RISE | Best Motivational Video Compilation of 2021 (So Far)

when the ground beneath us shakes we crave stability when the heavens open up and rain pours down we run for shelter when life presents us with vagueness with flashes of possibility we long for mastery it's more instinct than anything else but could it be that that instinct that we run to like moths to a flame is leading us astray that it doesn't have our best interests at heart could it be that we're so worried about protecting and maintaining an acceptable image for the world that we forget to build something internally that's worth protecting what if that shaking is what brings down the foundations that held us back what if that rain washes away the limits of yesterday as we evolve into something more and what if those flashes of possibility require of us not mastery no not yet but a willingness to be the fool and what if that willingness isn't an unfortunate dead end but a beginning in one of his lectures at the university of toronto jordan peterson said if you are not willing to be a fool you can't be a master [Music] in the cycle that is self-discovery that is growth we have to at some point step into an arena that's foreign to us that we don't yet understand we have to be willing to operate with inadequate resources trusting that you know they'll be picked up along the way [Music] and that's a lot to take in it's painful to know that others are going to have knowledge and skills and competencies that you won't that you'll willingly inject yourself into the bottom of some hierarchy with nothing more than aspirations [Music] but that willingness is your vehicle and what's clear is that everyone wants the moon but very few people have the courage to start constructing that spaceship very few have the courage to be the student [Music] that's why our inclination is to quit when we can't snap our fingers and magically be on our way when we can't leap past that wandering around the unknowns [Music] the reality is we have to fight to scrap to obtain that sense of belonging in a particular competency and just talking about it brings me back it's an obstacle that we all face it's super real to me i remember being featured on a podcast where the host literally asked me why should i listen what you have to say right like who are you why why are you road mapping your journey right i remember fighting for relevance in an area in which you know at the time i knew almost nothing about and i love how peterson articulates this battle he says at some point you'll want to make a change and you'll feel like an imposter and guess what you are but you have to be you'll ultimately feel worse if you don't do it that's impostor syndrome feeling like a stranger in your own body and guess what it's not wrong it's just a beginning [Music] i like explaining it like jumping into a cold pool feels uncomfortable at first it feels out of place but then things normalize they become comfortable and what's the other option to fear that minute of of discomfort and never jump in [Music] it's what we need to tell ourselves when we want something but the the climb seems to steep right that climb is manageable you'll acclimate the adversary's pushing beyond that fear of starting anew taking your limited understanding bringing it to the base of that mountain a new goliath and looking up with confidence and the question is can you be foolish enough to do that and once you've made that ceiling your next floor will you be foolish enough to do it again and again and again and breaking through that fear knowing that stumbling around for a period of time doesn't kill you it's required it's the inability to show weakness or appear vulnerable that's what chips away at you for a lifetime if you want more immerse yourself in that cycle of mastery start at the bottom and ascend and when you approach the top separate yourself and find another ceiling to chase replant a seed play the role of the fool again this is the formula for growth for prosperity for fulfillment this is the pathway to anything of substance you take your elves you embrace your critics you swallow your pride and move towards the tomorrow that far exceeds today as your reality changes your perception changes the company you keep changes you'll start to see that what's around you is made by people who are willing to fail and fail often our world is one devised by those who could put pride on hope by those who were humble enough to crawl through the unknown long before they ran anything who knew that before they played for any title or championship they must first play the fool [Music] [Music] i often ask myself what differentiates those who wish for better outcomes and those who do something about it what separates the dreaming from the progress and the wishing from the reality [Music] sure life is complex there are a lot of moving parts to understand but i think this element is simple those who build things in life are willing to not only see a reality that hasn't yet materialized but they also understand that in a world of no they have to be the yes they have to believe in their ability to drive towards finish lines that no one else sees and see meaning cannot come to fruition without that discomfort or as nietzsche put it one must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star and that's just it most people see what is most people conform they do not create to change something means you have to be the metaphorical eagle amongst pigeons flying above all that everyone everything else superseding the limiting beliefs that shackle others to their one-dimensional realities but most importantly it means you can see you can see what no one else can you have line of sight to what no one else understands see in this world no one walks up to you on the street puts their arm around you and says hey kid that dream follow that because i can tell you're going to do big things no one says hey that business idea you're going to thrive next year i know it that relationship it's going to happen that level of fitness oh i can see it already nope people see what's right in front of them and as it pertains to you and your world your life people are those pigeons and so that leaves you with a choice do you accept that do you blend in take the scraps you're allowed to consume the crumbs laid out in front of you or do you step back and acknowledge that this is going to be tough this is going to hurt it's going to push me further as a person than i've ever been pushed but you know what i get in return that view [Music] i get to live above the clouds with those who don't wait in line no they become the main attraction they transform what is into what will be because the world it has a way of ensuring that we really want what we say we do greatness in any area of life is reserved for those willing to carry forward when most would turn back to build a bridge to something greater when most people point out that your bridge is not connected to anything that it's a waste of time it's trivial useless irrational good changing your life in the world around you has to be irrational taking the status quo and shaking it saying i'm going to alter this landscape is irrational but from irrationality comes the future so when you feel like the world is against you when you have an uphill battle to climb when there are a million reasons for you to turn around understand that this is nothing more than an indicator that you are right where you need to be against the current bringing something new to life see if it were easy it would already exist but changing your life that makes you an architect of the unseen so build on the days you want to build on the days you don't build when they understand build and when they assume you've all together lost your mind build sure it's not easy but it's worth it and when tomorrow comes and it looks a lot different from today when you've grown evolved transformed and you look back and don't even recognize the person you once were that won't be because you listen to the chirping of the doubters and the naysayers it won't be because when strangers told you to give up you packed your bags and went home no it will be because you rose above all that they saw empty space and you saw a world undiscovered they saw your head in the clouds while you built those castles in the air you were always on a trajectory to something greater you didn't need to convince them you needed to convince yourself to unlock the shackles and take to the sky leave everything that once held you down behind this isn't about anyone else it's about the conversation between you and the horizon that awaits [Music] [Music] if you're lucky enough to be different don't let go i spend a lot of my time and energy exploring the power of perspective how our reality is determined by how we interpret what's in front of us how one person can look at one thing and see pain or a problem or a barrier and another person can look at that exact same thing and see opportunity or a future win or a bridge to something better [Music] and i think one of the best examples of this is how we perceive those qualities that make us unique those things that put us in a different category maybe we're a little hesitant to fully embrace because they're not common [Music] and when it comes to that which separates us from everyone else well i believe we have a decision to make i'm gonna go back to robert frost's fork in the road right he says two paths diverged in a wood i took the one least traveled by and that made all the difference on the surface you could easily brush this off as trivial it's like oh nice that's cute he took the path less traveled by but what does that mean as it turns out it means a lot it means instead of burying what makes him different he made it his battle cry instead of slipping under the radar and sneaking through life like so many of us do he signed the dotted line for the pain of being a beginner the struggle of being uncertain the discipline and sometimes torturous road that is turning a passion into excellent trading peace of mind for the pursuit of meaning in life exploring what makes you unique it takes courage and in that message he chooses courage because it's not just that you're alone taking that path means every step of the way your mind screams at you reminders that you're alone it's not just fighting traffic patterns it's fighting your dna it's resisting that impulse to please sit down shut up and blend in so is it a trivial decision i'd say not really maybe even the most important decision you can make because i promise you it's not your commonality with those around you that will bring fulfillment that will leave a mark on your life and the world that surrounds you no it's that thing that's unequivocally you that's a little out there that's somewhat strange that you don't know why but its gravitational force pulls and pulls and pulls a tug of war where one side begs you to just relax conform do less begs you to never be laughed at or criticized to take the easy road then you have the other side poking prodding asking you hey yeah but what if what if you sacrifice the comfort of right now what if you explored what if you took that which you love and you ran with it what if you worked for a delayed payday what if for a moment in time when people ask you what the plan is you have to look back and say you know what i'm not quite sure what i'm building but i'll keep pivoting until it's so clear you can see it from the moon [Music] those are the paths that pull us apart and every time i've lost my way it's because i've doubted my unique path and i mean that every time it's when i become impatient with the journey or look around and see someone else winning in a different arena using different methods different strategies see the latest trends and success formulas hey man i want part of that right i'm human i want to win i want to succeed but just like a little opening is enough to let in the outside water that sinks the boat well a little bit of doubt is enough to derail your process the process that you have to believe in protect nurture a process that i've come to separate into two pieces number one believing [Music] that the exploration of that thing that makes you unique it's valuable that your abilities mean something they're not inconsequential they're not stupid or trivial or unnecessary [Music] if it means something to you it will most certainly mean something to others and you bringing it to life not only helps yourself evolve grow flourish it helps the world you just have to believe that enough to bring it to life that's number one number two trusting that as long as you don't stop in pursuit of your unique self you can't lose you can't lose and i don't mean continuing to ram a square peg into a round hole i mean growing learning experimenting seeing what works there's a saying that when you hit a dead end it's not that the goal or the dream should be abandoned it means the plan needs to be changed or adjusted and as you get better and more experienced and continually work to adjust your strategy and your plans learn from your mistakes it becomes a matter of time you increase the odds with every step forward [Applause] being different is the most precious thing afforded to you but to realize that miracle requires a combination of both the mythical and the practical the imaginary and the real dream that dream visualize that growth create a world out of those ideas that don't exist yet but also understand that the conversion process from dream to reality is a practical one it requires repetition learning losing adjusting and people don't like that it's much easier to blend in than spend years pushing through the agony of setting yourself apart but it's worth it and the evidence is so obvious so plainly pointing to the fact that we only celebrate the outcasts the crazy ones we sit around campfires listen to lectures watch movies and documentaries about the people that had every reason to doubt themselves but kept moving forward about the people who could have swept their unique abilities under the rug but instead use them as their foundation for everything not being distracted by what's popular or how anyone else lives or operates not seeking to be anyone but themselves knowing that that is enough knowing it's the seed to something precious the only question is will you provide the right conditions and nourishment for that little seed to grow will you do what so few people have the courage to do let their authentic selves shine through let who they are emerge emerson has a quote he says to be yourself in