Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - YOUR INACTION IS THE PROBLEM - Powerful Motivational Speeches Compilation

Episode Date: December 11, 2024

What if the life you dream of is just one choice away? Every day, whether we realize it or not, we decide what stays and what changes. If nothing is improving, it’s not by accident—it’s because we’re choosing to keep it the same. Time, our most finite resource, moves relentlessly forward. When was the last time you reflected on a day and thought, “I allowed this” or “I chose this”? Often, we let routines, environments, or people that don't serve us remain because it feels easier than making a change. But imagine stepping off the sidelines and into the arena of your life. By owning your choices, you gain the power to reshape your reality. What’s one thing you can change today that will bring you closer to the life you desire? If you don’t like what’s around you, remember: you hold the pen to rewrite the story. So, what will you choose next?  Monday Motivation Newsletter: https://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletter Free Ebook: www.eddiepinero.com/ebook  YouTube: www.eddiepinero.com/youtube 

What you're not changing, you are choosing. In other words, nothing happening or quote unquote, the same is a decision. We just don't think of it that way. And this is an idea that was shared with me under one of my recent YouTube videos by username Night Owl. So, dude, love the name and appreciate the sharing of the quote here. and I think it's incredibly pertinent. You know, I talk a lot about the finitude of life, how time is our most precious commodity,

because each second that ticks off the clock is the only thing you can't get back, right? You can always reacquire money in these tangible things. Time is, you know, once that elapses, it's forever gone. So it makes sense that we ask, well, how do we maximize it? How do we make the most of it? And I wonder this, I want to pose a question. When was the last time you were disappointed with your day?

Not because you did something, but because it was underwhelming. Because it felt like that sort of cyclical 24 hours. You didn't make any steps towards your goals. You know, you didn't feel like you made progress. It was just more of the mundane. And you thought to yourself, I allowed this. You know, when was the last time? you were somewhere you didn't want to be or around people who didn't let you up didn't

energize you they're not conducive to your well-being and you thought I chose this a lot of times we just assume we have to do these things because it's life and it's outside of our control the vast majority of the time that's simply not the case and when we take extreme ownership of everything when we realize that anything happening in the status quo is because we are greenlighting it. We're allowing it to take place that empowers us. And if you think of your life as an arena, it takes you from the stands as an observer.

Oh, look, here are things happening to me in my life and puts you on the floor, on the court, on the stage, however you want to think about it in your brain. It gives you the ability to change outcomes. And that's what we all have. We all have that power. We just have to get past this. notion that things are the way they are.

It's like, no, if you don't like what's around you, if you're looking to your left and you're disappointed or it's not enough or it's not aligned with you, guess whose fault that is? Yours. And guess why that's beautiful? Now you can change it. I want to share a story. This is something I recently came across, a TikTok video. And before I kind of dig into it a little bit, I'm just going to say, I actually really like the creator. I think he's a funny dude, entertains his audience, seems like a good guy, all that stuff.

But the one thing that he does from time to time that drives me crazy is bitch about how hard things are for millennials. Homes are so expensive. Jobs simply don't pay enough. It's way too difficult to meet people. Boomer's had it so much easier. You know, it's like the same song and dance. And he gets thousands and thousands of people to join him

in what I think is best described as a community temper tantrum, right? Everyone kind of claps along like baby seals talking about how hard life is. And it's like, look, two things can be true at once and often are. Statistically, he is not wrong. Okay, it's way harder to own a house now that. than it was 60 years ago. Both statistical and anecdotal evidence is gonna support this.

But I can't help but ask, what are you getting from whining? How is anything better? Anything, name one thing that that improves, right? If anything, you're taking steps backwards because you're creating this narrative in your brain that life is working against you, that everything is an uphill battle.

And there's nothing so dangerous as a poor me mindset. And so that got me wondering, you know, how different would my life be if seven years ago, when I was broke, writing speeches in my boxers, practicing speaking, you know, to the wall, if I spent time every day convincing myself that I was sentenced to a life of misery because I'm not a boomer, right?

