Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero
If You Want Your Life to Change, Listen to This
21 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main message about personal control in your life?
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 TikToks 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 bitterly remained stagnant. I would say to a younger me, worry less about how you're 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.
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Chapter 2: How does blaming others hinder personal growth?
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, 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 re-approach this thing stronger. Because to blame others, to take on that role of victim, it's essentially living life in the passenger seat.
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Chapter 3: What does taking responsibility mean in an unfair world?
And I could see this happening to the point where she had to place one on top of the other, right, to keep the hand that was holding her phone from bouncing around while she read. That's how visibly nervous she was. And immediately my mind went down this road, reflecting back on the moments I've had just like that, because, man, I've been there.
where you're both determined and terrified at the same time, but somehow, the desire to try outweighs the fear just enough for you to find yourself in that exact situation. Just enough that you step into a foreign world, still wondering whether you made the right move,
Every step of the way, from the car, the building, onto this stage, until you hit the point where, okay, well now you can't turn back. Now you're here, you can't leave. And the thing is, and this is what was so beautiful to me, she was never forced to do this at gunpoint. No one made her step into that chaos. It was self-created. She could have stayed home.
She could have closed her journal or the notes app on her phone, and that would have been the end of that. But no, not today. Today, one yes would lead to another, would lead to another and another, and despite the nerves, the sweaty palms, and shaky hands, she would open a new chapter in the story of her life. Prove to herself that she's bolder than she thought she was just a few hours ago.
That there's upside when you confront those unknowns in life. And as I sat and watched, I was so incredibly moved, so proud, so impressed. Partly because I know that to many of the people in that room, it might not have looked like much. You know, it's like, okay, great, round of applause for the new artist or poet, welcome. But I knew the gravity of the moment. I understood how big it truly was.
And regardless of what words came out of her mouth or how well they were assembled, that night was not about the performance. No, it was about new beginnings. It was about outstretched wings, opening one's eyes to the learned helplessness and pinpointing the opportunity that was simply waiting for that first step to occur. And see, that's what I want to emphasize.
That's what I believe every single one of us needs to understand, to fully get. The biggest moves we make in life, well, it's easy to convince ourselves that they aren't necessary or worth it. The things that transform us hide themselves. A lot of the time, they don't feel urgent. They aren't life or death decisions.
They can be the stages we never step on, the people we never talk to, the chances we never take, because Well, what happens if we simply stay right where we are? Say thank you but no thank you to those fleeting opportunities.
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Chapter 4: How can self-discipline guide you toward your goals?
Nothing. Nothing happens more of the same and realistically nothing is far less scary than all that other stuff. We don't fear nothingness. We don't intrinsically fear more of the same. No, we fear stepping onto the stage. We fear vulnerability. We fear messing up, looking stupid, being judged. And yeah, when you do nothing, you get to skip all that.
Avoid all that discomfort and that potential pain. But you also miss the feeling of victory. Of closing your eyes at night knowing how badly you wanted to just let that ship sail. How terrified you were about what could go wrong. But you did it anyway. You get to feel you have earned the rush of stepping into a chaotic world. And even if temporarily, you tamed it. That's what life is about.
Always remember that we have a natural proclivity to avoid pain, not to pursue the things that make us feel alive. Deep down in our DNA, there exist instructions, instructions to run away from the things that could hurt us, embarrass us. Our minds will race, our bodies will kick and scream, our hands will shake. That's just the way it goes.
And so we prove to ourselves that it's all conquerable, that reality can be relearned. It's a layer of resistance that has to be faced and then dismantled. Why was I so moved that night? Because I got to watch in real time someone dismantling that fear on their way to something incredible. It's courage. Stepping into the arena, not for the people next to you or anyone else, but for you.
Because you know there's more. You know that where you are pales in comparison to where you can be. I'm definitely one to look back from time to time and reflect, and I'll tell you what, I'm incredibly thankful for the hard times that shaped me, the challenges that were forced upon me and made me who I am. But beyond that, and perhaps even more so,
The times I stepped out on my own accord, terrified and manufactured change. The times that the fear of staying the same eclipsed the fear of failure. The times I could have stayed home, woken up the next morning and lost nothing, but instead I saw what there was to be gained and threw myself into that metaphorical fire so that confidence could be forged and new chapters could be written.
Let's all remember how out of focus the present moment looks. Remember how inclined we are to look at life through a lens of scarcity. We are trying to avoid, avoid, avoid. But if you can even briefly find the strength to step back and ask, what is there to be gained? You see that not going is the real danger. And those stages that seem arbitrary, that seem like optional, stops along the way.
Well, they're just as imperative as the air you breathe. They are not some things. They are everything. We all hit a point where we look back on the roads we traveled and see the culmination of footsteps that have come to constitute our lives. And we want that moment to feel full. like no stone was left unturned, like we put it all on the line.