a world that's constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment he goes on to say my life should be unique it should be an alms a battle a conquest a medicine and see perpetual happiness is a fool's errand no life is full of trials and tribulations and ups and downs but fulfillment comes from that quest for meaning for more for building something for creating your unique self a process a pursuit that must be chiseled from stone it's never given or provided it has to be found take it and as emerson beautifully implies now is the time the question is what are you going to make with this once in a lifetime opportunity what will you make of the possibilities that only you know only you understand that only you can bring to life never doubt yourself or your gifts or the things that set you apart you don't need everyone else to believe in them you just need to convince yourself everything else it falls right into place [Music] everyone wants to change the world but no one wants to change himself this was written by leo tolstoy in reference to people's proclivity to point out at the world and project blame rather than to point in at themselves and ask why what can i do how can i be better which when you think about it as basically a shark forfeiting its bite right or a bird giving up its wings our personal agency is without a doubt our superpower [Music] yet from my vantage point sometimes feels like we're walking away from that superpower a tiny step at a time little by little day by day we're allowing greatness to fade while bringing about the death of the hero and well that's a a pretty big claim what could i possibly mean by this [Music] it's funny when people ask me what i'm most proud of my mind pretty quickly goes to my work the brand that i've dedicated the last almost decade to building but i don't think that's right i think it's a product of my answer but it's not my answer what i'm most proud of is chipping away at the monster that is the victim mentality you know my default when things went wrong for so long was to feel bad for myself it was easier to be the victim and sulk than it was to keep taking the hits it's like a cheat code when you can just bask in your sorrow and hate the world you don't have to do anything it's like a giant ibuprofen uh for for the discomfort that is life but it relieves this symptom not the cause and to understand to overcome this world view is like being gifted with a new pair of eyes and what i learned was that self-pity it gets you nothing it leaves you resentful disappointed envious wandering down a path that is not your own what i learned was that my story needed a hero that's why as i grew i spoke about the power and the beauty of doing the difficult thing running in the rain chasing the metaphorical fireflies taking the last train home see until you immerse yourself into that vast unknown you stay in a cell of your own making you build walls of limitation and you exist entirely within them and as time has progressed i look back there are two things worth mentioning one is that we find life's meaning in the difficult thing and two there is a fundamental misunderstanding and even from time to time contempt for what the difficult thing means for those who speak of the difficult thing is though hard truths are in some way inconsiderate like diverging from the comfort of one's feelings implies a lack of empathy but that's wrong if you love someone if you care about someone if you care about yourself you say what is true and what is true is that the shelter and the temporary comfort of victimhood is a high not worth the withdrawal not worth the suffering it got me nowhere it will get you nowhere and that is a reality that will never cease to be true we live in a world that's been shaped entirely by those who found the courage to do the difficult thing everything around us is a product of the courageous decision to take the now and bended and that means taking hits it means being criticized it means by definition you are choosing to be uncommon you're choosing to change things yourself and by default the world around you there's nothing wrong with being common quitting is relatable failure is relatable falling short is relatable because we're all human and we've all been there but these stock features of humanity they are not worth celebrating we don't put on pedestals the familiar no we put on pedestals the times that we've reshaped the familiar and a world of participation trophies is a world that has disincentivized that which makes life worth living it cripples the very pursuit that ignites the soul a push towards the extraordinary it's time we resurrect the hero see through the facade of short-term comfort that leads to long-term emptiness in a world where attention is currency it's time we acknowledge the payment we receive when we play victim buys only despair sure we're flawed that will always be true but we are capable of manufacturing greatness we're capable of capturing hearts and captivating minds if you could only see within yourself that story unwritten if you could feel the greatness that awaits the roads to be traveled and mountains to be climbed there would be no debate there'd be no hesitation about that march to the belly of the beast if only to show that our demons exist solely where we allow them to resurrect the hero fight those battles that light you up blaze your trail through the valley of darkness take that path unknown to the common man unseen to those who live within the confines of what is resurrect that hero because you need you because the world needs you there's no time to be down or sad or dwell on the mistakes of yesterday there's too much on the line to pretend that settling was the plan all along or to point at the obstacles with disdain and hatred while life rotates around you no resurrect the hero resurrect your answer resurrects the person you were meant to be it may not be simple or intuitive it may cause you to give more than you knew you had it may not be easy but my friend easy never changed the world [Music] [Music] that thing that gives you butterflies that lights you up that world you see when you close your eyes chase that with all of your soul chase it [Music] it's easy to brush off life's potential it's just outside the realm of possibility to see the ideal as some form of window shopping that you can almost touch a fantasy to be explored when you sit back in your office chair or past time in the doctor's office waiting room but i think these aspirations mean more than that not distractions but a north star not a diversion but the path and by the way i'm not naive about this pursuit and all that it entails the truth behind it i'd never advocate that what's possible or meant to be is somehow easy in fact i'd argue the only way something is meant to be is if you're willing to commit to the difficulty in bringing it to life otherwise it wasn't meant to be anything but a missed opportunity because it surely will be a difficult road and here's what we come to learn everything of value is difficult you know in an attempt to oversimplify i often break life down into the easy thing versus the difficult but meaningful thing and in some ways sure that's true but i can also honestly say it would have been more difficult for me to have stayed where i was not moved at all to not have pursued what i believed in it would have been more difficult thinking about that life i could have lived the doors that could have opened and that's just it life is about choosing your difficult the difficult you seek out intentionally or the difficult you come and let take control render you helpless [Music] and i think when we find ourselves in routines or we've built for ourselves a world you know we know we don't want to live in anymore or we've outgrown it's not that the current is real and the future is not it's that we somewhere along the way decided to face the wrong opponent some adversaries make us stronger they force us to be more to grow [Music] other adversaries our opponents they sit back and they let us defeat ourselves and that's what we don't want see when the world knocks you down you get to rise again wiser tougher stronger but when you keep yourself down well there's nothing to be gained from that those two opponents they are not the same i reference my speaking career because for me it's where that transformation is most evident it's where it all began my opponent was very much me avoiding opportunities hiding from failure i didn't give life a chance to knock me down and so it didn't how could it i'd already placed myself in chains and because of that guess what i stayed the same i couldn't evolve my ideal future was an idea that would briefly entertain me from time to time and move right on it wasn't until i found the courage to switch my opponents from myself to the world i let life humble me i gave talks where i was nervous and had cold feet keynotes where my delivery was mediocre at best where i barely got by but with these battles came metaphorical riches came that trust that had to be manufactured that confidence that had to be earned when i got out of my own way i was able to let the trials and tribulations of life create a new foundation for me to stand on to redefine reality and the good news is that anyone can do that anyone can ask that question something external in my way right now that i need to figure out that i need to solve or am i in my own way am i not even giving myself a shot have i settled for right now as truth when right now is just the less ideal difficult when i was little playing action figures with my buddy up the street we used to think it was cool to see around corners to see through walls to know what was coming before it arrived right for action figures absolutely in superhero movies why not [Music] but in the journey through life you don't need to see around corners in fact it's counterproductive because it is the interaction with the unknown that matters it's adjusting amidst life's uncertainty that comes to make you who you are transforms you and your reality as far as i'm concerned the only way to lose is to remain behind that corner peering out every now and then hoping to get some kind of advantage or shortcut willing to let life pass you by while you wait for the stars to align thinking that that vision of an ideal life will stroll along the sidewalk see you and reach out a hand that wait will be a long one unproductive and difficult more difficult than trusting yourself to face whatever lurks around that corner [Music] so remember that who you are is built and every time you do something a little bit scary or unsettling every time you wander a step or two outside of your comfort zone the reward is not just the short-term triumph you feel as you leapfrog that obstacle and carry on no you are investing in a new you a new reality you're investing in something changing before your very eyes putting a little marble in a jar that is your potential and you can't see it not now no one's going to announce it to you you might not even realize or understand until you look back years down the road [Music] but those little acts of courage they matter more than you know they're not trivial and they are certainly not insignificant [Music] when that movie plays in your head and you think to yourself i wish or if only [Music] and the delta between that image and the reality on the ground disappoints you gives you a little knot in your stomach or dissatisfaction that floats around in your thoughts remember that that feeling is transferable that difficult can be exchanged for one that actually changes things you can get off the merry-go-round and towards a new north star difficult yes but we've seen the goal is not to avoid difficult it's to pick the difficult that will transform your life it's to find meaning in a world that if you do not pay attention we'll paint your landscape with routine and obligation [Music] and today can certainly be a continuation of that script a box that's checked a calendar square with an x or it can be the beginning of something that gives you butterflies that lights you up that brings you one step closer to the world you see you close your eyes [Music] [Music] there's a quote from george eliot that states it's never too late to be what you might have been and see that ability to separate the stories of yesterday from the stories of right now will always be what determine your tomorrow i'm still searching for the best way to really articulate this message to emphasize just how precious this moment right now could be if only we decided to make it so if only we recognize the power in choosing to begin again now i understand the power of habits how they define us and how practically speaking change isn't as easy as saying you're going to be something and then just becoming that thing no you have to build habits your actions they become your life and there are plenty of resources on habit building james clear being one of my favorites and someone i point to often one of his best quotes he says the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time right meaning little actions over time create big results but before any of that before any steps before any habits before any action we have to know that once a page is turned it's gone it becomes data to guide your next decision and that's all [Music] it's understanding that yesterday is not you only a resource for you to look back on as you reflect on what worked and what didn't what you loved and what you didn't love where you went and why it mattered but you're not yesterday's losses or mistakes or tragedies just like today's weather is ultimately independent from yesterday's sure they may follow the same patterns same rules same guidelines and that's great that's how we get the data that allows us to look back and calculate what's best for us but ultimately today is a new day a day with the potential the capability of becoming something extraordinarily beautiful and we may think okay right i get it sure i can become something new all right let's go the question is do you really believe it [Music] do you really understand how malleable you are how you can bend and fold and shape yourself into something new because the second you get that quick blast of motivation right that tiny bit of courage and dip your toe in the water what happened life says not so fast [Music] your mind presses play on a giant projector showing the film of who you used to be right not who you want to be social media displays a seemingly perfect collage of everyone around you pretending to live problem free