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fries? You wake

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up dreaming of

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McDonald's hash browns.

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McDonald's breakfast comes

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first. But-a-pah-pah-pah-pah-tah. That

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to find ourselves

0:51

requires we must

0:54

first lose ourselves

0:56

is I believe life's

0:58

greatest paradox. Leaving

1:03

that carousel of

1:05

comfort. The predictability

1:07

of what we know, the certainty

1:10

of who we believe ourselves

1:12

to be. For a promise

1:14

with no real guarantee of

1:16

being kept, almost nothing short

1:19

of a rational. Are the

1:21

odds in our favor, perhaps

1:24

not? But by

1:26

stepping off, by placing our

1:28

bets on a different track

1:30

with a different prize at

1:33

a different time, we have

1:35

increased those odds from zero

1:37

to, well, I guess we

1:40

decide. And see, the world

1:42

teaches us that it's advantageous

1:45

to spin. A

1:47

spinning carousel is predictable. It

1:49

can't be cheated. There's very

1:51

little room for loss or

1:53

humiliation or setbacks or even

1:55

life to get in the way. You know where

1:57

you start and you know where you end it.

2:00

And that's just the thing.

2:02

This spinning world is so

2:04

easy that people don't want

2:06

to leave. In fact, it's

2:08

not until you walk away

2:10

from the crowd that you

2:12

even face the unknown. And

2:14

that's precisely why it's so

2:16

hard to walk alone. It's

2:18

hard. It's challenging because of

2:20

the now. Not because the

2:23

now can't be measured or

2:25

understood. No, we get it.

2:28

But because there's this little

2:31

whisper in the back of

2:33

our heads that now might go

2:35

on and on forever, that that

2:37

check will never be cashed, the

2:40

summit never reached. No, just

2:42

footsteps down a perpetually

2:44

long windy road, and that's,

2:47

you know, when maybe, just

2:49

maybe we miss that carousel.

2:51

We miss the safety and

2:53

security. And

2:56

that's what sometimes makes

2:58

it such a stressful

3:00

thing to walk alone.

3:02

We think about all

3:05

of ourselves, our mind, our

3:07

heart we've left behind along

3:09

the way. Truths, we now

3:11

have to face things. They

3:14

never taught us on that

3:16

carousel. We had to learn

3:18

that we were wrong about

3:20

who'd be by our side

3:22

through it. We could no

3:24

longer hide behind the notion that

3:27

when things got tough someday every

3:29

one everything would be there would

3:31

be the same We learned to swim

3:33

by jumping into the deep end Seeing

3:35

in real time that people only believe

3:38

it already exists What's put in

3:40

front of them that ideas are

3:42

empty that a dream is a

3:45

language only spoken by its creator

3:47

and if you want it to mean

3:49

anything you must dedicate your

3:51

life to translating We learn

3:54

how much is backwards,

3:56

how much of life

3:58

is reactive. process

4:00

is being one of the few

4:02

who don't react, but build a

4:05

world to react to. And

4:07

then the thick of it

4:09

all to internalize the process

4:11

because talking while talking does

4:13

nothing. Plans are just potential

4:15

energy confined to your pocket.

4:18

You have to be okay

4:20

growing that seed by yourself. Like

4:22

a runner making her way past

4:24

a crowd. Right? The crowd sees

4:26

calm, sees peace. sees the finesse

4:28

of an athlete gliding over

4:31

the pavement. They have no idea

4:33

the war being fought behind her

4:35

eyes. The silencing of constant

4:37

whispers to slow down, to

4:40

do less, the repression of

4:42

pain that consumes her to

4:44

such an extent it can't

4:46

even really be pinpointed. It

4:49

just kind of floats over

4:51

her body. They'll never

4:53

know that. And what

4:55

we learn is that

4:57

they don't need to.

4:59

It's the truth. And

5:01

see, it's also what

5:03

makes it quite lonely

5:05

to walk alone. Walking

5:07

alone, well, it's a

5:09

lot of things. But

5:12

it's never boring. It's

5:14

never dull. And if

5:17

you can hang in

5:19

there long enough, without

5:22

even noticing.

5:25

The headwind you've been

5:28

fighting, it becomes a

5:30

tailwind. And where we may

5:32

have felt alone, the idea

5:34

pops into our head that...

5:37

Maybe that's not quite right.

5:39

If anything, the wind... That

5:41

our back is now momentum.

5:43

It's a partner along the

5:46

way. That carousel, yeah, it's

5:48

still spinning, but somewhere

5:50

else. Some far-off place

5:53

beyond our field of

5:55

vision. And no things

5:57

don't ever become easy. We

5:59

wouldn't. want that. But

6:01

difficulty is interpreted differently

6:03

now. Not a burden,

6:06

but a cost, and

6:08

one we'd gladly continue

6:10

to pay. And that

6:12

space, that once felt

6:15

so empty, so desolate,

6:17

so helpless. Well now

6:19

it's made up of

6:21

people who see what

6:24

you see. who hopped

6:26

off their own carisels

6:28

and wandered through the

6:30

desert, they too navigated

6:33

through the impossible and

6:35

then never been done.

6:37

It's funny how, at

6:39

some point, we always

6:41

find each other. And

6:44

I suppose now, having

6:46

traded the carisels for

6:48

the adventure, we can

6:50

walk alone together. Us

6:53

against the world. Standing

6:55

up in defiance of

6:58

the odds, chasing that

7:00

glimmer of hope. All

7:02

in on a pursuit

7:04

to find what most

7:06

won't and see what

7:08

most can't. Not because

7:11

we were made different,

7:13

but because we chased

7:15

down the idea of

7:17

different. It gets a

7:19

tough rap walking alone.

7:22

And in so many

7:24

ways, it's a fight.

7:26

It takes all of

7:28

you. But you don't

7:30

come out the same

7:32

person you were when

7:34

you stepped in. The

7:37

same person you'd still

7:39

be today had you

7:41

stayed on that carousel.

7:43

So if you are

7:45

still spinning, step off.

7:47

And if you have,

7:49

if you're still adjusting

7:51

to the discomfort of

7:53

reality. If you're making

7:55

your way through the

7:57

hell of uncertainty or

7:59

questioning whether you have

8:01

what it takes or

8:03

have the strength to

8:05

commit, I... promise you

8:07

do. In fact, you're

8:09

right where you need

8:11

to be. So don't

8:13

be distracted by those

8:16

screaming of their successes

8:18

or communicating, capturing every

8:20

small win as they

8:22

make their way around

8:24

the carousel. It's the

8:26

quiet ones who change

8:28

themselves. The ones who

8:30

take life one step

8:32

at a time, one

8:34

battle at a time,

8:36

who redefine reality. And

8:38

I'm sure you can't

8:40

see it now. No

8:42

one can. No one

8:44

can see the sun

8:46

amidst a storm, but

8:48

you'll emerge. Stronger than

8:50

you ever were. You

8:52

will navigate. towards the

8:55

ideal and away from

8:57

that life you once

8:59

settled for. It's a

9:01

long path, but it's

9:03

worth it. So get

9:05

up and let your

9:07

feet guide the way.

9:09

Let's go walk alone.

9:25

There's a quote that

9:27

states life is 10%

9:29

what happens to you

9:31

and 90% how you

9:33

react to it Which

9:35

means that your reaction

9:37

is drastically more important

9:39

than the circumstance And

9:41

that's critical to know

9:43

it's critical to understand

9:45

that nothing no one

9:48

in life has more

9:50

power over your own

9:52

situation than you And

9:54

there's an old story that hits

9:57

on this point exactly. There's a

9:59

father and a... daughter. And basically

10:01

the daughter is complaining. She's complaining

10:03

about life, how difficult things are,

10:05

she's not how she's gonna make

10:08

it, in whatever it is she's

10:10

doing. I mean the bottom line

10:12

is she's tired of the day-to-day,

10:14

right? And her father gets this

10:16

idea. He says, come with me

10:19

into the kitchen. And he gets

10:21

three pots of water, puts them

10:23

on the stove and turns the

10:25

burner on. and some coffee beans

10:27

in the third one. And after

10:30

some time goes by and they

10:32

boil a little bit, he pulls

10:34

them out, right? He puts the

10:36

potato in a bowl, he puts

10:38

the egg in a bowl, and

10:41

he takes a ladle, and he

10:43

puts some of the coffee in

10:45

a cup. And he says, what

10:47

do you see? She says, well,

10:49

I see a potato, I see

10:51

eggs, and I see coffee. He

10:54

says, yeah, but look closer. There's

10:56

more there. And she goes and

10:58

she touches the potato, and it's

11:00

now soft. And he hands her

11:02

the bowl with a boiled egg

11:05

and she takes the shell off

11:07

and breaks it open She sees

11:09

that it's hard inside Then finally

11:11

he asked her to take a

11:13

sip of the coffee and you

11:16

know, she smells it. She takes

11:18

a sip and smile comes to

11:20

her face She said so what

11:22

is all this mean? What are

11:24

you trying to say? This is

11:27

well the potato when I dropped

11:29

it in the water it was

11:31

it was rigid. It was tough.

11:33

It was uncompromising But in the

11:35

boiling water it became soft became

11:38

soft weak. Then you have the

11:40

egg that was basically the opposite.

11:42

This delicate layer protecting a liquid

11:44

center and the boiling water made

11:46

it hard. And then there was

11:49

the coffee that wasn't just changed

11:51

by the situation. It created something

11:53

new. It took the same adversity

11:55

and used it as a lever

11:57

to bring something beautiful. into existence.

