Focus on your mind

from a tiger

you know those lows those setbacks

and perhaps even the personal anguish

one would assume would

uh accompany those things they've given

him the gift

of now

and he recognizes that

just like everything that has paved the

way for you has done the same

it's created the conditions from which

you can now grow further evolve

[Music]

it's providing a little nudge towards

those things we need to do but

maybe sometimes drag our feet a little

too long

so when the world throws you curveballs

how about seeing the situation as a

chance

to hit off speed

to step up to the plate

and make something of what we thought

was misfortune

when one trades it's happening to me

for

it's happening for me

you're presented advantages that were

previously unavailable

they weren't there

and not because they didn't exist

they weren't there because they weren't

recognized

because perhaps you saw the very thing

that could help you as the thing that

would hurt you

but regardless

here you are

sharpened by the mistakes you made and

shaped by the lessons you learned

you are here

not to relive the past but to create a

new reality write a new chapter walk a

new path

you

are here

and wherever next happens to be

let it unfold

because you chose it

let it evolve

because it's who you are

leave the stands and make your way to

the stage

we're sure the stakes are higher but so

is the upside

i often talk about the power of looking

over our shoulders at those highs and

lows from time to time

not because they have power over us

but because they have made us powerful

[Music]

look at all you've

endured see all that you've overcome and

for what

well

to put it simply

for the gift currently at your

fingertips

chance to say years from now

that sure you lost yourself

[Music]

things became chaotic confusing

convoluted maybe you were unsure maybe

at times you even felt alone but those

times

the same times that could have kept you

down

instead reminded you what you were

capable of becoming

you don't get the light

at the end of the tunnel without walking

through the darkness and so to remember

that

that all this has

unfolded to bring about something

beautiful on the other side well that

just might be the perspective

that you've needed that you've left

behind

the world

will only give you what you ask for and

so right here

right now

instead of accepting a continuation of

your past

how about demanding an evolution of

yourself

that game of life awaits

and so for your sake and the world

[Music]

don't be afraid to play

[Music]

[Music]

she had a picture framed on the table

that said make today

amazing

place there to remind her

just how much of life

is a choice

how much we get to decide

it symbolizes that on our worst days

life hands us lessons

and on our best days

the highs of existence

during our low points

currency

and during our high points the chance to

cash it all in

yeah make today amazing

because today's are few and far between

today's are not an inconvenience

nor an obligation

today's

are what it's all about

today is the big show

the answers we look for

the destinations we long for

today is a place of dreams

that is

if you choose to leave room in your

world

for dreaming

today is the beginning

of wherever next is for you

a chance to see the new

and normalize it

to stretch to reach further out and pull

impossible

a little closer

into your orbit

you can do that

[Music]

and while one often can't control what

they are given

they can control what becomes of what

they are given

like architects and designers

engineering what will be

in what the malleable world around them

will become

[Music]

when one raises their standards life

seems to accommodate

because believing it means acting the

part

means making the changes

means the external world makes room

means your identity is reinforced and so

the cycle goes by making today amazing

you are making yourself

more

[Music]

decisions are the beginning

of all things

[Music]

see very rarely is the tool

in and of itself the differentiator

it's the vision that pulls us through

and if you take something arbitrary

say a hammer there's no way to

based upon its existence determine what

it will mean or what will become of it

a hammer can be an agent of chaos it can

smash and shatter and destroy it can be

the thing used to tear down

or

it can be what built

they can connect

it can alter and redefine so that

something

when all is said and done

is brought into an existence that never

was

it was never the tool

it was how the eyes viewed the tool it

was the vision that designated the roles

that made

today

amazing

[Music]

and the reason we all need this reminder

as far as i can tell

is because the difficult things just so

happen to be the meaningful thing

because we are fighting

not against some little rule or idea we

picked up along the way we are fighting

against our dna

against thousands

and thousands of years of evolution

because the fear that kept our ancestors

alert

and alive

now in a totally new world keeps us

contained

and our talents minimized

the approval of others that kept us safe

and secure as we once traveled the

landscape in small groups hunting and

gathering

well now it keeps us needlessly looking

over our shoulders

and craving acceptance

the unknowns that kept us out of the

dark cave with the predator living in

its shadows

now keeps us confined

looking out at life's potential through

self-made windows

we need to be reminded to make today

amazing

because those things are quite the

adversaries

because our default is to just let the

ship sail our default is to simply

survive

after all that is the standard and the

rule by which living things abide make

it another day but i believe you are

more than a living thing

the god-like ability to not just exist

in a world but create new ones is a

miracle

both a blessing and a responsibility

to drive towards a more fulfilled you

a happier you a healthier you a more

complete you

but one must first become aware that

around them exists the pieces required

to build something never before

seen the vehicle to those far off places

that were once only dreams thought

illusions

i've always believed that if it means

something to you it's not stupid it

warrants exploration

[Music]

for even if the thought doesn't end up

being all it was cracked up to be

even if it's not the destination

but only a stop along the way

it still pushes you to the next thing

and the next thing and the next thing it

still moves you forward in this

beautiful game of life

[Music]

so decide

decide to make today amazing

choose to make it better let the

obstacles lift you up and the momentum

carry you towards something meaningful

when others stop and find reasons to

doubt themselves

how about you find this small wind

buried tucked away underneath it all

the little key that may do nothing more

than get you through that next door

after all sometimes that's what life's

about

picking up your head when it's most

difficult and finding the next door to

walk through and the magic is knowing

you can always do that

[Music]