lives and prompting you to think oh this must mean i'm doing something wrong my tv news media politicians tell you that life is too hard you're too oppressed to find your way out of this of course not without their help [Music] so why try one might think friends may disappear or worse criticize the fact that you've changed as if that wasn't the point of life in its entirety and my message is this yes change comes from habits and yes habits or small daily decisions but also creating that mental space to welcome in those new habits to understand you're worthy of more to understand right now is a beginning that is both the greatest challenge and greatest accomplishment giving yourself permission amidst an endless array of adversaries that's what makes or breaks you not how close you keep your running shoes to the door so that you see them and it triggers those am workout sessions and all that stuff's important but does it matter if you don't see yourself as someone who's going to use those shoes as a tool to change into something new to put them on when you don't want to when you feel tired when you're busy [Music] who are you going to choose to be and can you hold on to that idea see i obviously enjoy motivation right i consume a video or an audio almost every morning i feel like it gets me in the right headspace and then i get on with my work right and for the most part it does a great job of communicating to us what we need for that moment it's like believe in yourself work hard don't you dare give up amen but where it sometimes drops the ball in my opinion is the why why believe in myself why work hard why not give up and the answer is because we are these incredibly gifted beings with the ability to change and adapt and grow but are confronted with the world that wants to tell you no change is immediately met with resistance as if it prefers life at rest it begs for stagnation and you even thinking that you can rearrange the order of things shakes life at its foundation and when we feel that there's a default uncertainty a mini panic how can something be right when it just feels like every move forward is a right hook to the face like we're constantly pushing into the headwind i'll never forget it was almost two years into my journey as a speechwriter a youtuber a content creator right two years since i left my job and i felt guilty taking an afternoon jog it felt like a luxury i wasn't entitled to something that minimal it took time for me to stop thinking about that and enjoy that's how crazy it was something so tiny and insignificant now imagine the weight of the big things [Music] with change the hard thing is the right thing that's a that's a tough idea to to put our hands around to hold to embrace what we least want to do is so often what we need but as campbell says the cave we fear holds the treasure we seek as peterson says the dragon protects the gold jim rohn the winters of life give way to the springs in the summers nietzsche said there's no beautiful surface without a terrible depth to become who we might be hurts and i'm not sure why it has to be this way perhaps a test to weed out those who don't really want it or maybe it's what we learn when we leave the pieces of ourselves we no longer want behind or maybe it's because without that fight without that suffering evolution just wouldn't mean as much but the climb it creates the view regardless the reason i hope the point comes through when it comes through loud and clear and not just now as your alarm clock goes off and you're looking for that extra push to get up but tomorrow in the morning after that when things become a little bit harder and the finish line feels a little less real a little less visible the person you hope to become is as real as the present moment it's as real when you're excited and motivated as it is when you're discouraged and down but look around you and understand that it's counter-intuitive as crazy as frustrating as it might be the discomfort and uncertainty does not mean you are lost or you've wandered too far it means you're right where you need to be it's the little price to be paid every day for monumental change so as you look out your front door know that more does exist know that it will demand more of you than you've ever given and know that you are capable of not only meeting but exceeding those demands and that it will be the most rewarding incredible meaningful journey of your life [Music] dream away because dreams remind us of hope hope that becomes courage courage that manifests itself in little steps forward steps that over time create a new world a new world that looks a lot different than the one you once knew so dream away dream away because we have all been blessed with the ability to take nothings and make them somethings we've all been given the power to take blank spaces and make them landscapes to see with our eyes worlds that aren't yet there and what a shame it would be to repress that gift to label it fiction to keep it next to our books in our movies how much a tragedy to allow it to be merely a temporary escape instead of the permanent beginning it was meant to be so dream away let it lead you because dreams they'll either become the stories we tell or the regrets we hide away a personal evolution or untapped potential the reason we jump out of bed in the morning or the reason we keep our eyes closed clinging to the last few seconds of joy before we confine ourselves to the self-made prisons we built the invisible walls that separate what we see from the possibility a short trip away but look around you one might say this is reality and this looks a lot different than the dreams that bounce around in my head if dreaming was some magic formula i'd be there already well magic isn't quite my claim no dreams are not magic i think their composition is so simple so practical so obtainable that magic isn't needed here in fact thinking dreams require some larger than life magic might just be the problem dreams require a willingness to start in a single step forward the rest well the rest we figure out along the way every little decision to carry on through the haze of that great unknown that's where we discover life's possibility and if that's magic then my friend we are all magicians okay he might inquire further but is any of it guaranteed well that's a highly complex question as we make our way through this highly complex world but i will do this i'll guarantee one thing and one thing only if you do not dream of better tomorrows today will be eternal things will stay exactly as they are now see your dream is the north star that guides the path the target calling the arrows it's the lighthouse that brings the ship home from sea without a foundation to build upon you'll have nothing to stand on so instead of talking about guarantees let's talk about lost opportunity cost let's talk about what happens if you don't go if you don't explore if you don't build what will you miss see most people they only understand what has already been created let's not be most people why stay in the lines when there's nothing else to discover why black and white when color changes the dynamic entirely the greatest enemy of possibility of potential is one's need for certainty it's the person who talks about something more but knows something more will remain an afterthought because as beautiful as it sounds it's not guaranteed and because they cannot guarantee something better they will guarantee the status quo but i'm asking you to see the flaws in that line of thinking i'm asking you to understand that our very biology cries out for safety that we have to fight our urge to settle our desire to take the monster we know over the one we don't because it's the monsters we don't know that put meaning into life it's the journey that elevates the destination and while it might feel like what you want in the short term that long term it sings a different tune to get where you need to go you have to move into the headwind that is the comfort of now find within yourself the courage to simply crack the door to just let a little bit of light in and see how it forces its way into every corner of your soul once you feel that satisfaction of progress you'll be consumed pulled in as though the only thing larger than fear of failure is the rush of becoming who you were meant to be i once heard something that changed the way i looked at the world something simple the idea that we don't climb the mountain for the view we climb mountains because of who we become on the journey up the view is merely representative of that journey the dream isn't in and of itself the goal it's an invitation to immerse yourself in all that is beautiful meaningful worthwhile jaw-dropping eye-opening and powerful it is what cracks that door and lets the light in so dream away because that dream it's no threat to your safety it's what will ultimately save you so dream away dream away so that you capture that sunrise you were given dream away so that you are pulled to that which makes life worth living dream away so that you never lose that child inside so that you don't leave the adventure on the table and keep your ideal existence on the shelf dream away so that you see the abundance that surrounds us the hope within us and the future that calls us for yourself the people in your life and the ones who eventually will be dreamed away [Music] what if i told you that you already know what must be done you just need to put yourself in position to do it you need to unlearn the rules that crippled you the ideas that can find you we are in constant pursuit of the thing that will magically right all our wrongs the answer that will give us something we've never had know everything you need you have now you just need to allow it to flourish declutter simplify remove all that unnecessary stuff and walk your path einstein once said everyone is a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid and what's great about this is the idea that who we are is not found it's acknowledged it's accepted and i think in our world there are so many fish as einstein says trying to climb trees that it creates a sense of learned helplessness we are judging ourselves using the wrong metrics equipped with the skills the characteristics and and the abilities to win in our own arenas but playing in someone else's how loyal are you to your own instincts do you do what you know is right or what you feel obligated to pursue when was the last time you listened to you in tim grover's relentless he introduces a brilliant metaphor he says a lion doesn't have to be taught to be a lion it just is it hunts runs roams explores lives life the only way it knows how now if you capture a lion bring it to the zoo or put it in a cage it will carry itself differently will lie down move around lazily sluggishly navigate its little space to passersby they'd never know what that lion really is they never know what it looks like in its element but despite all this it is still in fact a lion it maintains that killer instinct his characteristics haven't disappeared and if it were released from the cage it would go right back to doing what lions do being what lions are meant to be it just has to ditch the cage and the point is perhaps so do you there's a little light in your soul that waits day and night to explode into something meaningful where your nature meets your environment where the i shouldn't do this the odds are impossible the i'm not good enough i can't lose what i have now where all that fades away where it's left behind you and you're finally free to reign over your own territory your own life your own empire see we constantly feel like our glasses are empty like we're missing pieces in need of something just one more thing that will be our answer that's all we need and i can say with confidence it's not about what you need it's about what you no longer need it's about mitigating the noise so what matters can shine through removing those people in your life that drag you down or add no value it's about getting rid of the things that make your world unnecessarily complex removing the need for immediate validation success and accolades and instead embracing the little hinges in your life that is w clement stone said will ultimately swing the biggest doors we all have the lock the key and the map right there amidst the trivialities of our day-to-day and we walk right by them look right at them we pick them up and put them down but have we learned to truly see them [Music] everything starts with that awareness my life did not change until i recognized that until i began asking myself questions i'd never asked before big picture questions obvious questions just because it's obvious doesn't mean it's always intuitive right what do i want out of life what is important to me what's something i love doing that i can dedicate myself to that i can commit to being great at long term that i'm so immersed in that when the inevitable down times arrive the losses when the doubt and insecurity creeps in i can keep moving forward because i'm so in love with the process but i don't let the little things like that define me as jordan peterson famously puts it choose your sacrifice a life of meaning isn't easy but there's nothing more fulfilling because when you embark upon that journey it allows for the evolution of the self we can become something more as nietzsche says those who have a why to live can bear almost any how we equip ourselves for anything the universe can throw at us we position ourselves to evolve viktor frankl says man's main concern is not to gain pleasure to avoid pain but rather to see meaning in his life to align yourself with and pursue that which is your reason for living that's how we transcend the day-to-day life we've come to know when we breathe in possibility dance with the infinite and of course something of this magnitude it consists of ups and downs it's not the easy road but it's the one worth taking our metaphorical lion doesn't succeed every time he's prowling for food but he doesn't roll over and die he doesn't recede or quit being a lion he gets up tomorrow and does it again because it's who the lion is and while life doesn't unfold until you find that same thing for yourself and people say well i don't know that's the problem i have no idea that's not the problem that's the essence of life that's the beauty you're here to explore and find that for yourself but the power is knowing you're not looking for something or someone to save you you're looking for an environment in which you can best be you you're looking for the right terrain