Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - Work On Yourself Every Day | Best Motivational Speeches | Wake Up Positive

Episode Date: February 22, 2023

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here's to going, even when you don't want to go. To moving forward when you're uncomfortable, to stepping up when you're fearful. Here's to courage. I was talking to a friend of mine earlier today about understanding the difference between two things. On one hand, the fear that presents itself when we're growing, leveling up. Like we've all felt nerves before a big event or an important life change. Things like that. Then on the other hand, the emotions that arise when we start to feel like something isn't

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

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

want to pay the price solely because of the temporary discomfort. I remember those two. That's a different feeling altogether, a not so good feeling, as we all know. Jim Rohn says it like this. There's a pain of discipline or a pain of regret. Choose your pain. One of the things that makes life challenging is that we have to be open to some level of discomfort in our lives. That's just what it is to be human. Now our powers that we get to choose where we let that pain in and what it means, what it will do for us. Will it be the type of pain that grows us or the type of pain that reminds us what could have been? And I really think most of the time we stop, not because the path was wrong for us.

But because we somewhere along the way forgot that most of life's best experiences and circumstances and opportunities come with a hefty, They demand a lot of us. And in those moments when the lights shine the brightest, when we feel the weight of the world coming down on us, it's easy to misdiagnose that discomfort as a stop sign. It's like, oh, I feel alone, I feel unsure, I don't have any validation, my pride hurts, my confidence is shaken, whatever it may be.

These things, you know, even as I'm saying them out loud now, seem awful. when in reality, they're just the cost of admission. It's like you have to not know before you can ever know. But try telling yourself that as you're wandering around feeling nothing but pressure, right?

It's a different story altogether. It's a challenge. But here's the good news. It's a challenge you're capable of handling, of overcoming. Life is about stepping into things, things we don't feel ready for. And then, learning repeatedly that we can piece together the knowledge along the way.

It reminds us that fear is going to show up regardless of what we do in life. But to grow into the people we are capable of becoming, we have to understand that fear is in its own unique way an invitation. The discomfort doesn't mean something's wrong, often the opposite. It's letting you know that more is available, that you are right where you need to be, but you have to change in order to become worthy of what's on the other side. Life is not saying no, it's merely demanding of you courage and courage you have. I was thinking this morning about a conversation I had with my grandfather.

This particular example, I was living in L.A. at the time, my grandmother, my grandfather. They flew in from Boston. And, you know, I think we're doing some family stuff, but I wanted to hang out with my friends down the street. Right? I wanted to go to Kyle's house, play Star Wars, whatever it was we were doing. And that felt like the world to me. Like, I didn't want to miss out on that because I felt like I'd lose it. If I wasn't there, I'd lose something.

And I remember him taking me from the kitchen. the living room being like, Eddie, you have to relax. He's like, that stuff, I promise you, will always be there. The fun, the escape, the metaphorical going to Kyle's house will always be there. You have to do what's right for you. And then when you need that, it's there. It's almost like all the nuance and the detail is reacquirable. And why I'm bringing this up, and it's a little bit of a pivot.

But, you know, I've seen throughout my life, right, Personally, this sort of loss aversion, like I mentioned a few days ago, where you don't want to leave a bad situation because you fear that the very basic boxes that you've checked, you can't get them back. Right? It's like you can have a job that you're not satisfied. You're unfulfilled. There's nothing great about it. You've lost your sense of self, your purpose, but you're getting a paycheck. Right?

Or, you know, at least you have some direction in the day or in your life. You can say who you are. There's some identity. There's some very basic boxes. You're not happy, but the basic boxes are checked. And what you fear is, if you leave in pursuit of something different, maybe you can't check those boxes again, right? Or you're in a relationship and it's like, it's not right.

And you know in your core it's not right. But there's very basic boxes that are checked. Right? You're not alone. you're with someone, there's some predictability in your life, like, it'd be tough to lose those things. And so that's really the essence of what I want to say, right? Having the self-belief and the self-trust,

because that's really what it comes down to, to understanding that if you move into the unknown, you can recreate those things. You can check those basic boxes off. but if you don't have the courage to move out of that situation, you'll be shackled to a world that's not really meant for you. Right? So like, the job thing.

