Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - YOU OWE IT TO YOU IN 2025 | Powerful Motivational speeches

Episode Date: October 10, 2025

In this episode, Eddie explores Amor Fati, the art of loving everything that happens. It’s about turning setbacks into strength and seeing life’s challenges as teachers. When you stop resisting what is, every moment becomes part of your becoming.“Amor Fati isn’t about surviving the storm, it’s realizing the storm was always part of the plan.”More from Eddie Pinero:Monday Motivation Newsletter: https://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletterYour World Within Podcast: https://yourworldwithin.libsyn.com/Stream these tracks on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2BLf6pBInstagram - @your_world_within and @IamEddiePineroTikTok - your_world_withinFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/YourworldwithinTwitter - https://www.twitter.com/IamEddiePineroBusiness Inquiries - http://www.yourworldwithin.com/contact

There's a Latin phrase pronounced Amor Fatih. It's one of the more powerful ideas I've come across. Its translation means love of fate. It implies everything that happens is good, with the very least necessary. And I think we need that reminder from time to time. Because, funny enough, it is one of the first sentiments to leave us when we're in trouble. when we're down or lost, the idea that everything has its value. And sure we don't always understand it in the moment or when we're fighting through it,

but that circumstance or even tragedy, and the great play of life has a crucial role. Someone recently sent me a beautiful clip from a Stephen Colbert interview. I want to dive in, but there's a caveat. There's a caveat. I ask that you listen to this in a vacuum. For our purposes, I'm not going to be the Stephen Colbert who mocks half the country on live TV every night. This is the wise Stephen Colbert with a lot of value to add because he can be both.

To frame the interview, he's sitting across from Anderson Cooper, and Anderson's asking him about something he said a while back. Anderson reads the quote I've learned to love the things I'd most wished had not happened What punishments of God are not gifts Anderson then looks up from the paper Looks over at Stephen and asks Do you really believe that

To which Stephen responds yes It's a gift to exist and with existence comes suffering There's no escaping that you can't pick and choose what to be grateful for. A truly incredible emotional moment. It is the realization of Amor Fati. Even the most trying of times are a bridge to something. Even that which is taken away creates a space for one to ultimately find what they need.

A couple years ago, I did a keynote in Hollywood Beach talking about those difficult situations. Some of them are external, but some of them we create. Like chaos, self-induced, that opens the door to the most precious of occurrences. Things that I never would have had or arrived at, if not for the pain, the sadness, the confusion. It truly all fits together. And so I basically take a trip down memory lane, talking about the physical duress of a cold morning run. Wouldn't you know it? It strengthens one's conviction and belief.

in themselves or the sadness in leaving someone you care about, someone you love, knowing it's no longer what's best for either of you but was necessary. Touched on the fear. The physical resistance I felt walking onto stages in 2015 and 16 dreaming of off-ramps, thinking of excuses in my head all the way up until the mic was in my hand on stage and words came out of my mouth that propelled me to comfort and confidence in sharing my voice. Again, it's all one big puzzle. Every piece matters. You don't get ups without downs.

And as you push forward into the next thing and the next, as you see the breadth of the unexpected and the power of the unknown, you learn. You learn that the so-called lows, aren't the exception. They're not a problem to be solved. And as I sit here now, I even view them less as a cost than I once did, a pain that must be endured. No, it's all worthy and deserving of our gratitude. It all matters. It's all precious. I talked about on a recent episode, getting migrants. And one of the days I remember more than any other in my life,

and I'm 36 now by the time this episode's released. I have a few days under my belt. This one was truly memorable to me. I was having a debilitating headache and a ton of pain, finally able to fall asleep. And I remember waking up, opening my eyes and realizing that the night had finally slipped by. Morning arrived.

And I felt good again. I slowly got up, kind of tilted my head, back and forth, testing the waters, all clear, and walked outside, down to the beach. And as the sun came up, I sat on the lifeguard stand and just looked out in awe. The sand, the waves, the seagulls, the sky. It all meant more in that moment than it ever had. I was just beyond grateful to be there. And so you talk about the lows being gifts.