to share your gift with the world if you have what you need then you're not looking for the product you're looking for the delivery mechanism the vehicle to nurture and transport your value to a world that desperately needs it you're looking to build yourself up and in the process amaze yourself look what you're capable of is beyond comprehension it's limitless almost unfathomable but it is as ryan holiday says a confidence that must be earned so start now earn it let yourself succeed your intuition knows what feels right and what doesn't but the seed must first be planted so make today about setting yourself up for success turning off the idea that you're one piece away from completion one minute away from starting that you're almost ready no you are ready now you have what you need now you know what's necessary now you just have to be your own ally put yourself in position to be yourself let your value shine double down on what matters to you look it's not a game of acquisition it's a game of courage do you have the courage to be who you are to follow that potential that possibility into the great unknown this moment is a collage of your past the steps that brought you here of the things that shaped you it's a story comprised of what you choose to remember and so i ask which memories get your attention where do you choose to shine that potentially life-changing spotlight what are you looking back on do you remember those times you felt lost those times life was turned upside down when you went into panic mode when your perfectly mapped out reality was shaken at its foundation yeah you got up and found steady ground didn't you do you remember that do you remember when the things you thought were forever turned out to be as fleeting as a setting sun when you realized a life well lived would mean figuring out the vast majority of it on your own relying on your courage and your strength [Music] yet you pushed into the dark of night and lit a path didn't you you remember that do you remember the hard hits the blatant losses the gut punching defeats when you looked in the mirror and thought this reflection it's just not who it needs to be this burden is too much to carry yet you got yourself together you found faith in your reflection and you not only carried that burden but you made something of it [Music] didn't you do you remember that what do you choose to remember and i'm not talking imagine or create or bring to life no which truths are you letting in how quickly we forget who we are how fleeting the recollection of our strength see if you take a single step back and examine you'll see a breathtaking sample size of the demons already defeated the mountains already climbed the dragons already slayed and you stand here now afraid and unsure as if you haven't already fought through the depths of hell as if you haven't already proven to yourself that you've been there as if this moment is new to you you have what you need and that's not the law of attraction or conjecture or hopeful thinking it's remembering what you know in your soul to be true you are made for this road laid out before you [Music] when the water rises it sink or swim we pick up certain truths as we make our way through life realizations little awakenings patterns that allow us to map the things around us so that we can navigate this crazy place and here's one such realization for my own journey when you pursue your best you live your best life your best is a north star to guide you a bar line or benchmark that's always moving a reminder that you can always do more and be more a reminder that life tomorrow can always be different in life today to pursue your best in my opinion is synonymous with capturing all that is good in this world capitalizing on potential is to utilize those resources in need of an architect that pen in need of a poet brush in need of a painter's story in need of a writer or populist in need of a leader it's a pursuit that not only supplements our existence here on earth now i believe it is in and of itself why we are here on earth but like every ideal pragmatism seems to get in the way meaning well life is more difficult in execution than it looks on paper we can't be our quote unquote best every day we sometimes fall short of that mark our outcomes don't always align with our expectations the perpetual journey to one's best is neither straight nor without discomfort it's more like the navigating of a new world without a map or compass a world that we're by default ill-equipped to take on when we begin and i believe that 99 of success is reliant upon the willingness to move into that great unknown and allowing adversity to shape us but that remaining one percent is a little bit different that one percent is when we see what we've never seen do what we've never done it's uncovering our best in those moments we feel our worst climbing the highest when we're at our lowest when the water rises it's finding a way to swim see the majority of life calls for tiny adjustments it's observing and learning and moving on but rarely do we talk about the darkest moments when we feel as though we are up to our neck in the trials and tribulations of life when the world doesn't relay messages of hope or prosperity no the only incoming message is despair you're essentially david looking up at goliath perhaps a goliath of your making perhaps not but of goliath nonetheless so why here why are these dark moments different than the 99 why is a stage provided at the very time when the limelight feels further out of reach than it ever has because this this moment is when you prove to yourself who you are you think you've dug deep in the past you think you've given your all back then no you have no idea what you're capable of the world provides a stage in our darkest moments so that you can pull back the curtains and illuminate your strength it floods your world with adversity so that you can trust yourself to navigate the waters and if you can find a way here when the walls are closing clock is ticking and water is rising what can't you do have you ever asked yourself that question those moments show us what we can be and that is why the one percent is everything why is it that rock bottom becomes a bridge to so many new tomorrows or the losses we dread most become the change we need most the answer is simple because in those moments we find within ourselves the keys to transformation so you didn't know that you can leap that far and you didn't know because you've never been pushed so close to the edge running it so fast a speed but in those moments you learn that you can take flight you learn you have the power to stand again so while the vast majority of life is saying yes when most would say no it's how we choose to act while immersed in our lowest lows that provides the framework and the opportunity i believe that the tears indicative of despair streaming down your face look a lot like the tears that emerged during our happiest moments they are the same one just precedes the other see despair gives you a chance to look at life differently look at yourself differently to look in the mirror and understand that the reflection looking back is capable of leading a revolution in your soul and i get how hard that is how detached from reality it might seem but isn't that what tomorrow is a detachment from the reality the parameters and the rules of today [Music] it's not until that seed is buried beneath the earth that it plants roots that it takes aim at the sky and when you are stuck beneath the chaos of life you have to know that this is where you too transform so forget yesterday shoreline this is where you build tomorrow's destination don't fixate on what is gone when you can dream of all that is to come and don't dwell on who you were when you can celebrate all you will be when the water rises swim [Music] one of life's greatest lessons is that yesterday is only as powerful as we allow it to be yesterday is an idea a story a movie that started and ended now it's quite possible that story or that ending is disappointing or it hurts to look back on perhaps a reminder of something that wasn't ideal something you want to break away from so the question is why do we give that old story power why do we relive it create this self-inflicted wound see the past undoubtedly played a critical role it brought you to where you are now it in many ways shaped your world view constitutes your beliefs it was the very road to this moment and there's value in that but imagine this scenario imagine stepping into your car turning the keys and thinking to yourself that you can in this very moment only drive down the roads you drove on yesterday only associate with the street signs you know the places you've already gone your reality now is determined by what you've already done so adjust and get used to it you would say that's outrageous right yesterday's path has nothing to do with where i'm going now just like a boat's wake trailing off behind it has nothing to do with where it's going next the person holding the wheel controls that we are saturated with freedom there is so much opportunity and possibility and potential in front of us that we fail to see because we can't stop thinking about that fictitious story we call yesterday we confuse the path we took then for the one we need now the wake from the steering wheel what is and that story about what was the gateway to change is unshackling ourselves from those imaginary monsters and more often than not the answer isn't in finding some solution it's in cutting ties with those things that no longer serve us then we see the world as it truly is then we see the magic laid out before us and i get that it's easier said than done leaving a part of us behind hurts looking in the mirror and being vulnerable enough to say i can be more than this it's not easy but it's possible and everything starts with how we see ourselves and when we remain captive to the past everything about who we think ourselves to be is outdated we're neglecting one of our super powers the perpetual ability to restart one of the most important conversations i've ever had was on this topic seemed trivial at the time but i was having lunch with a friend and we're talking and i mentioned to her that i was full and she goes well then why are you still eating and i'm like because i paid for it right i wanted to get my money's worth and she says in a very you know pragmatic way eddie just because you paid for it doesn't mean you need to eat it right it's a sunk cost why don't you move on and the whole thing seems silly right it's like yeah if you're not hungry don't eat move on but in the grand scheme of things how many of us keep on consuming that which doesn't serve us how many of us stay too long when we should be letting go we let the path behind us dictate the one before us see there's a tendency to over value what we know to feel so invested in how things are even when we're not happy or it's not healthy that we'll take the pain of now over the potential for something greater and that's precisely why the unknown is so terrifying it's not concrete it's a world unsettled and man do we hate being unsettled but what we fail to realize is that every time we close our eyes take a breath and work up the courage to step into that unknown to leave yesterday behind us life gives us new pieces it resets the stage it provides new tools to build something incredible something more ideal more conducive to our goals our hopes and our dreams and the thought is well but but what if things become worse than they are right now what if i move forward and i find myself more confused more lost what if things are are more chaotic and that may for a moment be true but what we do is we adjust we learn things we never knew we see things through a lens that we never could touch things that we never thought existed it wasn't in staying but in leaving that we rediscovered who we were meant to be that we allowed our truest selves to flourish in worst case scenario contrary to popular belief it's not the world ends no the worst case scenario should you find the courage to move forward is that you end up right back where you started a little more confident a little bolder and better prepared to live this life like you never had all that's needed is for you to convince yourself that there is more you just need to taste the fruit step into the sunlight that's the difference between reality and the story in your head reality is that this world has for you everything you need to change to grow explore build a light that means something it has the support structures and the resources for you to pull yourself back up every time you fall to say okay that hurt but now let's try a different angle there is undoubtedly what you need and the question is never whether the x on that treasure map exists trust me it's there the question is whether you can pause that story in your head the tales of a dark mean and scary world trying to hold you down pause the idea that you're nothing more than the you of yesterday you're nothing more than how people knew you to be pause the idea that you're nothing without that job title or that relationship pause the idea that you need him or her or them in your life every day you wake up you are a blank canvas who cares about yesterday what do you want to paint now when you walk out your front door where do you want to go now step outside that circle of familiarity see how artificial and in some cases ridiculous these boundaries are that we place around ourselves life is an invitation not a set of requirements and when you free yourself of that not only will you feel like someone new not only will you experience life as it was meant to be experienced but you'll see that this world will conform to your new definition this world wants to support you it wants to lift you up and yeah it may be challenging and strenuous it may force you to work harder and be braver than you've ever been but it is at the end of the day you're an ally you just have to see your future self before it materializes when no one else gets it so move on from all that does not serve you break away from the old rules regulations and guidelines maybe you exhausted time and energy into creating this reality maybe it feels like a monumental piece of your identity maybe right now is the only security you have fine but my hope is that you can respect it and walk away see it as the sunken cost that it is just because you paid to get there doesn't mean you need to keep paying to make wrong decisions just because it took your time doesn't mean it's entitled