12:02

He then looks at his

12:04

daughter and says, look, when

12:06

things become challenging, when things

12:08

become difficult, which one are

12:10

you? What's your approach? See,

12:13

maybe the question is not

12:15

about how challenging the situation

12:17

is, right? Maybe we've been

12:19

asking the wrong question. Maybe

12:21

it's, how do you transform

12:24

yourself? And by default, the

12:26

world around you. How

12:28

do you take your strengths

12:30

your values your loves your

12:32

joys your happiness and Let

12:35

that? Lead you into something

12:37

bigger When life gets hard

12:39

and it does What do

12:41

you become? I always remind

12:43

myself, you know, we are

12:46

not defined by life at

12:48

peak state As much as

12:50

I wish that were the

12:52

case, right? We're not shaped

12:54

by the easy days. Or

12:56

the times that we floated

12:59

by. Because those times are

13:01

great, they're enjoyable, but they're

13:03

not what make or break

13:05

us. It's the times that

13:07

challenge us and ask us

13:10

to be what we have

13:12

not yet become. That's the

13:14

good stuff. And this is

13:16

another one of those, you

13:18

know, simple. but not easy

13:20

type things because on paper

13:23

it makes sense it's understood

13:25

but it's an outlook that

13:27

manifests over time it's slowly

13:29

stacked piece by piece and

13:31

brick by brick realizing that

13:34

every situation provides you with

13:36

tools to make something out

13:38

of an apparent nothing and

13:40

then it waits Because fate

13:42

is in your hands and

13:44

I can certainly think of,

13:47

you know, times in my

13:49

life, that's one of the

13:51

reasons I love these. stories

13:53

I can reflect. Where each

13:55

one of those pots of

13:58

boiling water was relevant. I

14:00

can think of times I

14:02

was too head strong, like

14:04

the metaphorical potato. I thought

14:06

success would be easy. I

14:08

thought projects would be simple

14:11

to execute. I spent months

14:13

doing things that just weren't

14:15

good. Because I didn't ask

14:17

what is the world need.

14:19

I asked myself what do

14:22

I want to give the

14:24

world? And there has to

14:26

be a marriage there, right?

14:28

And it was a quick

14:30

reminder that... The world owes

14:32

me nothing. I was humbled

14:35

or softened as the story

14:37

goes. I've been the egg,

14:39

I've been timid, I've been

14:41

uncertain, thin-skinned, worrying about what

14:43

people would say or the

14:46

content I was creating, worried

14:48

about perception, how would things

14:50

look if I failed, and

14:52

very quickly I learned that

14:54

when life is a game

14:56

of comparison or one-upmanship. When

14:59

you do things for reasons

15:01

and people other than yourself

15:03

Can't win You overcompensate you

15:05

do things for the wrong

15:07

reasons and you lose yourself

15:10

you become hardened And then

15:12

there's the good stuff right

15:14

getting to the coffee not

15:16

bowing down to the circumstances,

15:18

but shaping not letting life

15:20

dictate how the story goes

15:23

or the fate of your

15:25

character. And what's interesting is

15:27

I'm pretty sure that being

15:29

that metaphorical egg in the

15:31

potato, they lay the foundation

15:34

to become the coffee, the

15:36

life lessons, the falling down,

15:38

the picking my ego up

15:40

off the floor, learning to

15:42

trust myself, not be led

15:44

by the opinions and expectations

15:47

of others. You

15:49

essentially learn that you can

15:52

take the world around you

15:54

and change it, that it

15:56

is malleable, it is flexible.

15:58

You have that now, you

16:00

have that ability. it's up

16:03

to you to believe it.

16:05

And that's critical because no

16:07

one comes along in cosigns

16:09

that understanding for you. It's

16:12

an internal process. You start

16:14

to learn that things aren't

16:16

there to provide instruction. They're

16:18

there to propel you. But

16:21

can you see the unknown

16:23

as the opportunity? The obstacle

16:25

is the way. and the

16:27

loss is the armor that

16:29

you pick up during the

16:32

journey. And so, you know,

16:34

all of these words essentially

16:36

come to one point. And

16:38

that point is you have

16:41

so much more control over

16:43

your life than you think

16:45

you do. As I've said

16:47

before, you are stronger than

16:49

you think you are more

16:52

resilient than you can even

16:54

imagine. And

16:56

when life tests

16:58

you, and again,

17:00

it will, remember

17:03

that the challenges

17:05

are not happening

17:07

to you, but

17:09

for you. The

17:11

world isn't taking

17:13

away what you

17:15

have, it's giving

17:17

you what you

17:19

need. So long

17:21

as you're willing

17:23

to adapt with

17:25

it. To grow,

17:28

expand out. Because

17:30

you not only

17:32

have the ability

17:34

to change yourself,

17:36

but the world

17:38

as well. It's

17:40

time. The world

17:42

will not stop

17:44

spinning. The clock

17:46

won't stop spinning.

17:48

The clock won't

17:50

stop ticking. It's

17:54

time. Things won't

17:57

suddenly get easier.

17:59

The difficulty does

18:02

not remove itself.

18:04

The path does

18:07

not narrow. It's

18:09

time. At perfect

18:12

moment, it doesn't

18:14

exist. A flawless

18:16

beginning is fiction.

18:19

The stars will

18:21

never align for

18:24

you. It's time.

18:29

Not tomorrow. Not

18:31

someday down the

18:33

road, but this

18:35

very second. See,

18:38

you don't need

18:40

all the answers.

18:42

You don't need

18:45

to know or

18:47

be sure or

18:49

be armed with

18:51

guarantees your job.

18:54

Your only requirement

18:56

is to begin.

18:59

It's time. To trade

19:01

fear for opportunity. Someday

19:04

for right now. It's

19:06

time. To stop thinking

19:08

small. Stop seeing what

19:11

you want as a

19:13

reach. To stop looking

19:15

at success as a

19:18

stranger. It's time. To

19:20

sit down and convince

19:22

yourself that what you

19:25

want can be accomplished.

19:27

When it's as real,

19:29

there's the space in

19:32

front of you. When

19:34

it's as probable as

19:36

the completion of a

19:39

single step, it will

19:41

happen because it has

19:43

to. It's time. At

19:45

some point, you have

19:48

to see. that you're

19:50

not simply playing conservatively.

19:52

You're not being a

19:55

perfectionist. It's not about

19:57

being okay with where

19:59

you are. No, if

20:02

we're going to get

20:04

anywhere, let's be truthful.

20:06

Let's call it what

20:09

it is. These things,

20:11

these ideas, these excuses

20:13

are a derivative of

20:16

fear. The problem with

20:18

possibility. is that it's

20:20

incredibly hard to quantify.

20:23

Technically, if you've never

20:25

had it, you've never

20:27

lost it. And that

20:30

is how we rationalize

20:32

staying where we are.

20:34

That's why we compartmentalize

20:37

the things we want

20:39

most as dreams. But

20:41

for a second, let's

20:44

be bigger. Let's

20:46

start from the premise

20:48

that what life can

20:50

provide or become is

20:53

limitless. It is truly

20:55

infinite. And when you

20:57

sit on an idea

20:59

or you refuse to

21:01

begin, you are in

21:03

fact losing. Every single

21:06

thing around you. Everything.

21:08

At one point, it

21:10

began. At one point,

21:12

someone summoned the courage

21:14

to reach out. Maybe

21:16

you do the same.

21:18

Maybe you take that

21:21

step. Maybe the first

21:23

few times go terribly

21:25

wrong. Maybe it's terrifying.

21:27

Maybe you find out

21:29

who has your back,

21:31

who your real friends

21:33

are. And maybe those

21:36

truths scare you. But

21:38

guess what? Guess what

21:40

those steps turn into.

21:43

confidence, amplified purpose and

21:45

most importantly more steps.

21:48

You get to see

21:50

right in front of

21:53

you as your demons

21:55

diminish, evaporate. The higher

21:57

you... climb, the better

22:00

the view, the longer

22:02

the road, the greater

22:05

the experience. I would

22:07

rather fall a thousand

22:10

times and continuously get

22:12

back up stronger than

22:14

be someone who looks

22:17

at the world through

22:19

a window like it's

22:22

some fairy-tale. I

23:11

can say to my new Samsung

23:13

Galaxy S-25 Ultra, I find a

23:15

keto-friendly restaurant nearby and text it

23:17

to Beth and Steve. And it

23:19

does without me lifting a finger.

23:22

So I can get in more

23:24

squats anywhere I can. One. Two.

23:26

Three. Will that be cash or credit?

23:28

Credit. Four. Galaxy S-25 Ultra,

23:30

the AI companion that does the heavy

23:32

lifting so you can do you. Get

23:35

yours at samsung.com. Compatible, select, actual Gemini

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account results may vary based on input

23:39

check responses for accuracy. Human

24:31

beings don't see, we interpret.

24:33

We don't take in what

24:36

happened. We take in the

24:38

implication of what happens. Everything

24:40

in our world is story.

24:43

It's similar to the idea

24:45

of two ideologically different news

24:48

organizations, right? Reporting on the

24:50

same event. Neither will be

24:53

completely factual. They'll both uphold

24:55

their individual narratives. They're not

24:58

black and white, they're interpreting

25:00

gray space, and our individual

25:03

lives are no different. We

25:05

are our own broadcasting channels.

25:08

Using data to support our

25:10

individual narratives, see, we know

25:12

what the story is going

25:15

to say before the story

25:17

occurs, because we will make

25:20

it so. We'll make life

25:22

fit our beliefs. That's what

25:25

means to be human. And

25:28

so here's where the value

25:30

lives in the context of

25:32

this message when we find

25:35

ourselves in a consistent state

25:37

of despair or frustration or

25:39

anxiety. It's a fool's errand

25:41

to look for solutions in

25:43

the external world. Because everything

25:46

we find, everything we come

25:48

across will support our current

25:50

beliefs, our current story. That's

25:52

what we'll keep playing in

25:54

our heads and it's why

25:56

money can't bring fulfillment and

25:59

another person can't take you

26:01

from incomplete to contend. It's

26:03

why status will never equate

26:05

to happiness. Those acquisitions are

26:07

like putting premium fuel in

26:09

a car with a broken

26:12

engine. It's just not the

26:14

answer that we hoped it

26:16

would be. To change your

26:18

world, you must change your

26:20

story. Whatever it is that

26:22

needs to be changed. The

26:25

location the objective the characters maybe

26:28

the journey all together But it's

26:30

the neural network behind your eyes

26:32

that must change not the detail

26:34

it takes in and so if

26:37

you feel stuck or feel like

26:39

where you want to be seems

26:41

unrealistic you have to know right

26:44

now That the very fact you

26:46

think that way is the problem

26:48

So ask yourself not your girlfriend

26:51

or your boss or your neighbor,

26:53

but ask yourself What a turnaround

26:55

looks like. Do you know? Or

26:57

have you acclimated to being unhappy?

27:00

Have you even asked yourself what

27:02

happiness looks like? Or is your

27:04

personal broadcasting channel so hell-bent on

27:07

ensuring your life outlook stays the

27:09

way it is that it's not

27:11

even paying attention to the data

27:13

it takes in? See, I believe

27:16

wholeheartedly that the first step in

27:18

any facet of transformation is remembering

27:20

that you have control that things

27:23

in your life that bring you

27:25

down or hold you back can

27:27

be changed. In fact, the very

27:30

things working against you can work

27:32

for you. But you have to

27:34

be aware. You have to think

27:36

about it. Now I'm not a

27:39

believer in magic, right? I don't

27:41

think you sit back. Say I

27:43

don't want to be unhappy ever

27:46

again. Snap your fingers and smile

27:48

until the end of eternity. But

27:50

I do believe that once we're

27:53

aware of our manufactured shackles and

27:55

our self-imposed limitation we can start

27:57

shipping away. doing the one, two,

27:59

or three small things every day.

