Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - YOU VS YOU | Motivational Speeches to Start Your Day Right | Wake Up Positive

Episode Date: September 29, 2023

“The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.” - anonymous Today's episode dives into the empowering realm of self-competition, unraveling how our primary focus should be on outdoing who we were yesterday rather than getting entangled in the race with others. When we turn the lens on our own actions, efforts, and attitudes, we step into a sphere of control, making personal improvement an achievable goal. The narrative of 'You Vs You' not only fosters a culture of continuous self-betterment but also nurtures a sense of control over our own progress and outcomes. Through this introspective lens, each day becomes an opportunity to evolve, to be better, and to take one step closer to our own pinnacle of excellence. This talk underscores that in the grand scheme of self-improvement, we are our only competition, and in this competition lies our empowerment.

It's impossible to know how the story ends. I don't think we're expected to, nor do we need to. But we do need to be willing to light up the 10 feet in front of us. We need to be willing to illuminate the now. It's how little nothings transition into those very meaningful somethings. One illuminated piece of the puzzle at a time. They say that complexity is the enemy of progress. Things seem too big, too far away.

When all the world appears dark, we pause. We become crippled by how much we don't know. We hide in the shadows of life's unknown. But I have, and hopefully will, until my final days, hold on to the idea that we have within us enough light, just enough light, to brighten up the path before us, directly in front of us. It's always been just enough to get through anything. When the world is dark, you can't see the hand in front of your face.

It will always be true that you possess the ability to cut through that darkness. To highlight the next stepping stone. There's just enough light to collect the data and information sufficient to make one more logical decision. One more. To take one shaky and uncertain step, it's amazing what they become over time. See, I've spent some time in that metaphorical darkness. I've also been in the light. I've believed, I've had all the answers and been brutally humbled by life.

There have also been times where I bet, on myself when the odds were small and emerged victorious, whether up, down, high or low, the saving grace was remembering that if I turned the light on, the headlamp initiating from my eyes and projecting out into the world, it would always provide enough for me to do perhaps the most important thing I'm capable of doing, moving forward. There's no skipping in life, no jumping races to arrive at any particular finish line. But there is always enough to carry on. This realization has been interesting to me.

Our struggle when it emerges, it's usually not derived from an inability to do the right thing. It's not like we're missing something. No, our struggle comes from thinking we need more than we do. It's frustration that our goals are so big and so far away and so out of reach. We lose sight of what we can control, blinded by a standard that no human can live up to. Stop beating yourself up for not being a god. No mere mortal ever leapt a mountain. Everything is not the goal.

One thing is the goal, and you are capable of one thing. Everyone is capable of one thing. One little action to initiate momentum, push you further into that unknown. But where? You might wonder, I need to know where, to which I say, breathe. Because the wares make themselves known

when you're in motion. As you move forward, the wrong destinations prompt you to learn and then self-correct. And the right ones inspire you to push further in their direction. Both valuable, right? The only way to lose is not. The only way to lose is to say, because I don't have it all figured out,

I'll remain right here. Like a toddler refusing to put a puzzle together because he can't see the completed mural in each individual piece. The whole point is to put it together. The fun is to put it together, the growth and the value isn't putting it together. And I get it.

We want to know, right? Humans want to know. That's why evolving. That's why evolving is hard. We have to be okay with not knowing. And that's what life is about, formulating your hypothesis and then letting the data derive from your progress alter your approach. That data is not gifted to you while you stand stagnant.

So the question is, will you sign that dotted line? The one that says, when you can't see the mountaintop, what you will be left? with is solely trust in yourself that you can bring it about. It's easy to say yes when the sky is blue and the birds are singing. But amidst the storms, when your mind begins to whisper that perhaps it will never end, when it begins to ask you if there was ever even a point after all, look around there's nothing

but gray is when you have to remember the rules of the game. That's when you have to remind yourself it's not about knowing, it's about trusting, about creating puzzle pieces, not finishing murals. Anyone can create just one puzzle piece. And then just one more, and just one more. Because yes, it's difficult, as is life. But you'll remember why, as you move into the story, storm and watch all those little pieces connect around you.

Just imagine if we implemented into our lives, all those things we already knew would make us better. Imagine if we became masters, not just of knowing, but of transforming knowledge into motion. A friend of mine, Tyler, will reach out every once in a while after a little. listening to one of the episodes. And we'll just kind of riff back and forth on the content, chat about the overlaps, the differences.

