Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero
JUST START - TAKE THE FIRST STEP | Inspirational And Motivational Video Compilation
Wed, 20 Nov 2024
Starting is often the hardest part—not because we lack the ability, but because we convince ourselves we need all the answers before we begin. The truth? Perfection doesn’t exist, and the path forward only reveals itself through action. It’s in the messy, uncertain, imperfect beginnings that we find clarity, strength, and growth. Every step, no matter how small, brings us closer to who we are meant to be. This episode is a reminder to embrace the process, to let go of the need to have it all figured out, and to trust that taking the first step is what matters most. Life isn’t about having a perfect roadmap; it’s about moving forward, learning as we go, and finding magic in the journey. Are you ready to take that first step? Let’s explore what happens when we do. Monday Motivation Newsletter: https://www.eddiepinero.com/newsletter Free Ebook: www.eddiepinero.com/ebook YouTube: www.eddiepinero.com/youtube
Chapter 1: Why is starting often the hardest part?
imagine you're standing on the edge of a cliff and you're looking out at this giant abyss and you know that what you want is on the other side that the very thing you're called to do the journey of a lifetime that means the most to you that you know you should be on but instead of you know making one giant leap you hedge
you grab a handrail or a rope, you sort of tiptoe along the outside, bracing yourself for the possibility of a fall. Look, in a perfect world, we'll say, when we know that we should be somewhere when something's calling us, we would always take the leap. And the times that I've done that in my life, I don't regret it at all.
In fact, I attribute taking massive action to a lot of the growth that I've had in my life. But I think it also benefits us to be practical. We can't always do that. We're not always ready to do that. Sometimes you have to earn confidence one little step at a time.
And so what I want to do is tell a story about that very courage, about using what you have where you are to start taking action now, even if you're not ready to leap without reservation. It's a reminder that beginnings are rarely graceful, but they're necessary. And years from now, when you look back, you might laugh at the ways you softened your first steps, that you hedged.
Chapter 2: How can we embrace imperfect beginnings?
But you'll also realize that starting, even imperfectly, even with training wheels, was everything. And so I want to share a quick story about my friend Clayton. I was recently on his podcast, And we were talking about this, right? Particularly with him, he shares a lot on social media. It's a big part of his brand, his business, what he does. And he also happens to enjoy dancing, right?
And by the way, I'm not throwing him under the bus here. He'd be happy that I shared this. So he's saying, I love this. It's a big part of what I do, but it's outside the scope of what people know me for. And really struggled to share it for fear of being criticized or laughed at or, you know, you can fill in the blank there. And he says, so one day I did.
I filmed a video and I'm sitting there for 40 minutes looking at it, terrified, thinking, how can I soften the blow here, right? And he goes, I know what I'll do.
Instead of just posting the video, I'll post it, but I'll write this really long essay underneath it in the description about vulnerability and the difficulty in life and some of these things so that people will see that and comment on that and send some positivity there to counteract
The negative comments that I'll get about dancing and being made fun of and all these things, you can just see like the circus going on in his brain, right? The loops he's jumping through to rationalize this in his mind. And he says, I'm so embarrassed that I did that. I can't believe that. Right now, I dance and I just post it. Who cares? And not only that, people like it.
And I'm listening to this and I'm like, but that's exactly it, right? We look back at our beginnings and we often laugh to ourselves. Oh, back then I was so naive. I was so scared. I tiptoed in, I crawled before I walked, before I ran. Like it's a sense of shame. You know the phrase, meet people where they are? Well, how about meeting that older version of you where you were? Because back then,
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Chapter 3: What role does courage play in taking action?
It wasn't a silly hedge. Back then, it was courage. It was everything you had. And yeah, maybe you had to make some small concessions in order to get the train on the tracks. You had to go the roundabout way. In a perfect world, would you have just dove in? Would you have just shared yourself with the world and said, whoever doesn't like this, oh well, it's not for you? Yeah.
But we live in an imperfect world where the most powerful thing is not a direct line to a goal or objective. It's starting when you're terrified to begin. Perhaps when that heartbeat in your chest is reminding you that being scared and feeling alive aren't all that different, it beats the same way. The question is, what do you do with it, right, in that moment?
And see, by starting, even with the training wheels or holding the edge of that cliff and tiptoeing around, you're able to breathe life into something that matters. You're able to give yourself an opportunity to say years later, wow, I remember how slow I moved back then. I remember how I tiptoed back then. I remember how much I cared about people's criticism back then. But now, now I don't.