to keep stealing your time just because it's part of your identity now doesn't mean it must be tomorrow just because it creates security doesn't mean it's right jails and steel bars are also incredibly secure know today we are breaking free leaving the past in the past and setting our sights on the horizon today is the end of yesterday and the beginning of the rest of your life [Music] there's an idea coined by aristotle suggests knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom i want to talk a little bit about why i believe that to be true went on a trip to the west coast a few weeks ago and obviously there's a time difference there when i came back was a little jet lagged threw me off my routine a little bit in in for the first few days back in florida i slept in which makes perfect sense right my body was still on west coast time but then three days went by and four and five and then a week and i kept setting the alarm and i kept sleeping through it and this drove me crazy right i love my mornings and you know i can go into that some other time but uh the bottom line is i kept even knowing it's in my best interest to get up i stayed in bed okay so one week went by going to bed planning out my perfect day setting the alarm only to sleep in it had evolved from you know a reasonable transition to a clear display of personal weakness you know mapping out what was best and then failing to do it because you know i was comfortable under those covers q einstein's famous definition of insanity right doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results see my perfect day on paper continue to be obliterated by the very elementary and foundational challenges of reality and if you think this is small i just want to remind you that the little things ultimately become the big things right in other words no one conducts themselves one way for the small and seemingly trivial aspects of life and then you know suddenly levels up and becomes highly disciplined you know an organized force of nature when it really matters no you are who you are we're defined by our habits and it filters into all aspects of life you know that's why admiral mcraven talks about you know making your bed you don't do the small things right you can't do the big things right and to me this was a red flag i wanted to fix this perhaps needed to fix this and i spent some time thinking about it and as i was running listening to an audio book it hit me i made what i think is one of the most important connections i've made in a long time and uh to explain this idea i'm gonna briefly kind of take us up a level and explore one of the greatest checks on human nature in the history of mankind and then i'll bring us right back down to the practical the alarm clocks workout routines and daily planners sometimes the philosophical opens a door for the practical day-to-day problems we have in life uh which is why i love connecting those dots they help me see things with clarity and so this began with a quote from james madison in federalist 51 he says if men were angels there would be no need for government [Music] and what he's doing there is he's making a case for a constitutional system or technology that attempts to stop the greatest threat to government ever to exist which is human nature he's advocating for a framework that will save us from ourselves see it's not that human beings aren't capable of incredible things beautiful things magnificent things because they are but it's because they are also prone to do terrible things we're prone to act irrationally to seek and hold on to power to break off into factions and groups and success of the whole over a long period of time requires more than anything else that we're able to and this is the point recognize and repress those inevitable negatives it's not be delusional and aim for the perfection of men because humans aren't perfect humans will never be perfect and so to wrap this metaphor up that's why the us governmental system today is modeled all over the world in places like canada and india and brazil it's because it is brilliantly one of gridlock and conflicting interests that's why the legislature's cut in two it's why there's three branches of government all checking each other a system of federalism all because of the nature of man see sometimes what you prevent is just as or more important than what you create again perfect no but the expectation of perfection it destroys more than it builds this idea of utopia or the perfection of human beings doesn't have a great track record throughout history it dismisses human nature so eddie what does this have to do with sleeping in in the morning what does this have to do with making tomorrow's perfect plan before you go to bed every night and then seeing it fall to pieces when the pillow feels you know amazing at 6 a.m [Music] well i'm going to to hijack madison's idea here it's similar in the sense that you haven't allowed the best of you to take hold and flourish because you haven't addressed the worst of you that keeps trying to make its way into the picture [Music] if you're aware enough to understand yourself and the things you do that get in the way of your happiness you are on your because you stop trying to jam a square peg of perfection into the round hole of reality and you start operating practically looking to mitigate the things that you're doing that are constantly holding you down build checks and balances into your own life i am no angel and neither are you so let's put ourselves in the best position we can to succeed and overcome the realities of life i mean this very idea is why books like atomic habits and the power of habit have sold millions of copies because they help us navigate around the mental traps constantly seeking to pull us into old routines like the best way to to not eat junk food according to charles duhigg don't have any in your cabinet the best way to watch less tv according to james clear hide the remote in a different room when you're working best way to stick to that workout routine put your running shoes by the door right make it easier on yourself to say yes to defeat the demons that hold us back again if we were angels in our own lives we'd see that remote we'd smile we'd ignore it we'd look at the instagram app and we'd say nope not now instagram i have a business to build but we are not angels and winning requires building systems into our own lives that allow us to win so how did i defeat that monster that kept me in bed in the morning by making it so hard to say no that it was comical by checking my temptation so that failing was actually more difficult than succeeding i made my bedroom immaculate went to bed early laid out my clothes put my alarm clock on the other side of the room with a glass of water next to it an old album i made in 2014 to remind me how far i've come in the purpose of the journey i'm on if i was going to fail the next day it would be because i said no over and over again to everything that's important to me if i failed that morning it would mean my priorities need adjusting not my sleep schedule so the next day i did get up and as w clement stone said it was a little hinge that swung a big door [Music] i believe life is about momentum feeling good about yourself giving yourself the best shot possible to evolve to grow to chase down the meaning in life [Music] and absolutely we want to be better we want our eyes fixated on the stars and our compass pointing towards the horizon but we have to first unshackle ourselves from the delusion that we play by a different set of rules than the ones that govern the universe [Music] winning means understanding yourself and life so that you can be someone who rigs the game in your favor that's why i love aristotle's quote understanding yourself is the beginning of all wisdom until you've truly captured what you want and how you're preventing yourself from getting it you simply can't operate at a high level and so all end with the the reiteration that you are no angel and no you never will be perfect but recognizing and forging your trail around that fact positioning the best of you to duel the worst of you take you a lot further than staying where you are and waiting for wings [Music] [Music] i woke up this morning to the songbird [Music] singing her sweet melodies like only she knows how perched above the street looking down at the people the cars but somehow indifferent to all that below like her heart was fully immersed in her song as i got out of bed open the curtains and let the early morning sun make its way into my room i reveled in the moment it was both simple and perfect two things that often go hand in hand [Music] and as i made my way to the kitchen for that cup of coffee i had a thought that little songbird out there she'll never understand how beautiful she is she'll never know that she made my morning just a little brighter or that she helped lift my spirits after a less than ideal yesterday no she's just doing her and in return making a mark on a world that needs what she has to give so what well maybe there's something we can learn from the songbird as we go about making our way in the world as far as i'm concerned there have been two great challenges in my life finding my song and then finding the courage to sing it or perhaps put another way discovering who you are and then holding on tight in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else as emerson said is the greatest accomplishment it will always be a challenge to bring our thoughts to life because well people tend to only see what's placed right in front of them it's just not realistic to place tomorrow at someone's feet but here's the magic i don't think that songbird cares about being realistic [Music] see over time we've done quite the dance reality and i like a tug of war on where to lean and where to pull what's worth my time what's not when to stay and when to go it's a gray area that i've had to work through and i know others have as well trying something new taking a risk sharing their art with the world going down a path with a high probability of failure you know when maybe we think we've found our song and we're singing and we're singing but no one seems to hear that's when the status quo has never looked so tempting so ideal when settling for the easy path has never seemed so appealing no never as appealing as when our songs seem to get lost in the ether we know how hard it is to give a piece of ourselves to the world and it seems odd not to get something back but you know i think this is when you must sing with all your heart and soul just like that songbird indifferent to life below the branches of its tree [Music] well so should you be to the factors existing outside the realm of what's best for you it's not easy to uncover what makes you feel alive and when you find that live it own it sing it at the top of your lungs because it may seem like it's falling on deaf ears but you just might be someone else's songbird oblivious like my feathered friend outside to the beauty you are creating by just being you by sharing what means the most to you with the world that whether you realize it or not needs to hear your song so songbird sing [Music] yeah for you but also for the world [Music] you're right where you need to be sure you have your doubt perhaps you feel tired alone fearful maybe you're trying to make sense of a world that feels too complex where all you see and here are reasons to turn back to find shelter to run don't regardless of how hard it seems don't you are right where you need to be turning thoughts to things making life from dreams what makes change so interesting so powerful yet deceptive is that it comes to us in small doses not a tidal wave of transformation but a slow steady rising tide of progress no one feels the tug of erosion yet it chips away and so do you removing piece by piece behold you the world you're moving away from and piece by piece you unveil the promise of your becoming you may not see the whole picture you may not understand the whole story but right now in real time it's being told and you are right where you need to be we just weren't equipped to understand what that looks like it's never been what you see that makes you uneasy it's what's missing that's what hurts the solutions you wanted the changes you expected the finish lines you envisioned it's the wondering how long must i wait did i make a wrong turn is the joke on me but it's this line of questioning [Music] that causes so many to stop unaware of how close they were ignorant to the foundation they were standing on what you need is not a miracle it's to simply carry on to keep laying those bricks because not a one is wasted and sometimes you don't realize you're on the 80th floor until you look down that climb can be frustrating exhausting it isn't always glamorous but it's necessary and strength comes from understanding that truth you are right where you need to be the world it can't take what you refuse to give it and self-belief is non-negotiable it's off the table your most prized possession so hold it tight because it'll be needed when the journey feels long and the road impossible you'll know that you can always take one step forward and that is the essence of life of growth of progress think about the steps the lessons the self-discovery that led you to this intersection of now and forever this beginning of whatever you decide comes next you are right where you need to be because you are armed with the decisions that brought you to today and the courage to let them carry you into tomorrow you could be anywhere but you're here and as you strap up and settle in you'll see that right here is everything you need when it comes to the almost 8 billion people on planet earth there's undoubtedly a variance in the resources at our disposal the influence we have what we all share is the ability to rule over our own lives our own thoughts as thoreau said think for yourself or others will think for you without thinking of you see life moves quickly and if one is unable to slow it down to examine the world around them well they'll find themselves a cog in the wheel of their own existence a pawn on the chessboard of life because reality is a battle a battle of self-interest it requires that we build walls around that which is precious that we protect it at all costs your world view is the foundation for everything of value in your life yet it's constantly under attack attack from the negativity at the gate the suffering attempting to breach the walls the outside influences praying that you'll outsource