And by the way, I always worry about saying this because there are people that love their jobs. I'm never, ever knocking a nine to five. Like, it's just my thing, right? That was, for me, I felt so constrained and I'm just such a, like, I love to be creating and sort of out on the fringes, that's just like what motivates me. That's not how everyone works.

So I don't want this to be interpreted as me bashing a 9 to 5. It's just my story. But like I realize that I could have walked away, come back in a year after living in, like, Thailand, and things would have been exactly the same when I got back. Right? I could have got a similar job. I could have found ways to check off those same boxes, right? Those foundational things, they're reacquired.

Just like the relationship thing, right? It's like if it's not right for you, there's eight billion people in the world, eight billion. You think one of those doesn't share your value system, one of those you can't have fun with, hang out with, relax, enjoy yourself, improve your life. Like, of course you can. But you're worried about losing the very basics,

the very basic boxes that you've checked. And it's like you have to have the courage and self-belief to walk away from those things. You have to believe in yourself enough to know that you can recreate a reality, right? With a similar foundation, but with the things on top of that that make you happy, make you feel alive.

You know, like I'm prone to do, I found a random internet quote today. It says, I am learning to love the sound of my feet walking away from things that are not meant for me. And it's that simple, right? You can never get where you're going if you're shackled to the things that don't move you. And if you're staying in a place of discontent.

And the message is simple, right? Believe in yourself, trust yourself. There's nothing in your life that you can't reacquire or rebuild. But what you'll miss if you stay in that place is the opportunity, the upside, the people that will change your life, the places that you've never seen, the experiences, the journeys that make life worth living. The upside is just too high.

Stop apologizing. Stop apologizing for who you are, what you believe and how you see the world. Stop apologizing for your failures. They lift you up. They push you to be more. Stop apologizing for being different, unusual or unique. There's just saying that if you are lucky enough to be different, don't ever change, embrace that. Hold it.

Stop apologizing for taking a path less traveled, for breaking away from the pack. It's not an insufficiency. It doesn't mean you couldn't go their way. It means you had the courage to be yourself. yourself in a world trying to make you someone else. Stop apologizing for words that don't align with someone else's ideology or worldview. Your job isn't to appease or conform. Just to grab hold of what lights a fire in you and use it to brighten the world around

you. Stop apologizing for your dreams. It's okay to not be content where you are. It's okay to want to grow, to become more. The roots planting them to the ground, they are not yours. And why waste the opportunity beyond the horizon of your current existence? See, having the courage of your convictions is like unlocking your mind. Realizing that, yeah, you have the key and you've had it all along.

No one else gets to set your parameters. They don't get to tell you what's right or what to believe. The people around you are not moral arbiters. They're not protectors of truth. Remember that. Remember that no one knows better than you what's best for you. That's why there's power and intuition in following your beliefs, your strengths, in doing what makes you happy, relentlessly pursuing what makes you feel alive.

The thing about dreams, ideas, potential, they're always meaningless until they're not. See, everything is crazy until it exists. So protect it. Don't bow down to pressures of now simply because you have not yet built tomorrow. You will. If you want it, you will. Some messages, they are incredibly simple. my friends is one of those. You have everything you need to become who you want to be right now.

As you listen to this in real time, you don't need approval or permission or acceptance. You don't need to belong or be told it's normal. You simply need to start to know that you will pick yourself up when you fall and keep going. Not apologize, but continue placing one foot in front of the other. not look externally for a will to carry on that only exists within you. See, the second you begin rewriting the rules, changing the game, you put yourself in position to emerge victorious. I think a substantial amount of life comes down to self-trust,

to believing in yourself. Right, 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. At 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 bull's-eye 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. 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 ten points. So high risk, but certainly high reward. And my friend and I is 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 of both of us up to that point in the night. Nothing fancy, just straight away aiming at the middle, aiming for those bullseyes 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 start 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 right, 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.

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. No, 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. 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, and again, not blind faith, but an 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. It's 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-rams, 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 dismay you from what you know to be right. Don't let the blue dots hinder your direct line to the bull's eye. 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 flat

year over the top, but they were consistent. They've given life to the present moment. What you do is succeed. What you do is overcome. Just don't lose your bullseye. So I'm going to share a life lesson with you, something that over the years has been a true game changer. Ready? It's simple.