because there always exists

both the doorway and the key but we must

be willing to find it that's the obvious

thing about those doors the right ones

will open

but they require we find the strength to

approach them

they require that we seek out amazing

and so with this in mind

what is the next chapter like for you

are you currently enduring one of life's

winters

are you navigating those inevitable

valleys of despair

in which the value is in finding that

single ray of light amidst the storm

within yourself for the courage to take

one more step forward and another and

another are you seeking out that spark

that will reignite the fire in you

because it's there

so long as you choose to make today

amazing

maybe you've climbed yourself out

maybe you're looking for whatever's next

the new evolution

seeking to follow your heart

and continue the beautiful progression

that is life

let the external world support that

vision choose to see the detail not as

trivial but as the answers

the tools that will lift you up and

support what you are building

it's there

[Music]

she had a picture framed on the table

that said make today amazing

place there to remind her how much of

life is a choice

[Music]

because in a world of option

what a gift

to choose the journey of a lifetime

what a ride that awaits

so long as you decide

to step in

[Music]

there's a quote attributed to lincoln he

says be sure to put your feet in the

right place

then stand firm

the other day i was listening to dan

carlin's podcast called hardcore history

which side note is

an incredible podcast guy's a brilliant

storyteller and as i was listening

um there's a specific idea that i wanted

to dive into an idea that i believe

if we make an effort to understand and

fully commit to

is capable of changing our lives

but first some quick context right so

dan starts off this episode called king

of kings

talking about the battle of thermopylae

in the year 480 bc in ancient greece

it's that famous story that a lot of us

know where king leonidas leads that

small army

uh which includes 300 spartans against

this massive persian military force

that's invading

and the quick version is essentially

xerxes who's the king of the persian

empire and in charge of that massive

army

tells the much smaller spartan force

that if they lay down their weapons

if they submit to him and let you know

the persians pass no harm will be

inflicted upon them they'll be free to

go go about their lives

and here's the famous line

in response to the persian command to

lay down their weapons

the spartans respond

milan labay

which means

come and take them

it's a spartan's way of saying look the

only way we're laying these weapons down

is if you rip them from our cold dead

hands

right with everything on the line the

odds stacked against them the ground

beneath them basically shaking from the

march of a far superior fighting force

moving directly towards their location

they would not let go

of their principles

[Music]

they were fighting for something bigger

than them

and i couldn't stop thinking about this

idea long after i hit pause on the

episode

i guess i was awestruck by the power of

living life with that type of conviction

because i know in my soul that's a north

star i should be gravitating towards we

all should

[Music]

the strength to be

unrelenting with regard to that which we

care about the aforementioned quote from

lincoln about finding the right place

for our feet and then holding steady

with everything you have all that you

are

holding firm

i just couldn't get that out of my head

and then it came to me that that

invading force

represents so much in our personal lives

so many things

one example

being the difficult or adverse

circumstances are trying times

when you're most likely to concede that

perhaps you're no bigger than that world

around you

maybe life is a movie and

i'm merely the audience

my job is to clap laugh gasp or cry a my

cog in a wheel a line in a script

powerless

in which case

you should be reminded of victor

frankl's famous

observation that everything can be taken

from a man but one thing the last of the

human freedoms to choose one's attitude

in any given set of circumstances to

choose one's own way

in other words

the outside world may change

it may evolve

but it will never have power over how

you choose to internalize

and view what's happening

that's innately yours

so when the circumstances feel like they

demand more than you can give when they

suggest you leave your interpretation of

life behind

the correct response is as the spartans

defiantly said

come and take it

that army could represent a pushback

against your values the pillars of your

individual foundation that you feel

amidst all the pressure

tempted to let go of

after all it's easier to retreat than

stand toe to toe with others

it's easier to abandon than it is to

defend

at least in the short term

but as victor hugo writes

you have enemies

good

that means you've stood up for something

sometime in your life

the enemies obviously not being the

point

i'm a believer in the conservation of

enemy approach to life allies just

pragmatically get you a lot further but

here's the reality

anyone who stands for something will

undoubtedly create

divide they'll be criticized and

condemned

and when one feels the pressure of that

criticism

they must understand that it does not

invalidate who they are

or their worldview that is yours you are

the only one who can give up

or relinquish that control

so as the spartans said

come and take it

and then lastly

my thoughts went to little things that

make us who we are

those tiny pieces of ourselves that we

little by little one by one over time

give away

the concessions that fade into the

background as we evolve to fit in so

that we don't stand out

emerson beautifully put it

to be yourself in a world that is

constantly trying to make you something

else is the greatest accomplishment

and so that attacking army

just might be the universe attempting to

mold you to it perhaps not all at once

but more like that frog placed in water

and put on the stove

with the heat increasing so slowly over

time that he doesn't realize that he

will soon overtake him

externalities do not dictate

they are objects in need of meaning and

you are the architect here

if it means something to you it's worth

holding on to during the difficult times

and the easy time

when it's popular

and when it's not

[Music]

there is value within you specific to

you a value that must be nurtured in

order to expand

others can't and won't see that the

world around you may even with all its

complexities seek to suppress it but

that flame is there it's there and it's

yours and to anyone or anything looking

to extinguish its light

come and take it

after all

what is a life if not one lived on your

own terms

the goal is not to simply exist but to

define the plane on which you'll evolve

to devise your own parameters

be yourself as that world looks to make

you something else

so here's to digging deep

to finding within yourself the courage

to stand up to the great armies of chaos

conflict adversity and their perpetual

conquest

to remember how strong you are