Imagine if I spent more time whining than building, or looking for reasons that life is stacked against me. Like, everything would just be exponentially different. And as I'm speaking this, you know, I get it. I'm 37. I'm kind of the old man wagging his finger at people on TikTok already, I guess. But I just feel compelled to do it because I've walked through a little bit of fire. And I can tell you that if I allowed that thought pattern to consume me,

I would be way worse off than I am now. I'm saying this out of love, believe it or not, out of concern. When the currency shifted on these social platforms to victimhood, when the incentive became garnering the most sympathy under one's videos, people started gravitating away from their power in order to be patted on the head and told, you know, it's not their fault. Another quick anecdote. A few years back,

and I think I've talked about this before, I did a run across Texas with some friends. It's like 500 miles all in all the route we went. And along the way, as happens when you're running for an extended period of time, started getting these little issues, right? The usual bumps and bruises, you imagine during a run like that.

And we paused and we're grabbing some water, taking a little breather. And I start talking about my knee and how it's killing me. And my friend Tom, who one of my best friends, he's a little bit older and sometimes, you know, some, not, doesn't shy away from some tough love. He goes, Ed, I'm not a doctor, so I don't know what you're going to get from telling me. He's messing with me a little bit. But there is truth to that, right?

Like, what could I have possibly gotten from that exchange other than sympathy? And what's sympathy worth? I think nothing. There was a little moment that ended up being not so little. I've learned to become my own biggest fan. That's not always the easiest thing to do amidst the trials and tribulations of life. I'm there for myself. I give myself grace, right?

But sometimes what I need is tough love with the knee scenario. Same thing with the millennials whining about, I guess, life in totality on TikTok. with anyone talking about anything they aren't happy with in their lives. And I think the real value is in this phrase. Do something to change it or shut up. If you're not content with the status quo, be the change or stop talking about it. Sympathy has never been a valuable thing in my life, right? Pity from others has never helped me.

And even though seeking it may feel good in the moment, it's like this distraction from the introspection that needs to occur. It's still ultimately a mirage. It's a trick, a trap. You don't want it as pretty as it may seem in the moment. If you don't like something, fix it. Because you can. Start working towards a solution.

Because you're powerful enough to do that. Always. And so when you've noticed time go by and there's that reoccurrence of that, which is, again, not conducive to your happiness or well-being. When you feel that temptation to seek validation and pity for your experience, please let this be a reminder. Your strength is not in garnering sympathy, it's in fixing it, it's in changing your life, it's in pivoting and adjusting.

You are a fixer, a doer. You are a maker of worlds, not someone who bows their head and concedes to their current reality. And so I'll end again with a little refresher on my pal night owls quote, what you are not changing, you are choosing. You are choosing it when you're upset. You're choosing it when you vent and complain. You're choosing it when you throw your arms in the air and proclaim it's all out of your hands. It's all a choice. And the good news, the message, the takeaway, the saving grace is you were given the power to script your own narrative and write your own story. Don't waste that.

Don't let that slip away. Choose not to accept the now, but rather to create the ideal. Sometimes moving forward takes courage. like a lot of courage like more courage than you even think exists within you but here's the deal courage you have and you have it in spate I was recently after a long networking event

having dinner with my friend Solara and Eli and both incredibly kind generous, successful people. And we're kind of catching up as we're eating. And suddenly from across the table, Eli says, Eddie, you know, I feel called to share this story with you.

And, you know, obviously I said, please, I'm all ears. And his story started well before he was a mover and shaker in the real estate world. well before he was as confident and polished as he is now. And he talks about his mid-20s being homeless, right? Living in a hammock behind the local convenience store, scraping together quarters for food,

you know, and how some days it was incredibly difficult on his pride. You know, being handed changed by pastors by, Some of them he knew, you know, were struggling just like he was. And one day, Eli decided, you know, I just, I don't want to do it anymore. The pain was too much and hope felt like a mirage. And so that night he planned to take his life. And he said he probably would have had it not been for a call with his sister, who convinced him on the phone,

to see just one more sunrise. One more sunrise. So he does. The next morning, he wakes up. He's walking through a parking lot. Someone walking by said to a friend, I love my life. And he said he remembers hearing that

and, you know, kind of scoffing and in a mocking manner repeating it back. you know, yeah, I love my life. But as he did, he noticed something. As he repeated those words, he felt good. For the first time in a long time, even if it was only for a few seconds. But sometimes a few seconds is enough,

and this time a few seconds was enough. Enough for him to say, you know, one more day. We'll give this one more day, maybe tomorrow. And tomorrow, as the sun came up, turned into one more day, which turned into another day, which turned into weeks, months, and years where he exists today, not only incredibly successful, but a sharer of the message. He had a sign made that said, I love my life as a reminder to himself and to help others in the same spot. I love my life, he said again at the table, looking up with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face. See, when you're in those moments, and trust me, I know how dark they can be, it feels like life is asking you to do more than you can.