Most importantly, you know, how we can each in our own world be a little better, happier, and healthier. Tyler recently built and sold a tech company and is now transitioning into a new chapter of his life. And in essence, starting over, which is something I can in many ways. relate to. And this morning I got a voice note and said, man, imagine if we implemented wholeheartedly

the things we knew to be true. Imagine if we could execute for ourselves with the same advice that's so obvious when looking out at the world, at others. And I thought, oh, man, right? As someone who spent a decade thinking and philosophizing about this stuff, this is a a very real and valuable question. Not only that, sort of comes at a perfect time. And here's why.

Those of you have been listening to the channel or podcast for a long time, you know this for me has been one great adventure. Documentation of a journey. Starting with the first video I ever released, owed to excellence, which was essentially me promising myself just to give this creator thing a try

and not go back to what I knew to be safe. To videos like Running in the Rain, where I discuss my coming to understand the value of identifying as a person who does the hard thing. To speeches like make you proud, where all I'm really doing is during hard times assuring myself that things will be fine. To more recently, we're sure I'm finally seeing some of that growth and 10 years of effort compounding, but now grappling with brand new challenges. Since day one, I've been coaching myself through the ups and the downs, but what are these stories? What do they provide for me, or for those who listen to them? Well, in a sense, they're the lessons learned. They paint a portrait of the ideal.

They're merely information. Yes, life gives you more when you ask more of life. And yes, discomfort is often the caution. of admission. Yes, you can get through life's greatest storms if you take it one step at a time. And yes, the challenges we face evolve and the context changes, but we are equipped to confront and handle them. Guess what, though? None of that information matters if we don't act on. If we're not using the past to recreate the present, those stories are my math. But even the best map in the world is meaningless unless it's being utilized. And Tyler's very simple and direct question was valuable to me in that it did two things.

First, it made me think, Eddie, look back at your journey. Look what you've overcome, right? In a number of ways you've learned, you know what needs to now be done. And simultaneously prompted me to ask, And so, now, this very moment, what are you doing about it? I love the lesson. I think there's art in our struggle and beauty in the overcoming of our suffering. But if all those lessons, if the ideal remains stagnant like a caged bird, what's the point?

That wisdom must be set free, and that only happens with the targeted, deliberate effort. I felt this sense of excitement, invigoration in asking myself, how can I highlight the doing? Where can those wheels hit the road faster? How can I delve further into those very epiphanies I love to explore? Something that I'm encountering now that's both fun and challenging is the transformation from, I mean, really being a solo creator, speaking, writing, producing in his studio to seeing the process as a business owner to building a support structure

and systematizing workflows. As a friend has said to me before, a little less Mickey Mouse in order to be a little more Walt Disney. And it's happening, but the truth is, right? You don't get where you're going the same way you arrived where you are. So how can the old lessons be turned into action now?

Knowing my world changes the second I decide to act, it's like having an unused arsenal at my disposal. Knowing my foot is barely touching the pedal is power. And we can all focus on that actualization of our knowledge. We can all ask, what's one thing I can do today that I need to, I know that I need to, that perhaps I wouldn't have, but didn't give myself a little push. I love the idea of that simple diagram.

where you draw a line straight down a page, and on the left side you're listing your current obstacle, the things that are really bothering you, or the reasons you're stuck, and then on the right, one single thing you're going to do about it. All it does is reinforce action, and action is everything, because to Tyler's point, you know,

I really know what needs to be done. We all really know what needs to be done. Not how things will end, or maybe what the finish line looks like, but we know now. We have a gut sense of what we have a gut sense of what we need to do, and where the opportunity lies. We're aware, we understand.

So a world where we become masters of doing is a world where we transform beyond our wildest imagination. And the things I talk about, they can ultimately in my life become everything or wither away into nothing. They can sit there as a supposed to, an ideal, And ultimately, I wish I did.