It's very simple. Like most things, it's easy to understand. It's easy to comprehend. It's the implementation. That's the challenge, right? But it's the idea that progress is not always a visible step forward. Growth is not always a measurable inch or mile to feel good about it, to celebrate. It's not always a tangible victory or pat on the back to smile about it.

Sometimes it's sidestepping. Sometimes it's stepping backwards, reminding ourselves to look up and gain perspective. Because we are always inclined to look at the immediate. that's what feels good. And this lesson says, no, there's a big picture to keep in mind. It reels us in. The big picture is what gives us purpose. It drives our happiness.

That thing we want on the top of the hill. The North Star, the X on the map, that's what's sustainable. And I say it's been a game changer for me because, you know, one of my biggest adversaries over the years has been that voice in my head. Almost pleading with me to indulge in the thing that will bring that immediate result. It's money now, growth now, validation now. There's comfort there. Our minds want that satisfaction. That's why you see all those guys standing next to whiteboards saying they have the formula to make you rich tomorrow. We want tomorrow. We believe in some capacity that that can be real

tomorrow. But that's what tends to lead us astray. And so I've spent a lot of time reflecting over the years on how to incentivize those steps that aren't immediately impactful. There's not the flashy metal you're going to get right now, but I know that if I do it, it's going to bring me to my long-term goal. How do I incentivize that? Because like I said, the natural inclination is to dismiss it. I'm walking laterally across the mountain so that ultimately I can find the most applicable path and ascend. And that's a scary thing. You know, building long-term gives you very little to immediately slap on a resume, to brag or rant about it. Holiday. parties. There's nothing flashy to impress with, but it's believing in a long-term game, doing what

most people can't, trading that certainty that you could have had for an extraordinary later. It's never a loss to do what has to be done so that you can position yourself for the future. Sometimes you have to wade through the muck, work quietly in the dark, so that you can build something that you feel will have an impact. It's not a loss to step backwards to tweak the things you're not happy with. It's not a loss to explore or question or reinvent. It's true, those actions in and of themselves aren't going to put money immediately in your pockets. But if you find the discipline to see the big picture, you realize that long term those things bring happiness, contentment, excitement, which guess what? Leads to accomplishment

and progress and the financial stability that you're looking for. Chasing flashy things, chasing the immediate moment, yeah, it'd get you a quick rush, a nice blast of dopamine, but it's Ultimately, it's unfulfilling because nothing worth having is quick. That's life. But it's often the illusion that guides us, right? You'll never see how many auditions the 33-year-old actor went through before he was cast in a major film. You don't see that. You don't see the countless hours and shows and midnight gigs in front of three people that the rock star endured.

You just don't. It's not celebrating. We celebrate what we see. and what I've learned is that the most important things, they're just not visible to the naked eye. And it's funny. It's like people, they're ashamed or embarrassed by the fact that they're climbing to the top of their own hill

to something truly significant to them because the person next to them is bragging about blindly leaping three steps. And that's great. Progress is great, but unless it's taking you to where you want to be most, is it a win? I have many friends that have left six-figure or hire jobs to podcast or create

or start their own businesses. and people's first reaction is always like, wow, look what you had. Look what you're walking away from. We see scarcity. We are naturally inclined to see life through a lens of scarcity. You need to remember that. That's what we do. We establish and protect our well-being.

That's why I've worked so hard to transform my thinking over the years. To look out and think, who cares what I had? Look what's out there. There are no limitations to what can be yours. If you're not on top of the world, make it happen. And I understand people are complex. Situations, they're not easy, they're intricate. Everyone's different.

Everything is different. But there's a principle that's consistent. And it's that you can always improve your situation. That will never be false. To some degree you can improve your situation. There's always opportunity. It's just what you see. A friend of mine sent me a text yesterday saying the past and the future,

they're just imagination. All you have is now. Everything other than split second is the story you're doing. deciding to tell yourself. That's it. Think about that. We're operating off what we decide is real or imaginary, possible or impossible. We're living in a world that is our own. There's no them or they are crowd, just individual people, all telling themselves some variation of a story. And so taking this back to the point, caving into that pressure, accommodating to the now so that we feel important, so that our self-worth sees that temporary spike, it neglects the opportunity. It makes us feel

