and there were eight of us in the group. They divide you into two teams of four, and you play various games until the end, right? The end, there's this final session where it's every person for themselves. It's like a free-for-all. Each person gets three rounds to throw axes at the target and whoever has the best score wins.

So think of the target just in a traditional way, right? The bullseye or the little point in the middle is worth five. Then the next smallest circle outside of that is four. Then three, then two, and then the biggest circle along the edge is worth one. right so whatever you hit with the axe that's the points you get except they put these two little blue dots on the top third of the circle and they say if you can hit one of these blue dots you

get 10 points so high risk but certainly high reward and my friend and I's super competitive right he looks at me starts telling me how he's already got this in the bag and I'm like all right we'll see and it's been arguable but I probably had been the more consistent um of both of us up to that point in the night. Nothing fancy, just straight away aiming at the middle, aiming for those bullseys and fours. Not even attempting to go for those hard-to-reach blue dots, no need straight up the middle.

And here's why this is important. We step out to take our first shots of the finale here. My friend goes first, immediately hits one of those little blue dots. Boom, already, I'm down 10 points. So what do I do? I completely leave my strategy. And I started thinking, no, I'm behind, I can't let this happen. I spent my next nine shots, and the only nine shots I had, right?

Trying to hit those blue dots and missing every time, just get killed, right? He won handedly. And then I realized when the scores were read out at the end, that if I just ignored everything my buddy had done and stayed true to my game, aimed for the center of the board, average 3.5 or 4 points of throw, I would have won. And by a substantial margin. But I let the outside world impact my strategy.

I started chasing those long-shot blue dots when I knew they were a distraction. Now, I'm sure the last thing you expected to hear today was the recap of an axe-throwing contest. But if you bear with me, there's value here, right? So let's step beyond the axe throwing. Let's take it up a level. Let's talk about when you know what's best for you.

You know where you want to be and what's working, but you're pulled out of your lane because of what someone else says or does. You hear him or her over there accomplish something great. You look in the mirror and go, man, I haven't accomplished anything like that. Maybe I need to change what I'm doing, my approach, maybe I'm wrong. See, and the beauty of that little game was that it reminded me that there will always be outside circumstances trying to redirect my course. But we have to trust in ourselves that we are doing what's best. We have to know our own game and our own strengths.

Now, don't conflate this with a stubbornness. It's not about never adjusting. we need to adjust, but adjust when it's best for you. Not simply because other people are taking a different approach. It's hard to stay consistent with the world pushing other options consistently, right? People finding success in various ways, taking other paths, talking about their incredible strategies and how great X, Y, and Z is. But it's all noise. You have to trust you.

And again, not blind faith, but an under, understanding of who you are and a willingness to continue to grow with every step forward. There has to be some element of understanding that, sure, things will get challenging, life will push back. But that doesn't mean you are wrong or in over your head. It's a compounding of little actions and trust in yourself. If you can do that, the world remains yours. day by day, or in my example, throw by throw, knowing your bull's eye and aiming steady up the

middle. We all know how hard it is to see results before they exist. The mind tries to find every example out there depicting why you're wrong, why the finish line is too far away. Life is constantly creating off-ramps, saying, hey, if you don't want it that bad, or you're unsure of yourself, here's a way out, come with me. It's constantly sowing seeds of doubt, which is why we must dig deep for that strength. Life

is a game of you versus you. If those around you win, good for them. And if they lose, well, hey, wish them well on the next go-around. But none of it has any bearing on who you are

and the race you're running. Are you going to show up for you. Are you going to be your biggest fan when it takes every single part of you to keep going? Don't let the loudest voices in the room dissuay you from what you know to be right. Don't let the blue dots hinder your direct line to the bullseye, right? Block out that noise, block out the distractions and do what is required of you. Win your race. because that's the only finish line of value. Walk your path because that will bring you where you need to be.

And when you question the pursuit, remember what you've overcome, all the steps that brought you to right now and how, yeah, maybe they weren't flashier over the top, but they were consistent. They've given life to the present moment. What you do is succeed. What you do is over. Overcome. Just don't lose your bullseye.