All that depends on what I do with it and how I choose to act when I'm uncomfortable, moving into a new space. The same can be said for anyone listening to this. You're equipped with at least a starting point. You probably know what you don't like. You're probably aware of some things that must be eliminated or left behind. But knowing that is only as good as you.

your first step. So are you willing to partake in the doing? In taking the little pieces of wisdom and breathing life into them by walking out your front door, by looking in the mirror, entrusting in your ability to adapt, to change, to grow in a world of complexity, let's simplify. We know what must be done, so let's focus on the doing. And on the journey, if we misstep or misstep, the mark, adjust and move again. Because we know there's nothing more tragic than doing nothing at all. I do something today that takes an axe to the tree of stagnation. Not everything, but one thing. When you are in motion, that world seems to conform, to rearrange around you. So here's to giving life the opportunity to make that happen. To giving yourself the opportunity.

to experience it. As Tyler stated, just imagine if we implemented wholeheartedly the things we knew to be true. Not kind of,

or sort of, but with the same or greater intensity and in many cases intentionality, it took to acquire the knowledge. What would that look like? Let's move now.

Let's swing away. Let's uncover that world where your lessons translate to feet on the pavement and reality in the palm of your hand. I was listening to Alan Watts the other day, and he was referencing a Zen parable, and he asked this question I thought was pretty cool. He goes, when a flag is flapping in the wind, what's moving? The flag or the wind? The answer, neither. It's the mind that moves. It's how our minds interpret our experiences that create our realities. And the reason this reminder is so important to me,

the reason I don't believe we could ever hear it enough is because keeping that understanding front and center in our lives tells us how powerful we are. Sure, we often can't control the situation. We all know that. But we can always control what the situation means. Every event is open to interpretation. And that's what's so incredible.

Yeah, sometimes it takes a while to get to the value, especially when our minds want to default to the negative or what's missing or what's lost. But if you're willing to look underneath every occurrence is exactly what you need. And so take, for example, something we can all relate to, losing something that truly mattered, that we found meaningful,

whether it was a person, a job, an activity, a physical impairment, right? When asked, what does this change mean, the mind goes loss. It defaults to, I had it, I loved it, and now it's gone. But underneath that, there's a chance to take the pieces of what remains and go down a new path,

to find something just as or even more beautiful. The same loss can mark the beginning of an adventure. Is it ideal at first? No, but it's usually not the ideal that prompts our most important change. It's life's turbulence that pushes us to seek out something new. And I love taking this little trip down memory lane, right? Because, you know, it's the business ventures that fell apart that caused me to look in the mirror and choose to be more. It's the projects that just didn't end up being that good, right, that allowed me to see this journey as a creative one. Or, hey, some projects hit, some don't, but it's not personal, it's a ride, and what an opportunity.

And it's the breakups I went through. And while, sure, if you were definitely brutal, they gifted me with an opportunity to personally level up, to dial in my understanding of what really matters to me. I can think of physical setbacks, monetary obstacles, all these things that hurt in the moment. Now, I'm not sure I could have controlled the initial emotive response, right? The human reaction. But learning to ask, well, how can I get better from this? That's a different question.

How can one month from now be amazing because of this situation, regardless of how it feels in the moment? It's not the flag or the wind that moves, it's my mind. So how will I choose to paint the landscape around me? How will I choose to give meaning to the things that will ultimately comprise my reality? That's power. Now I've always felt it easy to conflate, like finding value in our lives with being happy all the time. But again, we're emotional creatures, and life can be challenging for all of us. I don't think it's possible to be happy all the time.

That's not the goal. The true victory is in finding gratitude along the way, in pausing and asking, how can I take this seemingly unfavorable result and find a way to win from it? Because guess what? The sad truth is most people don't do that. Most people walk right by that stuff. Most people chalk up the L's as L's and leave the good stuff behind.

If you know there's a win in everything, and you ask that your mind look for it, the reality you create will be one much different than someone undergoing the exact same circumstances with their eyes closed. Remember, it's the mind that moves. It's you who writes the script, who controls the narrative. And that's not a burden, that's a gift.

It's what makes you more powerful. than you could ever imagine. I wouldn't make excuses for you. I wouldn't look you in the eye and tell you everything is great when in actuality the wheels are falling off the wagon. No, I'd point to the insufficiencies and remind you that you're capable of chipping away at them. I think that pragmatism can save someone's life.

But guess what? Being human is knowing there are things you just don't know. Realizing that growth is picking up little understandings along the way and bringing them with you into the future. Allowing them into the evolution that is you. And part of my personal evolution was coming face to face with the fact that looking forward isn't all of it. It's part of it. Yeah, we need to be better, of course. Yeah, we can always squeeze more value out of the time allotted to us. 100%. This forward progression, as far as I'm concerned, is intertwined in human fulfillment.