like we're stepping forward, that we're progressing, but in reality, are we? That voice, that pressure to conform to what will impress Richard next door, it will always lead to, it will always be to our detriment. And it takes truly what I believe is the most pure, important aspect of life and sticks it in the closet so that we can feel like we're on par with everyone else. And I'll never forget starting out. And I bring this up a lot because it was one of those moments where I knew, I recognized that a huge shift was happening in my life, went out with some friends from college, right? And one's working for a senator, one's at Goldman, one's a lawyer,

and I'm thinking, well, you know, geez, I just quit my job. But I have this really cool idea for a YouTube channel. And I just, you know, I don't think any girls are going to be swooning over that. And I struggled, right? At the time, it was difficult for me. And I look back and I'm just thankful every day that at the time I was able to locate somewhere in my soul the courage to stick that out to believe that if I executed on this dream, I could have an impact.

Because like I mentioned above, it was painful in the moment. But when you think big picture, bigger things happen, right? I'm doing things now that I never, ever would have been able to do if I didn't have that desire to do the unconventional thing. If I stopped at sort of the discomfort or if I stopped when I felt like I was losing this imaginary race to those people around me, I wouldn't have the creative flexibility that I have now. I wouldn't be able to do what I do now.

I wouldn't have the people in my life that I have now. You have to earn that every single day. And it makes me wonder how many people stopped when they could have taken their own path, brought their own unique vision into existence if they didn't retreat when they felt like they were a lone wolf, when it felt like they were losing a race that didn't exist,

when they felt like their neighbors were getting ahead, or their classmates or their friends were doing the conventional conventional things, so they had to. They were too scared to step backwards. And I'm telling you right now, I'm telling you that step backwards, that ability to temporarily find yourself, to create yourself, that will mean everything. That will open doors for you that would never have existed. You never would have come across them because you would have been too scared to look for them. You have to make opportunities. Simple metaphor. Gumball machine. Gumball does not come out if you don't put the quarter in and turn it. It's a price that has to be paid.

Except in reality, the price is a lot higher than a quarter because we're conditioned to want to fit in. We're terrified to look like we don't know what we're doing. Every significant thing around you stemmed from someone pushing into that unknown. It came from someone risking everything. It's not easy when your family doesn't know what you're doing, your friends don't know what you're doing, or you don't know what you're doing. But if you want to have an impact, that is the road you have to take. That's the costs you need, the price that you need to pay.

It'll be a hard year or two years or three years, but you won't regret it. So hopefully this can be a reminder to you. When I talk about lateral steps, that's the sentiment I'm trying to recreate. I think that's the great thing because it means the people who, create, who build something meaningful. They've earned it. And that's what I tell myself every day. Earn that dream. Earn that change. Take that road less travel. What you're doing right now is not insignificant simply because it's not immediately bearing free. I think if you listen to this back from the top, you'll notice the constant theme, immediate, now, present. These things are delusioned.

As far as results are concerned, the word immediately is a con artist. Action should be immediate, but results, no, they are gradual. They require persistence. Stick with it. Remind yourself to look up because that's what you're after. It's a pursuit. You're building a foundation. You're creating the things that permanently alter the artistic and political and social landscapes.

That's remarkable. It's the road few have the patience to walk. Remind yourself why you're skipping the small stuff, brushing off the little winds and losses. Why building something substantial in silence is more powerful than gloating and screaming at the top of your lungs after every visible step. Look up. Reminds yourself that you are going to change the world and you can see it. Mark Twain said the two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you're. find out why. The first gets you into the show and the second asks what will you do with your time here. What will you make of this sunrise? Because we only get so many and I think there's immense

value in understanding that each and every one of us are here to lead this place better than we found to stand up when we could be sitting down, step out, and make something of the chaotic and often hard to understand world around us. When you realize the miracle that is your existence, when you understand the almost impossible odds of you being here, thinking, feeling, breathing in the air around you, you begin to see the value of today. Because it's not an obligation, it's a currency, the most precious of commodities. Today is your time to step into that new version of yourself, to see something more so that

you can begin the process of creating something more. Because the truth is life will always be what you decided is. If you walk up to your window, look through the blind, and decide what you see is the finale, the final script, that's exactly what it will be. But if you see right now as a beautiful beginning, the initiation of the ride of a lifetime, a transport to the next version of you and the next and the next, then you are signing up for a world without limit. a world where you can feel what it's like to be tested and endure.