You know, I get it. It sounds cliche at best, maybe even ridiculous. But those lows, I swear by it, always seem to give me the things I'm most grateful for. It's a pattern that constantly repeats itself. They always remind me that the magic is the stuff I walk right by. They put me in hell for a period of time so that I understand to exist beyond that space is a mirror. Without Lowe's, life's beauty becomes a baseline. And when something is a baseline, it's definitionally average, or regular, it's mundane. I've learned to love all the things I'd most wished had not happened. What punishments of God

are not. It all matters. It all brings you something. And if you're at a point where you're so deep in the weeds are so far in the trenches that you've forgotten. I hope this finds you and lifts you above it all. I hope it reminds you that you will arrive at the place you most need to be. And it will be not despite but because of this path you walked that you arrive there. Some people live their entire lives waiting for miracles. And some people realize they're already in one and act accordingly. I hope today you choose the latter because it is a gift. Life is about duality. It's about being grateful for the road behind you,

but also excited and hungry for what's ahead. That balance is where growth lives. It's why we created AGNS, always grateful, never satisfied. More than just an apparel company, it's a reminder that there's always another hill to climb. And if you go to agns. And if you sign up for the email list, you'll get daily inspiration right to your inbox.

Latest updates on all the new merch drops, as well as a 20% off discount code. Hope to see you there. At night, the sky becomes visible. The darkness, the muting out of everything else allows the stars to finally shine through. to make their presence known. And during the day, conversely, one cannot see those stars,

but the world around him on the ground becomes illuminated. It's a push and pull that seems to work perfectly. And I think there's something poetic about the partnership existing between the big picture goal and the small steps required to bring it to life. As one of my favorite sayings goes, keeping your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground. Because here's what's interesting.

If one were to only look up at the goal, she'd be consistently reminding herself of the ideal without taking the necessary steps to get there. And if one were to only look down at her feet, well, her steps would eventually become aimless. And it's that duality, right? The need to both reassure yourself you can see the stars, as well as use the world around you to pull yourself closer to them that changes things.

It's that beautiful dance that has to be maintained. And this is a balancing act that has certainly been challenging. Sometimes the pendulum swings way too far one way, sometimes way too far the other. But in a perfect world, you know, you wanted gravitating towards the center. I remember just starting the YouTube channel almost a decade ago, having, you know, big multi-million subscriber goals,

but completely lacking the systems and everyday practices in place that would walk me towards that finish line. I mean, sure, something's better than nothing. I was working and learning, but the actions simply didn't align with the objective. I had to correct them. And then I've been on the other end as well. But I'd be doing things every day without knowing why.

All steps, no goal. That sort of thing occurs when routine takes on a life of its own. You start doing things because, well, it's what I do. It's what I've always done. You know, this is when one has to look in the mirror and ask the difficult questions. And look, anytime I can squeeze the complexities down into the simple, I try and do that. So with that in mind, my questioning goes like this. What do you want?

No, the answer? Okay, good. Next question. Is what you're doing, taking you closer every day to what you want? Asking that question in a serious way takes a spotlight to one's world. Using my previous metaphor, it shuts the lights off so the North Star becomes visible. And then, right, turns them back on to ask yourself, if you're using the light of, your resources to move there. And I've become pretty good at asking myself this question consistently, and still, I find

things that don't belong, that sort of, you know, they hide in plain view. I have faith that I'll end up exactly where I need to be. But that faith is rooted in my commitment to continually assess, to scrutinize, and adjust. there's very little hope and a substantial amount of trust in my ability to continue forward there's an idea referred to as the Stockdale paradox which states

and this is the first definition I grabbed from Google here you must never confuse faith that you'll prevail in the end which you can never afford to lose with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be. That's where the tough love thing comes in.