Now I get it. That is the entirety of the point. You may not have been able to pick the fruit, but you planted the seed that would become the tree that would bear the fruit. And in the real world, that means a lot. Sometimes it's not about how you start or where you begin. It merely matters that you do, that you do start, that you do begin. I'll never forget a quote that Jim Quick shared.
It said, when all you have is 40%, 40% is 100%. And I've spoken about that in a few different contexts in the past. I think it applies here beautifully because time passes. And Clayton, for example, could say, man, I was operating at 40% back then. No, my friend, you were operating at 100% back then because that at the time was the obstacle in front of you.
Simply starting was the ocean you had to cross, and you did. And what's interesting to think about is you right now. Are that person your future self someday we'll look back on and smile at? Oh man, I remember. I remember that version of me. I remember being scared, slow. I remember not knowing. I remember feeling stuck and lost and insecure, but guess what?
I found the courage somewhere to set sail. Ill-equipped, ill-prepared, and in that moment, at that time, that was my Everest. So my friends, here we are. And I pose this question, what will you give life to? What is it in your soul you want to share? to explore, to give to the world, but you're sitting back thinking, I can't because I don't have all the answers. This is too big or too much.
Now is a good time to remind yourself that it can be ugly. It can and it should be something you laugh at down the road. You should smile at this novice version of yourself beginning a journey completely foreign to you. But the key word is beginning. Give yourself the gift of an imperfect launch into the ether. Let your world expand to places you've never been and things you've never seen.
Give yourself that gift. in all its imperfection, because going through the imperfection is the perfection. Give yourself the gift of someday laying back, closing your eyes, imagining the starting line and saying, thank God I did whatever I had to do in order to put one foot in front of the other. That little footstep that hedge, that tiptoeing around the canyon, it was a leap.
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Chapter 4: How can we find clarity through action?
And it changed pretty quickly. Essentially, Drucker tells the reader, stop wasting time on areas of low competency. The things that they don't really have a natural proclivity towards. And at first you might see this and think, you know, wait a minute, haven't we always been taught to improve the things we struggle in? Isn't that the name of the game? Well, not necessarily.
And in fact, a lot of us are held back trying to become moderately competent in areas we have no business being. When if we just took the things we loved, the things we were naturally drawn towards, we could truly be impactful in those areas, leaders in those areas. That's where you change your life and ultimately the lives of those around you.
In my world, I like using math as an example because it demonstrates this pretty well. You know, my second year of calculus, I realized, absolutely not. I do not like this. For me, it felt like a square peg in a round hole. I just didn't see a life where calculus would be a necessity. And so I dropped the course and sought out something that felt like a better fit.
Now, looking back, could one see my decision to walk away from that class as quitting? Sure, meets the definition. But what happened? Well, I filled that slot, or what would have been many slots if I continued that path, with courses that ultimately impacted my life for the better, that built a foundation for what I do today. They were aligned.
I got to express myself creatively, to write, to speak. I wrote papers about difficult topics. If I spent my entire life trying to become competent in calculus, it would have been a different story, right? Could I have improved? No question. Like, with time, it might have even gotten really good. But would I have enjoyed it? No. That's not where my skill set is best utilized.
That's not what I was born to do. And because of this, my ceiling would have most definitely been lower than someone who is naturally drawn towards calculus and loved calculus. When you find what you love and it adds value, there are fireworks. You become a force to be reckoned with.
And I get asked every so often, whether it be on a podcast or Q&A, whatever the occasion, what are your thoughts or suggestions around someone who finds themselves unmotivated? In my first thought, the first thing I'd always want to rule out is that perhaps that person has slipped into the wrong arena, right? Trying to win a game that isn't theirs.
You know how hard it would have been for me to be motivated every day if I woke up knowing calculus was what was on the docket? You know, how would I have incentivized myself there? There would have been a very clear layer of resistance. Which is why, to Drucker's point, it's silly to allocate substantial time and resources and energy to endeavors that don't lift you up. that you don't care about.
Now, I'm not saying you only do things that you're amazing at. That doesn't make any sense either. As my friend Evan says, if you love doing it, but you're not that good at it or it doesn't add value to anyone else, you know, that's great. You don't need a reason. You don't need to be excellent at everything. But what you have there is a hobby.
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Chapter 5: What happens when we embrace our vulnerabilities?
No one's ever celebrated for the things they were decent at, even if it took you 10 years to become decent, 20 years to become decent. No, it's the things you do well, right? And if you look at the world that way and your pursuit that way, you'll live a happier life and a more productive, successful life.