But we are in this moment the manifestation of the obstacles we've already overcome. We are the times we wanted to stop and didn't. We are the losses we bounce back from and the adversity we forged into opportunity. were the endings that we melted down into beautiful beginnings. We are the mistakes, the obstacles, the little encounters with hell that didn't define us, but instead changed us. And that matters.

So quick story time. For about five years after I graduated college, some of my friends and I have this fantasy baseball league we'd used to stay in time. And I think even they would begrudgingly admit that I was oddly good at it. I won like three or four out of the five years or something like that. And you know what my strategy was? It was simple. I picked players based on who they were over the course of their career.

Not based on how they performed last year, which is a trap people seem to fall into. Right? So a guy that hits 30 home runs six years in a row, and then last year suddenly only hits seven, only hits seven, it's not out of the question to think he'll hit 30 again, revert back to the mean, to his average, his track record. That to me is more meaningful than some recent struggle and I took that bet every time. Now as you can imagine, the point I'm making here has nothing to do with baseball. It has everything to do with life in general. So much of the time, we

completely focus on the current insufficiencies. The bad things happening now, the misfortunes in our lives, we're striking out and our brain goes into panic mode. It says gap, gap, gap, how do we fill it? And again, yes, that's important. Our plan for resurgence is necessary, but we can't forget who we are and what we've done. We can't overlook our track record. As the saying goes, you've survived 100% of the bad days. You've lived through countless struggles.

You've climbed out of many catastrophes, at least I have. And it seems as though it's when we need that reassurance most that we are most inclined to forget. It's when we, more than any other time, need to prove to ourselves that we are unconquerable, that we question our ability to persevere. I'd never say to you the road ahead will be easy. I'm not saying it won't suck at times.

I'm not saying it won't take all of you. I'm merely saying that you are equipped to emerge victorious, to handle not some of it, but all of it. I'm saying that the person in the mirror is stronger than you can even imagine. But understand, you're not operating on blind faith here. You're not hoping for some miracle. You're operating on your, own record of success. What you do is find a way. What you do is when you don't believe me,

look over your shoulder. Take a trip down memory lane. Glance back at all the mountains you've already climbed. And life, it won't be smooth sailing all the time. You'll have your slumps and your adversity, no question. But they're not you. They are what you were made to navigate, everything has brought you to this point. And it's great to focus on this point, but don't lose the everything. Sometimes it's not about who you will be someday. Sometimes it's about what you've already become. It's about who you are now.

A cheat code in life is understanding the significance of getting to one. Because if you can get one, you can absolutely get two. And if you can get two, you can get three, four, five, five thousand, five hundred thousand, or five million. Once you realize that something is possible, you're no longer the same person you once were. Your hands need not be held to the sky as though the universe is going to drop something. something into them. No, you've cracked the code. You have the info. And the burden has now been placed directly onto your shoulders. That little question, is this possible, dissipates. Getting to one was your proof of that. And then the obvious accompanying question, now what are you going to do about

it? What are you going to do? Because the race isn't to one million, it's. It's a lot of, it's, to one. One is the power. One is the reassurance. One is everything you need. If you can sell one painting, you can sell 50,000 paintings. If you can make one three-pointer, you can make thousands of three-pointers. If you can create one genius marketing video that goes viral, you can create hundreds, thousands, millions. Again, the evidence? You got one. Anything beyond one is procedural. It's a testing of methods.

It's becoming relentless in your pursuit to repeat the process with the pieces at your disposal. But make no mistake, those pieces are there, everything you need is there, so long as you get to one. I had to recently break through

to this realization. Like so many of us, I'm an ambitious person. I love the game. I want to add, value to more people, reach more listeners, generate more revenue, scale impact, all that stuff, of course. But for a while I just couldn't figure out how.

I became almost disillusioned. What am I doing wrong? What if maybe do I dare say, do I dare even think for a second that I've gone as far as I can go? But was ultimately rescued. by the realization that I was asking the world for things I didn't have instead of leveraging what I did. I needed to separate the value I possessed from the logistics that would transport it.

Because, and this is what we forget, I've already performed my miracle. I've added value to one person, and if you can add value to one, why not 10? Why not 10 million? It's not a product issue. It's a scaling question. The car works. Figure out how to get it to the racetrack. The tool is effective. Now get it into the hands of the builders. You see the difference, the confidence that comes with that?