Be your biggest fan because no one will believe in you unless you do. It all starts with your trust in yourself to navigate the process and arrive where you must arrive. But it also requires you are your biggest critic. It means the reason you trust yourself to get there is because you know you won't just sit back and say, I'll win because I believe I'll win. No, you'll win because you will, while having your head in the clouds,

be brutally pragmatic with the steps you're taking on the ground. You'll win because you're committed to learning and adjusting. What of my favorite epiphanies when I started doing this full time was the realization at a very small scale at first, that, whoa, someone can't fail unless they quit. you can't lose unless you stop. Impossible, someone might think. Well, no, because when you miss the mark or you fall short,

you take a second to understand why, and then you come back to the problem or challenge again, right? This means life is a game of tenacity, of persistence, of commitment. The one who keeps adjusting and coming back is bound to connect the dots eventually, which makes failure the simple decision that, eh, this isn't worth it for me. I don't want to continue adjusting and re-engaging with this.

And look, hey, depending on the situation, that may be the move, right? There have been things in my life where after sufficient trial and error, sufficient data, I've said, this doesn't align with who I am or what I want. I'm going to walk away and pivot to something that does, right? But the key is knowing that it is a decision. To not reach a particular goal is a choice. to no longer attack it relentlessly. And so when you feel lost or defeated

or even frustrated with the process, try that line of questioning. What do I want? And is what I'm doing today bringing me there? This allows you to start taking a sledgehammer to the things that don't belong, refining the process. And yeah, sometimes walking away from the things

that are no longer in the scope of who you want to be and where you're going. But the power is in knowing, it's in understanding that your footsteps, the little actions of your day-to-day, they are incredibly powerful. But most of all, when you are methodical with them, when they're pointed in the right direction.

So pick your stars carefully and own those steps that take you towards them. Failure is not a sickness you catch. It doesn't fall on your head like a piano in those old cartoons. It's a choice. Meaning in positive terms, as long as you are committed to learn, re-approach, and repeat, you will find yourself atop the mountain. As long as you're willing to evolve, you will ultimately arrive.

If you want to be empowered, understand this. The world is indifferent to you. It's not an enemy, but it's not a friend either. It's a tool. The same way that attributing any type of motive to a hammer would be ridiculous, right? I've seen hammers build things and I've seen hammers destroy things. Well, the same can be said for the world around you. What it becomes is determined.

entirely by how you choose to utilize it. You know, there are things we learn as we navigate through life that change us. And one of the most critical for me was understanding that, yes, the world is indifferent to me and no, I am not special. Doesn't mean I can't go do amazing things, help people, change the way things are. But if those results materialize, it will be because of what I made with what surrounds me. not because of what the world owed me or because I was special or deserving

no it will be because I set my sights on something and pursued it and so you ask why is this empowerment it's empowerment because it puts things into perspective and perspective is power it simplifies the road ahead the bad things that happen they are not personal they don't mean the deck is stacked against you and those good things they are never guaranteed. Everything's a question of grit, of depersonalizing the lows in an effort to capture those fleeting highs. Life is not predetermined. Life is a game. A game that you have the ability to

win, to leave this place better than you found it. But you're also capable of taking a different path. It's just as easy to highlight the flaws, to take on the role of a perpetual victim. The tools are there to do both. And so the question is what will you do with what you have?

Because it's not about where you start. It's not about where you came from. It's about choosing to look around you and say, I choose to be an architect. From this reality, I will build. I will contribute. I will

go forth and conquer. When the walls cave in, it's not because you can't or shouldn't. It's because sometimes in life, walls cave in. And now you choose

whether to lay in the rubble or rise from the ashes. And this fork in the road that's going to present itself many times. The ones who get angry, who point out, who project blame, who will live very different lives and the ones who brush it off as an obstacle on the windy road that is life and press forward.

You did not arrive here special, but you sure as hell can leave here special. The world may be indifferent, but you are not. If you're passionate, if you move forward with conviction, you'll become friends with the trials and allies with the tribulations. You'll see that growth only stops, not when an angry world around you decides it so, but when you do. When your feet stop moving and your heart longs for the horizon no more. But until then, it's all systems go. Until then you build. A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next one.

week. That's from George Patton, General in the United States Army, integral to the Allies victory in World War II. So why? What makes this statement so powerful? Well, it rings true because we have to move beyond the idea that we can manufacture greatness with one swing of the bat, one stroke of the pen, that if we wait for the right moment, perfection will come. The light, we'll be a light. The light, will turn green. The stars will align and the path will emerge. I feel like I could scream this from every mountaintop and it wouldn't be enough. Life is not a perfection game. Life is an adjustment game. And I'll speak anecdotally here. In my experience, looking over my shoulder, reflecting, you know, those times that I'd clung to perfection, rationalizing my immobility by saying,

hey, you're not ready. This isn't good enough. I'd only have to dig a few layers down to see that my not moving wasn't out of some loyalty to excellence. No, I was standing still because of fear. A fear of going, of starting, a fear of the unknown.