your thinking that you'll let them rule from afar to maintain control over your own outlook it's no small feat it's perhaps the most important battle of your life it's the difference between intentionality and chance the role of the ruler or the ruled [Music] as the saying goes if you don't build your dream you will spend your days building someone [Music] if you don't ask yourself what you want in life those needs will ultimately be buried under nonsensical obligation that takes their place where there are vacuums in awareness that you will be filled usually not by actors with the same interests as you see mistakes are not the problem no mistakes mean you're present driving towards something collecting data for this experiment that is life it's autopilot that destroys like that frog put in a pot heating up so slowly it never knows to jump out the external world becomes its demise and this message isn't to instill fear or intimidate it's to remind you to ask the question that so few ask how is my life best lived and what can i do to bring that to reality if you can think for yourself you're never out of the fight if you can think for yourself you're always a decision away from advancement in the direction of that which matters most so trust you to do what's right for you in a world where no one knows what they're doing i can assure you you don't need external endorsements or stamps of approval take robert frost road less traveled by and don't look back don't feel remorse that's where you're forced to find yourself to ask the tough questions to embrace who you are because the crowd is antithetical to rationality not just because responsibility dissipates not just because human beings become essentially well-dressed chimpanzees but because rarely on the micro level is the collective goal your goal have the courage to see that have the courage to understand that life is not an instruction manual everything around you you have in one way or another accepted and in accepting it you have chosen it by not saying no you have in fact said yes so realize that the world around you doesn't change until your thoughts become the bridge that connects current to future today to tomorrow and so you realize life can't make you a victim or a pawn on its chessboard without your permission whether implicitly or explicitly no you have the ability to think control orchestrate something greater than what's in front of you [Music] let today be your next courageous step in the direction of that reality einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge for knowledge is limited whereas imagination embraces the entire world stimulating progress giving birth to evolution there's a distinct difference between today and tomorrow the real and the so-called imagined one has already been created and the other is in desperate need of a creator and see until we learn that we can be proactive in this regard imagination doesn't mean much it's just a car without wheels plane without wings it's more of an escape than a bridge to something better but once we realize how much control we have over tomorrow we become in our own right creators not just waiting to read and react to stories already written and handed down to us but possessing this incredible ability to pick up a pen and craft something new become agents of change i recently came across an interesting article had some info that that made me think basically it said if you take some domesticated animals like pigs or chickens and you place them back into the wild some of their previously repressed biological tendencies come right back into play [Music] so for example chickens change their breeding habits how they take care of their eggs pigs regrow their hair and that mane going down their back and these old repressed kind of hidden away genes are reselected for again over time and the animals begin to reacclimate as though that potential was never lost it just needed to immerse itself in the right environment and it's like well if we view ourselves in that same light now we might ask what if we positioned ourselves to gravitate towards an environment that was best for us what if i imagined a world not exactly like today but one better conducive to me being me a world where i'm set up to thrive we're sure there will be bumps and bruises and losses and lessons along the way but where i'm immersed in a journey towards a destination that excites me that lights me up can i find the courage to not only imagine that finish line but also act accordingly move towards it you know i always say the hardest thing to do is to recreate outcomes that look different from the current moment because while the current moment is all we know it's all anybody knows and by the way it's all anybody wants to know right until something new is placed right in front of them at their feet until proof exists changing your life or the lives of those around you means you have to literally look at the road before you and see outcomes that are not there then you have to believe in those outcomes you have to drive towards those outcomes have conviction in your ability to overcome obstacles on your way to those outcomes truth be told chasing your imagination is simultaneously one of the greatest burdens one can endure as well as a key to that which makes life worth living there's something about being human that pushes us towards hope towards the possibility of a tomorrow better than today and that's not to say don't be grateful it's not saying don't see the beauty around you or appreciate the world you live in but i believe we're here to take that torch from yesterday and move it one step forward maybe it's in our own lives a small step forward in our careers a relationship or our health maybe it's improving the lives of those around us family friends maybe it's something larger societal whatever it is i'm convinced that true meaning in life is finding the courage to push one foot further down the path of possibility to add one step to that ascending staircase knowing that it will allow us to someday look back on today and be proud of what we faced and overcame and as i wake up and i look around i think to myself that has to mean cherishing the ideas in our heads it has to mean we understand the power of our instincts of our beliefs of hope it means understanding that it justifies all the hardship that comes with taking those ideas and giving them life because everything around us was built with the courage to take little nothings and make them something and when we're lost or feel alone or for one reason or another forget that we need to remember that right now is not forever it can't be it's a stepping stone to whatever you decide tomorrow is and that goal isn't perfection you don't need all the answers you need the courage to take one little step in a new direction to write just one sentence on a brand new page because that imagination is not fiction it's not the delta between the possible or impossible it's not there to entertain it's there because it's your map and you may look at that map and think to yourself your loss that it's unclear that the directions well they're incomplete at best but what i can promise you is the pursuit of this world you've imagined it will bring you greater satisfaction than anything else could it will remind you why you're here and show you that life isn't supposed to be easy while helping you appreciate it for being that way see your imagination is your path to that ideal state where you can thrive be you push your boundaries and spread your wings don't ever let the current state of today convince you that your hopes and your dreams for tomorrow are too big that you've missed the mark or stepped out of a line in a world of reaction be one of the few who looks in the mirror and decides to live life proactively take initiative be one of the few [Music] who stands wholeheartedly behind that world they've imagined [Music] life is delicate defined as easily broken or damaged fragile there's nothing around you that's forever there's no permanence in our world and sometimes this is a difficult thing to grasp certainly it's why we long for patterns of consistency where we can find them we do everything we can to manufacture some semblance of predictability for as long as we can doing our best to repress the idea that everything we know is as temporary as a setting sun i had a family member rushed to the er a few days ago and thank god she's completely fine she's back home she's doing her thing but i can't stop thinking about the call how it shook me to my core how my walls of certainty and predictability were breached it was this unsettling reminder that life as we know it isn't guaranteed the things we love they're not untouchable i had to look my helplessness in the face for the first time in a while and realize well just how little of the world is mine to control which brings me back to a conversation i had when i was younger um i talk about my grandfather often in my work primarily because of a few impactful conversations that we had and it's interesting to me how relevant they continue to be i remember a handful of times we talked from childhood and it's like i piece them together retroactively things make sense as i get older and kind of figure out what it all means one of my last conversations with him we went to this little diner called leo's along the cape cod canal and he said to me there are things now that seem impossible but as you grow and you get older they make sense right even the most challenging things become manageable and i get mad at myself for not understanding the context at the time or putting two and two together but basically he was diagnosed with the brain tumor and he knew what that meant right and was it was basically giving me a heads up like kid oh this is gonna be tough but hang in there and that was one of the first times i've dealt with loss of that magnitude right and when you're young so many things seem stable they seem certain you don't yet get the fluidity of life that stream is moving and no matter what it's going to continue to move sometimes that means it takes you places and presents realities that overtake the map that you created for the world what you understood what you hoped for that little understanding of what life means and i guess i wanted to pick up the baton from that conversation and pass it on to you with maybe a more comprehensive viewpoint because i think contained in those words is a message so powerful so important that we really can't afford to miss it it's like yes life is unpredictable and yes life can hurt and humble us and knock down what we thought was certain it can challenge what we believed and shake our foundations it can make us feel small in a universe that stretches beyond comprehension but at the very center of all of that we are equipped with something that can't be broken the only thing that can't be ripped away the sun around which everything else revolves your ability to endure your strength to carry on to take one step forward whether it feels like you're entrenched in the depths of hell or swinging from the stars in the sky your resilience your ability to not only handle life around you but rise from the ashes of its turbulence and its misfortune that will never leave you if you don't let it frankel has said everything can be taken from a man but one thing the last of the human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances to choose one's own way see life might be more than we can control or comprehend but amidst the might and power of its ocean our determination is unsinkable and believe me there are times when you hear this and think well okay that doesn't affect me i'm good i'm doing my thing right just like i did sitting at that table over eggs and bacon that morning and man i hope that's the case and i hope it stays that way but life has a way of keeping us on our toes it never lets us stray too far from the realization that to be human is in some way or another to suffer it's inescapable and that's not to scare you it's to remind you that one storms will come and two regardless of how heavy the rain falls or how loud the thunder roars it will pass and you are strong enough to hang on until it does that as you grow and as you evolve you become more and more capable of seeing the inevitable not as the world's personal vendetta against you but it's your time to dig deep and find within yourself the strength and the courage that was there all along and that's what that morning was a message that look what's coming will hurt but you can handle it and not only that every time life brings you to your knees you get back up stronger that doesn't mean it's easy but the point is not that it's supposed to be easy it's that you're capable of handling a world that is not easy you're capable of navigating a reality that is not simple a sea that is not smooth sailing you're equipped to handle the complex and sometimes that little reminder is the greatest gift one can receive there's so much i can't control but my god there's so much i can the reality you have mapped out the day-to-day the things you've come to know and rely on as much as we wish they weren't they are delicate withering away with time susceptible to the intricacies the trials and tribulations of life but your heart your soul your world within that is untouchable it's the divine the sacred it's strength limitless it's breath endless so remember even in the darkest of times you are the very light you long for and as long as you believe that there will always be a path in the midst of chaos there's also opportunity that's a quote from sun tzu referencing the idea that when we are backed into a corner of some sort or when we are low when we're vulnerable when we're at our worst that's when the door opens to transform right and we talk about this all the time right there's there's i can give you an infinite amount of videos on this channel talking about moving into fear that state of the unknown breaking down what we know and i think a lot of people hear that um but perhaps don't understand why and that's why i wanted to make this video because when i understood why like so many things my perspective changed and this was a big one it was big with regard to how i saw my life my role uh in in you know the trials and tribulations of the world why do one thing that scares you every day why do the difficult thing um and the best explanation i've ever heard i was listening to um one of jordan peterson's online lectures you know he's talking about order and chaos right our our natural inclination our understanding