Now, there's so much power in the freedom you have to chart your course, but the first step is understanding you have that freedom and flexibility. It's understanding that when things don't feel right or feel a bit off, it's that it may not be you. It may be the path you've taken, the decisions you've made.
Take some time to find a journey that aligns with who you are, and the world will give back outcomes that were previously unimaginable. Let go of what you'll never be good at, right? Who cares? There's too much upside to be had chasing down the things that will actually light you up, that will actually set you apart. The things that will create meaning in your life.
The other day I went to check out an open mic. And basically people sign up to share their short stories, their poetry, stuff like that. And I'm sitting there soaking it all in, enjoying each one as they went up on stage. And eventually this girl makes her way up. The first thing she does is she tells the room, hey, I've never done this before, but I've always wanted to, so here I am.
She takes out her phone and begins reading some of her poems. And pretty quickly, two things stuck out to me. One is she was brilliant. Just so incredibly talented that I'm thinking, man, if she keeps doing this, she's going to find herself in some crazy places. She's really going to make an impact. That was the first thing.
And the second, as I sat there and watched, was that I noticed that her hands were visibly shaking. I was pretty close to this stage. 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, You know, 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.
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Chapter 6: How can we overcome the fear of judgment?
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. 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.
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Chapter 7: Why should we focus on our strengths?
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?
Why not step out knowing that the difference between nothing and everything is what you do with shaky hands? Lead yourself first. Before we can influence, before we can ever persuade or change anything externally, we have to first lead ourselves. And that means delivering on the promises we make to ourselves. It means showing up when we tell ourselves we're going to show up.
It means putting ourselves in an environment conducive to growth. There's an old metaphor from Wayne Dyer about an orange where he essentially says that it doesn't matter what you do to an orange. It doesn't matter how hard you squeeze it or how many you have or how you manipulate it. Grapefruit juice will never come out of an orange.
Only orange juice can be emitted, and similarly, we can never give or contribute what we do not have inside ourselves. We can't expect our lives to look like anything other than a culmination of the tiny actions, steps, and decisions we make on a daily basis. The external world is a product of the internal world.
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Chapter 8: What is the significance of taking the first step?
And the internal world is not realized until we learn to rule over ourselves and our lives with conviction. You can break this down in many different ways. Jocko Willink says, discipline equals freedom. John Maxwell talks about a leadership lid where success levels can never exceed leadership capability. And sure, it applies to teams, but it also applies to self-leadership.
Are you searching for and committing to the little hinges in your life that, as W. Clement Stone says, swing big doors that make the difference? Are you taking responsibility for your shortcomings like leaders do? Are you learning to trust yourself? Are you seeing past the trap of perfection and committing to progress? Are you taking the little things seriously?
Because at the end of the day all things are comprised of little things and only little things. The bottom line is that we master nothing until we master ourselves. Trust ourselves. The bottom line is that we win when we lead ourselves. Hold ourselves accountable for the little things that matter even when it hurts or we're tired.
Even though no one's going to come up and reprimand us for falling short. There are often no visible consequences when we let ourselves down. So let's manufacture that urgency. If you promised yourself you'd get up when that alarm clock goes off, it becomes no longer optional. If you promised yourself you'd go down the road that scares you, it becomes no longer one road of many.
It is now the only road. Even though it may be scary or intimidating, it's the darkness that must be confronted. You are more powerful than you know, you are more capable than you understand, but you must lead yourself to your potential. Those little things matter.
And so while the temptation is to brush them off is insignificant, while the rest of the world ebbs and flows through life like jellyfish with the tide, your superpower will be to see, harness, and multiply those little decisions like they are gold. Your strength is that when it's easier to run, you'll be the one that instead stands up and lead yourself to greatness.
Looking back and understanding what you might have done differently is a source of strength. Awareness is a currency of sorts. But being sorry for yesterday, dwelling on the days gone by, that is a waste of time. See, those feelings of discontent The emotions that rise to the surface as our minds sort through that catalog of regret.
You know, the emotions that try and pull you back down into the very moment in which they occurred. If you let them lead you by the hand back into a manufactured hell, they will. And down you will go. reliving an expired pain that you can neither prevent nor do anything about. After all, it is the past.
But alternatively, if we can do one of the hardest things for humans to do, which is depersonalize the occurrence, remove the emotion and find the value You stand face to face with an advantage in life that is exponential. Not only are you refusing to be defined or tortured by yesterday, but you're creating a framework by which you can actually use that pain to make a better right now.
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