To pull a rabbit out of a hat or create some unheard of larger-than-life solution. But the truth is in those moments, you simply need to find the courage to continue forward. Into the chaos, one more time. One more day, one more sunrise. Not for what you might find, but for what you might remember, what you already know. That life is beautiful. That sure, sometimes the sky. eyes are painted gray and the horizon's just not visible from your vantage point.

But that isn't an indicator that reality is void of meaning. It doesn't suggest there aren't better days ahead. No, it means you have to put your head down and keep walking right into the storm, right through the chaos, blazing your own trail through the abyss. like you own it. And you won't know why. It'll feel stupid. At times, yeah, you'll feel alone and helpless.

Life will feel desolate. But here's the thing. You can. You are equipped with the courage to count those sunrises. You're armed with the strength to simply walk into the night. Because here's what will happen. There's going to be a point. where the rain stops and the sky's clear,

where everything opens up, the path will make sense and you'll trust more than ever to walk it. You'll have earned that confidence. You'll have seen firsthand that you are capable of moving mountains, not by performing miracles, but by placing one foot in front of the other. Sometimes it's that simple, not easy, but simple. I love my life. Say it, even when you've forgotten, even when you can't remember why I love my life.

Say it when hope is lost, when the path is unclear, when you look around and wonder if there's anything even worth pursuing, say it. Because it will take your hand and lead you forward. That's your Super Bowl. Not a miracle, but that step forward. One more sunrise. And if you can do it now, when the wall will be able to do it now, when the wall feel like they're caving in when the sky feels like it's crashing down. You find the courage in this moment. You'll begin that journey into the depths of your soul.

The ride to what's ahead. The better days assembled just beyond the confines of the present moment. Often courage is required of us when it's most difficult to reach in and find it. and find it but it's there so take it allow yourself to be that person you were meant to be i love life is the manifestation of stories stories we tell ourselves about the world and our place within it rules that we've constructed and we respect we adhere to they dictate the outcomes we get they become our reality

Because to establish a parameter means at some point there's a line that we don't cross, right? And there are obvious lines that we point to and we say no thanks. For example, our values, right? I won't do X because, well, it will hurt someone I love? Or legal parameters. I won't do Y because I know the repercussions, they're too much. It's not in my self-interest. And these are obvious.

These are talked about. We're aware of these stopping points. But I want to talk about a different set of rules. The stories we're writing without realizing we're doing it. How we think we're running a sprint, but I have no idea that there's heavy weight on our shoulders holding us down, and you can't take that weight off if you don't know it's there. And this all came to me a few months ago.

I was in L.A. for the weekend, having lunch with some incredible entrepreneurs. They've done some amazing things. One of them sold a dating app for hundreds of millions of dollars, another one a healthcare company, another one had a very successful food distributing business, and I'm sitting there kind of blown away. And my priority was to listen, not run my mouth or fabricate or impress, but to simply observe what creates this type of result. I was listening to Alex Mayer, who created Zeus, talk about his upbringing. He came to the U.S. as an immigrant from Iran and worked here. his way up from nothing. It's not like these folks were given the world. They took it. And it took me about three minutes to find a commonality in their worldview. To me, it couldn't be more evident.

It was impossible to miss. They don't look at life how I do, or at least how I did. See, the story I told revolved around my parameters. Sure, I had moments of boldness, I pushed myself, I worked hard, but I looked at life in terms of it would allow. Here's how things are. Okay, how can I stretch that? But that's like repainting or adding onto a house that was already built, right? There's only so much flexibility, so much you can do with that. But these guys are going around the table talking like little kids on Christmas, right? Talking about life like it's a game. Talking about opportunity like it's an apple waiting to be picked from a tree right outside. There was no, what will the world allow? It was with the smile, anticipation, and self-believe, what can I make?