To be lost but finds your way. To build something meaningful out of the seemingly meaningless. That's why you're here. That's what it means to truly live. Today is your day. Your chance. Don't let it slip away from you. Don't be fooled into thinking it's less than it really is.

It is your ticket to infinity. A journey that starts when you decide it does. When you look out at that vast unknown and say, I'm not going to settle for anything less than a life of adventure. I want the challenges, the turbulence, the losses and the battles. They will bring me to a place I could never have arrived at otherwise. You get from life what you give. So give it all.

Leave no path unwalk, no stone unturned. Today is the most important day of your life because it will connect the you of yesterday to the limitless you of every day that comes next. The road to this moment wasn't an easy one. There were times where you thought you knew, but simply didn't. There were plans made that drastically differed from the one's fate had prepared. There were days that made you question yourself, your beliefs, that made you ask, what is my purpose?

Look, to live is to have felt these things, asked these questions, to have seen firsthand the discrepancy between what we draw up and how life unfold. And I think about this discrepancy often. The swings and misses, they hurt. You know, that quick shiver you feel down your spine when thinking about the wrong turns made. The tugging at your heartstrings when reflecting back on things said or perhaps worse, left unsaid. It's easy to get lost in that feedback loop. Letting the past dictate the present, letting yes, Today define today. But here's what I've come to see as the truth.

To experience the things that make life beautiful. We have to be vulnerable in a way we otherwise wouldn't. Open ourselves up to an unknown that, you know, we could have skipped altogether if we really wanted to. All that pain, all that hurt the past provided could very easily be the reason you shut down. the reason you play small. That hell you walk through could be your justification for never stepping out into the chaos of life again. That would at first glance appear to make sense. Seem ideal even.

But that pain could also be the reason you look around you and say, after all that, After experiencing everything life threw at me, I'm still here. And as I stand here now, I'm looking out at an array of possibility that is... I'm equipped with an understanding and a worldview that was once foreign to me. I'm armed with the perspective that has changed my life for the better. By stepping out into the often dangerous, brutal, unforgiving world, I have elevated myself. And that has made all the difference. And while it may feel intuitive to run from a reiteration of yesterday's pain, it's wisdom that urges us to instead use that pain as a multiplier.

The key to something more. something miraculous, not to cower because we once endured it, but to stand tall because we overcame it. And that's what we often miss. We can think back to the adversity, sure, but we're often unable to see how that adversity shaped us. Our own strength, it's never going to scream out at us. It's never going to let us know it's there. we have to take the time to acknowledge its presence. We have to peer over our shoulders to see how far we've traveled.

We'll always have obstacles before us. But if we don't stop and assess, we won't see that the obstacles have gotten bigger. Not because life's gotten harder, but because our own evolution has permitted us to step into bigger. arenas. It has equipped us to take on larger adversaries. A simple willingness to be vulnerable has become the flame that lit up your soul. So the question is, will you step out? Will you see that vulnerability not as a crack in the foundation or a chink in the armor,

but as strength. To love, it requires accepting a susceptibility to being hurt. To play the game requires an acceptance that you just might come up short. To bet on yourself means understanding that you might fall right on your face. To want more than you have now means acknowledging that you might be humbled along the way. This is what it means to live, giving a peace of yourself in order to acquire that which means the most. The torturous, often counterintuitive willingness to step out into the darkness of night when your heart races and your mind moves a million miles a minute, that's vulnerable.

That is power. and it's an investment in a tomorrow that otherwise would not have been available to you. You are not your past. You are the wisdom derived from its lessons. The courage removed from its trials. And the hurt, that hurt that was perhaps at one point the only thing you felt, it's not your reason to shrink into yourself. It's your reason to step back out.