is that chaos equals bad right when we think chaos we think moving pieces we think you know disaster something we need to move away from and that in itself is the problem that instinct or that that rash uh you know understanding in reality chaos is just as important as order they are night and day you can't have one without the other and you need both too much order is when we are stuck in a status quo when there is a lack of of growth when things are very structured uh very simple and they just feel the same right we become accustomed to a certain truth that is order chaos is as i've said in the past taking something smashing it against a wall picking up those pieces and building something new and upon building you changed whatever that was just a little bit you've changed your understanding a little bit of yourself of that object and of the world because life is a perpetual staircase it is being on a step stepping out into some crazy unknown where you no longer understand what is going on leveling up growing figuring it out picking those pieces up and then moving on to the next step it is building and breaking and building and breaking and building and breaking so why step out into the unknown the unknown is the only way to break the status quo the unknown is the door into a next level a new you a new reality when you look at it human beings want to bucket things into good or bad right when the reality is most of the time the truth and the value the reality is in the gray area right so when we think about the good times you know we think this is what we want this is ideal you know things are are fluid they're simple but that is antithetical to change right change comes from chaos just like when i thought things were going wrong you know my first thought was always oh my god the world's ending this is not good we need to find a way to to to completely mitigate this to change the situation now when the wheels fall off that metaphorical wagon what i think is well here is the opportunity here's the opportunity to build that new step to create a new order so that i can live my life differently see we don't level up unless the situation around us uh requires that we do so sometimes uh life doesn't give us a choice right sometimes the world backs us into a corner but there are a lot of situations where we need to manufacture that chaos we need to drive that change climb up that ladder it's funny to think about you know some of those people that we emulate that we look up to and [Music] you know people don't talk about the risks that were taken and how many times they picked up their life they picked up their status quo and smashed it with a hammer so that they could rebuild it in in and have something a little bit more sturdy a little bit bigger a little bit stronger that's how wisdom is created you know when i look at that cycle now and i see it as the answer you know when i haven't had one of those calls or zoom meetings or haven't created something haven't uh you know fill in the blank that that gives me that feeling in my stomach of at least some semblance of anxiety i'm not growing right the things that gave me anxiety five years ago most of them are commonplace today right that chaos is very much order now so what's going to be the new thing right that was the ceiling now it's the floor well what's the new ceiling and that's on us to create that onus is on us to build right constructing a different world means reassembling the pieces [Music] and so i want that message to be clear i want everyone to understand that when someone says you know what you want is on the other side of fear or keep going don't give up well why the reason is is because that chaos is your ticket to the next level the next staircase that anxiety and sometimes that suffering is a portal to transformation and it's hard in the moment to understand that you know i'd never sit here and say it's easy um but you know me and one of the things that changed my life is the understanding that the best things are not easy the value is in what's difficult the meaning is in that unknown [Music] i think life is a beautiful thing because the pieces we need [Music] are everywhere around us and it's a really cool realization it's like everything you need exists it's out there it's waiting for you to pick it up it's waiting it'll correspond with the picture you want to paint the road you want to take [Music] but that requires stepping off the stage you're on and heading towards another [Music] so i want to leave you with that that understanding that you are climbing a staircase to something greater to an evolved self you're taking your potential and you're making something with it but that means you won't always be comfortable and when you look back you'll be grateful you'll be grateful for those uh those trials and tribulations you'll be grateful for that chaos because it will be what made you what's one thing i wish i knew when i was younger that i think people could benefit from today what single piece of information could have the biggest impact i spent some time thinking about this question and the more i think about it the more the answer becomes incredibly apparent it's that you are in control of your own life your own destiny your own future and when you take accountability for yourself life changes period and if you thought that was obvious i would advocate taking a look around maybe a stroll through social media the twitters and instagrams and tick tocks of today and no that's not the real world but it's certainly a microcosm of the real world what do you see well you see chronic blame i don't like where i'm at or things are so that must be your fault or their fault or someone else's fault you see people looking everywhere but in the mirror actually seeking out victimhood because that's what brings the attention that's today's currency it's much easier to be the victim than the hero because being the hero means you have to sacrifice something it's people saying the news or some institution or the federal government is the problem and if those things would only change then we'd be good let me explain why i think this mentality is self-sabotage and why i would take younger me by the hand and i would say listen to what i'm about to tell you where you start is often outside of our control let's be real life is not fair we don't all get dealt the same hand but this next part as i once heard will smith articulate beautifully is the same for everyone what you decide to do about it right now is what matters and that is the control that we all have it's not your fault where you start but it's your responsibility to choose where you end up you can shake your fist at the sky or you can start building a life that matters to you it's easy to blame the world to be the victim at least in the short term but a fulfilling life is about meaning about fighting for something valuable about evolving into the version of yourself that you always knew in your heart you could be you just had to unlock see no one down the road was ever happy with themselves for blaming the world while they literally remained stagnant i would say to a younger me worry less about how you perceived and think more about who you are what you're capable of because that you can always control stop losing yourself in the news or whatever the narrative of the day is that has nothing to do with your progression has nothing to do with your very next step so sure be informed but do more consume less because by and large it's a distraction and i would say the government which has become the crux of our discourse today transforming into a modern-day religion look the government's job is not to give you anything it's there to protect what's inherent to you already your right to live life on your terms see satisfaction it will come from good habits it will come from self-belief it will come from taking risks and failing and learning it will come from the courage to step out into a world that's completely unknown it will never come from a self-interested politician or body in washington red or blue so stop whining about political optics and focus on where your two feet are taking you right now because i promise in the grand scheme of things that's what matters that is your strength expecting someone else to come along and change your life is like screaming into an abyss i would say to my younger self when you start looking around and seeing what everyone else has and beating yourself up for not being as good or feeling like you're behind look it's great that their success motivates you but dwelling on it won't make your life better life is a race between you and you it's a fight between yourself and those thoughts that constantly knock on the door looking to settle into your psyche if you defeat that demon you'll be where you want to be regardless of where others are you're right where you need to be so keep your head up and keep moving forward i'd explain that to become something more to change [Music] requires a sacrifice that feels so substantial so big at first that it bullies most people into staying right where they are that to become something new you have to learn to play the fool to get humbled you have to change your relationship with short-term failure and that's not easy but taking control of your life is not supposed to be easy only worth it they're different and i can certainly look back at my own life think about the times where i was so busy pointing out that i didn't even think to point the finger at myself i was so worried about life being unfair that i existed in this temporary state of paralysis the whole time not knowing that i could have been stepping forward could have been tapping into the single greatest power i possess control over my own life see every time you feel anger or the need to blame those around you you're taking the spotlight off of what matters and placing it on things detrimental to where you want to be to your journey and your future even the most unjust arbitrary things let's say you didn't get that promotion you were beyond qualified for or you were mistreated by someone or things didn't go the way you wanted them to you can fill in that blank but refusing to blame others and immediately taking responsibility again even in a situation like that it gives you one of the greatest advantages in life it gives you that gift of control you can now assess the situation you can now ask yourself hey what can i do to change this you can delve into the why find the lessons and the value you can come back and reapproach this thing stronger because to blame others to take on that role of victim it's essentially living life in the passenger seat it might be easier might be less work less responsibility but what you never have is control over where that car goes but when you own it when you say hey maybe it's not my fault but look it's mine now it's my responsibility the good the bad every aspect of my life it puts you in position to change things to take the wheel and re-route to a destination of your choosing so that would be my message to the world i know it's not an easy road i know life is unfair i know things aren't perfect but the best thing you can ever do for yourself is say you know what this is mine to own and i'm going to look around for that light switch that will create momentum that little decision that will get the ball rolling i'm not going to sit back shake my fist and blame life i'm going to walk out that door and create life that's where you'll find what you're truly looking for every once in a while for a brief moment in time we need to pause we need to take a breath and ask ourselves who we are of course not in the literal sense not the reflections staring back in the mirror but in the context of the road you've already traveled how far you've come because it's easy to become consumed with what's ahead especially when you can start to feel that finish line you can see the top of the mountain when you know everything is about to be on the line your greatest test awaits but here's one of the greatest secrets i've ever been told that test is not about right now it's not even about the future it's about the foundation you've already been building and trusting yourself to be you it's all those times you could have said no but you didn't how you like so many others could have taken that easy road but you opted for something greater no my friend this obstacle before you is not where you prove or make or create yourself it's where you simply verify who you already are cash in on a prize that's been years in the making it's where you validate the price you've been paying for as long as you can remember and what you need to take with you what you need to understand right now more than any other time that you aren't here to simply survive or navigate foreign territory no you you were made for this moment there's a saying that pain is temporary but quitting is forever and that simple quote has got me through some of life's greatest trials and tribulations most challenging times because to put it simply when we're overwhelmed or we're amidst life's chaos our minds don't scream out oh hey you've gotten through this before and you'll get through it again they don't remind us of our strengths or reassure us of our dedication no when we feel like we are neck deep in chaos all we see is what we're not that's why people quit they become consumed with the dark forgetting that the answer is a light switch away overlooking the fact that they already have everything they need so let this be your reminder that getting across the finish line doesn't require some miracle it doesn't require you to do what no one in humanity has ever done before no all it asks is that you believe in yourself to hang on when others would let go to continue forward when you most want to turn back because it's always darkest before the dawn most challenging at the peak when the roar of the crowd becomes audible and the trophy visible find it within yourself to rise amidst the pressure not to shrink but to expand to be the most powerful person in your life you because right now in this moment you have arrived years from now when you look back make sure you remember one thing about this moment that you gave everything you had that you leaned in on those late nights in those early morning wake ups the hours upon hours in the books the preparation dedication and the resilience that you knew who you were and let it manifest and lead you into the future see we all find ourselves at this fork in the road the one where we have a decision to make will i survive or