So will you step onto this stage of life, stand your ground as the curtain opens, read your poems to a foreign audience? Will you share your voice even though it trembles? Because if you do, you're giving yourself permission to truly live, to feel, Look, we're not here for a long time. This is a very short ride. So why not give as much of yourself to the world for as long as you possibly can?
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Chapter 5: What role does fear play in pursuing personal change?
Life is not a paint-by-number, it's a blank canvas. And understanding this changed the image in my head from one of me knocking on the door of a party everyone else was at to visualizing almost 8 billion individual souls running around trying to figure things out in the limited stretch of time they have here on planet Earth.
I realized I had at times felt small only because of the gravity I attributed to people who were just trying to figure it out themselves. And the point, certainly not to diminish anyone else's journey, It was to give myself permission to embark upon my own.
It's just hard to do that when you view everyone else as one collective all-knowing entity, as opposed to eight billion people just like you with thoughts, fears, hopes, and plans. The question is not what is the right thing to do here. The question is When will you allow yourself to venture out into the world and find what the right thing means for you? That's what's required.
And the world will be better for you having found it. Because after all, no one sees life like you do. No one has the background or worldview. The universe has conspired to put you as you are here now. Almost an impossible occurrence in and of itself. How easy that is to forget. We were born on the summit, yet the inclination for some reason is to keep our eyes closed. No, open them.
Take it all in. Allow the view to propel you forward. The world needs you. It needs you with your mistakes that have helped you evolve into the person you could never have been without them. It needs you with your worries and your fears. Conquering them will be pivotal in your evolution. It needs you with your flaws and blemishes.
How else would life convince you that the things that make you different are the same things that make you strong? It doesn't matter how many people tell you or try to explain to you the magnitude of what's at your feet. Life does not begin until you allow yourself to start living. Until you realize that yesterday does not define you.
And the categories in which you've placed yourself, they're transitory. The past is not the reason you can or can't begin again. It's not who you are forever. No, it's the advantage you now possess as you move forward. Should you choose to move forward. It's in realizing you are bound by nothing that you free yourself. And for the one wondering, why does it matter what I think?
Why should I start or try or risk anything? Why should I pick up the brush and start painting on that canvas before me? Well, because that step is where it all begins. The meaning, the purpose, it's all predicated upon our willingness to pick that brush up and start painting. You ask, what's the point? The point is everything.
One detail at a time, we dismantle our previously held notions about what life is supposed to be. And finally start living one that matters.
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Chapter 6: How do you confront the discomfort of stepping outside your comfort zone?
No one's masterpiece will look like yours. No one's depiction of life will follow the same parameters you've etched onto that canvas. In fact, there are people that will be changed forever because you chose to live your life fully. There are lives of those around you that will be transformed because you picked up the brush.
There are stories that will now end in triumph because you found the courage to start, to see light in yourself. You being fulfilled and the world being better off, they're not two different things. When you live a life true to yourself, when you let go of the have-tos and step into the get-tos, the world experiences the luxury of the beauty that comes next.
When you fill your cup up first, you're able to then replenish those around you. That's not nothing. So who are you? Beneath the characterizations, beneath the roles you've taken on, beneath what you feel you're supposed to be. All that. Who are you and will you give life to that person? Will you be that courageous? After all, that's what life is.
It's not a game of right and wrong so much as it's a game of courage. The ones willing to take the leap end up worlds away from where they began. So my ask of you is that you begin tearing down those walls created in your head.
the ones that accumulated over days and months and years, the ones that box you in or keep you out, that suggest you are anything other than that one in 400 trillion miracle, ready to embark upon the ride of a lifetime. And sure, it means shedding the comfort of obscurity, the safety of projection,
Looking yourself in the mirror and saying, I am worth it, and there's more out there, means without question you are taking off the training wheels, dancing with vulnerability. But it also means when that time comes and you look back on how you lived your days, you can say, I truly lived. You can say that the world needed me. And I had the courage to heed its call.
I came across a quote recently that said the road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces. I thought this demonstrated or captured a realization that's pretty hard to articulate. And that is just how tempting it is to rationalize stopping or discontinuing your journey when life gets tough. How much sense it always makes to want to call it quits when things get uncomfortable.
It's like, it's not just that doing something valuable is hard. It's that it's hard and every three feet there's an invitation to not have to do it anymore. There's an endless supply of exit signs and escape routes. Therefore, accomplishing a goal is simultaneously saying yes to the challenging things while also saying no to the comfortable things. It's fighting off two demons at once.
The good news, though, is that you were made to do just that. You just have to change the way you internalize the process. You have to change what you see along the way. I talk a lot about perfection as the enemy. And that's something I wholeheartedly believe to be true. But I generally talk about it in the context of perfection keeping us from starting. Right?
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