28:02

Tiny swings at the tree until

28:04

it falls. Right? If it's, I'm

28:06

not happy with my work life.

28:09

Well, what does the better situation

28:11

look like? What bridge is that

28:13

gap? I'll wake

28:15

up 20 minutes earlier on weekdays

28:18

and master Microsoft Excel. I'll send

28:20

one message on LinkedIn asking an

28:23

expert about the field I want

28:25

to move into. I'll read 20

28:27

pages a day in a book

28:30

related to business. You think those

28:32

things are small? See what they

28:34

look like compounded in a year.

28:37

Not only that. This is the

28:39

most important part. You are taking

28:41

the power back. You're taking control.

28:44

And that's what feels good. That's

28:47

where we get our identity. You

28:49

get a little disappointed at how

28:51

you've let your physique slip when

28:54

you look in the mirror. Don't

28:56

be sad about it every day.

28:58

Again, ask yourself what the inverse

29:01

looks like and start doing small

29:03

things. Subtract one sports drink and

29:05

add one green smoothie. Double your

29:08

water intake. Do a 10 minute.

29:10

daily work out on YouTube. Like

29:12

the pieces are out there. And

29:15

to find yourself again is to

29:17

realize that they're out there. Realize

29:19

that you're playing a movie on

29:22

loop in your head that isn't

29:24

right. It's just not you. And

29:26

well, what movie do you want

29:28

to be playing? In an ideal

29:31

world, scroll through the library, find

29:33

it, click, play, and start doing

29:35

the small things that make it

29:38

real. There's so

29:40

much power in progress I've

29:42

seen this unfold in different

29:45

areas of my life, but

29:47

particularly as a writer as

29:49

a speaker. It's like you

29:52

identify who you want to

29:54

be you start making tiny

29:56

steps and after a while

29:58

You're surrounded by the change

30:01

that you've created. How can

30:03

you not believe something that

30:05

you're starting to live? It

30:08

has to become your identity

30:10

because it is you, it's

30:12

around you. You breathe it.

30:15

So look around and realize

30:17

the malleability of your situation.

30:19

And if what you find

30:22

is not you good, here

30:24

is your opportunity to tear

30:26

down the old and construct

30:28

the new. You

30:31

can do that

30:33

because you have

30:35

control Because it's

30:37

within your grass

30:39

So start the

30:41

new movie the

30:43

new story make

30:46

yourself a hero

30:48

And set out

30:50

to find yourself

30:52

again You

31:05

weren't put here to

31:08

live in the shadows

31:10

of life. To exist

31:12

beyond the sun's grasp

31:15

to stay on the

31:17

outside looking in. No,

31:19

you weren't put here

31:22

to live in the

31:24

shadows of life. It's

31:26

important to remember the

31:29

difference between now. and

31:31

forever. The distinction between

31:33

today and tomorrow because

31:36

from time to time

31:38

they look deceptively similar.

31:40

Especially when we inevitably

31:43

find ourselves in the

31:45

darkest of times. When

31:47

despite our best efforts,

31:50

our world is reduced

31:52

shadows. Void of hope.

31:54

When tomorrow and today...

31:57

have merged into one

31:59

endless entity. It always

32:01

seems to be in

32:04

these times that we

32:06

forget that right now

32:08

is just a moment,

32:11

not an assigned permanent,

32:13

but a bridge to

32:15

something great as Victor

32:18

Frankl says, if there

32:20

is meaning in life

32:23

at all, then there

32:25

must be meaning in

32:27

suffering. We

32:30

all suffer. We all hurt.

32:33

We all go through periods

32:35

of time where we can't

32:37

see or hear or feel

32:39

anything beyond the darkness we

32:41

find ourselves in, but it's

32:44

there. Darkness cannot be defined

32:46

without light. It's in the

32:48

definition. Darkness is a partial

32:50

or total absence of light.

32:53

They need each other. Darkness

32:55

and light. The

32:58

one thing that can bring

33:00

darkness to its knees is

33:03

out there, everywhere, all around

33:05

it. And if there was

33:07

ever a reason to be

33:09

helpful, enthusiastic, if there's ever

33:11

a reason to believe, it's

33:14

that a new life is

33:16

always a light switch away.

33:18

It's that darkness is as

33:20

temporary as the day. And

33:23

the antidote requires only that

33:25

you believe it to be

33:27

true. Only that

33:29

you find the result to

33:32

reach one foot out to

33:34

remind yourself of the sun's

33:36

warmth and the infinite beauty

33:39

of a world beyond this

33:41

temporary darkness because you you

33:44

weren't put here to live

33:46

in the shadows of life

33:49

But to reemerge Like a

33:51

rocket through the Earth's stratosphere

33:54

to swing from star to

33:56

star like life is a

33:59

playground you make the rules.

34:01

And I think when we

34:04

look back we'll be nothing

34:06

but grateful for those times

34:09

of darkness. They in a

34:11

sense prepared us for the

34:14

road ahead by giving us

34:16

what we need most. Perspective.

34:19

Life lessons a roadmap to

34:21

follow. Because you don't appreciate

34:24

the sun. The clear blue

34:26

sky is the wind on

34:29

your face, the sound of

34:31

the waves, the sharp of

34:34

the birds. No, you don't

34:36

see the beauty in any

34:38

of that until, even if

34:41

for a moment, it is

34:43

taken away. You don't learn

34:46

about life's abundance until you

34:48

come face to face with

34:51

scarcity. You don't learn to

34:53

give until you've had your

34:56

world taken away. You

34:59

don't learn to love until

35:01

you've experienced heartbreak. You don't

35:03

learn courage until you've been

35:06

overcome by fear. You don't

35:08

learn to grow until you've

35:10

been truly stuck. You don't

35:12

learn to believe until you've

35:15

looked in the mirror and

35:17

doubt hears back. You don't

35:19

know who you are until

35:22

you learn what you're not.

35:26

See everyone finds themselves having

35:28

wandered into the dark sometimes

35:30

of their own volition sometimes

35:33

of fate But like leaves

35:35

changing color in the fall

35:37

The earth on its journey

35:39

around the sun a wave

35:41

emerging and falling back into

35:44

that which it came it

35:46

is not an end But

35:48

a beginning Life's

35:50

way of preparing us for what's

35:53

to come introducing us to the

35:55

infinite possibility of tomorrow because you

35:57

weren't put here to

36:00

live in the shadows

36:03

of life, but to

36:05

emerge from them, to

36:08

light up the world.

36:10

No, you weren't put

36:13

here to live in

36:15

the shadows of life.

36:37

when it comes to the

36:39

almost 8 billion people on

36:42

planet Earth. There's undoubtedly a

36:44

variance in the resources at

36:46

our disposal, the influence we

36:48

have. What we all share

36:51

is the ability to rule

36:53

over our own lives, our

36:55

own thoughts. As Thoreau said,

36:57

think for yourself or others

36:59

will think for you without

37:02

thinking of you. See, life

37:04

moves quickly. And if one

37:06

is unable to slow it

37:08

down to examine the world

37:11

around them, well they'll find

37:13

themselves a cog in the

37:15

wheel of their own existence,

37:17

a pawn on the chessboard

37:19

of life. Because reality is

37:22

a battle. A battle of

37:24

self-interest requires that we build

37:26

walls or on that which

37:28

is precious, that we protect

37:31

it at all costs. Your

37:33

worldview is the foundation for

37:35

everything of value in your

37:37

life, yet... It's constantly under

37:39

attack. Attack from the negativity

37:42

at the gate. The suffering

37:44

attempting to breach the walls,

37:46

the outside influences, praying that

37:48

you'll outsource your thinking, that

37:51

you'll let them rule from

37:53

afar. To maintain control over

37:55

your own outlook, it's no

37:57

small feat. It's perhaps the...

37:59

most important battle of your

38:02

life. It's the difference between

38:04

intentionality and chance. The role

38:06

of the ruler or the

38:08

rule. As the saying goes,

38:11

if you don't build your

38:13

dream, you will spend your

38:15

days building someone else's. If

38:17

you don't ask yourself what

38:19

you want in life. Those

38:22

needs will ultimately be buried

38:24

under nonsensical obligation that takes

38:26

their place. Where there are

38:28

vacuums in awareness they will

38:31

be filled, usually not by

38:33

actors with the same interests

38:35

as you. See, mistakes are

38:37

not the problem. No mistakes

38:39

mean you're present driving towards

38:42

something collecting data for this

38:44

experiment that is life. It's

38:46

autopilot that destroys. Like that

38:48

frog put in a pot

38:51

heating up so slowly it

38:53

never knows to jump out,

38:55

the external world becomes its

38:57

demise. And this message isn't

38:59

to instil fear or intimidate,

39:02

it's to remind you to

39:04

ask the question that so

39:06

few ask. How is my

39:08

life best lived and what

39:11

can I do to bring

39:13

that to reality? If you

39:15

can think for yourself... You're

39:17

never out of the fight.

39:19

If you can think for

39:22

yourself, you're always a decision

39:24

away from advancement in the

39:26

direction of that which matters

39:28

most. So trust you to

39:31

do what's right for you.

39:33

In a world where no

39:35

one knows what they're doing,

39:37

I can assure you you

39:40

don't need external endorsements or

39:42

stamps of approval. Take Robert

39:44

Frost Roadless, travel by and

39:46

don't look back, don't feel

39:48

remorse. That's where you're forced

39:51

to find yourself, to ask

39:53

the tough questions to embrace

39:55

who you are. Because the

39:57

crowd is antithetical to rationale.

40:01

Not just because responsibility dissipates.

40:03

Not just because human beings

40:05

become essentially well-dressed chimpanzees, but

40:07

because rarely on the micro

40:09

level is the collective goal,

40:11

your goal. Have the courage

40:13

to see that. Have the

40:15

courage to understand that life

40:17

is not an instruction manual.