To say to the universe, I have the strength to again dance with the unknown. To risk the short-term discomforts that life often hands out like candy in exchange for the chance, years from now, to look at your reflection and say, I got back up. I did the hard thing. I followed my heart. I wandered into that darkness to obtain the wondrous reality that is for a time concealed. I did that. So love again, grow again, try again, build again, believe again, see again, feel again, step out into the world, world again, this is who you are. Underneath the fear and insecurity, underneath all those reasons

to not go, there lives the beginning of the miracle that is life. And it won't be easy. The timing will never feel perfect, but the question will always exist. It will always exist within an arm's reach of where you stand, can you be that vulnerable? Can you be that courageous? And not just when things are going well, but amidst the turmoil, the chaos, the self-doubt, when your memory only wants to play highlight reels of where things went wrong, where you swung and missed,

will you choose to see those moments, not as the chains that confine you, but as the strength that elevate you. Will you be vulnerable enough to give away some of you in order to expand and transform all of you? Life is perspective. So during the good times, find gratitude. And during the difficult times, find the opportunity. When you have the answers, when you know, be proud of your knowledge. And when you don't celebrate all the wisdom to come.

When the sun is shining, cherish the warmth on your skin, and when it's not, learn to run in the rain. When you're focused, appreciate the clarity. And when life feels chaotic, embrace the chance to manufacture order. When people come into your life, value the ride that you'll share. And when they leave, take note of all they gave along the way. When you win, reflect back on all the hard work that made it possible. And when you lose, take in the lessons that you lose.

even winning can't provide. When things go as planned, revel in your ability to execute. But when your plans and life's plans diverge, remember that some things are simply outside of your control. And now, this moment is a chance to identify and utilize the things that are are in your control. Henry David Thoreau, it's not what you look at, it's what you see. So see the world as you'd like it to be. Never turning a blind eye to reality, but realizing how much control you have over making reality your own.

We are the builders. The world around us merely provides the components and the pieces. And if one were to live as though there were value. every moment, they would inevitably find themselves looking for that value, perhaps even when it was difficult to find, most elusive, when most would hang their heads and walk right by it. I look out my window and see a world that is neither valuable or valueless. I see a blank canvas in which we are tasked with making that decision. life is a roller coaster ride

it has ups and downs the obvious and the unexpected and while some think nothing of the high points and dwell on the low points there are an abundance of resources of beauty of joy reserved for those who understand how great the highs are

and how valuable the lows who take what comes, not as walls to live within, but as parts to assemble. Not as antithetical to their hopes and dreams, but as the very foundation they will build those hopes and dreams upon. This world is not for you, just as much as it is entirely yours. It calls for you to be that arbiter. for what you decide will inevitably take. The other day I woke up with a plan. Three things I had to do.

So I wrote them on my whiteboard. They were essentially my objectives for the day. But it ended up being one of those days where things didn't unfold the way I anticipated. And for a variety of reasons, curveball after curveball, with some sloppy decision-making sprinkled in there. Eventually, morning became afternoon, afternoon became evening.

I found myself exhausted and looking up at a whiteboard that was showing me I had accomplished none of the things listed. And I hate that feeling, having clear objectives and not meeting them. And so after dinner, I got a phone call, and I found myself talking about how I fell short. getting it all off my chest, letting it all out there. And I got that reassurance that I wanted without even realizing that I wanted it, right? The voice said back to me, Eddie, this happens.

It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. No one's perfect. You put a lot of pressure on yourself. Tomorrow's a new day, right? That type of thing, and it's like, okay, exhale, time for Ben. And the next morning, I was outside relaxing, doing some thinking, and came to this point. And you'll see how these dots connect here in a second.

But essentially, I see life as a staircase, right? Where we thrust ourselves out into discomfort, into chaos. And then amidst the storm, we're forced to grow. We step into shoes. We were once unable to fill. And what was once bigger than us is now normal. It's every day. It's ordinary because we fought for it.

We pushed ourselves through. That's evolution. But now, guess what? That old ceiling has become the floor. It's time to evolve. It's time for that next step in the staircase. Time to thrust ourselves back into the chaos of life

so that we can again tame something bigger than us. Take the next intimidating thing and make it commonplace. And as I sat there outside thinking, I found myself to be at that next step, ready to leap out again into the tumultuous winds of life. But this time it felt different. There's an intersection, and I talk about it often, of doing what adds value to the world and doing what makes you content personally. Okay, I think where those two things meet is peak limit.