And Alex, who I mentioned earlier, sold Zeus, created Menserbox, and he loves beef. He eats it all the time, right? And so it's become his next entrepreneurial venture, a healthy beef stick company. And every thought seems to revolve around that. How can he take something he loves and share it with the world? His imagination is now driving his thought process, which drives his action. Not parameters, not someone else's reality, but possibility. See, I left the table with this feeling I've never really had before.

It's like someone tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me of the freedom contained in every single step. Not flexibility, but freedom. Like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. Who cares if you mess up? Who cares if you lose? Who cares? That's part of this game we're playing. A game where reality isn't an obligation to be lived,

it's an opportunity to be explored. It's not about what you don't have. It's being grateful for everything that brought you to right now. Because right now is a perpetual launching pad. You know, growth is learning, and that afternoon I learned to take life way less seriously. To enjoy it. to let imagination drive every step,

because the difference is some of us build because we don't want to lose, we don't want to succumb to fear and not meeting our potential, right? We fear being inadequate, falling short, we see obstacles. Some of us, we build to capture the beauty, the excitement. That makes the difference.

And look, I'm not presenting you empirical data. I don't have all the answers, but I'm willing to bet that years from now, looking back, that simple understanding will have played a substantial role in whatever comes next. The rules changed, and so did the path. Let's not become so focused on each footstep that we lose sight of where they're collectively taking us. What are you building? Why are you here? To play by someone else's rules or to transform yourself and by default, the world,

around you. See, reality is fluid. It's malleable, and the beauty is in that process of creating a ship leaving the harbor has infinite possibility. Unlimited potential, and that gives it its power. There's no right turn or wrong turn. The only way to lose is to stand still, to think that horizon in the distance is too far or not for you. See, a harbor is not a stopping point, it's a beginning. So take control over that world, push it, test it, see what it has to offer, throw your interests and your curiosities against the wall, see what sticks, see what ignites your soul.

Test the universe because life it rewards the bold. Those courageous enough to step outside their front, front door and not follow, but design. Those who know things are the way they are simply because others before them had the courage to make it so. Well, now it's your turn. You defeated the one in 400 trillion odds stacked against your birth. You navigated through your low points. You've done enough to get to this very moment, this instant.

For the mistakes that brought you here will become the wisdom that leads you forward. That takes you to places you never thought possible. And where exactly that is, is entirely up. Like I said upstairs, it's been an amazing trip. So last day, and I'm going to make it count. It was an ordinary run on my ordinary loop. on an ordinary day, right in the middle of an ordinary week. I rounded the last corner that I'd encounter before finally returning back to the street that I lived on.

Beautiful sunny afternoon, I remember the sun bouncing off my skin, the sweat dripping down my face. I was looking ahead, but not really at anything, more so lost in my thoughts. Then out of nowhere, this little butterfly kind of swooped in. appeared right beside me, and it seemed, as it floated through the air, to link its pace with mine, effortlessly gliding. I looked over at it,

and back at the ground, over at it again, back at the ground. And for a second, I wondered what it would be like to be one of those flying machines. The ones built for flight, navigating the sky with no restriction.

What a feeling that must be. And as I looked over for a third time, it had slipped back into whatever types of things are important to a butterfly on a warm June day, but realized, as I carried forward, alone again, that for a few seconds we were side by side, it in the air and me on the ground. I hung in there with the flying machines.

That's right. The creatures with wings designed specifically for flight. I was for a time amongst them. So what truly separated us? See, my whole life, I have drawn lines. The lines that separate them from me, from can and cannot, from possible and impossible. There have been times where I saw,

our reality is pre-packaged. Basically as though you get what you get, factory, stock, out of the box. It took a long time to see what I wanted, and instead of saying, hey, must be nice, or they have it made, to instead ask,

how can I reverse engineer that outcome? What do I need to do now to get what is ultimately available? because it's very available and it's very real. Just because you are not built like those flying machines doesn't mean you can't run alongside them. Join their ranks. Become one of them.

The thing is, instead of drawing walls and building parameters, you have to give yourself permission to adapt and evolve. I was thinking about this the other day, as one of my best friends was sharing some of the work he does with his real estate portfolio. He was talking about some of the lessons learned on social media, and it was met with resentment, disdain. You have X, I don't.