will i thrive will i exist or will i truly live and in the race of life it's when our hearts pound in our chest the blood flows through our veins our lungs cry out for air our minds beg us to stop slow down relax it's in that moment that we must carry on we must be our best we must put all those little pieces together to create our masterpiece to breathe life into the foundation that you have been standing on this whole time see this moment is yours if you're willing to endure to hang in just a little bit longer give just a little bit more if you're willing to put all of yourself into the task before you you may just be amazed at what life gives back [Music] [Applause] [Music] there are always footsteps behind you [Music] it's an idea i talked about years ago and it stemmed from a quote from mark cuban he says look you need to be working 24 7 like there is someone constantly around the clock working to take it all away from you and i strongly believe in that notion i think there's a lot of value in that understanding it's it's a way to help you level up right because the idea is in life in the world we live in there is no cap on what we can be doing in short of driving yourself crazy there's value in the understanding that uh the the place you arrived at the place you said all right i did my best that was my limit that was the peak maybe it was extraordinary maybe it was progress but it was not your maximum why because that word means nothing as it when used in the context of human potential it's an infinite thing you can't put a finger on someone's maximum on someone's limit on someone reaching their full potential it's an arbitrary number right and so that was the idea long story short i was running in and i would run around the charles river in boston and i would really excite myself i would get worked up in in force myself to dig deep when i saw you know someone run by me or or even the idea that someone would it helped me um you know when i wasn't feeling my best to suck it up in in push myself and so there was value there no question but i had an epiphany the other day as i was you guessed it running and it's related to the the concept in the sound of footsteps and i'm not sure if if it's a parallel idea maybe a progression or maybe it's the result of five years six years since writing that immersed in the world of entrepreneurship and speaking in you know being a creator uh on youtube and on these platforms you learn a lot about yourself [Music] and this particular situation helped me realize that it was a i was doing a nine mile run down a1a in south florida which is it's one of my favorite uh places to run because it's a straight shot you know straight up you don't have to think uh you can just one foot in front of the other and uh you know enjoy the run and as i've been you know working my way back into running shape coming back from an injury it's been beautiful and so i'm a few miles into this run and sure enough someone blows by me uh probably going at a five and a half six minute pace right and my first instinct is whoa ed time to level up man what are you doing like that's not even close right sound of footsteps someone was behind you someone's working harder someone's going faster there they go here you are and then i have this realization a very common sense realization you're gonna see that dude and pass him a mile up the road because unless he is an incredible athlete that's not maintainable um you know you are going at a slower pace but you're going further and you will pass them and then i had a second thought which was who the hell cares [Music] you know the sort of old notion that the speed of others is some way related to you can be troubling right and again there is no right or wrong left or right good or bad the world exists in this in this gray area and i believe that if you can find value in something utilize it if you're someone that gets motivated by that type of thing sometimes i am a lot of the time i am um you know green light use it but i think that highlighted a trap that i've fallen into that i think a lot of us fall into [Music] we hear those footsteps we see that six minute miler go by us and we think it's somehow reflective of us in our journey or correlated to where we're going or says something about us when in reality it means nothing like there there's a there's a it's comical that i'm sitting here even talking about it right now right because the the the relationship between my goals and his goals are nil none but that's the world we live in right that's the social media world of highlight reels of seeing people's six minute sprints and saying oh my god i'm running it at eight and a half it's like yeah well one he went one mile you're going nine two you're running different races three your finish line is all that matters and it really hit home because in this maybe six year stretch the biggest mistakes i've made and i never shy away from admitting this there when i had that sense of panic and anxiety due to other people talking about things that work for them their success this is the way to get what you want look what i did look how i achieve a b and c you want the answer here's the answer then i'd look in the mirror and i'd think well hell i'm going slower than this i'm not i'm not there right i'm not doing what they're doing and they had a little bit of success there right better change my plan better pivot better integrate you know their steps their processes and that's always when i get in trouble that's always when i have to take a step back and say ed what are you this is not you you had a plan you had a finish line you had an idea that you believed in and now what what are you doing right and i'd have to reel it back in and this happened a few times right because sometimes it's not as obvious sometimes you forget your value what you're giving to the world and what you love to do right if you're going down a highway there are a lot of exits there are a lot of people saying this is where you need to get off this is where you know your answers are this is what he or she did and look how successful they are that's the exact same thing as looking at that guy speeding down a1a at a six minute mile pace and feeling any level of inadequacy [Music] what he's doing and where he's going is not what you're doing and it's not where you're going [Music] and so i had a uh i had a lot of time to have a conversation with myself but that's exactly what i did i had a tough conversation with myself you've changed you've changed since you wrote that speech and that's a beautiful thing because my friend if you're not changing you're not learning you are dying and there's a time and a place again for everything [Music] yeah if you're looking around and everyone's working harder than you hey maybe that's an indicator maybe you need to ask yourself the question what am i capable of am i pushing myself in that direction or have i accepted some type of mediocrity right but but they are not you and in today's world i want you to remember that because most of our interactions they are digital they are curated snippets pictures videos concepts that are just not reflective of reality especially online right i've i've been able to see the the curtain pulled back on on so many things and it's like nothing is what it seems to be people are not who they claim they are right and this is not some conspiracy that like there's all these strings being pulled in the background but what i'm saying is no one presents life as it is they present life as they want it to be seen and the difference between those two things is substantial i promise and so when you are looking to your left you're looking to your right you're comparing it to yourself and you feel any level of inadequacy remember that you are going down a road that is valuable that means something to you you have your finish line and you're going to get there don't be misguided um you know by these these these short half mile sprints or whatever they are don't be misguided don't don't be distracted by anything but where you're going because i promise if you just move forward if you believe in your pursuit and trust yourself to get there if you're willing to adapt and grow if you're aware enough to understand that you'll make mistakes you'll learn from them and you'll pick up the pieces the only adversary you have is yourself nothing else matters so let's get that finished [Music] [Music] there's often a vast distinction between what we think is holding us back and what is actually holding us back and that may even be putting it lightly [Music] most of the time we're just plain misinformed most of the time we're looking externally at irrelevant discrepancies between ourselves and someone else we're looking at things that happened yesterday possible outcomes that may happen tomorrow we're creating entire stories crafting narratives building hostile worlds that simply don't exist when what we need is simple [Music] to give ourselves permission to let ourselves walk out that front door and towards what we long for this came to light recently i i shared a simple 20-second message on tick-tock where basically i highlighted john green's quote about the best things in life occurring after we find the courage to depart or leave where we are right to build again and as i was looking at the response it was both beautiful and eye-opening hundreds and hundreds of comments from people saying that the message helped them feel empowered to do what they've been putting off and some called it fate some called it what they needed to hear at the exact moment they needed to hear it and as i'm going through i i keep thinking the same thing over and over and over every single one of these people they already knew in their hearts what needed to come next they knew what would make them feel alive they knew where the compass was pointing [Music] yet their default led them to the same place we've all been waiting for external permission waiting for life to give us a reason to say okay [Music] the light is now green you can go the time is right [Music] now don't get me wrong it means the world that a simple message can shift one's perspective that way i've been on the receiving end i'm stuck looking for some type of guidance we all have but i think we'd all agree that if that guidance helps us get back on track and the real question should be how do we live so that we can stay to the best of our ability on track find ourselves less prone to those occurrences more confident in ourselves in our dreams in where we're going [Music] for me it's been understanding that in my life i am the one that creates signs and sends the permission slips i say go and when i remember that i'm free to do what's best for me i'm simultaneously the architect and the pieces the wind and the sail [Music] see you don't need a reason to walk out of a relationship you're not happy in you don't need a reason to leave a job that's not pushing you to be you who you most want to become you don't need a reason to change a habit or reinvent yourself or begin again know all you need is the courage to green light what your heart already knows it wants we think that the external world has the answers for us when in reality we've had them the whole time we just want something to point to to say see i was right but we don't need to be reactive we can be proactive you can be the one that lights the fire [Music] when you follow your intuition your heart your sense of purpose life conforms because it has to conform when you become an immovable object life around you moves it makes way and if it doesn't then you go back to the drawing board you adapt and adjust and that's the beauty of life that's how we build meaning trusting ourselves to walk into that resistance [Music] because the friction and the headwind is never what's holding us back are they uncomfortable yeah at times does it scare us sure it's supposed to but it's not what holds you back waiting for someone or something to come along and green light your journey through life is what holds you back and it's funny i think we again and again overlook the simplest of truths the hardest part is starting it's convincing yourself that one it's possible and two you're worth it everything else you face from the second you walk out that front door can be conquered in fact we ourselves grow along the way so that we can rise up and meet the demands of life but it's unquestionably doable that thought as you look out the window right what if the worst case scenario happens it can't because the worst case scenario is sitting in that seat your whole life looking out the window and imagining a world where you found the courage to be more to explore to live life as it was meant to be lived but let's say let's say that what we fear does come to fruition then i ask what are the odds it's reversible probably hi let's say i want to start a podcast and i finally work up the courage and i get my mic and i start my show and no one listens but i keep going and i keep going and nothing sticks and most importantly i learned look i'm really not crazy about this idea it wasn't what i thought it was it's not me okay perfect [Music] now you know and sure it took time to learn that lesson but you have the rest of your life to continue the beautiful experiment to search for what lights you up but you found the courage to explore to try to begin and you are now better because of it that's your worst case scenario sounds a lot less scary to me than a life lived sitting there looking out the window see we can't let the fear of an unlikely worst case stop the possibility of that oh so coveted best case don't let the virtually zero percent probability of losing everything overshadow the opportunity to gain everything let's never allow ourselves to get caught standing still waiting for the universe to give us the answer as though we're waiting for a letter in the mail no give yourself permission to see the upside to make your own decisions and most importantly to live your life [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Eddie Pinero

Views: 1,014,001

Keywords: live inspired, motivation, your world within, Eddie Pinero, inspiration, running motivation, motivational speech, motivational video, rise, motivational video compilation, best motivational video compilation, motivation for success in life, best of 2021 motivation, best of 2021 motivational video compilation, motivational speeches compilation, best motivational speeches 2021

Id: _pyYJCsCka0

Length: 177min 50sec (10670 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 11 2021