40:19

Everything around you, you have,

40:21

in one way or another,

40:23

accepted. and in accepting it,

40:25

you have chosen it. By

40:27

not saying no, you have

40:29

in fact said yes. So

40:31

realize that the world around

40:34

you doesn't change until your

40:36

thoughts become the bridge that

40:38

connects current to future, today

40:40

to tomorrow. Until you realize

40:42

life can't make you a

40:44

victim more upon on its

40:46

chessboard without your permission, whether

40:48

implicitly or explicitly. No,

40:50

you have the ability

40:53

to think control orchestrate

40:55

something greater than what's

40:57

in front of you

40:59

Let today be your

41:02

next courageous step in

41:04

the direction of that

41:06

reality Life

41:28

is delicate, defined as

41:30

easily broken or damaged,

41:33

fragile. There's nothing around

41:35

you that's forever. There's

41:38

no permanence in our

41:40

world, and sometimes it's

41:43

a difficult thing to

41:46

grasp. Certainly, it's why

41:48

we long for patterns

41:51

of consistency, or we

41:53

can find them. We

41:56

do everything we can to

41:58

manufacture some semblance of predictability

42:00

for as long as we

42:03

can. Doing our best to

42:05

repress the idea that everything

42:07

we know is as temporary

42:09

as a setting sun. I

42:11

had a family member rush

42:13

to the ER a few

42:15

days ago. And thank God

42:17

she's completely fine. She's back

42:19

home, she's doing her thing.

42:21

But I can't stop thinking

42:23

about the call. How it

42:25

shook me to my core,

42:27

how my walls of certainty

42:29

and predictability were breached. It

42:32

was this unsettling reminder that

42:34

life as we know it

42:36

isn't guaranteed, that things we

42:38

love, they're not untouchable. I

42:40

had to look my helplessness

42:42

in the face for the

42:44

first time in a while

42:46

and realize, well, just how

42:48

little of the world is

42:50

mind to control. Which

42:53

brings me back to a conversation

42:55

I had when I was younger.

42:57

I talk about my grandfather often

42:59

in my work, primarily because of

43:01

a few impactful conversations that we

43:04

had. And it's interesting to me

43:06

how relevant they continue to be.

43:08

I remember a handful of times

43:10

we talk from childhood. And it's

43:12

like I piece them together retroactively.

43:15

Things make sense as I get

43:17

older and kind of figure out

43:19

what it all means. One

43:21

of my last conversations with him,

43:24

we went to this little diner

43:26

called Leo's along the Cape Cod

43:29

Canal. And he said to me,

43:31

there are things now that seem

43:33

impossible. But as you grow and

43:36

you get older, they make sense,

43:38

right? Even the most challenging things

43:41

become manageable. And I get mad

43:43

at myself for not understanding the

43:45

context at the time or putting

43:48

two and two together. But... Basically,

43:50

he was diagnosed with the brain

43:53

tumor and he knew what that

43:55

meant, right? And was basically giving

43:57

me a heads up like, kid,

44:00

oh, this is going to be

44:02

tough. hang in there. That was

44:04

one of the first times I've

44:07

dealt with loss of that magnitude.

44:09

And when you're young, so many

44:12

things seem stable. They seem certain.

44:14

You don't yet get the fluidity

44:16

of life. That stream is moving.

44:19

And no matter what, it's going

44:21

to continue to move. Sometimes that

44:24

means it takes you places and

44:26

presents realities that overtake the map.

44:28

that you created for the world,

44:31

what you understood, what you hoped

44:33

for, that little understanding of what

44:36

life means. And I guess I

44:38

wanted to pick up the baton

44:40

from that conversation and pass it

44:43

on to you with maybe a

44:45

more comprehensive viewpoint. Because I think

44:48

contained in those words is a

44:50

message so powerful, so important that

44:52

we really can't afford to miss

44:55

it. It's

44:57

like, yes, life is

44:59

unpredictable. And yes, life

45:02

can hurt and humble

45:04

us and knock down

45:06

what we thought was

45:08

certain it can challenge

45:10

what we believed and

45:12

shake our foundations. It

45:14

can make us feel

45:16

small in a universe

45:18

that stretches beyond comprehension.

45:20

But at the very

45:23

center of all of

45:25

that. We

45:28

are equipped with something

45:30

that can't be broken.

45:32

The only thing that

45:34

can't be ripped away

45:37

The sun Around which

45:39

everything else revolves your

45:41

ability to endure Your

45:44

strength to carry on

45:46

to take one step

45:48

forward Whether it feels

45:50

like you're entrenched in

45:53

the depths of hell

45:55

or swinging from the

45:57

stars in the sky.

46:01

Your resilience, your ability to

46:03

not only handle life around

46:06

you, but rise from the

46:08

ashes of its turbulence and

46:11

its misfortune, that will never

46:13

leave you if you don't

46:15

let it. Victor Frankel has

46:18

said, everything can be taken

46:20

from a man, but one

46:23

thing, the last of the

46:25

human freedoms. to choose one's

46:28

attitude in any given set

46:30

of circumstances, to choose one's

46:33

own way. See, life might

46:35

be more than we can

46:37

control or comprehend, but amidst

46:40

the might and power of

46:42

its ocean, our determination is

46:45

unsinkable. And believe me, there

46:47

are times when you hear

46:50

this and think well... Okay,

46:52

that doesn't affect me. I'm

46:55

good. I'm doing my thing,

46:57

right? Just like I did

46:59

sitting at that table over

47:02

eggs and bacon that morning.

47:04

And man, I hope that's

47:07

the case and I hope

47:09

it stays that way. But

47:12

life has a way of

47:14

keeping us on our toes.

47:17

It never lets us stray

47:19

too far from the realization

47:22

that to be human is

47:24

in some way or another

47:26

to suffer. It's inescapable, and

47:29

that's not to scare you,

47:31

it's to remind you that

47:34

one, storms will come. And

47:36

two, regardless of how heavy

47:39

the rain falls or how

47:41

loud the thunder roars, it

47:44

will pass. And you are

47:46

strong enough to hang on

47:48

until it does. That as

47:51

you grow and as you

47:53

evolve, you become more and

47:56

more capable of seeing the

47:58

inevitable. Not as the world's

48:01

personal vendetta against you, but

48:03

as your time to dig

48:06

deep and find within yourself

48:08

the strength and the courage

48:11

that Was there all along?

48:13

And that's what that morning

48:15

was. A message that, look,

48:18

what's coming will hurt, but

48:20

you can handle it. And

48:23

not only that, every time

48:25

life brings you to your

48:28

knees, you get back up

48:30

stronger. That doesn't mean it's

48:33

easy. But the point is

48:35

not that it's supposed to

48:37

be easy. It's that you're

48:40

capable of handling a world

48:42

that... That is not easy.

48:45

You're capable of navigating a

48:47

reality that is not simple.

48:50

A C that is not

48:52

smooth sailing. You're equipped to

48:55

handle the complex. And sometimes

48:57

that little reminder is the

49:00

greatest gift one can receive.

49:02

There's so much I can.

49:04

The reality you have mapped

49:07

out. The day to day,

49:09

the things you've come to

49:12

know and rely on. As

49:14

much as we wish they

49:17

weren't, they are delicate. Withering

49:19

away with times susceptible to

49:22

the intricacies, the trials, and

49:24

tribulations of life. But your

49:26

heart, your soul, your world,

49:29

within, that is untouchable. It's

49:31

the divine, the sacred, its

49:34

strength limitless, its breath endless.

49:36

So remember, even in the

49:39

darkest of times, you are

49:41

the very light you long

49:44

for. And as long as

49:46

you believe that, there will

49:49

always be a path. that

49:52

it's obtainable, that you can

49:54

make it real. That's the

49:56

beginning of everything. Self- is

49:58

the gatekeeper that stands between

50:01

current and future. See, if

50:03

you think of reality as

50:05

these city walls you're living

50:07

in, it's not crazy to

50:09

think that there are going

50:11

to be people that only

50:13

know that existence within the

50:15

walls, right? That's what they

50:17

see, that's what most believe,

50:20

it's how they live. It

50:22

is only self-belief. A confidence

50:24

in something greater outside those

50:26

walls that opens the gate,

50:28

that expands your reality. And

50:30

if you don't believe anything

50:32

good exists on the other

50:34

side, why begin? If you

50:36

don't think you're capable of

50:38

getting there, why start? And

50:41

this formula is simple, right?

50:43

Let's not overthink it. We

50:45

only move towards outcomes that

50:47

we believe to be possible.

50:49

And that's more important than

50:51

ability, skill set, strength, I

50:53

mean, you name it, believing

50:55

in yourself trumps all that.

50:57

Because the person with an

51:00

inferior skill set, maybe an

51:02

average natural talent, but they

51:04

believe in something and they

51:06

move towards it. They give

51:08

everything for this idea, they

51:10

know it to be true,

51:12

they'll always beat the talented

51:14

person that's unsure. that procrastinates

51:16

it as one foot in

51:19

and one foot out. And

51:21

if you don't believe in

51:23

yourself, you're building a city

51:25

on sand, because I'll tell

51:27

you what, great things, they're

51:29

great for a reason. They're

51:31

in rare supply. They're limited,

51:33

which means not everyone can

51:35

have them. Which means those

51:37

who do have them have

51:40

to fight for them. Have

51:42

to deal with being uncomfortable.

51:44

Have to give more, sacrifice

51:46

more. Pay a steeper price.

51:48

than the masses. And if

51:50

you don't look in the

51:52

mirror, stare yourself in the

51:54

face and know you are

51:56

one of those select few.

52:00

What's going to happen when life

52:02

kicks back at you? You'll

52:04

fall. You'll resort back to what

52:06

you know. You'll flee the

52:08

battle for safety, security, and comfort.

52:11

But when you know your movie

52:13

ends at the top of the

52:16

mountain, when you know at the

52:18

end of the day, you're

52:20

going to cross a finish line

52:22

or hold a trophy, your

52:24

brain internalizes conflict differently. For

52:27

someone with self-believe obstacles don't

52:29

make you wonder if you

52:31

should keep going Because you

52:33

already know you have to

52:35

keep going I mean come

52:37

on you haven't arrived yet

52:39

There's still a road to

52:41

travel No in this situation

52:44

obstacles simply prompt you to

52:46

ask how How can I

52:48

get through this and that's

52:50

the small discrepancy that changes

52:52

everything Because at

52:54

some point you'll look to

52:56

your right and you'll look

52:58

to your left and you'll

53:00

find Very few people get

53:03

to the how question They

53:05

all stopped it if I

53:07

wonder if I can do

53:09

this I wonder if I'm

53:11

capable. Well, they'll never know

53:13

They'll never see that sunset

53:15

beyond those metaphorical city walls

53:17

Because they never truly believed

53:19

in themselves they never opened

53:22

that gate Look,

53:24

I went through 16 years

53:26

of education without a teacher

53:28

or professor telling me Eddie

53:30

99% of life is just

53:32

believing in yourself to figure

53:34

challenges out as they come.