You make Y, I don't. You came from Z, I didn't. And I read the comments, I just shook my head and thought, they don't know. They don't know he grew up on a farm in Michigan, spending a long time working for less than minimum wage. They don't know that he put himself through college. They don't know that he took out alone, having no clue what he was doing and learned how to renovate a home by himself. See, here's what he didn't do. He didn't point up and say, wow, look how free they are. Must be nice. No, he asked, how do I run alongside them? I am not an observer. I am a flying.

machine. Because the truth is we can do so much, become so much. Once we've erased the mental lines that we've drawn over the years. Once we give ourselves permission to join that little segment of reality, we've deemed to be ideal but have yet to walk towards. Nothing happens to the ordinary moments, the ordinary days or weeks or months, until you realize ordinary is just a label you've been placing on the pathway to extraordinary. Everything you need is there, except your past willingness to walk through it. And today is a new day. You will take to the sky in your own life when you stop drawing lines around everything you want

and compartmentalizing it is not for you. And instead, run alongside. the life you want as though it was already yours. Life is not a game of those who are and those who aren't. It's a game comprised of those who will and those who won't. Those who see how they can and those who see how they can. You can wish, hope, and watch time fly by, or you can join the ranks

of the flying machines that leave all that behind and take to the sky. So today I want to share a topic with you that I think is pretty cool. It's fun for me to reflect back and think about information or perspective

that could have changed my life at a particular point in time, made it potentially easier to navigate. And so what I want to share with you today is 10 things that I wish I knew in high school. 10 things that I learned along the way that being, you know, decades removed now would have made life easier, simpler,

and just put me at ease, right? So much of, you know, growth is learning, hey, right? Everything's fine. We figure things out as we go. So I'm going to dive right into it. Here are 10 things that I wish I knew in high school. The first one is no one has all the answers. And that's a big thing to learn to uncover, right?

Because there's so much uncertainty. There's so much unknown when you're younger that it's almost like we want to assume that these people over here have all the answers or these people we look up to or follow or surround ourselves with. Like they have it all figured out. No one has it all. figured out. Life is a game of adjustment. It's learning as you go, right? We're all perpetual students, and that should make you feel better because it's not like there is some great depth you're lacking.

You're just playing the game of life, and each chapter is going to have its lessons and teach you valuable things. No one has all the answers. You pick them up as you go. I like to think of advice as a buffet where it's like people can offer their suggestions or you can even from afar watch and observe doesn't mean it will directly apply to what you do or what you want right now take the pieces that you think are valuable and give them a try charlie munger says you are your own experiment explore right give yourself the grace of one understanding no one has it all figured out and you won't either, right? Step into it and learn as you go.

Number two, few opinions matter. Particularly in this online world, right? I'm lucky enough that this is going to sound crazy to say when I was in high school, we weren't very online. So now it's even easier for criticism and people to say things and, you know, criticize their opinions, all these things, right? And they make the world feel heavy, complicated.

But the reality is none of that matters. I'm going to say something that is 100% true, and I don't know if it'll surprise you or not. There are zero opinions in high school that matter today, that I care about today. None. But going through it, I didn't know that. Going through that, I really cared what people thought.

I cared how people felt about me. I wanted to be cool and impress and the stuff we all do. None of that matters. Right? You realize life is about you, your pursuit, and the people you love. Someone told me who wants this sort of scenario, right? And it's a little dark, but you'll see the point here. It's, you know, a hospital bed scenario.

Let's say, God forbid, you're sick. then you're in the hospital, who's going to visit you? I know in my situation, there's a select group of family and close friends. That's probably it. And so outside of that, why would you care? Why would you give any energy to what anyone else thinks or says? Life is simple. Keep it simple.

Focus on what matters for you and your path. in the people that you care about. Number three, fear is an invitation. Is a big one. This one took me into my mid-20s to fully understand. The things that scare you, push you to be better. I used to think when I was scared or my body physically, you know, rebelled against me doing something that, okay, then that's a no-go.

We'll find something a little easier, a little bit more, you know, conducive to what feels in the moment. But the reality is, nothing of value comes without fear. Growth does not come without fear. Change is innately scary. And we all want to change, right? We all want to be that sort of best version of ourselves. We're always perpetually recreating ourselves.