Perfection is the biggest con there is. It's a scam. It says, wait here, your perfect moment will arrive. Hang tight. the right time is coming. No, there are no perfect beginnings. There's merely the courage to move into something new or the regret that will ultimately come from wishing that you did. And sure, a part of it's almost counterintuitive. It's like, why isn't it beneficial to wait? Why would you want to take the leap before you're ready? Here's how I see it. One of the most important

distinctions to understand is that between the thinker and the doer. The thinker who ponderes, who reflects, who studies and studies and studies, thinking he or she can create for him or herself a perfect jump-off point, thinking they can obtain for themselves all the necessary information, all the answers before they begin the journey. The truth is greatness is forged through repetition. via wheels on the road, and yes, you are terrible at first. Completely unsure at first, you get lost at first. But this becomes the knowledge that shapes the journey.

When you go before you're ready, two important things happen. First, after falling down and feeling embarrassed and insecure, you get back up, you look around, and you go, wow, okay, I'm still here. That sucked, sure, but it wasn't as bad as my brain told me it would be. Next, you learn from the exchange. You can start doubling down on what works and eliminating what doesn't. And eventually, as you take this confidence and wisdom onto the next step,

repeatedly, the curve becomes exponential. In doing, you begin stacking bricks, creating a foundation. Those experiences that humbled you become what you lean on. They're what turn into the experience, the knowledge, the credibility. And see, thinking you can skip all that ugly stuff by waiting on the ledge for perfection to arrive in your hands, that will be your undoing. That's just as crazy as a sailboat waiting for the wind to stop. It's like, no, you need that friction, that resistance to reach your destiny.

nation. And no, we cannot control everything. Yes, there are powers beyond us. But if you go now, you learn to use and navigate them. The greatest gift we can give ourselves is permission to go. It's looking a year ahead and dreaming of the moment. We pause and say, wow, what a year. The twists and turns, the lessons, the highs, the lows, the peak moments all brought me here. And how different here is from back there. How far I've come. Knowing, by the way, that life was never asking me for perfection, but rather a willingness to start, to dive in, to adapt along the way.

I know a lot of people with businesses that exist in their minds, but not in reality. A lot of people in shape when they close their eyes, but not when they look in the mirror. A lot of people living their best lives. when talking about the future, but not when they pull up to work on a Monday morning. We shorten the gap between our ideal existence and the present moment by going, by stepping now. Even when we can't imagine how the process will unfold.

Because let me tell you, life will bend and twist in ways you can't even fathom. It'll take you places, that ignite your soul, show you things you never dreamt of seeing. But you have to put yourself in position to receive that from life. The world wants to help people who help themselves.

So give yourself the gift of progress. Of momentum, if a dream is only worth the action, one is willing to take to bring it to life, Let that action start now. Move beyond the illusion of perfection and towards the opportunity to take the imperfect every single day and transform it into greatness. Every time your mind says you're not ready,

let that be your invitation to step forward. See, life may not be a race, but that doesn't mean time will politely wait for you. We must say goodbye to perform. As we evolve, as we grow, I can guarantee you it won't be missed. 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 a way. 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 power. House, 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 100 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 outshooting 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. I'm not talking about making it through unscathed. No, 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 see 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 all-or-nothing mindset in the past has been an adversary for me. For those who've been listening to me for a while have 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 McRaven, 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 hill 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 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. Freedom lies in being bold. Robert Frost Something caught my eye on Twitter Not too long ago