53:36

To figure life out as

53:38

it comes. That's it. Only

53:40

X% make it through law

53:42

school. Only Y% succeed at

53:44

this and that. That's what

53:46

you hear. But no. None

53:48

of that matters. It's simple.

53:50

It's simple. It's simple. Most

53:52

of the world quits when

53:54

things get challenging if you

53:56

don't if you have the

53:58

courage to believe in trust

54:01

in yourself, you'll succeed. Why?

54:03

Because you won't stop until

54:05

you find a way. That's

54:07

the power of self-belief. It's

54:09

not quantum physics. It's not

54:11

complex. You know, at one

54:13

point, I didn't think I

54:15

could make a living outside

54:17

of a cubicle or office

54:19

building. Then I saw others

54:21

do it. And for the

54:23

first time in my life,

54:25

I believed it was possible.

54:27

I changed my actions to

54:29

support my beliefs, and here

54:31

we are. At one point,

54:33

I didn't think certain financial

54:35

goals were reality. I didn't

54:37

know about a free, flexible

54:39

lifestyle. I wasn't aware of

54:41

the type of relationships that

54:44

would change my life. Why?

54:46

Because they existed outside those

54:48

city walls. I didn't believe

54:50

they were real. I didn't

54:52

believe in myself. to create

54:54

them, to make them in

54:56

my own life, but with

54:58

the change in belief comes

55:00

a change in reality. You

55:02

will always follow through on

55:04

who you believe you are.

55:06

So let's go back to

55:08

that mirror visualization. At some

55:10

point today, look at your

55:12

reflection and think about nothing

55:14

but what I'm about to

55:16

tell you. Everything you need,

55:18

you have. I promise you,

55:20

you are equipped to change

55:22

your life, the lives of

55:24

everyone around you, and the

55:26

world in which you exist.

55:29

So take that back, feel

55:31

it, and never ask it

55:33

again. From now on, the

55:35

question is how. Your fate

55:37

is not a point flip,

55:39

it's a puzzle. It's about

55:41

arranging the pieces. And those

55:43

two eyes looking back at

55:45

you are more than capable

55:47

of figuring that out. Ask

55:49

simply, do you want it?

55:51

And if yes, open that

55:53

front door, take that first

55:55

step and inject yourself into

55:57

a journey that will be

55:59

unlike anything you've ever experienced

56:01

before. where you have the

56:03

answers, the aptitude, and now

56:05

the self-belief. Then when you

56:07

find yourself in the lowest

56:09

of lows or the darkest

56:12

of nights, find solace in

56:14

that fact that that will

56:16

be more than enough to

56:18

get you to dark. Be

56:36

loved or be hated,

56:39

but never simply tolerated.

56:41

In life, you can

56:44

live to chase opportunity,

56:46

or you can live

56:49

to avoid failure. And

56:52

there are two very

56:54

different things. Rather than

56:57

pursue, we often avoid

56:59

failure. We don't want

57:02

to ruffle feathers or

57:04

disrupt. No, we choose

57:07

to simply exist. Never

57:09

condemned, but never extraordinary.

57:12

Just tolerate. And it's

57:14

an interesting dilemma. Because

57:17

the best things exist

57:19

on the extremes. Life

57:22

fringes. That's where you

57:24

find your accolades, your

57:27

accomplishments. That's what we

57:29

celebrate. It's where you

57:32

need to be. And

57:37

you get there not by

57:39

worrying about what everyone around

57:41

you thinks, but by taking

57:44

your strength, your unique self,

57:46

holding on, and pressing the

57:48

pedal to the floor going

57:50

all in. And yeah, that

57:53

means suddenly, my friend, you

57:55

are exposed. You are vulnerable.

57:57

You are now out. There,

57:59

it means those who don't

58:02

have the courage to chase

58:04

their dreams, they will find

58:06

you threatening, and they will

58:08

let you know. But it

58:10

also means that the shackles

58:13

are off. The door is

58:15

open, the light is green,

58:17

and you can build from

58:19

the ground up, you can

58:22

build the life you want.

58:24

The finish line has now

58:26

become more visible than the

58:28

prospect of falling along the

58:31

way and you've granted yourself

58:33

permission to run through it.

58:35

Sure, some will love you

58:37

for these accomplishments, some will

58:39

hate you for these accomplishments,

58:42

but let me reiterate the

58:44

word accomplishment. Because when you

58:46

live to be invisible, it's

58:48

a term that rarely presents

58:51

itself, I promise. I promise.

58:54

Life, it rewards the bold.

58:56

Those who are bold in

58:59

their beliefs, bold in their

59:01

actions, their dreams, in their

59:03

pursuits. They are not for

59:06

anyone, but you. And years

59:08

later, when you look in

59:10

the mirror, you'll know that

59:13

you gave every single thing

59:15

you had to a life

59:17

that meant something to you.

59:20

Loved, yes. Hated, sure. but

59:30

merely

59:37

tolerated

59:43

no

59:53

You have to

59:55

decide to begin.

1:00:00

You have to

1:00:02

acknowledge that what

1:00:05

you're chasing means

1:00:07

more to you

1:00:10

than what you

1:00:13

are leaving behind.

1:00:15

And then begins

1:00:18

the greatest adventure

1:00:21

you will ever

1:00:23

experience. Knowing that

1:00:26

you have turned

1:00:28

someday. that

1:00:31

the road beneath you

1:00:34

is waving you on

1:00:36

the wind at your

1:00:39

back, it pushes you

1:00:41

forward. There are no

1:00:44

guarantees in life, but

1:00:46

that just might be

1:00:48

what makes it so

1:00:51

incredible. You'll only go

1:00:53

as far as you

1:00:56

allow your imagination to

1:00:58

take you. Whether

1:01:04

it's the

1:01:07

end of

1:01:11

your driveway,

1:01:14

or were

1:01:17

the sun

1:01:21

and the

1:01:24

ocean intersect?

1:01:29

The idea that no

1:01:31

obstacle is too big

1:01:33

to overcome. No situation

1:01:35

to dire, to emerge

1:01:37

victorious, and that you

1:01:39

are never confined to

1:01:41

how things are. FDR

1:01:43

has said, we have

1:01:45

always held to hope

1:01:47

the belief, the conviction,

1:01:49

that there is a

1:01:51

better life, a better

1:01:53

world beyond the horizon.

1:01:57

Why does this matter? Well, Put

1:02:00

it simply, before one can leave

1:02:02

the situation they are in, they

1:02:04

have to believe there is another

1:02:07

path worth taking. It's not always

1:02:09

seeing, but trusting. It's a tale

1:02:11

of two components. One, the belief

1:02:14

that something better is out there.

1:02:16

And two, the belief that you

1:02:18

are strong enough. to bridge that

1:02:21

gap to create that world. So

1:02:23

let's start with number one. There

1:02:25

was a study done by Kurt

1:02:28

Richter in the 1950s and he

1:02:30

used rats. And it was kind

1:02:32

of a gruesome experiment, but definitely

1:02:35

worth talking about because the takeaways

1:02:37

incredible. And I kind of cherry-picked

1:02:39

the relevant parts of the experiment.

1:02:42

Basically, he wanted to delve into

1:02:44

the role that hope... plays in

1:02:47

our lives. And what he would

1:02:49

do is he would drop rats

1:02:51

into a jar of water and

1:02:54

observe. See how long they'd swim

1:02:56

before they drown. And for the

1:02:58

most part these rats would swim

1:03:01

for a minute or two and

1:03:03

then ultimately give up. There was

1:03:05

this innate feeling of hopelessness. But

1:03:08

then he made a change and

1:03:10

and when they were close to

1:03:12

drowning he'd reach in, he'd pick

1:03:15

them up, he'd hold them for

1:03:17

a little while. And then he'd

1:03:19

placed them back in the water

1:03:22

and the results between the two

1:03:24

groups were night and day. The

1:03:26

rats saw in the second group

1:03:29

that it wasn't over. And when

1:03:31

they were placed back in the

1:03:33

water, they had a reason to

1:03:36

continue swimming and they did. Some

1:03:38

of them did for hours. The

1:03:40

only difference being that they had

1:03:43

hope. They saw there was more.

1:03:45

And I don't think that's too

1:03:47

different from us. The

1:03:50

situation may be different, but

1:03:52

the rules generally apply, right?

1:03:54

So much of conceding or

1:03:56

giving up in life, accepting

1:03:58

an existence that falls short.

1:04:00

of our ideals is when

1:04:02

we don't believe in something

1:04:04

more. We stop swimming. You

1:04:06

don't give ourselves a chance.

1:04:08

Right? So instead of creating

1:04:10

bridges to walk on, we

1:04:13

make walls that lock us

1:04:15

in. Hope is knowing all

1:04:17

pain, all discomfort is temporary.

1:04:19

And the second component is

1:04:21

belief in yourself. Belief in

1:04:23

yourself. between current and the

1:04:25

ideal itself empowerment. You can

1:04:27

be the difference maker in

1:04:29

your life and others. And

1:04:31

it's funny, the other day

1:04:33

after reading about the Richter

1:04:35

experiment, I was sitting in

1:04:37

a friend's house with my

1:04:39

laptop, kind of trying to

1:04:41

figure out what to make

1:04:43

of it, because the idea

1:04:45

of hope I knew was

1:04:47

powerful, and I wanted to

1:04:49

share that story, I wanted

1:04:51

to write something that would

1:04:53

highlight its value, but it

1:04:55

seemed kind of unfinished. or

1:04:58

simply part of an explanation. I'm

1:05:00

sitting there thinking about it. And

1:05:03

I hear this loud bang over

1:05:05

and over again. And I get

1:05:07

up and I run to the

1:05:09

back of the house, right, to

1:05:12

make sure everything's fine, see what's

1:05:14

going on. And my friend standing

1:05:16

there with goggles on this grin

1:05:18

on his face and a sledgehammer,

1:05:20

and a huge hole in the

1:05:23

wall in front of him. And

1:05:25

I'm like, dude, what are you

1:05:27

doing? You just knocked your wall

1:05:29

down. And he goes, yeah, I

1:05:31

wanted to make another closet. His

1:05:34

family's growing, he needs more space,

1:05:36

and he just took it upon

1:05:38

himself to make that happen. And

1:05:40

I just looked at him and

1:05:43

walked back out, started walking in

1:05:45

the living room, and it hit

1:05:47

me. This is a component of

1:05:49

hope. Seeing what's not there and

1:05:51

doing something about it. If this

1:05:54

swimming experiment is step one, this

1:05:56

has to be step two. In

1:05:58

real time. Step one, believing, seeing

1:06:00

something more. Step two, taking action

1:06:03

to change it, now. Buying into

1:06:05

the fact that... you have the

1:06:07

power to change your own world.