And so understanding, being able to flip that switch, when you're scared to do something, it's not an alarm. It doesn't mean stop. A lot of the times it's a pat on the back. It's an invitation. I often cite, you know, my first YouTube video. It changed my life.

If you think I wasn't terrified to be vulnerable on camera, you're crazy. It's 100% worried about what people would think or how it would go. And you name it, right? Speaking in front of a large audience. Hands were shaking. Knees were shaking. It was playing through different scenarios of even how to not do it. how internally terrified I was.

But I did it. And it changed my life. Put me on track for, you know, just a trajectory I couldn't have even imagined. And so you get the idea. Long story short, when it scares you, it's not a no. It's often a yes and an invitation to step into that better version of yourself. Number four, start now and adjust. One of the biggest myths we run into is perfection.

We need to be perfect. We need to have it all figured out. Perfect is just another variation of fear in disguise. If you wait for perfect, then I could point to a lot of people who do, you'll wait forever. And those people are still waiting forever. For everything to be right, everything to be aligned.

I'm going to go when? I'm going to start if. As soon as the moment's perfect, I'm going to, no. That doesn't exist. You start today. Now, in this moment, and you adjust and you evolve, and you pick up the pieces along the way. Then, as time passes, you look over your shoulder and you go, wow, look how far I've come. I don't even recognize the person I am now.

Don't wait for perfect. Go now. Number five, this is a fun one. Life is a game. It's not that serious, right? It's just not. And this is important for me. If you're similar in sort of world outlook, I'm very very,

tightly wound right I really want to do well and be better and improve and help as many people as I can I'm constantly stressed and setting high you know expectations for myself I know so many people watching do the same I know so many of my friends family do the same so many of my business partners do this same it's such a breath of fresh air to realize hey do this because it ignites your soul it's your purpose It's your passion. But at the end of the day, being here is the gift. It's not that serious.

There's no checklist or test or right or wrong. Live your life. I said this once like six years ago, and I'm coming back to it because in a different context, I need the same message. You can close shop. You can go away for two years, live on an island, come back. Everything would be the same.

You'd pick right back up where you were. It's just not that serious. So make sure you're spending time on the things that matter that light you up. You're having conversations with the people you care about. You're doing things that are meaningful. You're finding ways to be inspired. It's a gift, not an obligation. Number six, less is more.

I scream this book from the mountaintops, Greg McHune, Essentialism. I used to think growth was acquiring. What can I get? What can I add? What can I build? sometimes. But most of the time, freedom is cutting away.

It's us carrying around too much. And so when we can free ourselves of the things that are unnecessary, there's a level of just beauty in simplicity that is otherwise unobtainable. It's the pursuit of less. Identify the things that

matter most and start cutting away those things that aren't that. Identify where you want to go and anything that's not taking you there, right? If it's not one of the most important things, the pillars in your life, feel good letting it, letting it go, letting that ship sail. It's been attributed to everybody, right? That quote, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. I don't know who really coined it, but it's everything. There's beauty and simplicity. power and simplicity and freedom in simplicity. Number seven, we unknowingly limit ourselves all the time. It's instinct.

We want to make things simple. We like stability. We like routine. But here's what you have to remember. Your potential is limitless. It does not end. Your growth stops when you stop. When you put a stake in the ground and say, okay, I'm done.

otherwise you will continue to grow and evolve. Right? So you have to remember that. You limit yourself. It's funny to think about, you know, like running. I'm a big runner and I tie a lot of, you know, my life experience is too running. It's like if I run 10 miles and I'm running at a, let's say, a 750 pace, who says it couldn't have been a 749? Right?

There's always that little space for more. And sometimes that doesn't matter. Sometimes it does. Right? There's always more to reach out and grab. So just know that you're always dancing with the infinite. There's always more available for you should you choose to pursue it. Number eight, depersonalizing is freedom.

As someone recently put it to me, you know, when people say things to you, it's not about you. It's projection of them onto you. And we come across various degrees of this in life, right? Whether it's people or just unfortunate things. It's like we take it personally. It's him against us or life against us or the situation against us. No, it's no one against you. Life just happens.