It was a headline referencing The Boldness of Wolves in the Wild So I clicked it to delve a little deeper It took me to an article by Emma Maris And here's the summary at like a 10,000 foot view Okay, basically there's a parasite called T. Gondii That infects animals

and then causes those infected animals to act bold, perhaps even reckless in some situations. And the article states why and goes into some great detail, but for now I'm going to jump right to a specific point, because there's a part where the article mentions how two wildlife ecologists, Meyer and Cassidy, studied wolves at Yellowstone for 27 years. And upon studying them, they find something very,

interesting after taking blood samples from 229 wolves, they found that wolves infected with that T. Gundi parasite, that again makes them act bolder, were 11 times more likely than uninfected wolves to leave their birth family and start a new pack. The infected wolves were also 46 times more likely to become pack leaders, which Maristates are often the only. wolves that breed. And so this appears to portray a direct link from boldness to increased

social status and possibly even reproduction rates. With that boldness comes risk, sure, but with risk comes reward upside. Now obviously the day-to-day actions of wolves at Yellowstone is not an apples-to-apples comparison with human beings functioning in society. But personally, I can't help but feel the value contained in the case study. In fact, it was my thinking about it while falling asleep that prompted me to find the article again and share it. For the simple reason that I know there are places in my life that I can be bolder. I know there are places in my life where I can dial up that risk factor in exchange for results that supersede what I have now.

You don't get more without giving more. And I know there are places I can give more. In fact, I'm pretty confident. There are places every single one of us can give more. See, here's the thing. Being bold means drastically different things to different people. And it's in this truth that the magic is found. Boldness for one person might be completely different.

from someone else. It might be more travel. For another, it might be taking on a project at work. For another, it might be leaving a detrimental situation. For someone else, you know, going through a low point or deeply challenging time, it might be simply getting out of bed. We are all operating on different planes at any given time. My bold today won't be my bold next week. That's just the way life works. But here's what I do know. We can all find within ourselves, that courage to be bold in whatever arena we are in. And every once in a while someone will say to me, yeah, but Eddie, can't you just be happy where you are?

Why does it always have to be the next thing or bigger or better or more? To which my response is, look, of course we should be grateful for what we have. Of course, we should appreciate the gifts and the beauty that surrounds us day in, day out. because it's there and it's infinite. But, and you knew there was a but. Human beings are purpose-driven. Our happiness is often derived from our progress. Our journey is the destination.

And we often find when we look around that we have given pieces of ourselves away, sometimes without thinking about it. Perhaps we become stagnant with areas, of ourselves that can be elevated, that are destined to evolve. I love looking back at those courageous moments in my life. They mean everything to me. You know, I like to say it's the small things repeated day in and day out that make us who we are.

The vast majority of the time, I believe that to be true. But those pivotal moments, those opportunities that our consistency creates for us, Well, boldness in those instances changes everything. Walking onto a stage when you've never spoken before, when your body is physically rebelling and you don't want to walk on stage, is everything. Calling U-Haul, packing up and leaving a situation that's no longer in your best interest is painful,

it's instantaneous, but is ultimately everything. Making an investment that you believe in. deciding to hire someone with incredible vision and talent, being vulnerable enough to share your thoughts with the world, these things are risky, they are bold, but in your world, they are everything. And so the obvious connection here is our desire to lead in a world seemingly void of adequate leadership.

It's setting an example. It's not settling for the ground floor when the sky is the limit. Yes, on all count. But it's also leading, yourself. At times we forget just how important that is that you need to lead yourself to something meaningful. Significant change does not come along without your initiating it. No doors open if you don't knock. The world will only give you what you ask of it. And I'm here to remind you that asking more of the world, yes, it's hard, it's uncomfortable, it requires you to be more today than you were yesterday,

but you are capable of that, you are bold enough to be that. Robert Frost says freedom lies in being bold. I believe that's because in your courage lives the infinite. Upside so powerful that one simply cannot grasp it while standing still. So go. Go find those areas of life, your life, where you know you're holding back, where you know when your soul you have more to give, and breathe life into them. Knowing that sure, in being bold, missing the mark is a possibility. But in never leaving, it's a certainty.

If you never go, you will never arrive. So find the courage to ask more of yourself. Because more there is.