Instead of doubting all that you bring to the world, asking yourself if more is possible, you say, yeah, of course it is, because I've already done it, here is my proof. Now what's around me that I can use to deliver it? How can I try things? Reposition things. Figure out how to scale and get further, but I know it's possible.

So many of us have already gotten to one. We're adding value. We're doing what we believe in. But we're asking the wrong question. We're still asking whether more is possible. It is. The burden is just on you to bring it to fruition. The burden is on you to find a way.

to scale the value contained in your one thing. And by the way, if you haven't arrived at one yet, buckle up. Getting to one was one of the best periods of my life. Finding your value proposition, enjoying the process, exploring, finding that intersection of value and personal contentment. You'll eventually arrive there.

But remember, for you, the goal is, not one million, it's one, one idea that works, one approach that lights you up, one action that opens your eyes to the upside, that makes the world better to those around you. When you've found your one thing, when you know it makes a difference, then you move on to the scaling chapter, right? Then how do we turn one into one million? But there are two different questions. So remember that moving forward. No matter how stuck you feel, if you have one, You simultaneously have a little seed capable of producing infinity. It just needs attention.

Trust yourself to work through the logistics because that's all it is. Transform the if into how and start building that staircase straight to the moon. In 1519, Ernan Cortez arrived on the shores of Mexico with roughly 600 Spaniards. all of whom quickly realized that a mighty empire waited for them not too far inland. And Cortez, inspired by Spain's current golden age and the encompassing sense of ambition and adventure that gave life to the whole journey to the new world, he pushed his men forward into the unknown ordering them, as Winston Reynolds writes in Hispania, to destroy the ships behind them.

Symbolizing the valiant push forward with no return, everything would be on the line. And over the years, this act has become folklore, evolved into the famous phrase we all know, burn the boat. Burn the boat. Why is this an important idea? Well, I look at it in very simple terms. Doing anything meaningful is hard. Not planning on it or hoping to do it, but actually doing it.

And when you're in the heat of metaphorical battle, right, when you're on your way facing the adversity and the challenges and the hardships, whether it's social, physical or mental, that growth comes with discomfort. Our instinct is to want out. When we are in pain, our brain's default is, how do I stop the pain? And what I've learned is that if you give yourself off ramps, you'll take them. If you allow for a plan B, it will become more and more appealing. If the mentality is give it your all until it's inconvenient, well, we all know what happens, right? excellence doesn't allow for skipping the inconvenient. When you can't turn around and get back on those boats,

you're forced to create outcomes. Because suddenly everything depends on it. Does this mindset come easy? No, I don't believe it does. Took me into my mid-20s to realize, hey, I'd never done anything without a life-wrapped or a safety net. I always carried option B, C, and D around with me in my pocket. And the result was above average at plenty of things, was great at none.

But when your back is to the wall, and those demons are closing in, it's incredible what you can do, which you can create. You will shock yourself with your competence and your ability, waiting to be unlocked. Now I'm not saying keep jamming this square peg in the round hole if you know something's not for you. I'm simply saying if there is something you want, something that you know in your soul is pulling you in, and you really want to see that thing come to fruition, you can't have pre-made off-ramps for yourself when the inevitable difficulty comes in. Because it will. It always does. I refer to those moments as checkpoints.

areas of internal deliberation, high security, guarded gates, where many arrive, but few get to pass through. Not because they couldn't, but because the cost of access was expensive, too expensive, mentally, physically, and socially expensive, taxing. Most simply say no thanks. They get back on that boat, waiting for them by the shore they arrived on and return to. to the world they've always known. The way I see it, this is not about right or wrong. No, that's missing the point entirely. I see the question being, how bad do you want it?

A little? A lot? How about enough to go all in? Because if you want to see levels of yourself, you never thought possible. You need to kick the ladder down behind you. Force yourself to rise to the occasion amidst the chaos. Map your path straight into the darkness of night.

Not because it's the most convenient, but because you gave yourself no other choice. You burned the boats and are content to watch their flames slowly disappear behind you as you go. where few have gone. She had a picture framed on the table that said make today amazing. Place there to remind her just how much of life is a choice, how much we get to decide. It symbolizes that on our worst days, life hands us lessons, and on our best days, the highs of existence. During our low points, currency, and during our high points, the chance to cash it all in. Yeah, make today amazing.