And if you can smile and see it as just, you know, life occurring before your very eyes, providing you tools to build with always it's another form of freedom it's an advantage that most people don't have because most people do take things personal in reality and truth number nine

not all who wander are lost there's going to be pressure as you move through life to feel like you have to know everything you have to have it all figured out there's going to be pressure to feel like you need to know what you're going to do for work 20 years from now This is a derivative of a previous point I just made, right? Life is not that serious.

The most important year of my life, you know what that was? I quit my job and I explored. I made videos with the camera. I wrote music. I did some creative writing. I produced other artists. I just went out and I tried things. I played acoustic guitar around Boston and bars.

You know, it was just amazing. And yeah, I learned what I loved. I also learned what I didn't like. And that progression brought me to this incredible creative outlet, where I can enjoy what I do, where I can love what I do and also help others. I couldn't have planned that. I found that. And the reason I say that is because I invite you to do the same.

I invite you to explore and try and find the magic in your life. It's there. But you have to look for it. You have to seek it out. It won't knock on your door. At number 10, the finale here, growth is a lifestyle. And what do I mean by this? The big change in life, the biggest change, I should say, comes from immersing yourself in it,

wearing the shoes, becoming the person you want to be before you are that. You know, I like to use health as an example. I used to think working out three days a week would make me fit. And, you know, going to the gym three days a week definitely is better than not going. But, you know, when my life really changed, when I really felt fit and in shape, is when I saw myself as a healthy person. That's not just going to the gym. That's sleeping right.

That's eating right. That's being active, being out in the sun. That's being around people who are healthy and share the same values. When you do that, you transform. Because it's not just something you do from 12 to 1 every day. It becomes a lifestyle. And I share this because maybe it's not health. Maybe it's something else you're aiming for.

Once you completely immerse yourself in that world, it is inevitable. it will become your reality. Growth is a lifestyle. It's not something you do from 12 to 1. So whether you're in high school or, again, far beyond it, I hope there's something here for you that can help you gain some perspective or it's relatable. It pertains to what you're going through now.

And, you know, you can use for some armor as you're navigating. Thanks for listening. an amazing day. Reality is the existence of two entities, those who create change and those who merely react to it. And so I've wondered what separates the one from the many, what differentiates a fleeting moment from a chapter and a history book. See, I think we all come to a point where we look up and we see no top to the wall we seek to climb. We look down and see the water rising at our feet with every breath.

We look to our left and see those who are where we want to be tomorrow. And we look to our right and see the trail of decisions we love to take back from yesterday. This is where most create their limiting narrative, where most succumb to the world around them, but most is not. not all. And every soul eventually comes to find that it was shaped not by sunny days or easy roads, but by walking to the edge of the only world it's ever known and daring to risk the normalcy

to which it's accustomed. Because our appearance in the light is the manifestation of what we do in the shadows when we're alone fighting the little battles. Greatness isn't just a different level of. of results, it's a whole new set of rules. In the monumental task in front of you is the culmination of a battle that's already been fought thousands and thousands of times.

It's been won or lost over and over again. Every time you decide to stand apart instead of follow the crowd, decide to flourish instead of just survive, decide to lead instead of follow, build instead of conform, When you endure, it's because you've decided that you are different. Not in that moment, but every single day leading up to that point. This is not a reinvention. It's living out who you already chose to be.

So the wall is high, you will climb because it's what you do. So the water rises, you will swim because it's who you are. So the people to your left have succeeded. is always room at the top and you will claim yours. So you failed in the past, good, because falling then means you endure now and so you will. There's a quote attributed Heracletus on the realities of soldiers in battle. He says, look, out of every 100 men, 10 shouldn't even be there. 80 are just targets. Nine are the real fighters and we are lucky to have them for they make the battle but the one one is the warrior and he will bring the others it's not about what happens

to no one escapes adversity no one lives free of discomfort or misfortune or struggle no it will always be about what you do with what happens to you in other words it's not the event, it's the response. Not the obstacle, but the ability to navigate around it. Not the wave, but the ability to ride its momentum to something greater. It is not what happens to you. It is what you do about what happens to you. The famous Roman emperor and stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius said you have power over your mind not outside events realize this and you will find strength and I think this realization comes down to the fact that there is always a way buried underneath it all something powerful to leverage

but getting to the value calls for a rewiring a change in the questions that that we ask. Not how could this happen to me, but how can I be better tomorrow than I am now because of what happened to me? Not can I still be that person or accomplish what I set out to. I am that person.