That's where the magic happened. And I'm fortunate enough that these thoughts, speeches, episodes, videos, whatever you want to call them, on some days, literally reach over 200,000 people, and that's not meant to be a humble brag or anything like that. It's just to me so incredible that I can't process it, right? I get emotional thinking about it. My dream is to add value to other people. Provide that little lift that might help someone look at their own problems differently. Maybe see a path when before they were unable to.

That's what it's all about. And then, in addition to that, a parallel track, on a personal level, feeling like I'm growing and evolving as well, constantly stepping up those stairs one by one, having the courage to continue fighting those unknown and making sense of life's complexities. That's why so many of you were on this journey with me. And so as I looked up at that next step,

and it felt bigger than it ever had before, I knew the task needed to be bigger than it's ever been, which would require of me one of the biggest changes I've ever made, and that scared me to death, knowing that in order for something to be born, something must die, something must be left behind. I'd been stepping forward for years and thank God for that,

but now it was time for a leap. And so back to that whiteboard I mentioned earlier. If you hang in with me long enough, I usually come full circle. Right, back to the list of goals I miss, the bad day. Why am I so fixated on that? Well, it has nothing to do with the day itself. Everyone swings and misses from time to time. It has nothing to do with those,

three goals. Everyone falls short here and there. That's part of life. It's about the person I want to be as I endure those turbulent times. It's about the strength to handle my own chaos and battles differently. Before you can lead others, you need to lead yourself. And that means being vulnerable. It means being honest. It means looking in the mirror and asking yourself the tough questions. It means being stronger than I've ever been. There will be times that require of me that I push forward without having to hear from my parents or girlfriend or buddies that everything's all right. The next step requires that I trust myself to be the God.

in my own life. To have impact in the world, one must find strength within themselves where they didn't know it existed. This is a leveling up that I know is required for me to be more than I've ever been, stronger, bolder, more confident when I'm most fearful. There was a line I used to draw separating me in the people I look up to. And the moment that I'm the moment for me was a message. I knew it was time for me to mentally remove that line. You'll never be more than you envision yourself to be. It was time to be my own answer. Promote myself to that next level. From the kid with a dream to the man that makes it happen, it's time. It's just simply time. Even the ones I love, the ones closest to me, they can't provide that. It has to be

internally derived from a place so deep that come hell or high water, it's happening. And telling people about my little misfortunes so that they can pat me on the head and tell me things are great, that's antithetical to what is required of me next. There is a level of courage and strength and excellence in all of us that lives at the bottom of this abyss that we must pull up with everything we have. until it becomes intertwined with who we are and where we're headed. And as I sat there, I knew it to be true. I couldn't help but feel that change was about to happen,

and it would stem directly from how I see myself. It would be the product of who I knew myself to be. And so now, most importantly, I present this question to you. Are you at that next step? Are you looking at a chasm that must be crossed? Were all your little decisions, all the courage and discipline and strength that you utilize to get here, that has positioned you for this moment, is it telling you something is next? Is it time to dig deeper and be more than you have ever in your life been?

In my example, by the way, was not about holding in our problems or discerning. Missing those around us. Asking for help and we need help is courage. The small circle we surround ourselves with is a direct reflection of who we are. No, for me, it was about being the type of person who trust myself to weather those storms. About moving with greater conviction. Graduating from going to be to is currently. That whiteboard, that phone call was the turning point and nothing more.

And my example may fit your life like a glove. You may think, wow, that's exactly the lens I need right now. But maybe it's not. Maybe your situation is a little different. Maybe the road you're on is newer, less traveled. Maybe it's the courage to take that first step, to play the student. Perfect.

Because whatever it is, as you look up at that next step, what matters is that you know in your heart and soul that you have what it takes to become that person. It's not bigger than you, it is you. Someone once told me that the world will not believe it until you do. So believe. Believe it like your dreams depend on it because as it turns out they do. As it turns out everything about your future is make believe until you breed life into it.

Look around you at your current reality. Remember that it is a product of what you've allowed and that at any time you can up the ante. Climb the step, reach a new level. You have it within yourself to do that. Just give yourself permission to do that. to be that person. And it will be scary. It's going to hurt at times.

But let's be that vulnerable. Let's show the world what we can create when we move into it as though it's ours. As though destiny isn't assigned but written one beautiful act of courage at a time.