1:06:09

And it's funny because any house

1:06:11

or room I've ever lived in,

1:06:14

my thoughts always, you know, you

1:06:16

look around and this is it,

1:06:18

right? This is the situation, this

1:06:20

is what's being given to me,

1:06:22

how do I make the most

1:06:25

of it? How do I play

1:06:27

within these parameters? Not, okay, this

1:06:29

is fine, but it could be

1:06:31

better, you know, by smashing down

1:06:34

the wall in the back over

1:06:36

there, creating something new. And, you

1:06:38

know, obviously the message hammer. to

1:06:40

the places in your life in

1:06:42

which you are not content. So

1:06:45

that you can build in its

1:06:47

place something that matters. You look

1:06:49

around to your left, you're right,

1:06:51

and you're unhappy. That's not the

1:06:54

end of the story. That's where

1:06:56

the wheels hit the road. In

1:06:58

other words, it's looking at life

1:07:00

with a lens, with the freedom

1:07:02

of knowing things don't have to

1:07:05

be what they are what they

1:07:07

are. They don't have to stay

1:07:09

the same until the universe changes

1:07:11

them. No, they can be what

1:07:13

you make. And what light teaches

1:07:16

us again and again is that

1:07:18

walls can be stepped over. Knows

1:07:20

can become yeses. Impossibles can become

1:07:22

commonplace. But first, there must be

1:07:25

hope. There

1:07:28

must be an understanding that

1:07:30

your world is a 10,000

1:07:32

foot view of all the

1:07:34

little stories you tell yourself

1:07:36

and the narratives you believe.

1:07:38

See every day when you

1:07:40

wake up and take your

1:07:43

first steps, breathe your first

1:07:45

breaths. Know that nothing simply

1:07:47

is. No, it is simply

1:07:49

chosen and can be re-made.

1:07:51

That's what makes life such

1:07:53

a beautiful thing. It's flexibility.

1:07:55

It's promise to provide what

1:07:57

is relentlessly sought out. So

1:07:59

remember it's when you can't

1:08:02

find your answer, when the

1:08:04

odds look grim, when the

1:08:06

rest of the world tells

1:08:08

you know that you most

1:08:10

need hope. Hope, the power,

1:08:12

the strength to look within

1:08:14

yourself and remember that one

1:08:16

life can change and two

1:08:18

you can change it. Armed

1:08:20

with this understanding, nothing is

1:08:23

impossible. When others fail to

1:08:25

see the answer, the light

1:08:27

in themselves, in the situation,

1:08:29

you become the reminder that

1:08:31

light is internally manufactured. We

1:08:33

aren't given answers so that

1:08:35

we may believe them. We

1:08:37

are given the opportunity to

1:08:39

believe, and thus we create

1:08:42

that ending we hope to

1:08:44

pursue. And without this, life

1:08:46

is nothing more than a

1:08:48

permanent status quo. It's holding

1:08:50

our hands to the sky

1:08:52

and receiving what life chooses

1:08:54

to provide. But that's not

1:08:56

why you're here. It's not

1:08:58

why you woke up today,

1:09:00

not to accept, but to

1:09:03

create, to find hope in

1:09:05

the tragedy and the hardship

1:09:07

and to find within yourself,

1:09:09

the strength to move forward

1:09:11

with whatever you decide comes.

1:09:13

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1:10:48

I was thinking about something a

1:10:50

friend of mine named Tom told

1:10:52

me a few years back. He

1:10:54

owns a company in Oklahoma City

1:10:57

and was telling me about how

1:10:59

someone he'd hired essentially stole from

1:11:01

him. And the first question that

1:11:03

came to my mind as he

1:11:05

was telling the story was, okay,

1:11:08

what are you going to do

1:11:10

about it? And I

1:11:12

asked him the question and

1:11:14

he was kind of quiet

1:11:16

for a second and then

1:11:18

asked in his southern accent,

1:11:21

Eddie, if a snake bites

1:11:23

you, are you going to

1:11:25

chase it into the woods

1:11:27

to get your revenge? Are

1:11:29

you going to get the

1:11:31

medical attention required to save

1:11:33

yourself? Basically, you're going to

1:11:35

focus on the past or

1:11:37

on what to do from

1:11:40

here forward, right? Basically he

1:11:42

cut ties with the person

1:11:44

but had moved on. was

1:11:46

already thinking about next steps

1:11:48

that were best for him

1:11:50

his family and his business

1:11:52

and I can tell you

1:11:54

since hearing that it's become

1:11:57

an incredibly valuable idea in

1:11:59

my life especially as you

1:12:01

realize that there will never

1:12:03

be a shortage of problems

1:12:05

you do what you You

1:12:07

can't avoid them. You try

1:12:09

to steer clear when possible,

1:12:11

but adversity will always be

1:12:13

a factor. It's about knowing

1:12:16

that and stepping into it

1:12:18

regardless. It's just, it's something

1:12:20

that's always intertwined in our

1:12:22

development. And I find value

1:12:24

in asking myself, is this

1:12:26

action I'm about to take

1:12:28

conducive to my growth and

1:12:30

my happiness? Or am I

1:12:33

just chasing snakes snakes? Does

1:12:35

this just feel good in

1:12:37

the short term because I'm

1:12:39

angry or I've been wrong

1:12:41

or something along those lines?

1:12:43

Especially since most harm inflicted

1:12:45

on others derived from incompetence

1:12:47

not malice and I truly

1:12:49

believe that I think very

1:12:52

frequently we attribute sinister motives

1:12:54

to others when 99% of

1:12:56

the time it's sheer stupidity.

1:12:58

It's imperfect humans trying to

1:13:00

navigate an often complex world.

1:13:02

We make mistakes. Now, I'm

1:13:04

not suggesting you don't stand

1:13:06

up for yourself when you've

1:13:09

been wronged or slighted. Of

1:13:11

course you should, but the

1:13:13

magic is in not personalizing

1:13:15

the situation. Possessing the emotional

1:13:17

IQ to understand, hey look,

1:13:19

it's not about me. but

1:13:21

whether I can salvage this

1:13:23

situation from here. And that

1:13:25

depends solely on how I

1:13:28

choose to look at it.

1:13:30

Emerson wrote, people do not

1:13:32

seem to realize that their

1:13:34

opinion of the world is

1:13:36

also a confession of their

1:13:38

character. And what a powerful

1:13:40

point. The flexibility in the

1:13:42

leeway available to us when

1:13:45

it comes to making sense

1:13:47

of the world speaks to

1:13:49

the world speaks. Not how

1:13:51

the world is, but how

1:13:53

the onlooker thinks and interprets.

1:13:55

Deep personalizing this situation is

1:13:57

one of the greatest superpower.

1:13:59

at our disposal. When you're

1:14:02

angry and accusatory, you will,

1:14:04

as Tom put it, end

1:14:06

up chasing snakes. You'll end

1:14:08

up breaking things that will

1:14:10

need to be rebuilt. In

1:14:12

uttering words, you'll wish you'd

1:14:14

never spoken. But the five

1:14:16

seconds require to pause to

1:14:18

collect yourself and realize that

1:14:21

you're in control is everything.

1:14:23

The ability to see the

1:14:26

person the situation or the

1:14:28

world not as an adversary

1:14:30

stacked against you But as

1:14:33

an inevitable challenge that must

1:14:35

be managed So how will

1:14:37

you choose to manage? How

1:14:40

will you choose to arrange

1:14:42

the pieces? And by the

1:14:44

way, I'm fully aware a

1:14:47

constant thing for my speeches

1:14:49

and podcasts and videos is

1:14:51

the act of Pointing not

1:14:54

out at the world, but

1:14:56

in at ourselves, my responsibility,

1:14:58

my fault, my problem to

1:15:01

deal with, I understand just

1:15:03

how heavy that is, how

1:15:05

hard that can be. Especially

1:15:08

when deflecting blame often feels

1:15:10

like it would just be

1:15:13

a tremendous weight off of

1:15:15

our shoulders, when revenge feels

1:15:17

like the easy, intuitive move.

1:15:20

But again, it's short-term relief

1:15:22

to truly grow, to find

1:15:25

the calm and happiness and

1:15:27

meaning we long for. It's

1:15:29

the internal relationship with ourselves

1:15:32

that matters most. It's the

1:15:34

ability to say, I may

1:15:36

not have created this, or

1:15:38

even, you know, I may

1:15:41

have made the mistakes that

1:15:43

brought this to life, but

1:15:45

I can't fix it. Until

1:15:47

I look at both the

1:15:50

situation and my own reflection

1:15:52

and proclaim it's mine now.

1:15:54

Let the past be the

1:15:56

past. Now it's me and

1:15:59

the present, and as far

1:16:01

as I'm concerned, the present

1:16:03

and opportunity, they are always

1:16:06

one in the same, so

1:16:08

long as we choose to

1:16:10

see it that way. It's

1:16:12

not what you look at,

1:16:15

it's what you see over

1:16:17

and over and over again.

1:16:19

Is it happening to you?

1:16:21

Or for you, is it

1:16:24

a problem or an opportunity?

1:16:26

A setback or a chance

1:16:28

to reset? I want to

1:16:30

bring to light a story,

1:16:33

one that I've told before.

1:16:35

But it's so perfectly representative

1:16:37

of the conversation. Jim Rhone

1:16:40

talking about two brothers and

1:16:42

an abusive household. Alcoholic father,

1:16:44

terrible childhoods. You know, they

1:16:46

grow up. and both of

1:16:49

the sons have families of

1:16:51

their own. One is the

1:16:53

exact same as his father,

1:16:55

he's abusive and he's angry,

1:16:58

and the other one is

1:17:00

a great father, he's kind,

1:17:02

he's loving, he's supportive, and

1:17:04

when asked why, the abusive

1:17:07

brother replies, look at my

1:17:09

childhood, right? How could you

1:17:11

blame me for this? The

1:17:14

other brother, when asked response,

1:17:16

look at my childhood, right?