Now how will I adjust my path so that I get there? We're operating within a world of value, limitless opportunity. The difficulty simply pushes us to that value faster, expedites the process, it forces us to open our eyes, and see that the world works for us. So you take, for example, the fear of starting something new. That fear, it doesn't have to be an end point or a red light indicator. Fear doesn't mean you're not qualified or prepared or equipped. It simply lets you know that you have finally acquired the courage to step out of the safety

of the only world you knew and into the turbulence of growth. On to the path of something better. And where it's easy to move away from that feeling, to turn your back on the chaos and retreat to something simpler. something more predictable or contained. What if you viewed the fear as the price that we all have to pay to pull the curtain back on the best things life has to offer? Changing the question from will I be afraid to instead this is important, this is meaningful. Therefore, it's inevitable that I will experience fear, but what will I do about it?

How will I conduct myself amidst the fear? Will I continue forward? Those are the questions that contain the value, right? I can't keep the water from rising or the walls from caving in. No, that's an inevitability where I'm going. The worthwhile road always has its adversity. But will I use that water to learn to swim, the walls to climb, to adapt, and scale, what will I make of this?

That's the question that becomes the difference. And sure, you could stay away. You could choose not to take the path that presents the danger and the turbulence. You could attempt to contain the world around you by simply refusing to experience it. But then, of course, you become presented with the question, why intentionally refuse to cash in a winning lottery ticket? Why diminish your gift in such a way? If it's not what you look at, it's what you see.

Why see the world as an adversary? Why see yourself as less than you are? The saying goes, when you fight for your limitations, you get to keep them. You'll never. exceed the person you've decided yourself to be. And yes, the world can feel intimidating. It's unknown. You in many ways can't control the characteristics

that make life what it is, but you can always control you. Just like you can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails. You can't control the tides, but you can predict and plan and execute accordingly. you control you and that is where the power is. And of course there's going to be times where that's hard to see

when it's not your first instinct to find the value. Take for an example a change, a loss, the end of a relationship, the point where people tend to feel their lowest. It hurts to have something and lose it. to have what you were once so sure about challenged, what you once believed in called into question. But this doesn't have to be a referendum on you as a human being. Right?

Sure, you made your mistakes. But you have the opportunity to dwell on them or to acknowledge them and ask the question, I know what I know now, how can I be better than I've ever been in my life? How can I position myself to get more of the good and less of the bad, same idea, different context? When those walls feel like they're crumbling down, you have to know there is more on the other side. Just beyond what the eye can see.

And this isn't just an idea I play around with in my head. I make a concentrated effort to think this every time something goes wrong. when my first reaction is emotional. My first emotion is anger or frustration. It's like take a breath, compose yourself, and start looking for the value. Because here's the truth, the world is not going to end today.

There's going to be a time down the road when I look over my shoulder, and right now is a distant memory. What will I have done with it? And it's the times that might have broken you that contain the greatest transformation. I like to say the greatest tragedies or the hardest times made me who I am today. The losses taught me that I had everything I needed.

The failures showed me what I'm capable of enduring. The times I was let down taught me to depersonalize the shortcomings of others, but to simultaneously hedge against them. The times I was lost showed me we only discover or meet our potential when we leave the little day-to-day realities that we create. Why? Because we are in control. Not of the external, but the internal.

And that ends up being a bridge to a reality that means something. So when you find yourself at the base of a mountain looking up, understand that there are two ways to perceive the climb. You can see it as the gravity pushing down on you as Earth standing in your way, or as an opportunity to ascend to a version of yourself that previously not only didn't exist but wasn't available. This is your opportunity. The same opportunity that the vast majority of the world would disregard or misinterpret that most would feel fear of and be dissuaded by. Most would live in the stories about who they aren't and what they aren't capable of, but not you. You didn't place that mountain before you, but you sure can't extract the value from it.

All you have to do is decide that you're capable and that the meaning and the value and the freedom of tomorrow means more than the discomfort of today. If you allow that for yourself, you will become truly unstoppable. Not because the path simplified or got easier, but because the traveler trusted himself to walk down it.