Because todays are few and far between. Todays are not an inconvenience nor an obligation. Today's are what it's all about. Today is the big show. the answers we look for, the destinations we long for. Today is a place of dreams, that is, if you choose to leave room in your world for dreaming. Today is the beginning of wherever next is for you. A chance to see the new and normalize it,

to stretch, to reach further out and pull it, impossible a little closer into your orbit, you can do that. And while one often can't control what they are given, they can control what becomes of what they are given. Like architects and designers engineering what will be in what the malleable world around them will become, when one raises their standards, life seems to accommodate. Because believing it means acting the part, means making the changes, means the external world makes room, means your identity is reinforced, and so the cycle goes, by making today amazing, you are making yourself more. Decisions are the beginning of all things.

Very rarely is the tool in and of itself the differentiator. It's the vision that pulls us through. And if you take something arbitrary, say a hammer, there's no way to, based upon its existence, determine what it will mean or what will become of it. A hammer can be an agent of chaos. It can smash and shatter and destroy. It can be the thing used to tear down. it can be what built.

It can connect. It can alter and redefine so that something, when all is said and done, is brought into an existence that never was. It was never the tool. It was how the eyes viewed the tool. It was the vision that designated the roles that made today amazing.

And the reason we all need this reminder, as far as I can tell, is because the difficult things just so happen to be the meaningful things. Because we are fighting, not against some little rule or idea we picked up along the way. We are fighting against our DNA, against thousands and thousands of years of evolution, because the fear that kept our ancestors alert and alive now in a totally new world keeps us contained and our talents minimized. The approval of others that kept us safe and secure as we once traveled the landscape in small groups, hunting and gathering, well now it keeps us needlessly looking over our shoulders and craving acceptance.

The unknowns that kept us out of our own. the dark cave with the predator living in its shadows now keeps us confined. Looking out at life's potential through self-made windows. We need to be reminded to make today amazing because those things are quite the adversaries. Because our default is to just let the ship sail. Our default is to simply survive. After all, that is the standard and the rule by which living things abide. Make it another day.

But I believe you are more than a living thing. The Godlike ability to not just exist in a world, but create new ones is a miracle. Both a blessing and a responsibility. To drive towards a more fulfilled you, a happier you, a healthier you, a more complete you. But one must first become aware that around them exist the pieces required to build something never before a scene. The vehicle to those far-off places that were once only dreams, thought, illusions. I've always believed that if it means something to you, it's not stupid. It warrants exploration.

for even if the thought doesn't end up being all it was cracked up to be, even if it's not the destination, but only a stop along the way, it still pushes you to the next thing and the next thing and the next thing. It still moves you forward in this beautiful game of life. So decide. Decide to make today amazing. choose to make it better let the obstacles lift you up and the momentum carry you towards something meaningful

when others stop and find reasons to doubt themselves how about you find this small wind buried tucked away underneath it all the little key that may do nothing more than get you through that next door After all, sometimes that's what life's about. Picking up your head when it's most difficult and finding the next door to walk through. And the magic is knowing you can always do that. Because there always exists both the doorway and the key, but we must be willing to find it. That's the obvious thing about those doors. The right ones will open.

But they require we find the strength to approach them. They require that we seek out amazing. And so with this in mind, what is the next chapter like for you? Are you currently enduring one of life's winters? Are you navigating those inevitable valleys of despair in which the value is in finding that single ray of light amidst the storm? Looking within yourself for the courage to take one more step forward. And another and another are you seeking out that spark that will reignite the fire in you?

Because it's there, so long as you choose to make today amazing. Maybe you've climbed yourself out. Maybe you're looking for whatever is next, the new evolution, seeking to follow your heart and continue the beautiful progression that is light. Let the external world support that vision, choose to see the detail not as trivial but as the answers. The tools that will lift you up and support what you are building, it's there. She had a picture framed on the table that said make today amazing. Place there to remind her how much of life is a choice. because in a world of option, what a gift to choose the journey of a lifetime.