1:17:18

How could I let myself

1:17:20

treat my family the same

1:17:23

way? And in a

1:17:25

way, one spent his life

1:17:27

chasing snakes, bitter, resentful. The

1:17:30

other one asked, well that

1:17:32

was terrible, but what can

1:17:34

I do to write the

1:17:36

wrong? One personalized it, the

1:17:39

other used it as a

1:17:41

lever or stepping stone. And

1:17:43

this is of course a

1:17:46

simplification, but I believe every

1:17:48

struggle we face in our

1:17:50

lives at its core contains

1:17:52

some element of this choice.

1:17:55

From the little things to

1:17:57

the big things, where do

1:17:59

I go from here? It's

1:18:02

mine now and I can...

1:18:04

Choose whether to make it

1:18:06

better or worse. Chase the

1:18:08

snake into the woods or

1:18:11

march forward to find the

1:18:13

value and write the ship.

1:18:15

Remember that, when it's hardest,

1:18:18

when you least want to.

1:18:20

Remember that the present contains

1:18:22

every single thing you need

1:18:24

to begin a journey to

1:18:27

recover, to growth, to contentment

1:18:29

and meaning. You on your

1:18:31

end, though. Need to be

1:18:34

willing to slow down the

1:18:36

moment. Need to be willing

1:18:38

to collect yourself and give

1:18:40

yourself permission to take that

1:18:43

necessary and appropriate step. This

1:19:09

morning I went down the

1:19:11

street to go to this

1:19:13

class. It's basically 45 minutes

1:19:15

of body circuits in a

1:19:18

heated room, which I love.

1:19:20

I love mixing that in

1:19:22

with the running that I

1:19:24

do. And basically the thing

1:19:26

kicks off. And somewhere in,

1:19:28

you know, maybe the last

1:19:30

third of the class, we

1:19:32

were doing some weighted squats.

1:19:34

And right at that point

1:19:36

where, you know, you're in

1:19:38

the thick of things, your

1:19:40

leg start to burn. heart

1:19:42

rates elevated, you can start

1:19:45

to really feel the temperature

1:19:47

of the room. The instructor

1:19:49

said something that I thought

1:19:51

was absolutely incredible. She goes,

1:19:53

and I'm paraphrasing, the discomfort

1:19:55

that you feel right now

1:19:57

is a privilege. It's a

1:19:59

privilege to suffer through. It's

1:20:01

a privilege to be here

1:20:03

working on yourself when most

1:20:05

people are at home. It's

1:20:07

a privilege to be in

1:20:09

a position to move through

1:20:11

the resistance you feel right

1:20:14

now. And that message moved

1:20:16

me. And how can you

1:20:18

even think about discomfort after

1:20:20

that perspective had been laid

1:20:22

out? How can you see

1:20:24

a few minutes of fatigue

1:20:26

as anything other than the

1:20:28

small price? of improvement. It's

1:20:30

funny how the same things

1:20:32

we consider to be torture

1:20:34

or punishment, if they're externally

1:20:36

required of us, they become

1:20:38

empowering when we know that

1:20:41

we deliberately chose them. You

1:20:43

know, in this feeling, it

1:20:45

was definitely self-induced. It was

1:20:47

chosen, right? I decided to

1:20:49

be there in class, that

1:20:51

it was what I needed.

1:20:53

To become just a little

1:20:55

bit better, to obtain just

1:20:57

a little bit more. and

1:21:00

what approved. I've learned over

1:21:02

the years to manage pain.

1:21:05

You have to. You have

1:21:07

to immerse yourself in an

1:21:09

often less than ideal short

1:21:12

term so that you can

1:21:14

bring about results of greater

1:21:16

magnitude. I've always accepted this.

1:21:18

I've always known it to

1:21:21

be true. I believe, you

1:21:23

know, in my own world,

1:21:25

I've sacrificed accordingly. But

1:21:28

I don't recall the last

1:21:31

time I was overtly thankful

1:21:33

for the obstacles in my

1:21:35

way. I don't remember the

1:21:37

last time I saw my

1:21:40

struggle, not as a necessary

1:21:42

burden, but a gift. There's

1:21:44

something not thrown at me,

1:21:47

but presented to me. Think

1:21:49

for a second about the

1:21:51

finitude of life. The one

1:21:53

in 400 trillion odds of

1:21:56

being born. A number that...

1:21:58

I came across somewhere that

1:22:00

I certainly can't validate, but

1:22:03

I don't think you need

1:22:05

to to get the point,

1:22:07

right? The odds of being

1:22:10

here are incredibly slim. Yet

1:22:12

somehow we won. We all

1:22:14

receive winning lottery tickets. Here

1:22:16

we are. On a strange

1:22:19

planet, with options to choose

1:22:21

from. Paths to decide between,

1:22:23

and a giant ticking clock.

1:22:27

And given these circumstances, aren't

1:22:30

we doing a disservice

1:22:32

to ourselves to not

1:22:34

at least see what

1:22:36

we're capable of? What

1:22:38

we can do, build,

1:22:40

create, and become? I certainly

1:22:42

think so. And what is

1:22:45

the cost of that

1:22:47

evolution? It's discomfort. It's

1:22:50

forging our future by

1:22:52

walking through fire. It

1:22:54

means intentional hardship. and

1:22:57

to not see that as

1:23:00

the gateway to life's infinite

1:23:02

opportunity is missing the mark.

1:23:04

Why shouldn't you feel lucky

1:23:07

about yourself transforming in real

1:23:09

time? Why shouldn't you feel

1:23:12

proud of paying a steeper

1:23:14

price for a better view?

1:23:16

Why shouldn't you be delighted

1:23:19

to unpack the mystery and

1:23:21

the adventure contained in life?

1:23:24

This isn't something you

1:23:26

have to do on

1:23:28

your way to point

1:23:30

B This is something

1:23:33

you get to do

1:23:35

on your journey to

1:23:37

become whoever you choose

1:23:39

to become So when

1:23:42

the pressures of life

1:23:44

press down upon us

1:23:46

Test us perhaps solely

1:23:48

acknowledging its utilities insufficient

1:23:50

Maybe it's more Maybe

1:23:53

it's something that should

1:23:55

be celebrated adored Today

1:23:57

was a reminder to be

1:23:59

thanked thankful for the

1:24:02

body that can endure

1:24:04

the turbulence, thankful for

1:24:06

the mind that can

1:24:09

manage and overcome the

1:24:11

chaos. Thankful for the

1:24:13

opportunity to be here

1:24:15

to begin with and

1:24:17

the freedom to choose

1:24:20

the difficult thing. Thank

1:24:22

you. Thank you for

1:24:24

the opportunity to live

1:24:26

in such a way.

1:24:29

that as I place

1:24:31

my head on the

1:24:33

pillow each and every

1:24:35

night, I'm grateful for

1:24:38

the privilege. When

1:25:02

the ground beneath us

1:25:04

shakes, we crave stability.

1:25:06

When the heavens open

1:25:09

up, and rain pours down,

1:25:11

we run for shelter. When

1:25:13

life presents us

1:25:15

with vagueness, with flashes

1:25:18

of possibility, we long

1:25:20

for mastery. It's more

1:25:22

instinct than anything else.

1:25:25

But could it be that

1:25:27

instinct? that we run to, like

1:25:29

moths to a flame, is leading

1:25:32

us astray, that it doesn't

1:25:34

have our best interests at

1:25:36

heart? Could it be that we're

1:25:39

so worried about protecting

1:25:41

and maintaining an acceptable

1:25:43

image for the world

1:25:45

that we forget to

1:25:47

build something internally that's

1:25:49

worth protecting? What if that

1:25:52

shaking is what brings down

1:25:54

the foundations that held us back?

1:25:56

What if that rain washes away the

1:25:58

limits of yesterday? as we evolve

1:26:01

into something more. And what

1:26:03

if those flashes of possibility

1:26:05

require of us, not mastery,

1:26:07

no not yet, but a

1:26:09

willingness to be the fool?

1:26:11

And what if that willingness

1:26:13

isn't an unfortunate dead end,

1:26:16

but a beginning? In one

1:26:18

of his lectures at the

1:26:20

University of Toronto, Jordan Peterson

1:26:22

said, if you are not

1:26:24

willing to be a fool,

1:26:26

you can't be a master. In

1:26:30

the cycle that is self-discovery, that

1:26:32

is growth, we have to

1:26:34

at some point step into

1:26:36

an arena that's foreign to

1:26:38

us, that we don't yet

1:26:40

understand, we have to be

1:26:42

willing to operate with inadequate

1:26:45

resources, trusting that they'll be

1:26:47

picked up along the way. And that's

1:26:49

a lot to take in. It's

1:26:51

painful to know that others are

1:26:53

going to have knowledge and skills

1:26:56

and competencies that you won't. That

1:26:59

you'll willingly inject yourself

1:27:01

into the bottom of

1:27:03

some hierarchy with nothing

1:27:05

more than aspirations But

1:27:07

that willingness is your vehicle

1:27:10

and What's clear is that

1:27:12

everyone wants the moon, but

1:27:14

very few people have the

1:27:17

courage to start constructing that

1:27:19

spaceship very few have the

1:27:21

courage To be the student It's

1:27:25

why our inclination is to quit

1:27:27

when we can't snap our fingers

1:27:29

and magically be on our way,

1:27:31

when we can't leap past that

1:27:33

wandering around the unknowns. The reality

1:27:35

is, we have to fight to

1:27:37

scrap to obtain that sense of

1:27:39

belonging in a particular competency. And

1:27:41

just talking about it brings me

1:27:43

back. It's an obstacle that we

1:27:45

all face. It's super real to

1:27:47

me. I remember being featured on

1:27:49

a podcast where the host literally

1:27:51

asked me. Why should I listen

1:27:53

to what you have to say?

1:27:55

Like who are you? Why are

1:27:57

you road mapping your journey? Right,

1:27:59

I remember. fighting for relevance in

1:28:01

an area in which, you know,

1:28:04

at the time I knew almost

1:28:06

nothing about. And I love how

1:28:08

Peterson articulates this battle. He says

1:28:10

at some point you'll want to

1:28:13

make a change and you'll feel

1:28:15

like an imposter. And guess what?

1:28:17

You are. But you have to

1:28:19

be. You'll ultimately feel worse

1:28:21

if you don't do it.

1:28:24

That's impostor syndrome. Feeling

1:28:26

like a stranger in your own body

1:28:28

and guess what it's not wrong.

1:28:30

It's just a beginning I like

1:28:33

explaining it like jumping into a

1:28:35

cold pool Feels uncomfortable

1:28:37

at first it feels out of

1:28:39

place, but then things normalize They

1:28:42

become comfortable and what's the other

1:28:44

option? To fear that minute of

1:28:46

of discomfort and never jump in

1:28:50

It's what we need to tell

1:28:52

ourselves when we want something, but

1:28:55

the climb seems too steep, right?

1:28:57

That climb is manageable.

1:28:59

You'll acclimate. The adversary's

1:29:02

pushing beyond that fear of

1:29:04

starting anew, taking your limited

1:29:07

understanding, bringing it to the

1:29:09

base of that mountain, Anuka

1:29:11

lion, and looking up with

1:29:14

confidence. And the question

1:29:16

is, can you be foolish enough

1:29:18

to do that? And

1:29:20

once you've made that ceiling,

1:29:22

your next floor, will you

1:29:24

be foolish enough to do

1:29:27

it again and again and

1:29:29

again? And breaking through that

1:29:31

fear, knowing that stumbling around

1:29:33

for a period of time

1:29:35

doesn't kill you, it's required.

1:29:37

It's the inability to show

1:29:40

weakness or a pure vulnerable.

1:29:42

That's what ships away at

1:29:44

you for a lifetime. If

1:29:46

you want more immerse yourself

1:29:48

in that cycle of mastery

1:29:50

start at the bottom and

1:29:53

ascend and when you approach

1:29:55

the top separate yourself and

1:29:57

find another ceiling to chase reap

1:30:00

A seed, play the role

1:30:02

of the fool again. This

1:30:04

is the formula for growth,

1:30:06

for prosperity, for fulfillment. This

1:30:09

is the pathway to anything

1:30:11

of substance. You take your

1:30:13

elves, you embrace your critics,

1:30:16

you swallow your pride, and

1:30:18

move towards a tomorrow that

1:30:20

far exceeds today. It's your

1:30:23

reality changes, your perception changes,

1:30:25

the company you keep changes.

1:30:27

You'll start to see that

1:30:30

what's around you is made by

1:30:32

people who are willing to fail

1:30:35

and fail often. Our world is

1:30:37

one devised by those who could

1:30:39

put pride on hold. By

1:30:41

those who were humble enough

1:30:44

to crawl through the unknown

1:30:46

long before they ran anything.

1:30:48

Who knew that before they

1:30:50

played for any title or

1:30:53

championship, they must first play

1:30:55

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1:32:16

walked up to the canyon's edge

1:32:19

and I looked down. I remember

1:32:21

thinking this is my moment. I

1:32:23

took a breath, I stepped back

1:32:26

and I screamed. At the top

1:32:28

of my lungs, I screamed and

1:32:31

out came my plans and my

1:32:33

hopes and my dreams. I

1:32:35

let the world know everything

1:32:37

I've been building and everything

1:32:40

I planned to build. Everything

1:32:43

I knew and

1:32:45

everything I intended

1:32:47

to learn, I

1:32:49

explained everything. I

1:32:51

felt all of

1:32:53

me turn messenger

1:32:55

packaged into these

1:32:58

tiny airwaves and

1:33:00

dispersed to the sky.

1:33:02

Echoing one more time

1:33:04

as they left as

1:33:07

if for approval. And

1:33:09

then... nothing. No

1:33:13

problem. I thought I'll

1:33:15

just wait. But the

1:33:17

second hand kept ticking

1:33:19

and still nothing. No

1:33:22

answers and no approvals

1:33:24

and no guarantees. Huh.

1:33:26

What was left to

1:33:28

do but stand up

1:33:30

and scream again and

1:33:32

I did and all I got

1:33:35

was my own voice pushing

1:33:37

through the canyon. Did I say

1:33:39

the right thing? Did I say

1:33:41

the right thing? Did I make

1:33:44

the right plan? Can you

1:33:46

be right? And alone at

1:33:48

the same time? I

1:33:50

don't know, I'll wait.

1:33:52

Because surely someone cares.

1:33:54

Someone has to care.

1:33:56

Don't people care? At

1:33:58

that moment... A tear

1:34:00

rolled down my cheek as

1:34:03

I sighed, sat down, exhausted,

1:34:05

tired, tired of screaming and

1:34:07

not being hurt. Tired of

1:34:10

swinging and missing. Tired

1:34:12

of every attempt being

1:34:14

the one that might change

1:34:16

everything. I was tired of

1:34:18

it all. Forget it. Time

1:34:20

to go somewhere else. I

1:34:22

wasn't sure where, but let's

1:34:24

face it. It doesn't really

1:34:27

matter when the only way

1:34:29

to go. is up,

1:34:31

so I turned around

1:34:33

and took my first

1:34:35

few steps, defeated eyes

1:34:37

down at my feet

1:34:39

as they marched me

1:34:42

away unceremoniously, but then,

1:34:44

then I heard it.

1:34:46

Something in front of

1:34:48

me. And I immediately

1:34:50

lifted my gaze from

1:34:52

my shoes and stopped

1:34:54

dead in my tracks.

1:34:56

I couldn't believe. what

1:34:59

I saw. A sea

1:35:01

of people standing there.

1:35:03

People that had been

1:35:05

gathering this whole time,

1:35:07

making their way up the

1:35:10

canyon as my back was

1:35:12

turned as I yelled and

1:35:15

yelled. Some I knew.

1:35:17

Some I didn't. Some

1:35:19

who cared so much

1:35:21

that my pain was

1:35:23

essentially their pain. Some

1:35:25

I've helped along the way.

1:35:27

Some who have helped me. Some

1:35:29

I've laughed with, some I've cried

1:35:32

with, some I've learned from, some

1:35:34

who have learned from me.

1:35:36

Some who felt exactly as

1:35:38

I had, alone, tired, exhausted.

1:35:40

Some who felt lost, but

1:35:42

found their way. Others who

1:35:44

thought they had everything figured

1:35:47

out, but for that

1:35:49

moment were lost. Some who felt

1:35:51

like they had the weight of

1:35:53

the world on their shoulders. Others

1:35:55

simply looking for... anything

1:35:58

to carry. All

1:36:01

there. Not to hand me

1:36:03

answers, or a shortcut or

1:36:05

any perfect solution. But

1:36:08

apparently to remind me

1:36:10

that when the answers aren't

1:36:12

in front of you, and

1:36:14

trust me, they won't be

1:36:17

more than they will be,

1:36:19

you have to trust what's

1:36:21

behind you, what brought you

1:36:23

to that canyon's ledge, you

1:36:26

have to believe in the

1:36:28

things you cannot see. Because

1:36:30

you can think you're alone

1:36:32

and be loved by many

1:36:35

and you can feel like

1:36:37

you're losing And be right

1:36:39

where you need to be

1:36:41

life can seem like it's

1:36:44

over When it is in

1:36:46

fact just beginning Those words

1:36:48

bouncing off your lips, they

1:36:50

don't disappear In fact by

1:36:52

speaking them you are giving

1:36:54

them life They become as

1:36:57

real as the hand in

1:36:59

front of your face, and

1:37:01

it's up to you to

1:37:03

never let that blank space

1:37:05

make you think otherwise. To

1:37:07

never let what you don't

1:37:10

have minimize or mitigate what

1:37:12

you do. Because the tricky

1:37:14

thing about that abyss beyond

1:37:17

the canyon's ledge is that

1:37:19

it's not for reassurance or

1:37:22

compliments or ego boost. No,

1:37:25

it's the real deal. It's for

1:37:27

carving away at who you might

1:37:30

be. And that's, well, that's never

1:37:32

going to be easy. In

1:37:34

fact, it's always going to

1:37:36

make you ask yourself the

1:37:38

tough questions. And the hardest

1:37:40

part is that we'll often

1:37:42

leave you alone to answer

1:37:45

them. But alone for the

1:37:47

moment, not for the journey.

1:37:49

The echo through the cany

1:37:51

highlights the power. of what you

1:37:53

have to say in the river

1:37:55

down below emphasizes how high you've

1:37:57

already climbed in those people behind

1:37:59

you. They are your strength.

1:38:01

Your reminder that

1:38:03

even in the darkest

1:38:06

of moments, the most

1:38:09

trying of times you

1:38:11

are not alone. Let

1:38:14

those dreams leave your

1:38:16

lips and fly off

1:38:19

into that abyss. Because

1:38:21

as hard as it

1:38:24

may be to understand

1:38:27

in the moment, they

1:38:29

are in fact making

1:38:32

their way back. to

1:38:34

you. Your obligation

1:38:44

is a

1:38:47

simple one I

1:38:49

know it has

1:38:52

nothing to do

1:38:54

with breaking any

1:38:56

records. No miracles

1:38:58

here. You don't

1:39:01

have to be

1:39:03

the first or

1:39:05

the best or

1:39:07

the greatest. No, those

1:39:10

things by themselves are

1:39:12

meaningless. You can't

1:39:14

perform them. They

1:39:16

aren't verbs. They're

1:39:19

consequences. Consequences of

1:39:21

your much simpler

1:39:23

obligation. To not

1:39:25

stop. to

1:39:28

carry on, to hush your

1:39:30

mind and move your feet.

1:39:33

No, not at the

1:39:35

beginning. Everybody loves the

1:39:38

beginning. And no, not

1:39:40

towards the end. Anyone

1:39:42

can find the strength

1:39:45

when the adrenaline

1:39:47

is pumping and the

1:39:49

finish line is in

1:39:51

sight. I'm talking about

1:39:53

the middle. That dreaded

1:39:55

space. Brian Moran's Valley

1:39:57

of despair Jim Rhones

1:40:00

winter when nothing around

1:40:02

you is reassuring and

1:40:04

I don't mean in

1:40:06

some metaphysical way I mean

1:40:08

when you're just not winning

1:40:11

and no winning means no

1:40:13

validation at least not right

1:40:15

now and no immediate

1:40:18

validation means you begin

1:40:20

to question things question

1:40:22

the work the initiative

1:40:25

your ability to carry

1:40:27

it out See, I've come to

1:40:30

form an important bond with

1:40:32

this place every time I

1:40:34

wander in its direction. Tour

1:40:36

lives truly change. So long

1:40:38

as you can get beyond

1:40:40

that first trap, that trap

1:40:42

of thinking that it's a

1:40:45

reflection of you, as opposed to what

1:40:47

it really is, the test that

1:40:49

guards and protects the realm

1:40:51

of excellence, the invitation

1:40:54

to become who you've

1:40:56

never been. There's a

1:40:58

saying that everything looks like

1:41:00