What a ride that awaits so long as you decide to step in. Understanding what you want sometimes requires learning in 1,000 different ways, what you don't. Uncovering who you are means first experiencing who you are not. Finding the right person or people in your life calls for initially letting the wrong ones in. Life seems to demonstrate that there's a price to pay in order to get where we need to be. Patience, exploration, they're expensive. They exhaust energy, time, resources, but they are the only way.

as though one needs to dig a hole in their heart before fully understanding how to best fill it in. It's stepping back to leap forward. I've always believed the knows teaches more than the yeses, the chaos more than the calm. We are tasked with taking our hurt and from it better understanding ourselves, holding our losses and with them

finding answers we once overlooked, embracing our fears and alongside them becoming courageous. That's why maintaining perspective is everything. When we find that we've been slighted by life, we have to recognize that, yeah, maybe we didn't get the answer we wanted in the short term, but still picked up something beautiful, something necessary. We still learned what didn't work and saw where not to go. Because every step taken in one direction is a simultaneous decision to not go another.

To embrace one option is to neglect its inverse. Every loss is a data point. Every time we fall, our worldview is shaped. And that's not just helpful, it's imperative. It's a brushstroke just as valuable as the ones derived from our successes, all culminating into one all-encompassing master's. masterpiece. And I look back at the mistakes I made.

The time spent learning where I shouldn't be, the days with people who didn't lift me up, and I'm incredibly thankful for them, they brought me clarity. Like marble being slowly chiseled away, piece by piece, they have left an understanding, a self-identity that takes shape one day at a time. So as we make our way through life, Let's not fail to see the value in these short-term misfortunes, for in many ways we are fortunate to have them. Perhaps the value lags. Maybe you don't see why the mistake saved your life while you were making them.

But they are contributing to the building up of a greater you. They are mitigating the noise and lighting up the path. So hold your head up high. And not just for the sake of doing so. but because you had the courage to step out into a world that you knew would at times bring you to your knees. Hold your head up high because every time you stood back up, you made a statement. You declared that you wouldn't let discomfort and obstacles deter you, but rather shape you. You were willing to learn where not to go in exchange for the privilege of taking your road.

through the haze across the war-torn ground beyond the hills and toward a distant horizon, your horizon. There's a saying that in order to become something new, you have to leave something behind. You have to detach in some capacity, remove yourself from the physical realm. because the obstacles that we face are not physical. 99% of our problems are not physical. They're mental. And you know, as you sort of drive that metaphorical ship into the horizon,

the biggest deterrent is never going to be the anchor or the headwind or the bowline. No, it's going to be the storyline. It's going to be the narrative of the person navigating. meeting that ship. And it's interesting, because our first inclination when we feel stuck, it's always to point out, attribute our problems to the world in this predetermined position within it. Maybe that's the issue.

We take our power, we put it into the universe, cross our fingers, and hope things work out. But that will always be a losing proposition. It will always come crumbling down because it's not the world that keeps you from showing up. You're not physically incapable of taking that first step or growing or evolving, developing, becoming something new. No, that demon lives in your head. That's the mental Goliath we struggle with. Because there's cognitive dissonance between who we know ourselves to be and who we want

ourselves to be. That's the sea we have to cross, the terrain we have to navigate. It's not the physicality of taking the steps. Anyone can do that. It's believing that you are worthy of the journey. And you have to ask yourself, is it that you can't become something new? Or is it that you can't, won't, won't, refuse to detach from who you used to be? You're still tucked away in that container, that box you've been building for years and years and years that you've placed yourself in because I can promise you. One of the most liberating things to understand is yesterday is not a life sentence. Yesterday is not forever. Yesterday's not defining.

It's simply a stepping stone. And every morning when you open your eyes, comes through the window, illuminates life around you. That's never your cue to put on a fake smile. Play the same role you've been playing day after day after day. No, it's an invitation to do anything you want to do. To begin again. To start fresh.

It's an opportunity to detach from that character. Detach from the people and the things that don't push you towards what you want. Detach from the negative self-taught. And when all that's gone, everything is removed and it's only you and your self-belief, a will to move forward. I promise you that pendulum shifts. Life becomes simple and how beautiful simplicity is. It's shining a spotlight on what matters.

It's clarity. It's taking control. It's picking up the clay and molding what you want to mold. It's opening the door and deciding. to walk through. Everything else is variable. Everything else is noise. Everything else is detail and distraction. Because what you want, it's there. And it's waiting for you to simply remove yourself from who you used to be. To step into right now and believe that you are worthy of everything else.